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Painting People with Gouache Workshop
Artist-instructor: Oded Arad
Format: In-Person
Location: Galerie Hell, Spittastraße 2, 10317 Berlin
July 6 – July 27, 2023
– 4x Thursdays
– 18:00-20:00
Cost: 155€ (inc. VAT)
Materials: Bring: A small set of gouache colors (12) Sketchbook for taking notes, testing colors, diagraming compositions, etc… Pencil and eraser.
To be purchased by the student: Everything for the first class is provided and we will go over additional supplies in detail. Own set of brushes. Own mixed-media paper block or canvas boards (your choice).
What to Expect:
Learn how to paint people! How to make others see a person the way you see them. Use the medium of many old masters: Henri Matisse, Egon Schiele, William Turner. Begin painting with Gouache Colors.
Gouache: this versatile painting medium is water based and somewhat similar to watercolor except that it is opaque. For those wishing to start a painting practice, without a dedicated studio space, we are recommending this medium as a more eco-friendly alternative to acrylic painting (acrylic paint contains microplastics which end up going down the drain if you work from home). Gouache can be applied flat and opaque or layered and is appropriate for realistic, graphic or expressive painting styles.
Painting People: We have been used to seeing and interpreting human features since we were babies. Our brain is trained to effortlessly measure the distance between a person’s eyes, the angel of the mouth and instantly have emotions and opinions about it.
Unlike painting different objects such as architecture or still life, when it comes to portrait painting, often it’s not enough to be able to accurately depict what you see. There is another thing, very elusive, that resides behind the facial features, a character that radiates through the solid face.
This workshop is an invitation to study the human character, its facial features and body stature. We will learn how to use gouache colors proficiently and make them do exactly what we demand from them. As reference we will both work with photos and with each other as models.
The course is designated for those who have at least a basic former experience with drawing.
About Your Instructor:
Oded Arad is an Israeli artist, living and working from Berlin. He is an MFA graduate of Hito Steyerl’s class at the Berlin University of the Arts (UDK). The media he uses vary from painting, drawings, an experimental film that he writes, produces and directs. His works are mainly concerned with the themes of memory, the grotesque and humor, and have been exhibited in Germany, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Israel. Oded is currently working on graphic novel.
During his workshops he wants to discover together with his students their specific way of expressing themselves, or the way they see the world.