Madeline Dieters has hit the ground running at the Texas Academy of Figurative Art, Summer Teen Program. Her first week was spent working on an illustration in graphite and a still life in oil.
“This week for my Texas Academy of Figurative Arts (TAFA) teen summer workshop, we did an old master recreation in graphite, and we started an oil painting of a sight-size still life. For the old master reaction, we chose our image we wanted to replicate, and then we used 2H, HB, and 2B pencils to sketch it as the exact same size, proportions, and value by eye. It was VERY difficult to get all of the proportions correct, especially on a drawing of a face,” Madeline explains.
“At first, my project started looking a little wonky. But, with help and advice from the instructors, it shaped up to look pretty good! As for the oil painting project, we first started by doing an accurate drawing with charcoal, then followed up with transferring it onto a primed canvas. We did an underpainting with rough shadows, and then went in with color! It has been so much fun to be critiqued and guided through this process, I am finally feeling confident in those skills,” Madeline reports.
Madeline has been adjusting to the busy city environment while commuting to class. Although she has been feeling a little homesick, Madeline has been making friends with her classmates.
“Since I am at TAFA 9-4, Monday through Friday, I have made a bunch of friends I’ll sometimes go out with afterwards! We’ve gone shopping, and gone on walks. It’s super fun to connect with people in a similar stage of life with the same interests. All the instructors here at TAFA are super helpful! It’s a fantastic learning environment. With all the techniques being taught, they still have fun with the students. I’m excited for next week, when we start a new project in charcoal this time,” Madeline says.
We are excited for you as well, and can’t wait to see what you create!
