30 shades of Grey – 3 day workshop (Feb 1-3 2019)

“Snow isn’t white; white is not even white” – Michael Abraham

By simplifying what you look at, through finding shape, considering the five elemental forms, and using a few key tools to assess the tones and contrast and the variations within tonal ranges, you’ll be able paint images with a dynamic range of tone, and more confidently, convincingly making for a stronger graphic readability to your work whether it be landscape, portrait, still life or abstract. 

Together you will explore and understand the variations in light and shade, lightness or darkness of objects and spaces, local tone and colour, and how light and atmosphere play and bounce on forms and textures to create the illusion of three-dimensionality.

Abraham’s accessible approach to teaching, through discussion, demonstration and exercise will have you feeling confident about your approach to tonal values in no time. His personable approach speaks much to the appeal of his teaching style, so you’ll learn and enjoy yourself thoroughly in the process.

Class Objectives
The objective is not to come a way with one ‘good enough’ workshop painting, but to come away with a variety of skills and thinking tips to simplify and unify tones and values, which will make any painting going forward a good painting!

Students will come away understanding lighting of elemental forms, have a better understanding of how to make strong design and value patterns, and essential drawing points to make drawing and painting easier. 

Abraham will walk you through a few exercises using comparative points, analytical questions, and working from bigger simplicity into smaller simplicities (detail).

You’ll come to see what works in shading, colouring, lighting, creating focus, creating separation and more, until thinking about tonal arrangements becomes second nature.

For more info and registration, visit Federation of Canadian Artists event page