In the years I have been producing artwork and painting, some of the issues I am constantly up against relate to fixing problems with either composition, drawing or value. Even though this workshop is only one day, we will work on the foundations of composition and value, then move on to paint. My hope is we all learn a bit more about creating solid artwork.
Class is Limited to 15 Artists! Register Today.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
THE GOAL: To work through some quick studies of composition and value with greyscale markers. This will help us gain some understanding of what we want to say in a painting. This exercise begins the process of problem solving that is always present. It also help to define what the most important “thing” is that drew us to the scene in the first place, what is less important, how to communicate that to viewer.
The subject(s) will be the landscape since it lends itself well to being a great teacher in the foundational aspects of painting. I believe principles learned through these quick exercises will also easily carry over to other painting projects that are not landscapes – paintings of varying subject matter.
COMPOSITION AND VALUE: We will work on composition and value with complimentary gray scale markers that I will provide each person. These will be 5 shades of grey to create quick thumbnail drawings (I’ll provide some small pads to work on). These thumbnails will help to work out composition and value.
I have found that this process of using the markers provides a quick way to explore value and composition before committing to paint.
We should have approximately half or two thirds of the day remaining to work on a painting based on composition worked out previously.
Time/Date: September 19, 2026 starting at 8:30 in morning thru 4:30 p.m.
Cost: $145
Class is limited to 15 Artists – CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!
Location: Breckenridge Fine Art Center • 207 N. Breckenridge Ave., Breckenridge, Texas 76424
info@breckenridgefineart.org • 254-559-6602
Lunch: Since we are on a tight schedule, please bring your lunch to enjoy during a short lunch break!
SUPPLIES TO BRING
PHOTO: I will bring some extra photos of various landscapes for the value studies we will do. You can also bring your own photo as well. Remember the photo shouldn’t be complex, a simple landscape with Foreground, Middle ground and Background. Example: A photo with a barn or structure in foreground, middle ground trees or fence line and distant hills or mountains – this would work great for our purposes.
PAINT TO BRING: As I mentioned, I’ll provide 5 Greyscale Markers and small pad for each person to keep for the thumbnail phase of the workshop. But, each person should bring paint, brushes, paper towels, etc. and either a plein air easel or a table top easel to work on the final painting. We will keep the palette simple and limited – primary colors, plus white. List of suggested color below.
LIST OF PAINT: Ultramarine Blue or Colbalt Blue, Alizarine Crimson, Cadmium Yellow Light or Cadmium Lemon, Titanium White are great primaries to work with. I also use Gamblin’s Portland Greys: Light, Medium and Deep as this saves time mixing greys from the primaries.
BRUSHES: Since this is to be a fast day, I would suggest for brushes to stick with a larger bristle brush – Flats, 3/8 to ½ inch wide. If time permits the painting to progress to near completion, small brushes may be needed.
CANVAS OR PANEL: You will also need to bring a CANVAS or PANEL to paint on, no larger than a 9 x 12 works great.
Please email me is you have any questions at: stevemiller@stevemillerstudios.com
FINAL NOTE: Sometimes we are hesitant and unwilling to stretch a bit, but I believe there is much to learn through the process we will work through. The solid fundamentals will help improve future work. And “work” is the correct word as it takes work to hammer out the issues and obstacles that hinder creating better paintings.
Class is limited to 15 Artists – REGISTER TODAY!
