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Vicky Norman
Demonstration
2021

21st November 2021: Colour-mixing and landscape in Oils with Vicki Norman
Thanks, Penny Lamb, for this photo and write-up
CP


​Vicki Norman is an oil painter from Shropshire and an ambassador for Michael Harding paints.

She came to give OVAS members and visitors a demo on her method for plein air and studio  seascape painting.


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https://vickinormanstudio.com/
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Her demonstration on Friday was based on her Notan thumbnail  sketches, (using Pental  pens with sepia ink and water), her photos and a quick painting of the red Sidmouth cliffs , the reflections on the wet beach and the sea.
Vicki’s tips for plein air painting included keeping in mind the light when you start, helped by the sketches to decide on the values. "Remember to put your darks in first and put your lightest light next to your darkest darks."  


With regards to colours , Vicki believes that it is a good idea to mix your colours first - light, medium and darks - and then keep them grouped on your palette.

She tends to use mostly neat paint, sometimes mixing in a little linseed oil for the lightest colours.

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Her palette of colours for uk landscapes or seascapes, which tend to be in the middle greys range, includes colours such as cadmium lemon yellow, ochre, cadmium red light, cobalt violet, cobalt blue/ ultramarine, a green blue such as cobalt teal, or cerulean blue, transparent oxide red and yellow, and titanium white.



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Using a colour similar to the background colour on your canvas,  Vicki uses a brush to draw / map out the main subjects.

She then blocks in the main colours, varying brushstrokes, and remembering to think about edges, both soft and hard.
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She used a bristle brush in the first stages then a softer brush to smooth paint.

These principles were applied to the Cornish seascape workshop on the Saturday which members attended. Some people used Vicki’s photo reference to their own, and some people used oils and some acrylics to produce their paintings of sea, rocks and sky.

​We all learned different new things to take away with us for our own future work from Vicki’s tuition.
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A gallery of work at the Saturday workshop
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President: Phil Creek
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Our Mascot 'Arty the Otter' © 2025 was kindly created & painted for us by
​OVAS Member Valerie Faulkner
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  • Latest News
  • OVAS 2026 Programme
  • About/Join Us!
    • The Tuesday Group
  • Exhibition: 2025
  • Members' Galleries
    • Andrew Pitts
    • Carol Shaw
    • Celia Risso
    • Chris Poole
    • Cynthea Gregory
    • Fiona Gale
    • Francis Callender
    • Jacqueline Ward
    • Jenny Savage
    • John Atkinson
    • Linda Hampson
    • Margaret Bargmann
    • Margaret Kingdon
    • Maureen Stone
    • Nickie Bitschi
    • Norma Walton
    • Penny Lamb
    • Phil Reed
    • Roland Ebdon
    • Simon Gray
    • Sue Williams
    • Terry Davies
    • Valerie Faulkner
    • Mike Bird
  • Write-ups of past events
    • Alex Boon 2025
    • Alison Whateley 2025
    • Amelia Webster 2024
    • Anna Brewster Workshop 2023
    • Anne Blankson-Hemans 2023
    • David Webb 2025
    • James Tatum Workshop 2019
    • Julie Dunster Critique 2023
    • Julie Dunster 2025
    • Kaili Fu 2025
    • Karen Wones 2023
    • Liese Webley 2024
    • Linda Hampson Workshop 2023
    • Lisa Parkyn Workshop 2025
    • Lisa Takahashi 2023
    • Maria Rose 2023
    • Maria Rose 2024
    • Owen Williams 2023
    • Phil Creek 2020
    • Phil Creek 2024
    • Ray Balkwill Critique 2017
    • Rebecca de Mendonca 2023
    • Simon Gray 2024
    • Tom Stevenson 2024
    • Tony Homer 2023
  • The Full Archive
  • Search Site
  • Contact