Intense training

[Mischa Milosevic]

I think it is safe to say that the drawings alone are worth the purchase.

[Marvin Mattelson]

The original plates came with no instruction. What is included in the book is the opinion of a teaching artist. Personall I disagree with the way the plates are being used. I think they were designed to get people to see objectively and IN MY HUMBLE OPINION, copying them literally is not how Bargue and Gerome (who was Bargue's teacher and the initiator of the concept) intended them to be used. My opinion reflects only my ideas and should be considered as such when being weighed.

[Mischa Milosevic]

When I approached my first Bargue drawing I thought it would be a breeze to do. Now I look at the Bargue drawings from a different vantage point from a point of relative understanding. Unless a individual draws each and every drawing to absolute perfection, copy machine errors not included, one has no understanding of the value in the plates. After just copying five in progression of difficulty but to perfection one barely begins to understand the value of the other plates.

Each has the right to give ones opinion from what ever vantage point one stands but unless one has experienced these drawings as I describe they have no clue but only a opinion. It would be a sad fact to way someones future based only on opinions. As we all know a foundation built on a rock will stand the test of time but a foundation built on sand, it is simple to figure out.

Narvin has a point about whether there were written instructions with the plates. How one uses the drawings is another good point but whether Bargue intended them to be used this way or that way is a long winded story. I think the best way to find out is to look at the results. The students, the work, speaks loud and clear.

[Sharon Knettell]

Mischa,

I bet you can read French anyway. Thank-you for that information.

Marvin, I appreciate the humbleness of your opinion, but unless you are a freak of nature and the worlds oldest living artist, you would not be old enough to be privvy to that information.

The chain was broken and all we can do is somehow to the best of our collective knowledge, reassemble it and respect others attempts to interpret it.

[William Whitaker]

I continue to teach several student interns and apprentices. They work along side me three days a week and are all low maintenance. I love it when they are here, and just when I want some time alone, they are not here. It is a near perfect system.

Thanks to them, my life is more tidy. Today they washed windows. They also drew and painted a little.

I haven't taken any photos of the studio in months. I remembered to do so today and I'm going to post the results now.

Emily, who has been with me since February, is now painting. However, I'm starting my image posts with one of her recent drawings, a very accurate head in Nupastel.

[William Whitaker]

I only teach basics and all the artists move along at their own speed. I have no slackers. They all work harder than I do!

I find too that everyone makes the most rapid progress if I break the training down into basic components.

Here is Emily at the easel, painting a dinner roll. After months of intense copy drawing, there is nothing to drawing a dinner roll! Therefore she can concentrate on brush technique, edge quality, color and value.

She is working in the same natural light conditions perfected over 350 years ago by our heroes. Nothing is better.

I stress good habits. She is working on her feet, using a light touch, and doing the painter's dance - even when her sitter is a dinner roll!

[William Whitaker]

On the right is Hala. Hala has been a professional illustrator for ten years. (See her website - http://www.artbyhala.com/) She is getting a master's degree now and I'm serving as her adviser. She is very talented and it is a joy watching her swallow new ideas and new techniques whole.

They are painting quick. Each one paints several oil sketches each session, working on tracing paper to warm up. I hope to post some of their work soon.

The goal is to bring their subjects to life, whether they be bread, fruit, cloth, metal, leather or flowers. Once they can do this, they can paint figures that will be full of life.

[William Whitaker]

I don't always have the same group on board. Some of these folks are full time university students getting release time to work with me.

Brittany and Stacy are doing copy drawing in my cast drawing room. They both have rigged very good studios in their own homes and will be painting in their own painting rooms tomorrow. Brittany will be drafting her husband to sit for her.

Brittany has even painted her own studio the same color as mine - Mohegan Sage by Benjamin Moore. She has a great little working space there - as effective as mine.

[William Whitaker]

They are both lefties so they have the north windows to their right. Brittany's drawings are very accurate, but her technique is bad. She is concentrating on technique by working rapidly on sheets of tracing paper which of course feels great under the pencil.

Stacy is working on a Bargue copy and is to the stage where she is concentrating on value (shading). She has taped a piece of paper towel over her drawing so she doesn't smudge her work with the heel of her hand. She is working at her own speed, perfection being her goal. I expect she will work on this drawing for a few more weeks before she is satisfied.

Notice the terrifically clean windows! My people keep the my studio immaculate.

I'll post more stuff soon.

[Linda Brandon]

This is a wonderful series of posts, Bill. How lucky these artists are to be up there working with you, getting impeccable realist training!