Recent Demo

Here are a few photos from a demo I did for the Federation of Canadian Artists, Victoria Chapter last week.  It was a short 2 hour meeting so around 1:35 minutes of painting time.  When I'm talking and painting the time seems to fly by even faster then normal.

Finished study 9x12 Oil on canvas panel

New Portrait Drawing Class starting February 2nd!

I'm excited to be teaching another portrait drawing class starting February 2nd!

Here is all the info.

February 2nd - March 1st
Please register by January 26th

Thursday Evenings 7 - 9:30 pm

Drawing is the foundation of all realist art.  In this 5 week course, 

Noah will show you classical techniques for drawing a realistic portrait. 
 
Noah will teach the use of plumb lines, comparative measurement, and tilt angle to find correct proportions.  Working from a live clothed model, you will learn about how to start your drawing,
see and record shapes clearly and simply, and model form by carefully  observing the properties of light. 
Lots of demos and individual instruction!

Cost $180 includes model fees
Materials not included.
To register see below or contact Noah at noah@noahlayne.com or 250 477-0173
All levels of experience welcome
The class will take place downtown at Xchanges Gallery
2333 Government Street, suite 6E • Victoria, BC  


To register for a class

Email or call Noah and then send a cheque for the full amount to:
Noah Layne
1850 San Lorenzo Ave
Victoria BC V8N 2E9

When I get your cheque, I will sign you up for the class and save you a spot. 

Cancellation policy
If you cancel before the last day of registration, you get a full refund.
Cancel after the last day of registration there is no refund
Because this is a short 5 week class, there is no makeup class policy

If a class has to be canceled by Noah, you get a full refund.

Here are a couple 30 minute demo drawings and chart from my classes.

Hanging Onions Painting

Here are some photos of what's on my easel at the moment. I was inspired, in part, to do this painting by an email I received a little while ago from someone in Mexico who teaches at an agriculture university. She had put together a not-for-profit book about the "Pitahayas" or Dragon Fruit. I was surprised to find she had used my painting "Flying Dragon Fruit" both in the book and as the back cover without asking me.... It was nice that she emailed me to find out where she could send me a copy of the book but still somewhat funny that she wouldn't check before using my painting in her book.

I painted "Flying Dragon Fruit" in 2003. It was in a gallery in Vancouver for a while. The gallery was one of the best in Vancouver and had been in business for 20+ years. Unfortunately things started to go bad for the owner and he ran off with a number of artists’ work or did not pay them for work sold. Twenty plus artists sued him but as far as I know, not one managed to collect any money from him. I lost my dragon fruit painting and another small still life. So now my dragon fruit painting has been stolen both in real life as well as in digital form for a book.

You're probably wondering how this relates to my hanging onion painting? After seeing my dragon fruit painting in the book it made me want to do another painting with a similar setup and so I painted this onion painting!

Here is an image of the dragon fruit painting. If you know where this painting is, please let me know! 

Flying Dragon Fruit Oil on Linen 11x14. Stolen 2005

Here are some progress pic of my Hanging Onions painting.

I always find it interesting to look at a painting I'm working on in a frame if I have one of the right size around!

Finished painting  "Hanging Onions" Oil on Linen 11"x16"

New drawing

Here is a recent study. I did this study in a 2 hour live sitting, then  I worked on the drawing for a few hours afterward, refining some of the shading and other things.  

When I'm thinking about trying to use someone in a painting, I often do a few drawings of them to start to get an idea of how they look.  When I'm drawing someone it gives me a chance to really look and examine their face and get to know it in a different way then when I'm just talking and seeing them in normal life.  One of the things I love about drawing and all art is a quest for a simple truth.  The truth of the shape of someone's nose, how all a person's features relate to each other in a very beautiful way, a pattern all their own.   

After doing some study drawings of someone I may come up with a composition in which I can paint them or I may just let the knowledge of their face sit at the back of my mind and I may come up with a composition in a year or more.

Graphite on white paper 16x15

Painting class demo

Here are a few photos of the finished demo painting I did in my recent oil portrait painting class.

Study of Matthew Oil on linen 16x14

Progression of the painting

Portrait painting demo

Here are a few photos of the portrait painting I'm doing as a demo for my current oil portrait painting class.  I start each class demoing for around 30 minutes, talking about different things and showing things as I paint.  I think it's so important to demonstrate things when teaching art.  I think it's good for my students to see me work my way through a painting, see how I deal with different things that come up, small changes in the drawing,modeling form, etc. Then the students start to work on their paintings.  I come and help them as needed and work on my painting in between.  I try my best to give each student directions and ideas to help them get better with their drawing/painting.

Session One.  We started painting with no drawing, getting the big shapes, values down in paint.

Session Two.  Started to work with a full palette of colors.  I try to go over things with the general or local colors in this layer of paint but I do not try to finish anything here.

Session Three.  Now I start to finish things as I go over them.  I start by once again going over the area that I'm working on with a general color working dark to light.  Then I start to model the light as it plays across the form.  Working over wet paint makes it easier to model subtle transitions. 

I managed to paint the third paint layer over the part that is inside the blue line.  In the next class I'll work on his forehead, neck and shadow of his face.

Landscape studies!

Here are a few plein air landscape studies.  I'm finding myself doing more landscape painting these days.  I'm also very grateful for the time that I was a part of the Hudson River Fellowship.  I'm finding the things I learned there are still working their way into my thoughts and process in my landscape painting.  I hope to start to do some larger landscape paintings from my studies in the future. 

Trial Island, 8x10, Oil on panel

Sunset, Mt Doug, 9x12, Oil on panel

De Courcy Island, 8x10 Oil on panel

Tree at De Courcy, Pencil and white pastel on gray paper
 

 Light Coming Through the Leaves, 9x12 Oil on panel

Mt Doug Looking North, 8x10 Oil on panel

Evening over Victoria, 8x10 Oil on panel

Garry Oaks 8x10 Oil on panel 2010

Pine Study, 12x9 Oil on panel 2009