Alexandra Woods Talk and Demonstration - "Animals and Birds"
Tuesday 14th November 2023, 2.00 - 4.00pm in the Pavilion
Tuesday 14th November 2023, 2.00 - 4.00pm in the Pavilion
Alexandra wrote before her visit:
I will begin with an illustrated talk on how I started creating paintings of animals leading to my current interest in human portraiture. I will then demonstrate an approach to drawing/painting the human head.
Meeting Report
Alexandra Woods is a painter and illustrator who came along to talk to us and demonstrate her technique for drawing the human head. She explained that, whilst she studied at college as an undergraduate for a degree in textiles, her career progressed by taking a higher degree which lead to work as a professional illustrator.
Alexandra started painting using watercolour and acrylics but, after inheriting her grandfather’s oil paints, she fell in love with their buttery texture and the fact that they take time to dry, thus giving an opportunity to make changes.
Alexandra grew up near the Cotswold Farm Park and became a regular visitor there feeding lambs and calves. She believes that is where her love for painting animals first began. After showing us examples of her animal studies, all on one metre square canvases and taking some two days on average to complete, she said that her latest interest is in portrait painting.
After the tea break, Alexandra gave an interactive demonstration of a preparatory underpainting for a self-portrait in oils. She showed how a series of straight, angled and curved lines can capture the head and ensure that the proportions are correct. While a "head on" view is easiest, the trained and observant eye can also use this technique for a view at any angle - above, below, left or right. She asked the audience to try and feel the bone structure of their own faces and understand the proportions. Alexandra used a pencil at a 1:1 scale to transfer her own head shape and dimensions to the paper.
A big thank you to Zoe Hing for her help with writing this meeting report. Photographs taken on the day appear in the gallery below. Lots more examples of Alexandra's work can be found on her website
Alexandra Woods is a painter and illustrator who came along to talk to us and demonstrate her technique for drawing the human head. She explained that, whilst she studied at college as an undergraduate for a degree in textiles, her career progressed by taking a higher degree which lead to work as a professional illustrator.
Alexandra started painting using watercolour and acrylics but, after inheriting her grandfather’s oil paints, she fell in love with their buttery texture and the fact that they take time to dry, thus giving an opportunity to make changes.
Alexandra grew up near the Cotswold Farm Park and became a regular visitor there feeding lambs and calves. She believes that is where her love for painting animals first began. After showing us examples of her animal studies, all on one metre square canvases and taking some two days on average to complete, she said that her latest interest is in portrait painting.
After the tea break, Alexandra gave an interactive demonstration of a preparatory underpainting for a self-portrait in oils. She showed how a series of straight, angled and curved lines can capture the head and ensure that the proportions are correct. While a "head on" view is easiest, the trained and observant eye can also use this technique for a view at any angle - above, below, left or right. She asked the audience to try and feel the bone structure of their own faces and understand the proportions. Alexandra used a pencil at a 1:1 scale to transfer her own head shape and dimensions to the paper.
A big thank you to Zoe Hing for her help with writing this meeting report. Photographs taken on the day appear in the gallery below. Lots more examples of Alexandra's work can be found on her website
From Alexandra's website:
Alexandra specialises in capturing the essence and illustrating complex subjects and concepts through visual simplicity - clear lines, simple shapes and a richness of colour.
Her work ranges from editorial illustrations for magazines, logo designs, large paintings and murals to hand painting illustrations on to 3D objects. She captures her initial ideas with pencil on paper, felt tips, pencil crayons and watercolours. Some of these are then developed with oil paints or digitally on screen.
Alexandra enjoys chatting with commercial clients and individuals about potential commissions and thrives on meeting the challenges of a brief within an agreed timescale. She has been selling her images since 2004 undertaking commissions and exhibiting both nationally and internationally.
Alexandra specialises in capturing the essence and illustrating complex subjects and concepts through visual simplicity - clear lines, simple shapes and a richness of colour.
Her work ranges from editorial illustrations for magazines, logo designs, large paintings and murals to hand painting illustrations on to 3D objects. She captures her initial ideas with pencil on paper, felt tips, pencil crayons and watercolours. Some of these are then developed with oil paints or digitally on screen.
Alexandra enjoys chatting with commercial clients and individuals about potential commissions and thrives on meeting the challenges of a brief within an agreed timescale. She has been selling her images since 2004 undertaking commissions and exhibiting both nationally and internationally.