Workshops – Suzanne Accetta
These are example workshops. Any workshop can be designed for your individual group tailored around your interests. Contact Suzanne for more information and prices.
Portrait Workshop
Face your Fear of Faces
Enjoy the process of portrait painting while building the skills and confidence to take on this challenging subject. Students will learn to match skin tones and values, understand value and temperature changes, capture the quality of light, and study the structure of the head. Suzanne’s workshop provides the tools, inspiration, and guidance needed to paint people with confidence. She will also show how photo references can be used effectively to create expressive watercolor portraits, including how to edit, interpret, and compose from a photo to bring life and energy to the subject.
Expressive Watercolor Figures
with Suzanne Accetta
Suzanne’s workshop will give you the tools, confidence, and inspiration to enjoy painting people. You will explore anatomy, proportion, and perspective as they relate to the rhythm and flow of the figure. The class will also examine clothing, including folds, fabric character, and how to identify the body beneath. Suzanne will demonstrate how photographs can be a powerful reference for creating lively watercolor figure paintings, while also discussing their benefits and limitations. You will learn how to edit, interpret, and compose from photos to bring life and energy to your subject.
COMPOSITION WORKSHOP
Looking for the good - avoiding the bad and the ugly
Composition is the foundation of a successful painting. It can be the difference between a good piece of art and an award-winning one. Strong composition does not happen by accident; it requires planning, awareness, and a working knowledge of the visual elements available to the artist.
Simply put, composition is the arrangement of visual elements, so they work together as a whole. Every drawing or painting has a composition, whether it is created intentionally or by chance. In practical terms, composition is the relationship between the elements in a picture—and that relationship is often the first thing a viewer notices.
When a composition is successful, it may not be the first thing you notice. Instead, the painting simply feels balanced, engaging, and visually appealing. When a composition is weak, however, the effect is immediately noticeable: the painting may feel awkward, unsettled, or difficult to understand.
In this workshop, participants will explore practical steps and exercises for creating dynamic compositions. We will also observe, discuss, and build useful vocabulary for recognizing what makes a composition strong—or what can cause it to fall short.
Watercolor Workshop
Suzanne Accetta will lead a watercolor workshop for participants of all skill levels, helping them build confidence through still life painting. The class will emphasize design, including planning, color, expression, value, and visual theme. Students will learn to see in fresh, exciting ways through demonstrations, group instruction, and individual guidance..
Suzanne Accetta AWS, TWSA
Suzanne is available for workshops.
