This landscape of a peranakan building in Singapore was the concluding piece in water colour for the one year certificate course in Western painting at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts,Singapore.I took up this course in January 2009 . The course consisted of pencil drawing,charcoal,water colour and oil painting.I was lucky to have Mr. Goh Ee Choo as my teacher.Being a very experienced teacher, he catered to the individual needs of his pupil and demonstrated every technique and skill involved in each medium. For a self taught artist like me, it was exactly what I was looking for. I enjoyed every moment of this learning experience.Just got my results.Even at this age I was eager to see my results and just like a child,it made me feel very happy to see the grade.
Next few weeks I would like to plan and start working on a theme. I still need to find out the medium I would like to use. I have decided to do a few pieces in water colour first as I find that the most challenging medium. It is a very interesting medium to work with but has its own limitations.
I would also love to practice drawing portraits and figures in charcoal and do some more research in composition and colour scheme.
I have been experimenting with painting on different surfaces.Just to get the feeling of painting on plastic, I joined rejected CD covers and used that as my canvas to create the piece on the left titled 'four seasons'.I found the surface too smooth and it did not absorb the paint.This made it difficult to produce brush strokes on the first layer.I had to wait for the first layer to dry. By applying a few layers,I got the desired result. 
Last week I did this portrait in pastel from a photograph.I can see my portraits getting closer to the original photos.
Something very interesting happened today. I found the website of a schoolmate who has become a self-taught artist.We were childhood friends but we took different paths after we left school and lost touch. I remember her filling the margins of the pages of her exercise books with sketches, mainly faces.She still seems to focus on portraits and figures.One I liked most is The Debutante in charcoal.
7 comments:
Congratulations on completing the course!
Amie and I will try the cd box painting. Perhaps I should add a layer of some neutral color and let that dry first. I think we have a couple of those boxes lying around.
Thank you.
One good thing about this surface is that the acrylic paint takes longer time to dry.As a result one can use the wet in wet technique of water colour and produce great effects.
Are you working on anything now?
yes.planning for my solo.
1.found a theme [quite complicated]
2.started making sketches
3.started creating sample by enlarging and painting with water colour
4.will use no.3 as sample to work on bigger canvas in oil/acrylic
took me about 4 days to complete one sample and one more sketch.
Perhaps it will be a good idea to decide on a simpler theme and start making samples simultaneously and then select the more achievable one for oil/acrylic.
In my estimate, it will take me at 8-9 months from now to complete this project,i.e., if I can work without any disturbance or distraction.The earliest I can think of having a solo exhibition would be early 2011.
I know of a place where you can work (reasonably) undisturbed, and where you can find lots of inspiration for themes. And they have a great supply of paints as well!
Haha !Thank you. Please book the place for me.
Booked! No refunds if canceling!
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