Companion Tutorials:-
‘Learn to Enjoy Painting in Soft Pastels with Paul Taggart [Series 2]’ — .vimeo./ondemand/paintinginpastels2
‘Learn to Enjoy Painting in Soft Pastels with Paul Taggart [Series 1]’ — .vimeo./ondemand/artworkshopwithpaulpast1
‘Equipment Focus for Soft Pastels by Paul Taggart’ — .vimeo./ondemand/awwptpastelsequipment
‘Painting Topical Techniques for Soft Pastels with Paul Taggart [Series 1] — .vimeo./ondemand/awwptpasteltechniques
Although demonstrated as a mixed-media painting in Acrylics with Soft Pastels; the principles of this traditional layering technique of working from dark-to-light are equally suitable for painting with oil paints and/or for painting with acrylics as stand-alone media. Similarly, the underpainting layer can be executed in watercolours.
You join Paul Taggart in this ‘live’ workshop as he explains that although there are aspects of the sky that he might like to work on; to do so at this stage would be to imbalance the composition. Working in layers, from the top of the painting down to the foreground and doing so gradually is essential in concluding with a well-balanced painting.
So, Paul now moves on to the main body of water in the harbour; which firstly requires a graded approach, working from a dark warm blue in the foreground, diminishing through progressively cooler light blues and ultimately on to white as the viewer’s eye is drawn into the far distance.
Having established the base of this water, he switches to the shore and works in exactly in the same manner, gradually working from dark colours at the water’s edge, through to the lightest values in the foreground.
Directional strokes, varying pressure and the use of different parts of the pastel are exploited, just as you would with brush-strokes, to ‘describe’ the lay of the land and the water, as well as the various textural qualities present in these elements.
Having blended this first layer of pastel, Paul now goes back into these sections to work on the next layer of pastel; again working from the back of the painting to the front so that elements are progressively laid over each other as he moves forward. In this way, the overall composition is brought into focus in a balanced way; allowing you the artist to select those elements which you wish the viewer’s eye to become fixed on — in other words, the focus of your composition.
You are shown how to bring elements into focus by suggesting their detail, rather than laboriously picking out each and every facet; you are shown how light and shade play their part in creating volume and form; not to mention how manipulating the textural opportunity provided by pastels comes into its own, as does the use of paper wipers/blenders to create softness and the subtlest of colour mixing on the surface.
FINALLY REFLECTIONS – how they work and how they are achieved – A MUST FOR ANY ARTIST
Following a tutorial such as this is not about slavishly copying what Paul Taggart has produced, it is about learning and practising the technique, with which you can develop your own unique style. What Paul decides to do, therefore, is not necessarily what you would want to do – you may prefer to focus on something entirely different.
As with all of Paul Taggart’s tutorials THIS EPISODE ALONE IS PACKED FULL of hints, tips and techniques – AS WELL AS SHOWING HOW corrections can be made, HOW surface mixing comes into play, HOW underpainting influences subsequently applied layers of colour and so much more.
THE DAY WAS CENTRED ON PAUL’S START-TO FINISH PAINTING DEMONSTRATION, BROKEN INTO STAGES TO ALLOW THE GROUP TO WORK ALONG AT THEIR OWN EASELS AND BE VISITED BY PAUL FOR ONE-TO-ONE HINTS AND TIPS.
THIS THREE-PART SET OF FILMS FOLLOWS THOSE BREAKS
SUBJECT – the beautiful fishing village of Portmahomack is situated on the east coast of the Northern Highlands of Scotland and Paul explains why he selected the particular view looking along the sweep of the harbour beach.
THE PURPOSE OF THE MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOP WAS TO RAISE FUNDS IN AID OF THE RNLI Invergordon Lifeboat Station’s 40th Anniversary Year Celebrations (2014).
When Moira Aitken approached us for a one-day workshop for her artistic friends that meet in the Carnegie Hall (in Portmahomack) on a regular basis, we rather boldly asked if the invitation to attend this workshop could be extended to include others that might be interested and her group very kindly agreed to our request.
Moira priced the fee at a generously low £20 for the entire day and we provided Paul’s services free-of-charge, in order that all proceeds from the workshop could be donated to Invergordon Lifeboat Station.
THE FINISHED ORIGINAL PAINTING WAS DONATED BY PAUL TAGGART for the purpose of raising funds equally between RNLI Invergordon Lifeboat Station and The Carnegie Hall in Portmahomack.
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