Bet Borgeson's Landscape Series Description

"Landscape using Photo References as Aids"
Course L2 -- Part Two in the Series
This course assumes that you are comfortable with basic colored pencil techniques, and are acquainted with methods for composing a landscape. It is designed to broaden your resources by using photo references (prints and/or transparencies) of landscape scenes and individual features, and how to combine some of these into one drawing as a unified whole.

Besides addressing details and specific "how-to's" about using photo references, we will also discuss the critical judgment necessary to combat the constant temptation to overuse photo sources. To quote Borgeson "Too much copying of photographs, and consigning ourselves to tracing projected images in darkened rooms is not what we will be engaged in.

We will instead strike a balance between what a camera sees and can offer us as a drawing aid, and what we ourselves want to communicate about landscape forms, spatial relationships, and color--from our own hearts and minds. Pure straight copying or tracing too often reveals itself as a mindless as well as a soulless venture."

You'll need a 35 mm camera (a very simple one is okay) and some experience at using it if you plan to make photos during this course. Important Note: If you already have collected slides or prints of landscape subjects, these must be ones that you have personally made, not ones copyrighted to others.

Rabbits and Blue Trees, 19-1/2" x 26" Colored Pencil on Rising Museum Board.

In all three courses, focus is on the use of the modern colored pencil and its broad-stick versions, although the information presented is also readily transferable to landscape work executed in any other color medium. Colored pencils have an unrivaled ability for delivering details, yet can also be used in a broad or painterly fashion for large passages of color. And of course, this may be the most portable and easily set up medium to travel with and use in the field.

Included for each participant in each course will be two of Borgeson's illustrated critiques.

We are often asked how much time is needed to finish a course.

Each course is designed to extend over six to seven weeks. Taking on large and ambitious projects will require bigger chunks of your time than smaller ones. So your own goals and plans, work habits, and uses of energy, will actually tell the tale about how much time you will need. And you can plan ahead. The drawing assignments are described in the Orientation for each course as well as in more detail in their proper sequence within the lessons.

	Each colored pencil course in this three-part series has been developed and will be instructed by author/artist Bet Borgeson. And while each course can stand alone, the order of their content has been designed to build upon and reinforce one another. You can therefore plan to benefit from just one of them, or from all three.



"Beginning Landscape" Course L1 -- Part One in the Series This course provides fundamental concepts for working confidently and successfully in art's mature and exciting genre of landscape. Although still life may be the best genre for honing basic skills, it often proves to be the working with landscape that brings an artist to the greatest fruition of his or her artistic development. Specifically addressed in this first course will be a common sense approach to equipment, supplies, and to the basics of translating a big landscape into art done with colored pencil. There will be demonstrations of special colored pencil techniques for landscape, and suggestions for how to set up and work en plein air (ourdoors) if and when desired. We will discuss the handling of changing light, selecting center of interest, simplifying forms and composing, and how to appraise work in progress. You may work outdoors on location if desired or from photo references. This is your choice. Both will be addressed.
			Grazing Belgians, 20" x 38" Colored Pencil on Rising MB.




"Expressive and Fantasy Landscape" Course L3 -- Part Three in the Series All excellent landscape is expressive. It strives to show attitudes, emotions, and concepts through the dramatic--sometimes distorted and/or exaggerated--representation of form, color, and spatial relationships. And some of the most enjoyable and stimulating work is done in the genre of fantasy art. This category refers to artwork that depends on a reality to communicate pure invention. Expressive art and fantasy art are very similar and both will be explored in this course. We will aim to address just how to conjure some of these effects, and manage them in your own landscape work. The course is designed for artists already comfortable with basic colored pencil techniques, and landscape principles.
		Callalilylight, 17" x 12" Colored Pencil on Rising Stonehenge paper.

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