What I learned from Agnes Cecile Workshop in March of 2023
My Painting on Day 3
2023 was quite an exciting year for me because I got to attend two workshops hosted by Benjamin Eck Gallery here in Munich.
The first workshop I attended was taught by Agnes Cecile (Silvia Pelissero). I've admired her work for a long time and even own one of her paintings. As a huge fan, I had to attend her workshop. I originally got to know her work through Kelogsloop, who mentioned that he was inspired by Agnes Cecile to paint in watercolors. He led me to her, and she has become one of my favorite watercolor artists, alongside Sensei Aine Divine (whose workshop I also attended) and Ali Cavanaugh, from whom I hope to learn once I move to the U.S.
The workshop spanned three days.
Day 1 Painting
Day 1: Agnes walked us through sketching basic features like the eyes, nose, and mouth. Her instructions were easy to follow, and our first painting project was to use a single color, Payne’s gray, to paint a photo reference of our choice.
Day 2: We learned how to paint facial features, including hair, while introducing colors. She also taught us how to glaze over the painting once it dried. When she demonstrated, it looked like magic, bringing the girl in the portrait to life.
Day 3: We incorporated everything we had learned so far and added elements like flowers and animals. I chose to add magnolia flowers, and since I love her artworks in blue, she shared her secret mixture to create that Chinese porcelain effect. I was thrilled with how my final piece turned out.
I also received a certificate of completion from her workshop! Agnes Cecile is an amazing artist with a confident and beautiful character.
A true Italian artist!
Demo from day 2
Key Learnings:
Go abstract for the first layer and use lots of water on hot press paper to create intuitive, organic textures and marks.
Never rub the paper. If you don't like a paint stroke, just add more water.
Work in layers slowly and learn to leave the paper alone in between.
You can always glaze afterward to bring warmth to the painting.
Focus on using either neutral or warm colors for the subject and avoid drawing the viewer’s eyes everywhere with color. This creates unity.
Use white acrylic later to create highlights.
I enjoyed every bit of this workshop. Would love to learn from here again sometime in the near future.
She is truly inspiring.
