Workshop #1
 Frances Fawcett will present
"Magical Realism: Carbon Dust Natural Science Illustration" during the workshop from June 17-20, 2007.
Carbon dust is a wonderful medium for depicting natural subjects in three dimensions with photo-realistic detail. With a few flicks of the brush, pencil, and kneaded eraser, a whole landscape of hills and valleys, mountains and craters, can snap into focus. A carbon dust drawing resembles a miniaturized charcoal drawing executed on finely textured mylar film or a smoothly textured clay surface. A photo-realistic appearance is achieved through subtle and smooth gradations of tone. The portrayal of light and shadow is the essence of a carbon dust illustration, and honing the ability to see the way light falls on surfaces and reveals contour will be a major focus of the workshop.
This workshop will have three general parts. First, participants will spend some time becoming familiar with carbon dust and experimenting with its capabilities, and getting the feel of making gradations by painting with dust. The second part will be a realistic rendering of an insect or botanical specimen with precision and fidelity. (A dissecting microscope will be available to each participant.) The third part of the workshop will involve applying the techniques learned to develop a drawing from the imagination. This exercise will allow participants to realize the full potential and magic of the carbon dust medium. Participants must establish a light source in their mind that projects accurately on all details of the imaginary subject, which will magically (!) emerge in a 3-dimensional form from the 2-dimensional paper.
This skill is essential for entomological illustration, where it is sometimes difficult to illuminate the subject effectively under the microscope.
Along the way such topics will be covered as the 3-D rendering of basic shapes, and when to use such things as reflected light, cast shadows, and atmospheric perspective to best effect. Participants will experiment with ways of achieving various effects like transparency and wet, furry, and metallic surfaces. Most participants will have two to three finished drawings and a number of interesting texture and shading exercises completed by the end of the session.
On June 23, there will be a sharing and review session of work
created by participants in both Frances' and Camille's sessions.
About the Instructor
Frances Fawcett majored in fine art during the late 1960s-early 1970s art era of anything goes (except, it seemed, realism!) While that was fun and even educational, she continued to pursue her interest in the realistic portrayal of the natural world on her own. When she moved Ithaca, NY, in the early 1980s, she turned to scientific illustration after participating in the GNSI summer workshop at Cornell. She has worked ever since for the Cornell Department of Entomology, both as a permanent employee and as a freelancer. She specializes in the carbon dust medium, although she also works frequently with pen and ink on scratchboard. Her illustrations of insects have appeared in numerous entomological journals and other publications. For many years she co-taught the Cornell Summer School Course in natural science illustration with the botanical artist and long-time GNSI member, Bente King. Frances has recently returned to her first medium of choice from he
r abstract painting years, acrylics, and is presently engaged in illustrating the insect fauna of milkweed. She is an artist member of the State of the Art Gallery in Ithaca, and has exhibited both regionally and nationally, most recently in the Focus on Nature IX Show at the NYS Museum in Albany. |
Top, detail: Eurypepla. Middle, detail: Jumping
Spider. Bottom: Cerylonid beetle. © Frances Fawcett |
Workshop #2
 Camille Doucet will present "Botanical Illustration With Dramatic Backgrounds" during the workshop from June 20-22, 2007.
The workshop will be an introduction to a smorgasbord of background techniques that can be used to enhance the art of flora. Participants will explore an open and creative alternative to the traditional white space behind plant illustrations. Creating textured and colorful backgrounds can enliven the qualities of the specimens illuminated in vibrant ways. There will be plant material for those inclined to botanical illustration. Particpants are also invited to bring specimens from the natural world (shells, seed pods, skulls of animals, etc) or photographs to work from. Participants will be instructed in the application of transparent and semi-transparent watercolor (be prepared for a few surprises too!). After experimenting with many effects, textured gradation, colors, and continuous tone, participants will work on the full illustration process and produce one complete painting with a background of their choice. There will also be an overview of the scientific
illustration process, and a discussion of the theory behind color mixing and of materials. The explorations made during this workshop can be applied to any natural science specimen.
On June 23, there will be a sharing and review session of work
created by participants in both Frances' and Camille's sessions.
About the Instructor
From crayons on kitchen walls to oil paint, Camille Doucet fondly recalls drawing as far back as she can remember. After Fine Arts studies in college in Montreal and at the Laval University in Quebec City, she pursued spirituality, work and later raising a family in Ithaca, NY.
Discovering watercolor in the early 1990’s, Camille knew that she had found her preferred medium, enjoying its ability to let texture and whiteness glow through the pigment. In her painting, she strives to conjure up emotions that spring from the natural world, recognizing the importance that beauty—light, dew, trees, meadows, rivers and mountains—have on our psyche.
Camille teaches watercolor and drawing through Cornell’s Plantations Adult Education, Empire State College, the Community School of Music and Art in Ithaca, and through private lessons. She has exhibited extensively in the greater Ithaca area as well as in Rochester, NY, Santa Fe, NM and Eureka, Ca.; and she has received the O’Hern Memorial award from the Arnot Museum in Elmira, NY. She was a founding member (1995-2000) of Femmes D’Atelier, a collective of women artists. For three years, Camille the director of the State of the Art Gallery in Ithaca, NY, and she is current president of the GNSI-Finger Lakes Chapter. Camille leads summer outdoor workshops and sits on the board of Musicians for World Harmony. |
Top: Lady Slipper. Middle: Magnolia's Embrace.
Bottom: Double Bloodroot. © Camille Doucet |
Workshop #3
Gail Guth will present "Form and Function: Capturing Animals in Motion" during the workshop from June 24-30, 2007.
Drawing animals from life is always a supreme challenge: they move around too much! This workshop will focus on capturing the essence of living, breathing, moving animals on paper. Through observation exercises and demonstrations, participants will train their eyes, brains, and hands to see and record the underlying form and structure of animals. Participants will focus on basic understanding of animal anatomy and its influence on the dynamics of movement. Emphasis will be placed on capturing the essence of form in sketches and gesture drawings, but there will be plenty of studio time for more finished pieces.
We will take advantage of the wonderful opportunities for up-close animal observation in the area, at several locations: the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary (Michigan State University's field research station), the Binder Park Zoo and the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center (an indoor horseback riding center for the handicapped) in Battle Creek.
The Kellogg Bird Sanctuary has a resident population of waterfowl (Canada geese, numerous duck species, and swans) that will be eager to pose for us and strut within arm’s reach (provided we bring the corn!), and exotic upland game birds and raptors in cages with excellent viewing accessibility. This workshop will coincide with banding season at the Sanctuary; the Sanctuary staff will bring waterfowl in for close observation of wings, feathers, feet, and bills. Participants will also be able to access the Sanctuary’s extensive skin specimen collection.
The Binder Park Zoo is a relatively new zoo, with beautiful, natural exhibits and some excellent viewing opportunities for a variety of exotic and domestic animals. The Zoo features an African savanna exhibit (antelope, ostriches, zebras, vultures, giraffes, primates, domestic animals) and a walk-through aviary with numerous bird species. Their diverse animal collection includes cheetah, wild dogs, kangaroos, wallabies, snow leopards, prairie dogs, Mexican wolves, and red pandas. In addition, Zoo staff will provide the opportunity to observe smaller animals (possibly kinkajous, owls, reptiles) up-close for short periods.
If there is time and interest, we can also visit the MSU/Kellogg Farm, a demonstration dairy farm near the Bird Sanctuary. The farm offers self-guided tours; the milking parlor is in operation nearly all day long (three milking sessions daily of the 200-head herd), and has a large observation window; we can stroll around the farm and view the cattle in their barns, sketch the calves, etc. And, we may also have a visit or two from a friendly and well-trained black lab who will help us in our quest for the perfect gesture drawing!
About the Instructor
Gail Guth has been a member of the GNSI and a freelance artist for 30 years, specializing in nature illustration and graphic design. She works in watercolor, colored pencil, ink, and pencil; a combination of digital and traditional art, and computer graphics in Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark and InDesign.
Gail has exhibited her work with the Hunt Institute’s Traveling Exhibition about a century ago, in the GNSI Annual Exhibit in Denver in 2003, in a solo exhibition at Pierce Cedar Creek in the Fall of 2005, and in an illustrators’ exhibit at the Lansing, MI Art Gallery.
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Top: Oryx. Bottom Middle: Studies, sleepy lions,
oryx, water buffalo. Bottom: Buster. © Gail Guth
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