2024Academic Year Short Course Review「Alchemy of Colour: Methods & Materials」

From Jan 8 to 26 of 2024, 「Alchemy of Colour: Methods and Materials」was be delivered by David Cranswick (PFSTA) in Yuan Center, Suzhou.

The Making of Western Traditional Pigments

The first week, David illustrated the alchemy of color- making.Clay is the natural apothecary of art, and in its depths hides a wide variety of pigments, as we see in the world's great paintings and galleries.
Students has learned the traditional process of extracting raw materials from natural sources such as dirt, rocks, roots and berries and converting them into pure pigments. The process of preparing these natural materials is regarded as an essential part of the painting.

The students has experienced an exciting journey into how traditional western colors are made, with tutor David leading the way through the exploration of materials and tools, minerals and planets, familiar and unheard world, in order to understand their history and meaning in the context of creation, while emphasizing the importance of craftsmanship.

By themselves, students has made different pigments as well.

The Egg Tempera Technique of 13-15 Century Europe

Tempera is an ancient technique with a history of more than five thousand years and was the main technique of early Renaissance. The course begins with an introduction to the history of Tempera techniques and their materials, while emphasizing the spiritual meaning of creation, craftsmanship and materials and their relationship to each other.

Every student has made a plasterboard and selected a Renaissance masterpiece as a template to imitate.

During the whole painting process, they learned many painting techniques, such as using different colors in special proportions as a base, the method of using brushes, the relationship between light and shade, and the knowledge of cold and warm colors.

Classical Oil Painting Techniques of the 16th-17th Centuries

Renaissance painting includes several specific steps in constructing the painting: after the preparation of the base layer, the tonal relationship is first done to prepare for different perceptions of light and shadow. Based on that, the pigment color is added layer by layer, through which the upper and lower layer forms a dynamic relationship. It's the key to chiaroscuro: brightness and the darkness appears from the layered color, so as to achieve the richness of brightness and the depth of the shadow.

In the third week of the course, David introduced the oil painting techniques, including some special formulations for mixing pigments and polishes, as well as the principles behind them. He also demonstrated the specific operation techniques.

For the students, this was their first time to try this classical art and have hands-on practice. They were amazed by the new experience.