Noreen Melvin is a Visual Art and Art History teacher, teacher educator, facilitator, curriculum writer and assessor across early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. Working  in school leadership, the Ministry of Education, the Professional body for teachers and now a part time visiting lecturer for Te Rito Maioha a bicultural teacher education provider, has not meant a loss of emphasis on art teaching but ignited a continuing passion for art curriculum and the importance of Visual art for learning for everyone, the development of culture, identity and the health and well- being of communities. She is passionate about making drawing and painting approachable and enjoyable for everyone interested and has taught adult classes at the Wanaka Autumn art school and elsewhere for many years. The past four years she has organised with others an Art and You series of week-long workshops in Nelson with a focus on well- being and enjoyment through art making.

Course outline

In this workshop we will use drawing to record, observe, express ideas and thinking to build into painting. The workshop will introduce you to ways of working and thinking that will contribute to your own individual art practice and be the motivation to explore, play and generate art works.

The focus will be on a series of exercises to build exploration, thinking and composition through drawing and a focus on painting techniques, colour, layering, composition and application. It is very much a workshop about learning, seeing, exploring and applying. The class is suitable for any level of art making.

We will be working with acrylic paint as it gives us the opportunity for layering paint and working quickly.

Requirements for the week.

Any objects/ photos/ images you would like to use as stimulation for drawing and painting.

2 drawing pads A3 size. (doesn’t need to be expensive paper).

1 A4 or smaller for notes and quick sketches

Masking Tape

Drawing pencils a range of sizes suitable but ensure there is a 6 B included.

Charcoal willow and/or charcoal sticks

Cutting blade

Any size canvas frames or boards you would like to paint on.

A firm piece of card or board to lean work on. Slightly larger than A3 size.

A jar for water

A surface to use as a palette –e.g. old dinner plates, glass sheet, plastic etc.

Cleaning / wiping cloths.

An old shirt / apron to protect clothes.

Plastic sheeting or Tarpaulin to protect your work area/ cover a desk area. Even newspaper would be fine.

Acrylic paint

A range of colours, many have a range of names so just try your best to see what you can get.

White (a larger tube or 2)

Black

Paynes Grey

Red oxide or Burnt Sienna

Yellow, warm yellow or cadmium yellow or yellow deep.

Yellow, cool yellow or lemon yellow.

Yellow oxide or yellow ochre

Red, warm red or Vermillion or cadmium red

Red, cool red or Alizarin crimson

Blue, warm blue or ultramarine

Blue, cool blue or Phthalo blue and or Cerulean

Preparation for paint surfaces

Gesso white

Textured papers, collage papers, interesting surfaces if you have any to bring.

And if there are other colours you like please feel free to add but we will learn to mix colour. Useful others are Naples yellow, cobalt blue. Any medium and/ or collage materials you would like to add please just bring.

Brushes

For acrylic paint bristle brushes are fine.

As beginners they do not need to be expensive. You will develop preferences over time.

Starter brushes that are useful for the week-

Bristle chisel head in a small, medium and larger head.

An old house painting brush of about 6 to 10 cms wide.

Soft pointed head brushes, a small and a medium. These can be synthetic.

A palette knife, paint spreader/ shaper or kitchen knife or even old credit cards/ plastic cards are useful.