UNDERPAINTING WORKSHOP
UNDERPAINTING WORKSHOP
INSTRUCTOR: BEN BIRES
Have a better game plan with your painting using this exercise as a helpful tool to make the process more efficient. Start off by toning the canvas with a quick wash and then put together a “sketch” with thinned out paint to map out a strong composition. Learn how to simplify, crop and edit your painting to understand how space and negative shapes work together. This will help to find a balance with your light and dark values and overall placement of the subject matter. There are many ways to look at it - think of it as a blueprint or a rough draft for your painting, kind of like a guideline to follow. Here’s a different approach to break down the scene by blocking in shapes before you even lay out your colors. Each session will focus on setting up a successful start to a painting.
MATERIALS
All supplies provided with a $20 fee payable to your instructor at the start of class.
REGISTER NOW: SATURDAY | MAY 25 | 2 PM TO 5 PM | $75
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Ben’s encouraging style of teaching provides a welcoming atmosphere to enjoy a creative outlet. He’s all about bringing people together and having a good time while getting to know his students’ goals. He will push you out of your comfort zone and do whatever he can to make you a better painter. His love for the outdoors brought him and his wife to Colorado Springs in 2016, which led him to begin teaching landscape painting classes here at Cottonwood shortly after. A big fan of music, there’s always some good tunes playing in class to set the tone for a productive paint session. His loose painting style involves bold color balanced with dramatic brushstrokes that captures emotion and creates a sense of movement in his scenes. Learn more at benbires.com or give him a follow on social media @benbiresfineart.