Impressionist Painting for Beginners
Carlsbad Senior Center
Thursdays • 10:00 – noon
September 21 – November 9, 2023
[Note: Videos of class presentations have been canceled and will not be posted.]
Course Outline
• Click on "PDF Version" to view files.
Session 1 9/21/23: Color & Brushstrokes
Impressionism Overview (15-minute slideshow) – PDF Version (click to open)
Methods (15-minute slideshow) – PDF VERSION
Color wheel, mixing colors, “black;” varied brushstrokes, oil clean up
Session 2 9/28/23: Landscape Composition
Key figures in Impressionism (15-minute slideshow) – PDF VERSION
Composition (15-minute slideshow) – PDF VERSION
Layout, perspective with Impressionist examples;
“Beach Scene 1” (varied brushstrokes, speed, open spaces)
Consider “Landscape” images and homework: “Landscape” options
Session 3 10/5/23: Select “Landscape” & Undercoat
Edouard Manet (15-minute slideshow) – PDF VERSION
Transfer Image to Canvas (15-minute slideshow) – PDF VERSION
Undercoat canvas
Select image, practice sketch & plot out selected image
Session 4 10/12/23: “Landscape 1” or “Beach Scene 2”
Claude Monet – Part One — PDF VERSION
Group A: “Landscape 1” (rough canvas composition)
Group B: “Beach Scene 2” (complimentary & “off” color touches) sketch “Landscape”
Session 5 10/19/23: “Landscape 1” or “Beach Scene 2 or 3”
Claude Monet – Part Two – PDF VERSION
Group A: “Beach Scene 2 (complimentary) or 3” (dominant color variations)
Group B: “Landscape 1” (rough canvas composition)
Session 6 10/26/23: “Landscape 2” & “Beach Scene 4”
Post, Global, American & California Impressionism – PDF VERSION
“Landscape 2” (complimentary & “off” color touches)
“Beach Scene 4” (highlights & shadows, finish?)
Session 7 11/2/23: “Landscape 3”
Vincent Van Gogh – PDF VERSION
“Landscape 3” (dominant color variations)
“Beach Scene 5” (finish, if necessary)
Session 8 11/9/23: Complete Both Compositions
Claude Monet – Part Three: Beyond Impressionism – PDF VERSION
“Landscape 4” (finish, highlights & shadows)
“Beach Scene 5” (finish, if necessary)
Session 9 11/16/23 (optional makeup)
Leigh's Undercoat Recipe
I usually undercoat my canvases. Although I sometimes use light grey/blue or beige, I usually use a light rusty orange. Here is the recipe:
* indicates required; "Part" is used instead of a specified amount, because I mix different sized batches depending on how many canvases I am undercoating. All "parts" are approximate and are varied for effect.
5-6 parts Raw Sienna*
1-2 parts Burnt Sienna*
2-3 parts Naples Yellow
1-2 parts Yellow Ochre
1 part Cadmium Yellow
5-10 parts refined Linseed oil*
Mix paint thoroughly and add enough Linseed oil for the paint to be a liquid similar to wall paint.
If I need a lot, I will combine everything into a water-tight jar and shake to mix thoroughly. Apply the liquid in a thin coat, and as the liquid gets used up, add more linseed oil to the thicker base of paint that is at the bottom of the jar.
Recent articles about Impressionism
Note: Some may require subscriptions.
– Christie's Magazine, "'Both Blades Buckled': The Day Edouard Manet Fought a Duel" November 23, 2023
– New Yorker Article: (Manet & Degas) "The Long, Petty Friendship That Changed Art" October 11, 2023
– Washington Post: "That dreamy haze in Monet’s impressionist paintings? Air pollution, study says." January 31, 2023
– National Gallery of Art: "Birth of Impressionism Explored in Exhibition at Musée d’Orsay and National Gallery of Art, Washington" June 13, 2023
– New York Times [subscription]: (Morisot) "The Impressionist Art of Seeing and Being Seen" June 4, 2021
– New York Times: "Under a Monet Painting, Restorers Find New Water Lillies." June 5, 2019
Image for Class Beach Painting
Use the original view, but add a sun and sunset.
Images to Consider for a Class Painting
(Click on photo to enlarge)
