Painting Classes

8/24/06
I will not be teaching the painting class this fall because of a busy painting schedule and twin babys on the way. I will probably teach again at some point in the future. E-mail me if you are interested and I will put you on my mailing list. In the meantime, if you are starting on your own, the information about materials below might be useful to you as well as How I Work.

Learn traditional painting techniques using acrylics.
All levels welcome.

Time: Saturdays from 10 am to 1:00. 8 classes total.

Cost and payment: The cost is $200.00. Class will be limited to 10 students. Classes must be prepaid and students will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. Please make check payable to Chris Miles and mail to:

Chris Miles
2512 Elizabeth St #8
Salt Lake City, UT 84106

Where: Rockwood Studios: 1064 E. 2100 S. Salt Lake City, UT. Main Floor, Room 15.

Instructor: Chris Miles. To see my work go to www.chrismiles.net

About The Classes: In these classes you will be painting your own choice of subject matter, either from photos, your own drawings, still life set ups, or any combination of these. The focus of the class will be representational painting. Acrylics are suitable for almost all styles of representational painting. The list of materials below is the minimum you will need for the class. Bring these the first day. Feel free to bring any other materials if you have them.

Bring a subject to paint the first day. The first class will be general information about acrylic painting, a painting demonstration which will show you how to use all of the materials, and then we will begin painting. The second class will be a lesson on color and will give you the language that will enable us to communicate about color as I am helping you with your painting. Other day's lessons will include drawing fundamentals, painting textures such as grass, stone , hair, etc, and preparing surfaces to paint on. Some later classes will be geared toward things students want to learn. I will bring books on various artists to each class for inspiration and to illustrate painting techniques. If you have questions call 467-5604 or e-mail me.

Materials
PAINTS: any brand will work, Liquitex, Utrecht, and Golden are higher quality. I think a minimum set would be 7 colors: black, white, light yellow (Cadmium Yellow Light or Lemon Yellow), red, a warm blue (e.g. Ultramarine), a cool blue (e.g. Thalo), and purple or violet.
BRUSHES: All types of brushes can potentially be used to produce different effects. Generally, short handled brushes are for water based media - acrylic and watercolors, and long handled brushes are made for oils. I use short handles "rounds" (round pointy brushes) the most, I like synthetic hair brushes better than natural hair brushes because I find they keep a nicer point. They are also much cheaper. The big round brush on the right has been used so much it has lost it's point but it's still good for washes and scumbling. I like long handled bristle "flats" or "brights" (flats with rounded corners) for painting large areas of larger paintings. If you are buying your very first brushes I would buy one #8 short handled round and one #8 long handled bristle bright.

above: short handled rounds

right: long handled bristle brights and one flat.
SURFACES TO PAINT ON: Good surfaces include stretched canvas coated with gesso, canvas board, and gessoed hardboard. If aren't sure what you want to paint on I would recommend canvas board from a craft or art store in sizes "8x10" or 11"x 14". These are inexpensive and yet of high quality, and are pre-gessoed, making them ready to use.
SEALED PALETTE: You need a sealed palette to keep the paints you are working with in. The one below on the left requires a sponge and special paper which are sold separately. These are kind of pricey, remember to use your 40% off coupon if you shop at Roberts or Michael's. The most economical sealed palette is tupperware and a wet paper towel. A sponge placed under the paper towel will make the paint last longer -2 weeks or so. In either case if you want to keep your paints longer than 2 weeks add 2 or 3 tablespoons ammonia underneath the sponge to prevent molding.

PALETTE PAPER: Disposable palette paper, seen on the right, is used to mix paints on. This paper is designed specifically for acrylics and has a wax-like surface that resists water so the paint doesn't soak into it. ( By contrast, the paper that goes in the sealed palette absorbs water. Water absorbs through from the sponge and in this way prevents the paint from drying out) The gray paints seen above were mixed with a palette knife on palette paper and then put into the sealed palette. 8"x10" and 9"x12" are good sizes for palette paper.

PALETTE KNIFE: As the one seen on the right.

WATER CONTAINER : Plastic jugs with holes cut work well.
SPRAY BOTTLE: You need one spray bottle. The finer the mist the better. Spray bottles from hair salon supply stores tend to be of a higher quality and have a finer mist.