tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post1534808571209882506..comments2023-06-13T08:29:39.914+00:00Comments on MAKING A MARK: Review: The Big Painting Challenge - Episode 4 (Portraits)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-70395231367006738522017-03-09T09:56:31.082+00:002017-03-09T09:56:31.082+00:00Really fascinating to read your reviews of the Big...Really fascinating to read your reviews of the Big Painting Challenge, it adds greatly to the enjoyment of watching the programme. As do Pascals videos on his blog. I've also been pondering the definition of 'enthusiastic amateur' and agree with what you've said above.Celia Harthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12776686088752602321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-28387972619444355682017-03-08T17:53:51.848+00:002017-03-08T17:53:51.848+00:00Hi David
In my experience, all those who have had ...Hi David<br />In my experience, all those who have had a good grounding in photography or graphics or illustration are streets ahead of many painters when it comes to possessing the knowledge, skills and experience to know what makes a good composition. Many of the best artists I know started out with a background in commercial art.<br /><br />Bottom line - wielding a brush is only half the work when it comes to painting. Daphne et all don't bang on about perspective, proportion, placement etc for nothing.<br /><br />I'm in fact making a plea for a level painting field and for all "amateur painters" to be precisely that i.e. never ever studied beyond A level and never ever made their career in the visual arts (of whatever kind and I very definitely include advertising in that).<br /><br />PS I don't think anybody is stopping any of the artists in the Big Painting Challenge from using big Pantone Markers! You can paint with all sorts of media! :)Making A Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509483023337008890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-68949988501576328762017-03-08T16:22:10.235+00:002017-03-08T16:22:10.235+00:00Kathryn, hello! I went to art college and studied ...Kathryn, hello! I went to art college and studied graphic design. I never picked up a paintbrush once during my time there and I would say the same would be true for Ceramics, Textiles, Photography and Product Design students. I did do 'en plain air' for a week and life drawing for two weeks but the rest of my three years was spent using Pantone Magic Markers drafting out ideas for advertising campaigns etc. I picked up a paintbrush for the first time a few weeks ago, around 40 years after I put my last one down in Sixth Form! I'm now trying my hand at acrylics and watercolour and it's hard not to be graphic in my approach after nearly 35 years spent in advertising agencies and design houses being the antithesis of everything Fine Art. I'm an absolute novice when it comes to painting compared to the dozens who attend the two art societies I belong to. So I think you were being a bit unfair to want to exclude all art college students from the term amateur artist. <br />Thank you. David DavidAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11499364544873244696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-56209259966165551352017-03-07T16:33:27.365+00:002017-03-07T16:33:27.365+00:00Jimmy Mac was one of the people, at the life drawi...Jimmy Mac was one of the people, at the life drawing group I went to, who really encouraged me to enter competitions, way back in 2009 - and the rest, as they say, is history. As an aside, on the glasses thing, I've never painted a self portrait wearing glasses, although that's probably how other people think of me. Partly this is because my eyes won't let me if I'm using a mirror more than a foot away - if I can see the mirror then I can't see the canvas. Also partly cause I only ever wear glasses when out and about - never at home or in the studio, so me self image is not of a glasses wearer. Partly as well cause my sp's aren't about recording how I look but experimenting with paint/an idea that I can't ask someone else to pose for.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00179015406085968050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-87639157263401662032017-03-06T18:08:28.085+00:002017-03-06T18:08:28.085+00:00I enjoyed this week more than the previous ones. ...I enjoyed this week more than the previous ones. But there was a missed opportunity that could have been both fascinating and educational - seeing how Daphne might begin a 2 hour portrait. She is one of the most well known portrait artists and I would have loved to have heard more from her on painting portraits. Perhaps she could have used Lachlan or David as her model and done a quick demo setting up a portrait. <br /><br />katybeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12442945754811084397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-66265630306588745002017-03-06T16:59:51.251+00:002017-03-06T16:59:51.251+00:00They all did better this week than I was expecting...They all did better this week than I was expecting, as most amateurs do portraits from photos and I thought the real live sitters would highlight their limitations , but fair does they did alright. Jennifer is wildly inconsistent producing a dreadful self portrait them one of the best pictures of the lot in the second half. I loved the difference of opinion between Lachlan and Daphne" start with the outline". "Nooo!"<br />Does anyone else find themselves air painting in front of the television or is it just me?Dennis Spicerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03751835900151718225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-16536378170983055732017-03-06T16:08:14.141+00:002017-03-06T16:08:14.141+00:00Nerys - I'm totally in favour of would-be arti...Nerys - I'm totally in favour of would-be artists studying the really good tests that are out there! The Andrew Loomis one is one of the standards.Making A Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509483023337008890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-74863857228940018172017-03-06T16:07:10.364+00:002017-03-06T16:07:10.364+00:00Hi Jane - who's "our Jimmy"?Hi Jane - who's "our Jimmy"?Making A Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13509483023337008890noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-9550695876589905202017-03-06T14:45:50.083+00:002017-03-06T14:45:50.083+00:00I didn't quite see the point of Diane's ex...I didn't quite see the point of Diane's exercise, which basically amounted to chucking ink and water on paper. Given the comments by the judges in round 1 about proportion, I thought Diane's class would have benefited more from an exercise like that done by Pascal's group.<br />Perhaps all the contestants should have just spent a few hours with a copy of "Drawing the Head and Hands" by Andrew Loomis... Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05982317221772850058noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-29065574473050530152017-03-06T13:33:32.705+00:002017-03-06T13:33:32.705+00:00I thought Angela's portrait of Floella Benjami...I thought Angela's portrait of Floella Benjamin (do I mean Angela? The one who went, anyway) wasn't at all bad. But there we are - agree with all the comments about the others. I would have liked the programme to have explored the difference between Goudie and Todd (I very much agreed with her).<br /><br />As I hadn't looked at the contestants' websites, I hadn't realized the differences in experience between them - and I'm afraid this discovery has entirely vitiated the worth of the competition for me (although it does show that you should be extremely careful before choosing a painting tutor: take a good look at their work before entrusting yourself to their guidance). Robert's reflectionshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10205119728499995000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20645140.post-917646781941105912017-03-06T13:20:37.004+00:002017-03-06T13:20:37.004+00:00my goodness that's our Jimmy! might have to ac...my goodness that's our Jimmy! might have to actually watch the show now :)janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13588901637630537211noreply@blogger.com