Finding Your Style in Fluid Acrylics with Barbie Mathis

NOTE:  This event is being rescheduled to later this season. January Dates are TENTATIVE.

Workshop Description (from the instructor)

Spend an exciting 2 days exploring the versatility of Fluid Acrylics. Barbie will demo and demystify how to use certain techniques to achieve watercolor, oil or mixed media looks to help you find and satisfy your personal style niche as a painter. This workshop is for Beginners through Advanced painters who want to spark their inspiration or try something new. Focus will be on natural subjects such as flowers, landscapes, fruits and veggies.

Barbie will answer questions about:

• - What kinds of Supports work with Fluid Acrylics?

- To Tone or not to Tone, and what is an Underpainting, and when do I use one?

- How do I make my Brush do what I want it to do?

- What are additives, grounds, and finishes such as mediums, gels, glazing liquid, gesso, molding paste, retarder, varnish? Use or not to use, and when?

- How do I simplify and organize all of this “Stuff”?

- How to use a Limited Color Palette to create a wide variety of Colors?

- What is Glazing?

- How do I add Collage Papers and create Textures?

- Tips to create and improve the Composition of your painting using simple design elements

After working along with “mini demos” of styles, participants will be given time to experiment and paint their own painting or paintings. Individual instruction will be given to those who need help getting started or have questions along the way. Bring a few photo references that you love of flowers, fruits and veggies or landscapes.  Informational handouts will be provided of material covered.

About the Instructor

Barbie Mathis, a native of Columbia, SC, has been working as a professional artist since 1980.

Over the years, she has evolved as an illustrator, designer and painter working in various media with

her main emphasis being watermedia (Acrylics and Watercolor) painting. Barbie's primary focus

is on realistic florals and landscapes immersed in layers of colorful glazes, dramatic lighting and rich,

natural backgrounds. She also enjoys doing artistic renditions of people and animals, and has an

on-going series called “It's All About Faith” that celebrates the creativity and individuality of

her daughter, Faith.

Barbie studied Fashion Design and Illustration at Bauder Fashion College in Atlanta, GA.  She has

since worked in advertising, graphic design and mat design for various newspapers, printing companies

and art galleries. She has been published by Bentley House Publishing and currently self-publishes a

line of fine art prints. Barbie was awarded her Signature Membership in the South Carolina Watermedia

Society in 2006. She has exhibited and won awards in numerous shows, and her work is in both public

and private collections around the country. Barbie has taught painting and calligraphy at Midlands

Technical College, City Art Gallery, and at The Village Artists Gallery as well as private classes and

workshops for individuals and art leagues in South Carolina and throughout the Southeast.

barbiemathis.com

Supply List

Supports:

3 Small Canvases or panels (or more) for experiments such as 5” x 7”, 6” x 6” or 8” x 10” and any size you prefer to do a finished painting of your choice including smaller sizes

3 pk. of 5” x 7” or 8” x 10” Crescent Cold Press Watercolor Boards

OR

1 Sheet – 22” x 30” 140 lb or 300 lb Watercolor Paper (Fabriano, Arches or Winsor & Newton) that can be cut to the sizes you need. ***If you like painting on watercolor paper, bring a foam board or panel to tape it to. I use 2” Duck brand masking tape, but other art tapes or painting tapes may be used.

Optional Supports: I will also demonstrate how to gesso and use a Wood Panel, and show optional supports such as my favorite Pastelbord, Gessobord and Aquabord by Ampersand. You don’t have to have everything. But, if you learn toward one look over the other, choose a canvas, board or paper that you can do a finished painting on in our time allotted.

Acrylic Paints: Professional Fluid Acrylic Paints (not Folk Art Acrylics Craft Paints)--Instructor recommends and uses Golden Fluid Acrylic Paints. If you’ve painted in Acrylics and have other professional acrylic paints of any kind including heavy body paints or open Acrylics, they may be used, but you may want to purchase a few Golden Fluid paints just to try them. And, other similar colors may also be used. Golden makes a very good starter kit with 10 professional paint colors with most of the colors below except Alizarin Crimson, and Paynes Gray which are personal favorites. Also, it is recommended to purchase more white paint as it is used to mix other colors.

• Titanium White
• Hansa Yellow Medium or Cadmium Yellow
• Pyrrole Red or Naphthol Red
• Yellow Ochre or Yellow Oxide
• Burnt Sienna
• Pthalo Blue (green shade)
• Ultramarine Blue
• Pthalo Green (blue shade)
• Alizarin Crimson
• Quinacrodone Magenta
• Carbon Black
• Paynes Gray
•  

Additives are helpful, but Optional. I will try to provide samples to try. My favorites are:

Gloss Glazing Liquid - to add transparent layers of color

Retarder (to slow drying time)

Regular gel (gloss) – can be used for gluing collage pieces or creating texture.

Gloss Varnish with UVLS or Archival Gloss Spray (Removable varnish is recommended for conservation purposes)

If you only have heavy body paints (in tubes or jars), you may want to purchase a medium to thin your paint for some watercolor effects.

Flat Plastic Palette for paint with Lid (like a Stay Wet Palette) or Paper Plates or Strathmore Palette Paper or Reynolds Freezer Paper that can be wrapped around a board

Brushes:

Inexpensive Variety Pack of Synthetic and Bristle Brushes (Instructor uses short handles)

Or Simply Simmons or Zen brand brushes suggested:

Synthetic Flat Brushes – ¼”, ½”, ¾”

Synthetic Filbert Brushes – 2, 4, 6

Synthetic Round Brushes – 0, 2, 4, 6 or larger

Liner brush or Rigger brush – 1 or 2

Bristle or synthetic brushes – at least 1- 1” or size 12 (good for painting background on canvas) It can be an inexpensive house paint brush.

Any older brushes that you may have

Palette Knife Optional

Other:

Paper Towels

Pencil, (and if you have watercolor pencils, bring them. I love them for starting paintings)

Kneaded Eraser

Ruler

2 small containers for cleaning brushes,

Small Spray bottle for water

Small Folder or Notebook to keep handouts, and some blank paper or a mixed media notebook for color notes and sketches, etc…

Optional:

Liquid Frisket (Masking FLUID not Masking Medium), handsoap and old brush to apply

Some people prefer working on easels and some like working flat on the table. Either way is fine. Bring an easel if you want one.

Bring some photo references of flowers, fruit and veggies or landscapes that you Love.

I look forward to seeing you in this workshop! Feel free to text with questions. Or, leave a voice mail about the workshop and I will get back to you.

Barbie Mathis

803-261-3038

BarbieMathisStudio@gmail.com

IG: @BarbieMathisArt

FB: BarbieMathisStudio or Barbie Smith Mathis

www.BarbieMathis.com

Registration

Registration is open to all artists. CCAL Memberfs pay $150 ($50 minimum deposit required). Non-members pay $175 ($50 minimum deposit required).

Note: This event will be held indoors. By registering for this event you agree that you understand the risks of COVID and agree to the CCAL COVID Waiver Policy.