The bases of illustration: a springboard to take a leap

This course provides some solid bases in order to be able to realize some effective illustrations, able to excite and involve the viewer. We use to think that drawing spontaneously is a process that is blocked by mysterious negative forces, but more often than not, the only block that prevents us from drawing freely is that we aren’t able to dominate with confidence the blank page, and we don’t know exactly what we want to communicate. Starting from listening of our emotions while we are drawing, we will get to develop some illustrations in a fully new way. Illustration holds some specific aspects that differentiate itself from the other visual languages: more than with painting, it has a relationships with cinema and theatre. Illustrtion is often light as a feather, unfinished, subtle as a frame. It’s a passing of time.
We will understand together how to make an image “light” and in movement, and how to convey the feeling that it was born effortlessly out of our hands. We will work with fast techniques, where it’s possible to male a mistake and correct the sketch without having to start all over again, in order to practice in total freedom on the construction of the scene, on the effects of field depth and on the tones of different expressions of the characters; we will discover again the pleasure to create. The beauty of an illustration is not an aesthetical fact, but rather an empathic one.
At the end of the course the trainee will go back home with a baggage of knowledge that will make him or her feel more self-assured in the realization of an illustration: for a contest, for a portfolio or a project book to be presented to a publisher, or maybe only to draw freely and with pleasure for oneself, dominating consciously the composition and the blank page.

Program
Study of two different pictorial techniques: crayon and Liquin; indelible china and collage.
Faces and bodies: anatomy and stylistic synthesis.
Perspective and overlapping plans: the depth of field.
Composition and balance of the page.
The course is open to whomever desires to get a deeper grasp of the languages of sketch and illustration. It is a basic course, but not only for beginners. It so often happens that we keep drawing for months and years, only to end up with the feeling that we need to start it all from scratch again, to rebuild the foundations. The course is also open also to young kids that are able to stand eight hours of sketching a day. Every student will be followed individually, starting from a beginner’s level.

The artistic and technical material is at the trainee’s expense.
Two pencils with graphite of different hardness (for instance a 2B and a 4B);
A portamine with thin point;
some coloured pencils (recommended brand: Polycolors of Faber Castell);
a china nib with nib holder and/or a black felt pen with thin point (brand recommended: Micron 0,25 mm);
rubber, scissors for paper and a penknife;
an album or single sheets of paper for sketches (format at the choice);
paper for the final works: a block or single sheets of paper (at least 5) for the “fair copy” (it is recommend to work in A4 format); the paper must be smooth (satiné) and of good substance (from 180 to 300 gr), the ideal paper, if you find it, it’s the Canson Illustration, Bd, Manga (http://it.canson.com/arti-grafiche/canson-illustration).
Some tracing paper;
a black thin cardboard bristol A3 to be used as background;
various pieces of coloured paper for the collage (opaque paper, that doesn’t reflect the light) or a pair of magazines to cut out (the magazines vintages are perfect for the collage). Some magazines will be put at the students’ disposal for this specific use during the course..
Please bring along at least one of your favorite children books, in order to create a temporary library.

 

Material for the techniques

Technique 1: Liquin and oil pastels. Some indelible wax pastels brands are NEOCOLOR 1 of Caran d’Ache, or in alternative: two or three oil pastels of brand Van Gogh.
Recommended colours: blue for the skies, pink for the faces, green for the trees, yellow for the backgrounds, grey for the middle tones.
A small jar of Liquin Original Winsor & Newton.
A cotton napkin.

Technique 2: china and collage
A small jar of indelible china (resistant to the water). Recommended brand: Winsor & Newton.
A round thin point brush for watercolours to trace lines, another bigger for the backgrounds.
At least a pair of watercolours in tube or in tablet.

Note: please do not exaggerate with the materials, as during the course we will be able to realize at most three or four definitive works and some sketches. In case you miss something, do not worry, as the teacher always brings some back-up material. Unfortunately in Sarmede there aren’t any art supply shops, and the nearest shop is located in Vittorio Veneto.


To prepare to this course (optional) it is suggested to train from life drawing at least one time a week.

Date Timetables
03 Jun 2019 09.30 – 18.30
04 Jun 2019 09.30 – 18.30
05 Jun 2019 09.30 – 18.30
06 Jun 2019 09.30 – 18.30
07 Jun 2019 09.30 – 18.30
08 Jun 2019 09.30 – 12.30

Location: Centro Sociale di Rugolo

Price: 370 euro

Deadline for entering : The enrolment deadline is one month before the beginning of the course, unless otherwise specified. Late enrolments will be accepted dependent upon available places.

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