Acrylic Painting | Beautiful Birds with Mellissa Read-Devine

Course Overview

Join Mellissa Read-Devine for this bold and vibrant workshop, where you can paint an image of your favourite bird. Bring along images of birds such as fairy wrens, galahs, parrots or cockatoos and infuse your subject with character and personality. Learn to simplify shapes and keep your colours bold and bright, learn about colour mixing, composition and much more. Mellissa is well-known for her impressionistic style of painting, has been the recipient of many awards and prizes. Her work is displayed in many galleries and private collections. Mellissa's workshops are very popular so be sure to enrol early!

Images: Galahs by Mellissa Read-Devine

Is this course right for me?

Some prior experience with acrylics is assumed. Students should have attended at least an introductory workshop or class.

Materials

Please bring the following:

• 2-3 stretched canvases depending on size (you may wish to do several smaller paintings, but no smaller than about A4 size).
• Minimum size 20x25cm/8x10", maximum whatever you can fit in your car - your own choice of shape.
• Mellissa would suggest that you seal your canvas with at least one coat of gesso before class to save time.
• Acrylic paint - Mellissa uses mainly Matisse Structure, but you can bring what you have so long as it is artist quality. Note: cheap paints from a discount store will not work as they do not have the pigment and don't mix well.

This is my preferred colour palette:

• White
• Naples Yellow
• 2 different yellows (warm and a cool)
• Cadmium red or equivalent
• 1 of the following: Alizarin, Magenta, Red Violet or Rose Madder
• 1 of the following: Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Teal/aqua, Cobalt Blue
• Ultramarine or Pthalo Blue
• 2 of your favourite complementary colours – purple/orange/bright green

Brushes

• Synthetic preferred, not too soft – filbert, bright/flat or round in assorted sizes eg. 12/10/8/6 - larger ones if you are working big
• Small brush for detail
• Old round brush approx size 10/12
• Larger brushes – eg cheap hake or small painter's brushes for backgrounds

Other items

• Water spray
• Palette knife (for mixing paint)
• Plastic card eg. old Library card for scraping or scumbling.
• Palette – the flatter the better, white plastic plates are good.
• If painting large – bring some small plastic pots/recycled tins to put paint in
• Rags
• Apron
• Image references/photos at least A4.
• Paper & soft pencil/charcoal for sketches

More Information

FAQs Terms & ConditionsSpecial Offers