Estuary Arts Centre

Explore Your Artistic Talents   
At the Estuary Arts Centre, Orewa
Estuary Arts Centre link to their WWW   

 Andrea Brueck Paintings

Create your own style or copy someone elses until you find your own one. Even the greatest artists of this world copied each other until they found their way. It's a great way to learn styles and you can almost feel the way they thought while they painted the great works of art. Famous or not.....it doesn't matter.....put your own stamp on whatever you do.....

Choose different subject matters which thrill your soul.

Be wild with your imagination. My greatest realisation as a child was that what I painted or drew, didn't have to be the exact image as in a photo.....lets face it, we can take photos but no one but us can recreate our imagination.  Thanks to Picasso, I learned that.

Take your favourite artist and explore the possibilies. As long as you stick to some simple basics of what looks "right" to the eye, you can create your own masterpiece.

1. THE DANCER......

Lakehouse Arts Centre School holidays

School Holidays Art for kids at the Lakehouse Arts Centre - Takapuna

Children from 6 - 12 enjoy learning how to paint using acrylics.

They started at 10am and finished at 3pm with an hour for lunch and time for morning tea. The children enjoy coming back to different classes put on by me at the Lakehouse. It is so wonderful to see them return and blossom.

They are happy to have their paintings photographed and smile when their carers pick them up and praise their works of art.

No matter the age, gender or ethnicity of the children, they feel comfortable and enjoy meeting new friends.

Mood and What to Paint

Before you start to paint, you have to be in the mood and feel settled.  Balance is the key.  If it is not working out - STOP painting. Draw everything and paint what makes you feel good.

How to Paint

1.  Step 1
   Work with your art supplies in a well ventilated room. Oil based paint and paint thinners contain carcinogens. Use these materials in well ventilated areas to minimize your risks as you learn how to use oil paint.
2. Step 2
   Use your palette knife for mixing colors on your palette. I use oil based paint mainly, and have an array of colours but  no more than 6 colours are really required. The important ones are  red, blue and yellow, and white to lighten them.  I rarely use black since it "muddies" colors.
3. Step 3
   Buy canvas with the Gesso already on (white paint like substance).
4. Step 4
   Paint the background first, MUCH darker than you expect for your final product. Add midtones after, and highlights after that. Depending on the effect you want, allow at least 2 days of drying time between each layer. Oil based paint doesn't dry as quickly as acrylic paints do, because oil does not evaporate out like water.
5. Step 5
   Paint the subject once your background is complete. Follow the same process of painting it dark, including shadows. Paint the midtones, adding a few drops of linseed oil or other thinners (found at art supplies stores) to your paint. This thins it slightly, so the rich colors behind shine through, and light is captured in your painting. Finally paint the highlights, with a few extra drops of linseed oil more than you did for midtones. This creates the effect of light sitting on top of each layer.
6. Step 6
   Clean the paint brushes after use with paint thinner. Liquid soap, or special hard soap fround in art shops, are also good.
   

Tools of the Trade

Things You'll Need:

• Oil based paint tubes
• Palette
• Palette knife for mixing colors
• Nylon, hog's hair, or sable brushes
• Linseed Oil from art supplies stores
• Clothes you don't care about staining
• Paper towels or rags
• WELL VENTILATED ROOM (so you don't pass out or develop cancer when learning how to oil paint)
• Canvas
• Paint thinner (available at home improvement or art supplies stores)

SAFETY

Using paints of all kinds can be dangerous to your health so you have to make sure you are protected at all times.  You must always be in ventilated spaces while painting in oils, acrylic and even water paints.  All of these are toxic and can be absorbed through the skin as well as your lungs.




Things to remember:
1. wear gloves
2. fumes from the paint last as long as the art work is drying.  Oil can take up to 6 months to dry. Open windows or better still, paint outside. 
3. wear protective clothing
4. protect your environment and living spaces by covering the areas you are painting on to prevent splashes and drips.