Dog Portraits in Oils with Mike Skidmore - 8th & 9th April 2020

How to paint a portrait of a dog in oils.
 
2 day workshop - suitable for beginners and improvers
 
What we will do in our time together
 
We’ll be doing a pencil drawing directly onto the canvas, which we’ll ‘fix’ with a transparent coat of
acrylic. Then we’ll paint a tonal picture in white and grey acrylic, as this ensures the underpainting 
dries quickly. Finally we’ll paint in oils, covering every aspect of the classical painting process.
 
We'll cover the following:
	
	
Drawing on the canvas - freehand or with a fantastically easy grid method I have devised. Whichever works for you
	
	
	
How to do an underpainting, and why it is such a useful approach
	
	
	
Glazing, impasto and working with layers to build depth and dimension
	
	
	
Oil paints and mediums - everything you need to know
	
	
	
How many of the Old Masters created their pictures
	
	
	
Developing your own style - I’m not trying to tell you how to paint at home, I’m here to show you techniques that you can integrate into your own work as you see fit
	
	
	
How to appreciate your achievements rather than focussing on negatives. We are all our own worst enemy when it comes to personal criticism
	
	
	
Lots of tips to help you make the most of your talent (we are all much better than we think we are)
	
 
Materials
Tools
2b pencils and sharpener
Putty rubber
3 x jam jars
White spirit
A cotton rag
Kitchen towel
Cotton buds
'T' square - a cheap plastic one will do
Palettes - the silver foil platters that supermarkets sell are ideal. Students can 
then take them home and use the paint on them.
 
Paint 
Acrylics - I will bring a selection of what is needed
Oils
Cadmium red
Yellow ochre
Cadmium yellow
Sap green
Ultramarine blue
Titanium white
Burnt umber
Raw umber
Ivory black
I will also have a selection of paints to use, so don't splash out!
 
Brushes
Oil or acrylic brushes are fine
A sable or rigger brush in either size 3, 4, 5
Square end or filbert brushes in size 2, 4, 6 
Blending brush (sometimes called a fan brush)
 
I will also bring a selection in case someone hasn't got a particular brush 
 
Canvas boards
I prefer students to work on the same canvas boards that I use, as I know 
exactly how the paint will behave: Belle Arte canvas boards 24 x 30 cm which can be bought online from Jackson's Art.
They are about £7.00 each. I will also bring some in case anyone can't get hold of them.
 
Medium
I make my own and will provide enough for each student