Ebauche workshop

A few weeks ago Will St. John taught a workshop on painting the ebauche, or initial stage of laying in a painting. This is the first time GCA has offered a workshop on this subject and it was a huge success! While breezing through facebook the other day I noticed Christienne Cuevas had posted photos and a glowing report about her experience in the workshop and I asked her if we could share them here:

"I am so grateful to Will for teaching what was a tremendously rewarding workshop. I learned so much! And in such a short span of time! I never painted a figure so quickly before and am overjoyed with the results. Will gave an overview of the procedures, provided visual examples of 19th century figure paintings and explained each step as we went along, critiquing as we progressed. But I think the most instructive part of the workshop was the teaching by example. Will and Colleen (our class monitor) were inspiring. It was a dream to have had this opportunity to paint alongside such esteemed and talented artists. Thank you!"


Will St. John doing a demo in class


19th century academic nude from the Academy Julien (if anyone knows who the artists is, let us know!)


Will St. John teaching in class


some examples to look at in class


Christienne Cuevas' painting right after the transfer stage


Will St. John demonstrating how he transfers the drawing to the canvas


Colleen Barry demonstrating the wipe-out stage

The French Academy officially defined the ebauche as:

“The initial stage of the realization of a projected painting; the careful preparation, on broad lines of emphasis, the characteristic masses, forms, action, effect and color-scheme of the scene to be represented.”

-Albert Boime, The Academy & French Painting in the 19th Century

In 19th Century academic practice, the ebauche or lay-in, was considered fundamental to the success of a finished work. With an emphasis on breadth of form, a vigorous handling, and the tout ensemble, a successful ebauche can provide a strong foundation for subsequent re-paintings or stand alone as a finished piece.