The Orchid Foundation Workshop
https://www.theorchidfdn.org/
Shared some of my drawing techniques with these beautiful Orchids who in turn inspired me with their bright minds, self-motivation, exciting education and fearless career plans. Ages 15-18, Coumba, Alexa and Michaella.
MAKING FUTURES BLOSSOM
The Orchid Foundation's mission is to mentor underserved high school girls. They choose girls that are excelling in their academic and/or extracurricular pursuits and help fill the resource gap presented by their socioeconomic backgrounds. The “Orchids” are star athletes, honor students, poets, humanitarians and feminists packed into 14-18 year old powerhouses that deserve the same opportunities as the top ten percent.
Photos by Nichole Galicia
WeWork Workshop: Portrait Drawing Techniques
PORTRAIT DRAWING TECHNIQUES WORKSHOP
When: 7/26 9:30am - 5:00pm
Where: 609 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10014
A deep dive in portrait drawing techniques, this immersive full day workshop is packed with demos and hands-on drawing led by Hodaya Louis.
Workshop Schedule:
9:30AM- 12 Introduction, Demos part 1:
Illustrating the face - basic anatomy, proportions and shapes
Graphite/charcoal/pastel techniques, composition and line quality
Creating highlights and Textures
12 noon-12:45PM - lunch break.
12:45-2.30PM Demos part 2:
Transferring image techniques
Eyes and hair drawing techniques
watercolor techniques with soluble graphite
David & Hodaya Louis: The Gregory Hotel NYC
David & Hodaya Louis exhibition at The Gregory Hotel 42 W 35th St, New York, NY 10001
David: David Louis, a multi-talented musician and artist, works primarily with oil and watercolors, producing artwork with varying techniques and blended genres. With deep, vivid colors and swirling brushstrokes, he creates abstract illusionist landscapes, depicting dramatic chasms, vibrating with impact, that invite a pondering of the greater cosmic universe. Concurrently, his still life and traditional landscape paintings are striking for their detail and more impressionist-leaning style of painting.
Hodaya: Hodaya Louis’ layered artwork combines a breadth of mediums and techniques, blending figurative illustration with abstract shapes, drawn and painted alternatively with acrylics, watercolors, charcoal and oil to create endless levels of depth. This type of experimental resistance between elements is evident throughout her work, as Hodaya contrasts expressive brushstrokes with both vibrant and soft colors to convey emotion that reaches beyond the canvas. Stripes, as naturally defined by hard lines, are an apt illustration of Hodaya’s inherent tendency towards juxtaposition. A recurring pattern, she subverts their linear shape and clear definition, imbuing them a sense of freedom and movement- using flowing colors and deliberative wavering brushstrokes to create works that are expressly unique.
Together, the father and daughter represent a generation of experimental artwork that is both distinct yet complementary.
WeWork Portrait Drawing Techniques Seminar
Here’s Hodaya Louis leading a four-hour portrait drawing techniques seminar at the Greenwich WeWork space in June. In a small group setting Louis demonstrated the skills used to draw the female head using graphite, charcoal and pastel. A comprehensive look at portrait drawing, some of the topics covered were composition, line quality, values, capturing shadows and light, hair textures and eyes.
The Visionary Projects: Workshop
Last February, The Visionary Projects hosted Hodaya Louis for a two-day intensive workshop in Miami, Florida. The workshop, Expressional Beauty & Fashion Illustration, was designed for beginners and professionals alike to learn and refine their skills.
Many topics were related to portraiture techniques, including lessons on Illustrating the face - basic anatomy, proportions and shapes, charcoal techniques, involving composition and line quality, as well as how to create highlights and textures. Also discussed was how to paint metallic & gold leaf applications, mixed media finishing, including sealing and preservation techniques, and watercolor 101.
Wynwood, Miami, FL. February 2019. Photos by Haylee Barsky
