Questions & Answers

FAQ and Materials List for Explore Abstracts I

 

How much does Explore Abstracts I cost?

The full price for this extensive six week long course is £587 with an option to split payments over two months. If you’re in the UK and would prefer to pay via bank transfer please email us for account details.

Why did you put together an abstract course?

Up to now my online courses were linked to topics like still life, florals and nature. With an abstract themed course I am able to dedicate more emphasis on colour mixing using combinations of acrylic paints, mediums and mixed media. The course will include playful processes that will result in expressive techniques and develop into dynamic artwork outcomes that are not intended to be representational. In this six week course students will be able to focus on specific elements in the different modules, and use them together in ways to enhance and expand their art practices regardless of prior experience,

What is Explore Abstracts I?

It’s a six-week long course exploring a variety alternative techniques, processes and creating concepts and methods done in water-based media on different surfaces including paper, wood and canvas. The course is structured to develop a vocabulary of new shapes and creative mixed media techniques. Each module is dedicated to a specific colour combination linked to a specific theme and creating methods. The projects are pre recorded, edited and delivered in easy to digest packages five times per week. The videos are between 25 and 45 minutes long, with up to an hour for the module assignment videos on the weekends, and more complicated projects. The videos can be viewed as many times as you like, and used to guide your own processes.

All course content will be posted on this website. This is a ‘live’ course meaning the projects are released daily to everyone at the same time and there’s a Facebook group created as a closed classroom group which I monitor to provide assistance and feedback.

A ‘live’ course differs from a self-paced course where all lessons are immediately available for you to go through at your own pace.

Is it for me?

Attending an online course is obviously different from doing one in person. The course is aimed at artists of all ages, abilities and experiences. The processes of abstract painting allows for extensive playing and exploring of new methods and techniques. Have a go, you are bound to surprise yourself.

How long does it run for?

Six weeks. The course runs from 18 September to 30 October 2023. Projects are released daily at from Monday to Thursday at 9am BST. The weekend assignments will build upon the week’s projects and conclude that module, these are also released on Saturdays at 9am BST.

This course is longer than the three or four weeks options I have offered up to now.

What materials will I need?

In this course a combination of acrylics, paint mediums and water based mixed media will be used. Paintings can be done on wooden panels and canvas panels. I’ll demonstrate how to prepare wooden surfaces before the start of the course, see materials list for more information and surface options.

How does a ‘live’ course work?

Prerecorded projects are released daily at 9am BST (GMT+1). They are presented in short video format with a written guide with images. You can access them at any point afterwards. There are no webinars or Zooms in this course to attend at specific times.

How much time do I need?

Most of the daily projects can be done in around one to two hours depending on your previous experience. The weekend projects will take longer. You can access course projects at any point during the course and for a full year after it finishes, so until end of October 2024.

Will I get feedback?

Yes, in the private Facebook group set up just for this course group. This is the place where you can post work, ask questions, get feedback and network with others from around the world. It is an additional but important and valuable component of the course. 

What will I learn?

Loads! I am known for my layered paintings, and am always exploring new techniques and creative processes. I love to share these in my courses. Acrylic paints have developed in so many ways in the last few decades, this dynamic medium has so many more options available including printing, stamping and painting by means of subtractive techniques. In this course you will be combining fluid, watery techniques with solid, chalky surfaces and expressive mark making. There is a big emphasis on playing and experimenting with a wider selection of materials. The course’s projects are structured in a way to expand creativity by exploring traditional and alternative techniques in a variety of water-based media on paper, wood and canvas. Over six weeks you will develop a broad vocabulary of new shapes, learn a variety of new techniques in acrylics and mixed media, become more colour confident and knowledgeable about ways to mix colour intuitively. You will expand your knowledge of abstraction, composition and ways to make more expressive paintings.

Can you explain more about the course content?

In the first module you will learn about different paints, art materials, colour mixing techniques and ways to incorporate other components linked to mark making and layering. The daily projects will build towards a bigger assignment at the end of the each module. Different art styles and genres will be incorporated, with specific colour combinations and techniques unique to each module. By doing the various exercises in this course you will build your own authentic vocabulary of shapes, forms, expressive textures and new painting techniques . Drawing is at the heart of this course, we’ll take inspiration from nature with organic forms found in plants, seeds and land formations. Asemic drawings incorporating handwriting and letter forms as per the Creative leap method will also be used in this course. The combination of a variety of art materials with innovative 'outside the box' thinking will inadvertently lead to new directions to be explored.

Can I share what I do on the course?

Yes, please do. Please use the hashtags #exploreabstracts1 and #estemacleodclass on social media posts. I respectfully request for the processes not be shared in video format. Do not use any project 'as is' in your own workshops or courses, either online or in person. The course material is copyrighted, if you have queries about this please email me.

When can I see the course projects?

The course runs from 18 September to 30 October 2023. Projects are released daily at from Monday to Thursday at 9am BST. The weekend assignments will build upon the week’s projects and conclude that module, these are also released on Saturdays at 9am BST

How do I access Explore Abstracts I?

Once registered you’ll setup your own password to access the course on my learning platform. Everything is automated and you can change and reset your password yourself.

Closer to the starting date you’ll get an email inviting you to join the course’s exclusive Facebook group. This is completely optional, but it’s a great way to share outcomes and get direct feedback.

How long will I have access?

One full year after the ‘live’ course ends, so access until 31 October 2024.

What materials will I need?

Please see materials list below and take note of the different kinds of acrylic paints and mediums to be used. Everything listed will be used in my online lessons. Part of the value of Explore Abstracts I is using a variety of paints and mediums to obtain very different results. Availability of some products products may be an issue in certain geographies so allowances have been made for different acrylic paints, brushes and other materials.

Please read through the list thoroughly and click on the links in blue (these might be affiliate links for which I’ll receive a commission on purchases) to see items. In this course I use Golden Paints along with the same, high quality materials that I use in my daily art practice.

Paints

  • A Golden Fluid Mixing set. Note the Professional Golden Fluid set I used in previous courses has now been discontinued, and replaced by the Mixing set. It is widely available in the USA where it is manufactured.

  • ALTERNATIVELY you will need the three Golden Fluid primary colours: Red, Yellow and Phthalo Blue as well as White and Carbon Black. These can be substituted for another brand if necessary.

  • Together with the FLUID colours you’ll also require the following Golden HIGH FLOW paints (this paint is more like a concentrated ink and will be mixed with mediums to suit a variety of applications)

  • Golden Open paint 59ml tube transparent Red Oxide or other brown colour.

  • Golden Heavy Body 237ml 8fl oz tub of white titanium (not Zinc) acrylic paint. 

  • Optional: White Gesso 236ml Any brand will work. This is required if you’ll use unprepared wooden panels (see below)

Mediums

  • Golden Matte Medium 237ml 8fl oz or larger container (NOT matte FLUID medium or OPEN medium)  

  • Golden Heavy gel matte 237ml or larger container if you wish to explore further and work in many layers.

  • Golden Fine Pumice gel 237ml 8fl oz container depending on the size of your canvasses. This material is very important will be used as ground for painting and drawing on, as well as impasto techniques.

Paintbrushes

There’s a strong focus on use of colour and painting techniques in my courses. I use mostly short handle synthetic brushes suitable for acrylic painting, not too stiff (not hog hair) or too soft. Please note: sable or natural hair brushes normally used for watercolour should never be used with acrylics since the paint will destroy the hair because it binds to it. I’ll be using mostly Rosemary & Co and Silver Brush Limited brushes in the course as listed below

Drawing Materials & Surfaces

  • Three Derwent Inktense pencils in colours Ink Black, Deep Indigo and Antique White. Alternatively Caran’Dache Museum Aquarelle pencil in black, indigo and white.

  • Caran’Dache neocolour water soluble crayon in white and gold

  • Sketchbook - A4 or bigger suitable for mixed media

  • Black fine liner markers and pencils

  • Three large sheets of mixed media paper 250g or heavier, size A2 (around 17”x23”)

  • Ten wooden 12”x12” (30x30cm) paint panels, there are different options for these, from cheap to quite expensive. The cheaper ply wood panels work perfectly well, priming with white gesso will be required (I’ll demonstrate how this is done before the course starts).

    • You’ll only need gesso if you’re using unprimed wooden boards: Golden’s white Gesso 236ml, alternative brands will work as well.

    • For an even cheaper alternative, use mixed media paper prepared with gesso or acrylic paper.

    • Please note, the wooden boards are much easier to work on, and are ready to be framed without glass or gluing to a board first, for paper this will have to be done.

  • Four 16x16” (40x40cm) square wooden panels OR  four 16x16” (40x40cm) or stretched canvasses (wooden surfaces are better suited for the techniques you will use in this course)

    • Canvas panels can be used as an alternative as well. If you choose this option, use canvas glued onto wood rather than canvas wrapped around cardboard.

  • Two additional stretched canvasses  20x20” (50x50cm) (NOT canvas board).

To recap, to paint on you will require some sheets of mixed media paper for experimental small paintings. You will then also work on ten 12”x12” boards. For three of the modules you will work on four 16”x16” boards or canvasses. For the final module you will use two 20x20” (50x50cm) canvasses, these need to be stretched canvasses, not on boards.

Other Items

  • A triangular long metal palette knife.

  • Rubber brayer 4” (10cm) or similar here

  • A disposable paper palette

  • Masking tape

  • Carbon copy paper

  • A few sheets of wet strength white acid free tissue paper or glassine paper or deli paper if you have.

  • Dough cutter for applying mediums to canvas see here and here

  • A sheet of fine grade sanding paper

  • A small pack of regular balloons

  • Small closable containers for mixed paint

  • Optional: Home printer it'll be useful to print out enlarged drawings and components that can be used for planning compositions and layouts

Links

I use mostly Jackson’s and Ken Bromley for supplies, but you can also buy on Amazon and other resellers depending on where you are in the world.

Here’s a link to the Golden website with information about global resellers of the acrylic paints sets and materials. Ordering online is the best option, since the sets are not sold regularly in art stores and buying individual colours will be more expensive. These sets are available on Amazon as well, but might be more costly, please research options. 

I recommend Jackson’s Art Supplies for materials bought in the UK if you are based in Europe or elsewhere specify courier shipping when purchasing.