My old pal James agreed to go under the lights for a portrait demo that lasted an hour and thirty minutes. As the students gathered 'round, I set up my portable pochade easel on a camera tripod.
James took off his glasses and put on an antique beaver top hat. I laid in the basic shapes with a brush on an oil-primed canvas-covered masonite panel, 9x12 inches. I premixed a few of the main colors and blocked them in with long-haired bristle filbert brushes.
With the help of one of the students, Bethany, who loves costumes, we tried to imagine how a high wing collar and a cravat might look, so as to keep to the period flavor.
I'll do a post about the overall school at MICA later. Thanks to illustration department chairman José Villarubia for your hospitality, and hats off to the students for your attention and great questions, to Patrick for the photos, and to James for posing!
About MICA
Patrick O'Brien's Maritime Art
James Warhola's website
Open Box M Pochade Box
MICA blog post by Patrick O'Brien with another report on the visit
Previously:
Tone paper portrait of Warhola
Great job Jim !
ReplyDeleteAwesome demo!
ReplyDeleteWhat lucky students to have a visit from James Gurney -- and terrific artist like James Warhola as a teacher! I'd love to take that class myself!
ReplyDeleteThanks for signing my books! The foil-stamping on the Dinotopia reprint is gorgeous, and your talk was captivating.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much again for coming and signing my book! The pterodactyl is great!
ReplyDeleteGood show!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to thank you again for your visit to MICA - being able to watch you paint in Warhola & O'Brien's class was amazing.
ReplyDeleteI recently found your doodles/dedications in my copies of Color and Light and Imaginative Realism, which made me smile. I especially like the dinosaur and human sharing museum space.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a285/Aesyria/gurneydoodles.jpg
They have really helped me to expand my painting skills tremendously, and I look forward to reading them more in depth this week during my spring break. Thanks again for being such a (fun) inspiration!