Charles Reid at Crantock - Day Four

On Tuesday, the fourth day of the course, the subject was `Still Lifes'. This is one of Charles specialities where he combines flowers with a variety of other objects. They aren't pure flower paintings but paintings with flowers in them.

The duck was added later and some rearrangement took place.

Initially Charles began with Schut Flamboyant 250gsm 50% cotton paper. This was at the request of his wife who particularly likes the effects created on this paper, which is extra rough. Charles started with a silhouette at top. Draw some and then paint, make sure white shapes are large enough. No details initially. Draw with brush, not over much pencil work. Be very careful with white flowers not to make the details too dark. Tonal values were explained once more. Charles considers them far more important than colour. If you get the tonal values right that's half the battle. Make more light and shade in lighter flowers but do the negative shapes first. This is the only way to get form in lighter flowers. Make the shading quite light otherwise it won't look right. He then began painting using Cadmium Yellow + blues for his greens. A little Raw Sienna added to warm them up. The brush was worked in an up and down motion using colour straight from the paint wells. By this time it was obvious he was not happy as the paper did not seem to be taking the paint very well. After a pause he decided to scrap it and start again! Fortunately Judy was absent at this time and only returned when the second attempt was well under way.

The Schut disaster - as Charles says `mistakes are part of it'! He actually progressed further than this and it wasn't looking good.

This time the paper was Schut Noblesse which he compares favourably to Fabriano. As time had been lost he really got a move on with this painting. After the drawing was completed he started using a No12 brush. This is the largest one I've seen him use and he did switch to smaller sizes later. While Charles was painting almost vertically he indicated this was not his normal preference, which is to have the board at 35/40 degrees. It was interesting to note how he dealt with the three groups of small coloured flowers by reducing the number and making the individual blooms larger. When he painted the pepper he used Alazarin Crimson + Cadmium Red plus Cobalt Blue for the dark areas. He said Cobalt is his favourite blue. The lemon was painted with the cast shadows Raw Umber. The duck was Cobalt Blue, Raw Sienna, Viridian and Cerulean. After this he painted the sky followed by the background. He added an Avocado on the right hand side. He painted a yellow pepper on the left hand side and added another brush just touching the original one but at a different angle. Finally some small areas were overpainted. Then he stopped.

 Still Life - Schut Noblesse  300gsm 50 x 40cm Not

After lunch the students selected a still life arrangement of which there were several spread over the two rooms. I elected to attempt the one that Charles had done. Later at 6pm a critique took place.

Charles Reid at Crantock - Day Three

It was decided to go to the National trust property Trelice, a few miles from West Pentire, on the Monday of Day Three and paint plein air. After it was discovered the house and grounds did not open until 10.30am, Charles decided to have an improvised question and answer session. What developed came about when Mick Carney asked a question regarding how to keep paints wet, as his experience was they tended to dry on him. Actually it was a fascinating discussion since it seemed to spark Charles off and gave him the chance to emphasize some of the things he holds dear and which he believes many students fail to grasp. During his initial thoughts he mentioned the Australian artists Robert Wade and David Taylor, both excellent watercolourists, although I don't recall the exact context.

The Charles Reid way, described in his many books and demonstrated in his videos, is to dip the brush into the water pot, roughly one third of the length, and then give it a good shake ( or two) before digging it into the  paint.  Don't take too much water out by wiping on a tissue for example. He suggested we think of the brush as a fountain pen water + paint. Don't stroke onto the paper and avoid the errors of too much paint not enough water and the reverse. This is one of the keys of getting things right. Place paint adjacently and don't smooth things out! Be cruder! Charles also demonstrated the way to see if the paint is the right consistency.

Hold the box near vertically and if the paint runs it has too much water.

We then had a demonstration of what this meant in practice and how to get the balance right between hard and soft edges, plus combining colours wet into wet. In my view the two best books explaining these tecniques are the most recent `Watercolour Solutions' and the 2001 `Painting Flowers in Watercolour'. ALL his tecniques are fully explained, contour drawing, brushwork and paint mixing. The flower book is accompanied by two very good videos.

The discussion became quite lively with him saying there were too many `strokers' amongst the students and many denied doing it. He is adamant you must not stroke with the point of the brush because, apart from anything else, it will quickly wear out. One student comment, very good humouredly, was that `we're all liars and strokers then'. This evoked a gust of laughter but he was getting his points across in a quite forceful way. I thought it was a very useful session and so did the others. We then departed for Trelice.

A closer look - combining colours

Charles and umbrella

When we arrived at Trelice the weather was still marginal. It was heavily overcast, some wind and very light drizzle. Only two or three had brought painting umbrellas, so the choice for others was paint and brave the elements or watch Charles. I elected to watch although this wasn't easy as you can see from the photograph. Those that painted in the morning suffered very light drizzle which accumulated on the paper and made painting a real problem, still several battled on. Charles, under his umbrella gave a  masterclass in painting a complicated building in adverse conditions. 

First steps. The stone lion, which you can just see in front of him was the starting point together with one of the party who had set up much nearer the house. He made the lion much larger than the actual statue which was considerably worn.. When painting outdoors Charles draws a section then paints, draws then paints, not completing the drawing before painting. The rational for this is that conditions are always changing when outdoors. They didn't change much here but he still  followed this procedure.

This sequence shows how the painting developed

 Two closer views

Note how there are no large washes. Quite a lot of splashing! See how colour has been introduced into what is a largely gray building even though there is much texture in the walls. Variation at every turn and simplification. Considering the conditions it was a brilliant effort and one my wife thought excellent, when she saw the finished painting back at the hotel. The way the subject was tackled gave me (and others) considerable food for thought. He used his small Craig Young Sketchers box and Escoda 1214 Kolinsky retractables. He has tried Escoda in the last two years and likes them. The normal equivalent is the1212 series.

After a break for lunch at the cafe in a converted barn people soon began to drift off back to the hotel, and by about 3.30pm that was it. There was no critique that night. It wasn't the best day of the course but had its moments.

Charles Reid at Crantock - Day Two

It was initially planned to paint outdoors at the National Trust property Trelice but the weather prevented this, very overcast with wind and light rain, so the schedule was changed to a day of Portraiture.

The subjects were three male non-painting partners David, Perry and Simon.

David - the First Subject

One of the first things Charles did was decide where the nose is in relation to the side of the face. He drew an outline first - very light. Starting with the nose as a triangle he then drew the head in different sections.

Initial light drawing.

Charles proceeded by making several dots for the lips stressing you shouldn't draw them at this stage. He went down and made a dot where the mouth is. He draws one thing and then uses this to find another concentrating all the time on getting it right. He stressed you shouldn't draw hard outlines. After the initial light  outline the drawing is created from the inside working outwards. As it develops you find things are changing so some erasing is necessary. He then took a break. Sometimes this comprised going outside and smoking his pipe prior to returning. This also gave the subjects a chance to relax. 

The final stages were completed stressing you must check the relationship of eyebrows and not  make a hard line. He also makes the point repeatedly that you should not draw from the imagination but study the subject carefully looking for shapes and shadow shapes.

For what it is worth I regard his best books on drawing and painting features and skin colours  to be first `The Natural Way to Paint', which I refer to constantly, and the latest `Watercolour Solutions'. There is also a good section on portraits in `Watercolour Secrets'. I repeatedly badgered him (and Judy) asking him to write a final portrait book as the original is over 30 years old, and although still good somewhat dated. He has moved on considerably since then.  

Painting commenced using Yellow Ochre or Raw Sienna. A warm yellow was recommended and he said he hated to do an overall wash. See the light! My notes don't mention Cadmium Red  but Alazarin Crimson at this stage and Raw Sienna with either Cerulean or Cobalt Blue, the darker Cobalt for the eye shadow. Don't use blue in nostrils!

You should not fill in the eye just a small bit of the iris. The need to do negative shapes was stressed. The colours were Alazarin with blue using a No 8 brush. On some of the detail it may be a 4 or a 6. Charles also continually cleans his palette.

 Note there is no definite jaw line

By now the mix was Alazarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue and Raw Sienna. He switches around as the mood and requirements of the painting become apparent. Concentrate on shapes and then get a little more colour in. With the cheek take care that it is totally dry before going in. Small areas are overpainted with a semi dry brush. Here he tended to use some homogenous colour because of the subject. The corner of the eye must remain light. The hair followed and was a mixture of Burnt Umber and various blues. See the negative shapes. Also note the placement of spots of colour.

Getting there.

David - either Schut or Fabriano (not certain) approx.40 x 50 cm.

Not content with one Charles then did a second portrait quite different from the first. 

Perry

After a break drawing commenced.- not contouring but a single line. Charles said you don't have to be totally correct. Use dots to indicate correct placement of features. Don't draw the nose as a single object. The iris is not a marble and should not be drawn as such. What is most important is structure of face. You will note from the drawing - I suggest you click on it and enlarge - that he varies the pressure on the pencil with a sequence of Press, Lift, Stop. Each mark relates to the next. Nothing is done in isolation. He often squints at the subject. Took a break.

After the break Charles started painting using a red either Cadmium Red Light or Alazarin, Cobalt Blue and Raw Sienna. Where needed he softens up with an almost dry brush but stresses you shouldn't over soften and lose shape. One of the things he said was that some student paintings were too smooth or correct and he preferred them to be cruder. Be bolder in other words! Cadmium Red and Cobalt Blue were used for the darks. Again don't draw from the imagination which he says a lot of students do. Charles likes to take frequent breaks, one reason being to assess how the painting is working. If you paint a beard make sure it isn't hard edged. Silhouete the head with negative shapes. Brush strokes are important. His method is to place paint and then drag the brush to create shape, softening where necessary. 

Perry - Schut 40 x 50cm Not

Immediately after lunch the two original subjects plus Simon sat for the students in three separate groups.

 Simon

I painted Simon above and will post the result later in a separate piece about my individual reaction and assessment of the course. This took up most of the afternoon and was followed at 6.pm by a critique in which Charles first invites each student to comment on their painting, how they feel about it, what was difficult etc, etc. He then makes a few comments pointing out what he likes and where he sees things could have been better. Nothing very heavy. The light hearted comment `Tell us what you really think Charles' provoked laughter. 

Charles Reid at Crantock, Cornwall

My wife (as non-painting partner) and I have just returned from a delightful week with Charles Reid at the Crantock Bay Hotel, West Pentire, North Cornwall. We had previously been to this venue, with its spectacular sea views, on three other occasions. We were with the artist Judi Whitton who in fact had just finished her final Crantock week the previous day. The hotel has always had a lovely ambience and this occasion was no different.

What made this week so poignant was that the hotel is to close at the end of October after more than sixty years. When we originally booked we were unaware of the plans for closure so this final visit was very special.

We travelled down with the irrepressible Mick Carney who had stayed with us the previous night to break his long journey from the North East.

Once settled in the seventeen students, together with several non-painting partners, were invited to a welcome drink with Charles, Judy and Jane Duke, who is the organizer. Some of us - several in fact - had been on previous courses so it was a much anticipated reunion, and there were also many newcomers.

The course comprised five daily sessions, using a large room at the front of the hotel with  superb panoramic views of the sea and Crantock Bay itself. There is also a smaller attached second room  which was used part of the time.

My report will comprise five separate pieces Day 1 to 5, followed by an overview and finally an interview with Charles Reid.

DAY 1.

The day began at 9.30am and the subject was painting from a photograph. In recent years Charles has become more interested in this, primarily using old black and white studies. I gathered this first came about by chance at one of his home workshops. The procedure was that Charles commenced painting sometime after 9.30am, usually after an initial discussion which varied in length each day, finishing the painting by around 12 noon. This included a coffee break as well as the breaks he takes during  painting. Lunch was taken between approximately 12 and 1pm. After this the students commenced painting and Charles wandered around, responding to requests for assistance and also commenting on progress individually. A critique took place at 6pm. I will cover this in the overview.

The hotel has a collection of very old photographs dating back to around 1900. We were allowed to use them and the staff removed the selected ones from the frames and printed photocopies. The one Charles selected was of David Grubb, coxswain of the local lifeboat who was lost  at sea. He also happens to be the great, great, grandfather of one of the owners. This was the only photograph with attached text. 

Ready to Start

Charles rolls up his sleeves!

Charles feels that painting from this type of photograph is more interesting and safe! Colours are from the imagination and there is less inclination to copy. 

The initial drawing begins on Schut Noblesse 40 x 50cm Not. This is from a block with the sheet removed and attached to the board. He likes this paper, 100% cotton, especially for its size but also rates it comparable with Fabriano..

The plan was to do a modified contour drawing, where the pencil is (mostly) kept on the paper with a continuous line. A simple silhouette is produced, very, very light. Charles made the interesting comment that measuring doesn't always work and the final question is does it look right? For these type of drawings he uses a mechanical pencil,  07 HB or 2B, because the point remains sharp. The figure was superimposed over a landscape background of sea and cliffs, the view from the window. 

The drawing begins to take shape

Now extended down into the shirt and lifebelt. Notice how loose the drawing is.

  Completed drawing with background added last.

Before commencing the painting sequence here is a view of Charles palette, a Craig Young paintbox.

The inevitable questions were asked about colours and Charles ran through those in his box. They are a mixture of Holbein tube colours and Winsor & Newton half pans. He has introduced the pans due to the problems associated with travelling. Some tube colours remain moist and can leak into adjacent areas creating an awful mess. This is a pragmatic decision as he still prefers tube paints and is comfortable with Holbein. He is used to them, they don't crack and are easily rewetted. He isn't dogmatic about paints as you will see later when I interview him. The paints mentioned in the palette were Cadmium Yellow, Yellow Pale, Alazarin Crimson, Cadmium Orange, Raw Sienna, Yellow Ochre, Raw Umber, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Viridian, Chrome Oxide, Ivory Black, Cerulean, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Ultramarine Violet. That numbers sixteen but later examination of his box made me think there were in fact 22 colours with several paint wells having two half pans side by side! Another colour definitely identified was Cobalt Violet. Others possibly included Mineral Violet and Carmine, both Holbein. Maybe also Paynes Gray. He also sometimes uses Permanent Rose for flowers, probably the Winsor & Newton paint. Sorry I can't be more precise but ....... !! One point always emphasized is that paints must be moist and a small spray water bottle used, ideally 30 minutes before commencing painting. Charles is adamant paint must be moist so you can dig your brush into it not skirt the surface. Brushes used are Da Vinci Maestro series 35 or the USA equivalent, various sizes up to a 12. 

Skin colours are Raw Sienna and Cadmium Red mixed on the paper -  the less mixing the better. Blues are chosen depending on what tone is required. He starts with the eyes, then the nose followed by the mouth. The shadow shape of the eye socket is most important as is a very accurate eye. together with the overall structure of the head. Absolute realism isn't something he aims for. With Charles every painting is an adventure and he does some things as the mood takes him. He commented that he was self taught in watercolour so a lot of what he says is probably wrong! This provoked some amusement and was said tongue in cheek (I think!). What he then said was that water is the bane of watercolours as what is needed is pigment. You shouldn't worry too much about colour with tonal value most important. By now Raw Umber had also entered the mix.

With shadow shapes always start from the light side. He continued down into the beard and then the shirt using the same colours so avoiding separation.  Charles takes regular breaks lasting 5 to 10 minutes. He suddenly decides it's time for a break and off he goes.

Look at those colours.

Finished painting.

For his greens he mixes mostly yellows with various blues. He mentioned Cobalt Blue as a favourite, here he also used Raw Umber and the green Chrome Oxide. He may try several yellows as he improvises as the mood takes him. For darks Ultramarine Blue and Burnt Umber. Colour variation and tone are constantly emphasized. Only repaint small areas to avoid  losing freshness. For the breakers he applied quite thick white gouache, something which one of his regulars said he hadn't seen before. Nor had I. He thinks many students use too much dry brush. He took one last look at the painting and just stopped. I've tried to convey how it all went, a very interesting and exciting process because  you never know when and how it will end.

I've tried to convey a sense of the mood because each painting is an adventure and a certain amount of improvisation takes place. Everyone is really on the edge of their seats but it is a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

Charles Reid at Crantock 8 - 12th October

Charles Reid's Palette - A Craig Young Paintbox - he has four all told.

There is one feature of Charles palette which is fairly recent. Due to the problems that  occur when travelling with wet paints a mess is likely, and much cleaning up thereafter. Therefore Charles has replaced some of the tube paints with half pans. He puts them side by side in the wells as you can see above. His preference for pans seems to be Winsor & Newton. He was very complimentary toward them as they moisten easily.

On Friday morning we are off to Crantock Bay in Cornwall for Charles Reids second 2011 painting course in the UK. This week he is at Burford in Oxfordshire. I attended the Burford course four years ago. Note added 14 Oct: I was wrong about dates. Burford follows Crantock starting  16 Oct. 

Charles with the member of staff who sat for the portrait study

 The Finished Work roughly half sheet size on Fabriano Artistico

Then came Catalonia, actually our first visit to Spain and very enjoyable it was for both of us. It worked very well as a painting course and holiday, which made it special.

Roses, Catalonia - First demo close to the hotel facing the beach

After Burford I went on a further course in Catalonia with the wife as non-painting partner. This was a ten day trip with the painting course in two four day sections - a day off in the middle. This worked extremely well, in effect almost two courses in one.

This was taken in Girona. Judi Whitton and Don Glynn (he makes the easels see previous feature) are sitting in front of Charles. Both are well-known professional artists and I have attended five of Judi's courses over the course of the last ten years or so, three of them at this same Crantock Bay Hotel. The man in the red jacket, Orlando a doctor formerly from Colombia, a superb artist completely self taught, has modelled his tecnique on that of Charles, purely up to Catalonia from books and videos. At every course I have attended  there have been some professional artists which shows the esteem in which Charles is held.

One of Orlando's Paintings.

The course in Spain was organized by EPC (Enjoy Painting in Catalonia) run by the charming and very efficient Angela Barbi. You can see an EPC video on Youtube. Don Glynn was involved in an executive capacity and has known Angela for years

Mick Carney of  the Painting Struggle www.thepaintingstruggle.blogspot.com/ .  After Catalonia I next attended the Urchfont course in 2009. Urchfont, which is in Wiltshire, England, was where I met Mick, a fellow North-Easterner. Although my family left the North East many years ago I still retain strong ties. Sadly though he supports Sunderland football (soccer) club, whereas I am a Newcastle United supporter!  Mick is staying with us on Thursday night to break his long journey from the North-East and we travel together to Cornwall on Friday.

Graham - an Urchfont resident and local historian.

This was the Portrait study with which Charles opened the Urchfont week. It captured the subject beautifully. I remarked afterwards to Charles that he was on form and got a smile in reply. I said the same to Judy his wife. It set the scene for the week and all the demos were very good, as a set superior to those I'd seen  previously. He seems to me to be a mood painter and as, in his own words, each painting is an adventure, some demos seem to work better than others.

A fantastic Flower-based still life begins to emerge.

This will be my last post until I return from Cornwall. I am hoping to interview Charles for the blog and will report in detail on the course. Sadly Crantock is closing as a hotel at the end of the year so the painting courses, involving several artists, will end. Judi Whitton in particular, who is there this week, will miss it and so will many of those who attended her courses. 

Judi demonstrating at Crantock

Just a few words on future plans, for those who may be interested. The next three colours to feature will be Cadmium Orange, Paynes Gray and Indigo. I am also planning another on mixing greens using Cobalt Turquoise Light as suggested by Rembrandt (no this is the other one). Apart from my own activities and those of the Avon Valley Artists and Bathampton groups, I have tentative plans for items on brushes, papers and whatever else springs to mind. Note added 7.45pm: The first draft of this was sloppy as it was rushed so I have `cleaned' it up a little. Apologies to those who may have already read it.