Man of Many Colors....

I'm not sure how many of you know that today's class was done in honor of my father. He passed away on Dec. 18th. My father instilled in me my love of art and to use the portrait that hangs in my home as a resource for today's class was special. He would've loved being there (and he was, in spirit) and trust me he would have corrected me on a number of things.

It was great to use that image of him and compare it to the painting, Maiden of Czechoslovakia in regards to the colors, shading and textures. It was wonderful to hear the comments and questions that our online participants had during the class. It was great to have Eric Anderson assist in showing the students the drawing I did up close as it was not visible from where I was sitting.

For having to teach the class today it brought back memories of teaching this topic to high schoolers as well as elementary aged kids. Knowing how to draw a face is an important piece of curriculum that every art teacher should teach to their students. It is a skill I have used many times in my adult life in various careers. In today's world, knowing how to capture faces from everyday life to top new stories is vital to being an artist that is connected to their world around them. The discussion of skin tones and eye lids can be something that many wouldn't want to discuss but we did. It can be a touchy subject but it doesn't need to be. Knowing that skin tone is made up of many colors not just one is vital to making a great self portrait as well as things like the eyelids. Wait, what? Yes I said that, eyelids. To know that people have distinct characteristics in their inner face like eyelids is important so that you are truly capturing your subject matter.

I hope that while watching the class you will view people differently and see how unique we really are. Come into the Blanden to see the works of art that capture the images of humans. Make sure you go to your art supply store and pick up a blank canvas, get some paint/brushes and then try to paint a portrait like we did in today's class. The video of the class is on this website, on Facebook and on our YouTube channel. Follow along, learn something new, it's not just for kids anymore. Make time to learn a new skill.