Berlin Drawing Room Blog

Resources for Current Students in Painting Workshop

Here are some links to various resources we have discussed so far in the current Painting Workshop. Find links to artists we talked about in class, guides to buying art supplies and seeing art in Berlin, and details on specific concepts and assignments. If you see anything missing, please let me know!

Painting Collage: Amelie von Wulffen

http://berlindrawingroom.blogspot.de/2014/01/painting-collage-amelie-von-wulffen.html

Visiting Galleries with the Painting Workshop

http://berlindrawingroom.blogspot.de/2015/11/visiting-galleries-with-painting.html

Guides for Seeing Art in Berlin

http://berlindrawingroom.blogspot.de/2014/03/guides-for-seeing-art-in-berlin.html

Visiting Galleries with the Painting Workshop

Last weekend, on the Painting Workshop field-trip, we visited several contemporary art galleries in Berlin to look specifically at exhibitions featuring painting. We saw some excellent shows, and everyone had different favorites. We stuck to Potsdamer Strasse, the current center of the Berlin gallery scene.

First Stop: Alfredo Esquillo at Arndt Galerie, Potsdamer Str. 96, 10785 Berlin

Philippino artist Alfredo Esquillo has created a complex body of work that examines the relationship between one's personal interior life and society, focusing on the idea of transformation within both spheres. He draws on traditional Philippine religious and cultural ideas, as well as his own personal experience. The large scale paintings were technically very interesting to see in person, as many of the shapes has actually been carved out of the surface of the painting.

Second Stop: Tamina Amadyar at Galerie Guido W. Baudach, Potsdamer Straße 85, 10785 Berlin

The young Afghani/ German artist Tamina Amadyar makes abstract paintings that reference interior architecture, drawing on memories and her cultural heritage in Afghanistan. Oil paint is used in this washes, staining the canvas which has been treated with the traditional priming medium of rabid-skin-glue.

gallery architecture

Third Stop: Edouard Baribeaud at Galerie Judin, Potsdamer Straße 83, 10785 Berlin

Edouard Baribeaud was inspired by a recent research trip in India, and he used incorporated Hindu mythology and traditional Indian miniature painting history into this new body of work. The paintings use the old technique of egg tempera.

Fourth Stop: Serban Savu at Galeria Plan B, Potsdamer Strasse 77-87 Building G (Second Backyard)

Romanian artist Serban Savu depicts everyday scenes in his hometown, and beyond. In this exhibition he has a special focus on pictures within paintings.

Alberto Baraya's Herbarium of Artificial Plants

Alberto Baraya's "Herbarium of Artificial Plants" is an example of a contemporary artist engaging with the technique and history of traditional Herbarium plates. Instead of collecting living plant specimens and drying them, he collects artificial plants and disassembles them. Important to his research, like a true Botanist, is the context and location in which the plant was found. He often documents other aspects of the collection process, along with the specimen itself.

This project was presented at the 8th Berlin Biennale in 2014.

Alberto Baraya´s "Expedition Berlin, Herbarium of Artificial Plants" at the 8th Berlin Biennale from dmovies.net on Vimeo.

Baraya's work at the 8th Berlin Biennale

Compare Baraya's work with some 19th century Herbarium plates, using dried specimens.

Painting Workshop Supply List

- Acrylic paint is included in the course fee.

Brushes and paper will be available to buy from the Berlin Drawing Room.

- Paper comes as a block of 25 sheets and costs 12 Euro and is available to purchase on the first class.

- Brushes are available in different sizes and cost just a couple of euros each. I buy them in packages so that it is cheaper for everyone.

Bring:

Palette for mixing paint (can be a store bought palette or even paper plates will work)
Palette knife
A large cup/ jar for water.

Optional: any brushes or acrylic paints you already have that you want to use in class, paint rags, palette knives, etc...

If you have any questions, just let me know.

Botanical Drawing Class Work: Summer 2015

We are very proud to share some of the class work made during the first Botanical Drawing Workshop! All drawings and paintings were made from observation, either in the studio or in the field at the Prinzessinnengarten. A huge thank you to our plant expert Matze, for helping us to identify our specimens and illuminating the multifaceted nature of plant life.

The next Botanical Drawing Workshop will start on September 2.

Orchids by F.W.T Burbridge (Botanical Illustrations)

Exploring the works of various Botanical Artists for the upcoming Botanical Drawing Workshop has been too wonderful not to share. When I stumbled across these orchid illustration by Frederick William Thomas Burbidge, a British explorer and botanist. The illustrations are from the volume Jennings, S., Orchids and how to grow them in India and other tropical climates, (1875) [F.W.T. Burbridge]. Looking at these beautifully colored images, one can almost smell the orchids. I wish I could find out more information about the circumstances under which they were painted, the exact medium used, and whether they were made on an expedition or in a conservatory.

An incredible resource is the website http://plantillustrations.org/artists.php, and archive of Botanical Illustrations with many high res scans. Check it out and see what you discover!

Botanical Drawing and Watercolor Supply List

Here is the supply list for the upcoming Botanical Drawing Workshop.

For a guide on where to buy art supplies in Berlin, go HERE.
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- Paper: Hot Press Watercolor Paper (also called smooth, Glatt, Glad) 300 g, A4.

- Botanical Illustrators have traditionally used Hot Press Watercolor Paper for their work because its smooth surface is conducive to fine detail.

- Watercolor paper can be purchased as a block (edges glued together so paper doesn't buckle) or as individual sheets. If you choose to work on loose sheets, you will need a board to tape your paper to.

Hot Press "Glad/glatt" Watercolor Block, 300g
purchased at Boesner - cost 7 Euro

- Brushes:

These are the minimum required brushes. Look for the brushes marked for watercolor with the short handle. The larger brush must be real or synthetic sable - this is the fibre that the brush is made from and can be referred to as Sable, Kolinsky-Sable, Rotmarderhaar (de). Real Sable brushes are made from animal hairs are are superior to synthetic brushes.

#1-2 round brush - for fine detail

#6-8 round brush - Sable, Kolinsky-Sable, Rotmarderhaar (de), or synthetic sable

- Watercolors: I recommend buying dry cakes of watercolors in a box (Aquarell Malkasten).

The fewest colors you can get by with would be these 6 colors below, the three primaries in warm and cool versions. If you have a watercolor set, bring that along and we can see if some colors can be substituted. Different brands also have different names for the same colors sometimes.

PRIMARIES COOL COLORS WARM COLORS

BLUE Cerulean Blue (or Pthalo Blue) French Ultramarine Blue

RED Alizarin Crimson Cadmium Red

YELLOW Lemon Yellow (Cadmium Yellow Pale) Cadmium Yellow

Additional Optional Colors:

Malkasten

Payne's Grey, Burnt Sienna, Violet, Greenish Yellow (Green Gold), Sap Green, Viridian Green, Yellow Ochre, Neutral Tint, your choice!