Six ways to create depth is a workshop that I teach to help students understand how to create depth in their artwork.

Here are the six ways to create depth;  Size, Contrast, Overlapping, Edges, Detail, and Color.  These elements of design should be used in every painting. My students this week took some time to understand the complexity of each of these.  In a two day workshop the students had the opportunity to create a painting using a value scale as their guide.  I gave them practical ideas and showed them how to see value, and apply it appropriately.  On day two we took on Color, we related color to value and spent time understanding how to mix color.  With the resulting color charts these students have a resource in their sketch books for future reference.  

This workshop was all about thinking and seeing artwork differently.  We looked at other artist work; different styles, mediums, and subject matters and broke down the principle and elements of design that each artist used to create their work.  We also looked at a wide variety of photographs to discuss what makes a good source of reference for a painting. Starting with the right information allows the artist to make good decisions before the paint goes on the canvas.  

With a little demonstration each day I was able to show students how the information we were discussing could be used in a painting. 

@ Sheila Schaetzle Studio

Lineham House Galleries