Painting Vibrant Birds in Oils or Acrylic with Jamel Akib
Course Description
We are delighted to have the hugely talented and multi-award-winning Jamel Akib joining us for a couple of workshops in November. Jamel has won the V&A Illustration Awards in editorial illustration twice, has illustrated three Booker Prize winners, and illustrated the cover for the Observer whilst still a student. As a painter, he’s won the Charles Pear award at The Royal Marine Society exhibition at the Mall, and ‘The Artist’ magazine prize at the Royal Marine Society exhibition.
Jamel will be running a ‘Vibrant Birds’ workshop on the 22nd of November where students will use brush strokes and gestural palette knife marks to make your bird move!
No painting painstaking detail here; instead you’ll be looking at the rhythm of strokes, light and colour to capture a fleeting sense of flight.
You’ll also look at giving life to static birds by building them from an abstract background that we lay down beforehand.
The intention is to paint four pictures with a different bias to each demonstration –
1. A more linear feel using the rigger brush so the drawing is prominent.
2. An image that concentrates on the rhythm of the brush, big strokes contrasting with smaller more precise strokes.
3. Palette knife bird – mark making with the palette knife
4. A bird painted over an abstract background full of gestural marks to add life to the subject
Course Information
Ability level
All abilities welcome
Medium
Useful Links
- 4 canvases or canvas boards roughly 50cm in length (or something similar)
- Paint in either oils or acrylics:
Cerulean Blue / Azure Blue
Cadmium Yellow and yellow deep
Permanent Rose / Alizarine Crimson / Magenta
Cadmium Orange
Bright Green
Green Gold
Burnt Sienna
Raw Sienna
Ivory Black
Titanium White
Bright red / Cadmium Red
Purple
Ultramarine Blue
Burnt Umber
Naples Yellow
- For those painting with oils:
Liquin, Sansodor, to thin oil paint
Cold wax / liquin Impasto to thicken oil paint - For those using acrylic:
- Texture paste to thicken acrylic
- Brushes – long rigger for creating lines, flats size 4,6,8, 10, 12 and a two-inch brush
- Jam jar / water pot
- Old raga
- A paint pallete
- Palette knife/s
Provided by Cornwall School of Art if required
- Easels
- Drawing boards
- Water jars
- Pencils
- Erasers
- Rulers
- Scissors
- Clips
All art materials are available to purchase in the Truro Arts shop, 26 River Street Truro TR1 2SJ, and you will receive a 10% discount on all supplies for the course.
Jamel Akib
Jamel Akib was born in Leigh-on-sea, Essex in 1965 to mixed English and Malaysian parentage. He moved to Sabah, North Borneo at the age of five and returned to England in 1978 and gained a BA honours Degree in Illustration in 1989. He now lives in Salisbury with his wife and two boys. He began working for the Observer newspaper while still a student at art college, and has since become an award-winning artist involved in many exhibitions and commissions. Jamel has illustrated the covers for three booker prize finalists. Jamel’s paintings and drawings have a vigour about them and convey movement, whether it is a portrait of a dancer, a musician or a wild animal or bird. The initial exploratory strokes are often left on the paper or board, and the portrait grows from these marks – the result is invariably painterly and full of energy. He has an instinctive and natural flair for knowing when things look ‘right’, and right they do – beautiful and expressive mark-making moulded into a masterful portrait that really breathes life.
Find Out MoreOur courses usually begin at 10am and end at 4:30pm, with a half an hour lunch break at around 1pm. There will also be brief morning and afternoon breaks, with free tea and coffee available in the kitchen area. At Lunch time you can make things nice and easy by pre-ordering a freshly prepared Coach House Lunch. Alternatively, you’re very welcome to bring along a packed lunch and any other refreshments you like.
On sunny days students and tutors are invited to enjoy breaktimes outside in the leafy courtyard or gardens surrounded by birdsong.
Course Details
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Cancellations
Cancellations must be made in writing/email more than 4 weeks prior to the course start date to guarantee a refund. Read our full policy on the Course Terms & Conditions page.
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