Do you ever get that feeling that you’re not quite good enough to be somewhere?
I’ve had it throughout my life, but rarely more strongly than during the introductions at the start of this course. Nearly everyone seemed to be an experienced painter — and they were all so good.
Alex and the others on the course could not have been kinder or more encouraging, and I was actually quite pleased with some of what I produced. But the larger paintings, with colour mixing and layered washes, completely threw me. I struggled so badly that I finished the first day wondering whether I would come back for the second.
Fortunately, I did.
A very different second day
The first thing I did when I got home, apart from blaming my wife for encouraging me to take the course, was to get my sketchbook out and re-do one of the exercises I did earlier in the day and I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome; may be not all was lost. I stopped worrying quite so much about everybody else and started enjoying myself.
Alex is a master of what he does, but just as importantly he brought such warmth and enthusiasm to the course that it was impossible not to get caught up in it. What had felt rather intimidating at the beginning became a great experience.
And Blade Runner was a favourite of his, so he could not be that bad.
I would encourage someone to take any course if they can, unless it says advanced and you are a beginner. I have mainly learnt by making mistakes and either working out or being told how to do it right. Any course tutor worth his salt will help you if you ask or he see’s an obvious error. So do it!
Here is some of my work from the weekend.
The Loose Nib 
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