Nancy Freeman Studio
  • Home
    • About the Artist
    • Contact
  • Blog
  • PROJECTS
    • Cabbage Invitational >
      • The FINAL CABBAGES
      • CABBAGE SCARVES
      • ABOUT THE CABBAGE INVITATIONAL
      • CABBAGE COMPETITION WINNERS
    • Hill Center Solo Exhibition
    • Hill Digital Quilt
  • DIGITAL WORKS
    • Cabbage Whimsies
    • Copper Dreams
    • Beadazzled
    • Red Feathers and Wings: Maples
    • Paintography
    • Photography
  • Traditional Media
    • About Studio, Media
    • Landscapes
    • Flora and Still Lifes
    • Portrait Commissions
    • Speed painting
    • Pastel - Step-by-Step Demos >
      • "Inner Space" Demo
      • "Fallen Bouquet" Demo
      • "Winter Ruffles" Demo
  • Collections
    • EARTH ALIENS
    • Cool Things
    • Round Things
Picture

Speed Painting

                                                 It's the most fun I have as an artist.


Pastel Techniques class Demo - Ten 2-minute paintings done in one sitting. Quick sketches are an excellent way to warm up and to explore an idea or color combination. The time goes so quickly that you can't be fussy or fearful. It's the most fun I have as an artist. The preparation time was way longer of course, and being a confident artist is a lifelong pursuit.
Picture
The Palette

10 Paintings in 20 Minutes

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

"Monterey Cypress" Quick SketchDemo


This demo took about 20 minutes, including standing back regularly for a distance view, which is important. It was nicely edited down to 8.5 minutes which makes me sound quite a bit more articulate than I actually was.
From the Art League Blog ...
"With Winter term classes underway, our camera crew is once again  making the
rounds of Art League classrooms to record instructor demos.  Today we’re pleased
to add the first pastel demo to our library,  courtesy of Nancy Freeman!

 In the video, Nancy shows her Wednesday morning Exploring Pastel  class how
to do a quick pastel sketch, working from a reference photo  she took near
Monterey, California. It starts with showing the paper  who’s boss."

If you have any trouble with the video, here's the link to the Art League site:

A Quick Pastel Sketch Demo with Nancy Freeman




30 paintings in 30 minutes

Picture
The color palette:
My color sense tends to be rather bold and saturated, so I wanted to explore a more subdued palette. I pre-selected a range of lower saturation colors in 3-4 values.
The excercise of painting 30 paintings in 30 minutes really gets the creative juices flowing, and forces you to focus on the essentials. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the event, I found myself getting quite irritated at that minute going by so quickly. Just as I was getting into the flow of each painting, "Ding!" the minute would be up. It would be easier if it was just charcoal, but I'm a color addict. The entire excercise, including a few seconds between each to put the old one away and prepare for the new one, took about 45 minutes or so. Preparation and clean up added a few more hours.

The advanced planning helped. I had gathered papers in several different colors and textures, and pre-selected a palette of largly compatible soft pastels from which I only occasionally strayed. Also, I already had in mind what I wanted to explore -- geometric shapes (squares, rectangles, stripes, and frames). I feel as if I've barely scratched the surface of possibilities. I am so pleased with the experience and the production that I intend to repeat the process, maybe a 60-60, or one with 90 seconds each, or maybe even two whole minutes!
Picture
All 30 one-minute paintings
Picture
The first five minutes
Picture
Five more minutes.
Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.