Tesia Blackburn Fine Art

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WORKSHOPS AND LECTURES
Descriptions and Materials Lists

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Weeklong Intensive
 Abstract Painting Techniques
- Large format welcome!
Join me in my studio for a weeklong painting intensive designed to stretch your creative muscles.  Allow yourself to explore your imagery in long uninterrupted stretches of painting time in a fully equipped studio. I will provide guidance and technical support, along with indepth critique as well as demonstrations of boundary-breaking techniques I use in my large format pieces.  Explore practically everything Golden has to offer including OPEN, Digital Mixed Media, gels and mediums and grounds.  Bring your toughest questions and your most ambitious projects!  Suitable for intermediate to advanced.

Materials List:
  • Canvases (large format okay)
  • Brushes see brush list
  • plastic palette knives
  • various tools, scrapers, etc.
 All paints, gels and mediums provided by Golden.

Mastering Gels and Mediums:
Demystify all those acrylic gels and mediums! This class is an intense, in depth primer for all the gels and mediums that Golden makes.  Really get to know the differences, work with them and see for yourself what they really do.  You will have the opportunity to make lots of samples of all the different gels and mediums so that you will understand their properties.  I will have many dried samples for you to compare in a wet-to-dry comparison.  Finally understand all those complex issues such as drying times, pouring and layering,  (what works, what doesn't), what are GACs?, opacity versus transparency and so much more.  Be prepared to make lots of samples.  Not a workshop to make a "painting" but to learn a lot!

Goldens mediums, gels and paints provided.
Materials List:
  • Scissors or Exacto
  • Roll of paper towels
  • Brushes (bristle various sizes)brush list
  • water container 1 qt
  • apron or smock
  • roll of paper towels
  • roll of masking tape
  • 2-3 plastic palette knives
  • styrofoam paper plates or
  • disposable acrylic palette pad

Free Webinars
I offer free webinars on a variety of topics.  All you need to do is sign up in advance as space is limited.  You will need a computer and high speed access to the internet.  It also helps if you have a headset with a microphone for the computer. If you have a video camera attached to your computer great! You don't absolutely need it though. We can chat and interact live.  You will receive an email with a specific web address. On the day of the Webinar go to the web address and enter the Webinar.  It's that easy!

Materials List:

No materials needed.
Dazzling Design
Create dazzling compositions in whatever media you choose! In this jampacked class you will learn not only the fundamentals of design and composition but lots of ways to create exciting, bold and interesting designs. Whether you work in paint, quilting, watercolor, clay, fashion, or interior design, you can put the elements of good design to use. We will start with a broad overview of design from many cultures and eras via slide shows and handouts. Each week we will focus on one element of design, and exercises will be done in class. A class reader will be available online

Materials List:
  • Strathmore series 300 bristol pad smooth 9 x 12
  • Nonsolvent markers 6-12 colors including black
  • scissors
  • glue stick
  • Regular drawing pad 9 x 12 or 11  x 14
  • Pencils and erasers
  • Ruler
Acrylics A to Z: Charge up your acrylic paintings! In this overview class, I touch on some of the main acrylic questions you have such as: color, textures, collage, iridescent and interference, mixed media and much more.  Think of this class as a hands on opportunity to learn something about almost everything!  You will get a chance to work on your own projects using all the different materials but the primary purpose of this workshop is to allow you to learn and make samples of many different techniques and products.  You will have lots of samples to take home for future reference, so next time you go shopping for art supplies, you will know exactly what to buy! No previous experience necessary.

Golden paint,  gels, mediums and boards are provided. 
Materials List:
  • Scissors or Exacto
  • Roll of paper towels
  • Brushes (bristle various sizes)brush list
  • water container 1 qt
  • apron or smock
  • roll of paper towels
  • roll of masking tape
  • 2-3 plastic palette knives
  • styrofoam paper plates or
  • disposable acrylic palette pad


Monoprint without a Press with Golden OPEN acrylic: This workshop will introduce this exciting and versatile medium. The monoprint is created by painting directly onto a plate and hand burnishing. This is a unique method of working in multiple images, incorporating the immediacy of painting with printmaking methods. By repeating and reworking personal imagery and symbols, a rich rapport develops between the artist and the print. This unique workshop will focus on innovative techniques to enable printing without using a press.  Class time will be spent exploring transfer, embossing, stamping, rubbing, and texture. No prior experience necessary.

Golden Acrylic Colors, gels and mediums, various items to print with, some extra plexiglas, burnishers, provided by instructor.
Materials List:
  • 2 pieces of plexiglass no smaller than 8 x 10 (preferably 11 x 14)
  • roll of paper towels
  • various brushes, including small sponge brushes, bristle and faux sable of varying sizes.brush list
  • roll of masking tape
  • Japanese teacher's baren Info
  • paper plates or disposable acrylic palette
  • 1-2 water containers (1 qt)
  • scissors and/or exacto knife
  • Printmaking paper - Several sheets of BFK, Somerset, etc.
  • (please no watercolor paper)



Amazing Color: Become a color guru! You'll spend the first half of class creating an intense color wheel which illustrates how everything about color mixing fits together as a whole, and gives an astonishing range of colors from only 3 primaries. Learn essential information about color pigments, transparency vs. opacity, mixing clean colors, glazing, and using mediums to alter the paint and control the drying time. Follow up with info and exercises that further hone your ability to mix any color you see. GOLDEN acrylic paints will be provided for study and the information can be applied to oil, watercolor, and other wet media. This is a great foundation for beginners, but even advanced artists will be surprised at how useful this class is. Free GOLDEN literature, hand-painted color charts, and paint samples will be provided. No previous experience necessary.

Materials List:
All materials are provided by the instructor. $10.00 materials fee
Acrylics And Mixed Media: Including the Artist's Book: Acrylic is the perfect medium for mixed media! In this class we will thoroughly investigate techniques including collage, gel transfers, rubbing, stamping, stencils and incorporating digital media. This is a comprehensive class guaranteed to expand your skills. We will also look at incorporating several techniques into an Artist's Book Sampler of techniques. All paint, mediums and grounds provided by Golden Artist Colors.

All Golden paints, gels, mediums provided by the instructor.

Materials List:
  • Work in progress (if you have it)
  • Canvas, paper or matboard to work on
  • Old magazines 3-5
  • Decorative papers
  • Scissors or Exacto
  • Roll of paper towels
  • Brushes (bristle various sizes)brush list
  • water container 1 qt
  • roll of masking tape
  • 2-3 plastic palette knives
  • styrofoam paper plates or disposable acrylic palette pad
  • Used hard back book (one that can be altered)
  • Roll of waxed paper
Abstract And Non-objective Acrylic Painting: Come and stretch your boundaries; artists of all disciplines will benefit. Explore abstract art, pure form on the painted surface. Transform reality or develop completely nonrepresentational imagery. Class supports your process, from accessing your creative source and gathering ideas, to developing your concepts and visual vocabulary. Emphasis on composition, color, shape, movement and texture. Experimentation is encouraged; use collage, mixed media and non-traditional media to enhance your work. Demonstrations, activities and individual attention as well as group critiques. All levels welcome.

Most paints, gels and mediums provided.
Materials List:
  • At least 2 - 24" x 30" canvases (no smaller)
  • Brushes see brush list
  • Water container
  • roll of paper towels
  • plastic palette knives
  • various tools, scrapers, etc.
  • styrofoam paper plates or
  • disposable acrylic palette pad
  • Most paints provided: students should bring: Titanium White,Titan Buff, Carbon Black, Zinc White
How to Use OPEN acrylics from Golden:  Get ready to have your mind blown about acrylic paint. The newest paint in the Golden line 'Open' will blow the lid off the way you paint in acrylic. Do you want longer drying time? Do you want subtle easy-to-manage glazes? Do you want to work wet into wet out of doors all day without any fuss? Open is for you. An opportunity to work with this amazing new paint. All levels welcome.

Golden paints, gels and mediums provided.
 

Materials List:
  • Please bring brushes (an assortment including some soft ones) brush list
  • 2-3 smallish canvases 8x10 up to 11x14
  • palette knives
  • palette or paper plates
  • water containe.
  • Please also bring one fresh red apple or fresh green pear.
Digital Imagery and Acrylic Paint:
Experience the almost limitless possibilities with the new Digital Grounds from Golden Artist Colors. Paint, print, photography, digital, handmade or reproduced: these seeming divergent media are merging as artists are experimenting with bringing them together in new, rich, and interesting ways. This class will teach you how to use the new Digital Grounds to print on acrylic paint skins, thin sheets of metal (e.g.aluminum), and a variety of other substrates. Unusual papers, foils, and actual layers of acrylic paint (paint skins) can receive printed images directly from an inkjet printer. Work on these images to transform them, seal them, and then incorporate them into existing artwork - or use them alone. Painters, collage and mixed media artists, photographers, printmakers - all can expand their image vocabulary and techniques. All materials will be provided, including Golden Digital Grounds, gel topcoats, surfaces, and an on-site printer, as well as acrylic paints, gels, and mediums to glaze, draw, overpaint, collage, and pour over the digital images. A truly mind-blowing combination of technology and creativity awaits you!

All paints, gels and grounds supplied by Golden. Digital printer supplied by instructor

Materials List:
  • Images to photocopy black and white and/or color, no larger than 8" x 10"
  • 2-3 canvases or other supports to work on no larger than 16" x 20"
  • variety of brushes, including a couple of soft sable or synthetic brushes at least one that is 2-3"
  • Roll of blue painter's tape
  • water container
  • roll of paper towels
  • palette or paper plates
  • palette knives
  • 3-4 heavy stiff p ieces of cardboard 11" x 14"
  • one large extra heavy black garbage bag (leaf bag) please make sure it is heavy gauge
  • scissors and exacto knife
  • artwork in progress if desired
Seductive Encaustic with Golden Acrylics:
Intrigued with the creamy translucency of Encaustic or Beeswax? Acrylics can create a buttery wax-like surface without the heating and ventilation issues of real wax. Apply "wax" over collages, photos, your artwork, adding mystery and depth, enriching the images underneath. Explore a range of acrylic gels and wax-like techniques that will enhance your artwork.  No previous experience necessary.

Golden paints, gels and mediums provided.


Materials List:
  • Canvas, matboard to work on
  • Old magazines, photors  and/or decorative papers, broken jewelry, fabrics, etc.
  • Scissors or Exacto
  • Roll of paper towels
  • Brushes (bristle various sizes)brush list
  • water container 1 qt
  • apron or smock
  • roll of paper towels
  • roll of masking tape
  •  palette knives
  • styrofoam paper plates or disposable acrylic palette pad
Painting from the Soul:
Consider this workshop as “boot camp” for creativity. People have told me that this workshop changed their life.  For a barrier breaking, no holds barred painting intensive, this workshop can't be beat.  We will spend the entire weekend blending technique with deep creative process.   Combining painting, drumming, chanting and dancing, you will access creativity and inspiration at the deepest level.  You will make more painting in this three day workshop than you can imagine.  Blast away artist's blocks!

Wear loose comfortable clothing, be prepared to dance, drum, sing, paint and have fun!

All paints, gels and mediums provided by the instructor.
Materials List:
  • At least two blank canvases (24” x 30” or larger) to the first meeting.
  • Poetry, favorite books, CDs, dream journals etc.
  • Music makers if you have them (tambourines, small drums, rattles etc)
  • Scissors or Exacto
  • Roll of paper towels
  • Brushes (bristle various sizes)brush list
  • water container (1 qt)
  • apron or smock
  • roll of masking tape
  • 2-3 plastic palette knives
  • styrofoam paper plates or disposable acrylic palette pad

FREE GOLDEN LECTURE: The Golden lecture/demo is a two-hour free educational presentation on acrylic paints, gels and mediums: an advanced technical explanation of acrylics, and their inherent possibilities. It covers information about the different types of pigments, different viscosities and types of paints, grounds and color mixing. Various gels and mediums are demonstrated. You will learn how to extend paint to save money, and how to mix paints with gels to create unique textural surfaces. Learn how to use different products to make surfaces for watercolors, graphite, charcoal, colored pencil, oil and soft pastels. Techniques for the use of iridescent and metallic paints will be shown. The lecture covers lightfastness for pigments, proper acrylic priming techniques, and health and safety concerns.

Free Packet of Literature and Samples.

No materials needed.




E-mail Tesia
Tesia Blackburn Fine Art
415 822 5939
Mail: 601 Van Ness Avenue #E3524
San Francisco, CA 94102
Studio: Building 101-2315 Hunter's Point Shipyard Studios