Workshop: Marietta Sotirova - Buildings and Light

We worked really hard at Marietta’s workshop!

Marietta used her demo picture to remind us how to analyse the shapes and perspective in a complicated reference picture. Her advice - concentrate on the big shapes and try to simplify them. Then decide where the vanishing point needed to sit. The next step was to work on a drawing, concentrating on the ways the shapes and lines relate to each other to produce a composition. Then step back, analyse and correct.

The drawing was then transferred to the canvas, and the darks and lights painted in with thinned paint. The most important step was to establish the values - darks, middle tones and lights. Once this was done, it was time to focus on the colour temperatures - what was cool and what was warm. Layer upon layer of paint.

It was a careful, meticulous process and Marietta sat with each artist, guiding them, making suggestions and making sure each one of us produced an excellent result. We became so involved in the process, she had to call a halt at various points for us to stop and have a cup of tea. 4.00 arrived early.

We learned a lot.