The episode in which I finally learn to paint

So here it is the first 6 weeks which have flown by. Seriously if you hate January book a painting class you will not want the month to end I promise you.

Week 1

This is not a good painting but it eased me in gently, I did not pay enough attention to the composition a lesson I learnt for the following week...

Week 2

...where I planned the whole thing out before the class and so managed to work more on planes of tone rather than shifting the perspective.

Week 3

This was my favourite lesson of the first 4 weeks, we were given a grey sheet of paper and we had to fold or scrunch it up before placing it on a coloured background. Of course I had to fold it and made a salt cellar which I then opened up giving me lots of wonderful triangle. I by now have finally started to learn about shadow. It was not until I saw the photograph of this that I realised how successful it is. I would highly recommend photographing a painting as it distances you from the image giving you space to reflect.

Week 4

My least successful painting, I really struggled to breath new life into Wayne Thiebauds territory. my biggest mistake was to not paint a bright background which would have lifted the shapes a little more.

Week 5

So here it is my life painting, this one with only 3 colours plus white and a palette knife

Week 6

This one with 6 colours and a brush. Spot the hideous mistake. Oh the shame of that leg.

Still my colours have garnered praise and as you can see I am in thrall of Lucien Freud who when you try to paint the figure is an absolute genius.

I have 2 weeks left, not sure what I will paint next week but I loved the life classes so much I will now try to find some more locally so I can carry on. Who would have thought that I, who is pattern & shape obsessed could have cracked the mystery of skin?