Photo-realism via Impressionism: Glowing flower of the Crepe Myrtle
Achieve photo-realistic effects as we capture the intimacy of the sunset illuminating these tiny purple flowers.
- About this session
- Entry Requirements: None
- Materials: Canvas, paint, pencils, brushes & aprons provided. Bring your sketch book.
- What will we learn in this session?
- Resources
- Book this session
About this session
The Crepe Myrtle's flower is so small (1-2 cm) you can't even see it from a few metres away.
My mother's garden, looking west. The Crepe Myrtle is the central bush at the far end.
As I walked toward this bush I could see tiny flickering red lights. What was this? Magic? Solar powered LEDs?
The source image from my photograph.
No, amazingly it turned out to be the sunset lighting up these delicate purple flowers from behind. As the sun's rays hit these dancing flowers they would momentarily glow a brilliant pink!
Isn't nature full of miracles?
What will we learn in this painting?
We will learn that photo-realism in a painting is NOT achieved by a pedantic transcription of what you see in a photograph.
Rather, as the impressionists showed us, there is a specific language of applying paint to canvas, which enables our brain to construct 'reality'.
- Depth
- Focal Point
- Hard and soft edges
- Impasto
- Impressionist style
- Painting from a Photograph
- Palette knife
- Photo-realism
- Texture
Stage 2: Blocking in the colours
Stage 3: Developing the textures
Stage 4: Detail
In another painting we will capture the sunset hitting the leaves of the Crepe Myrtle.
