France
Marielle Durand
Artist and author trained at ESAG Penninghen and ENSAD Paris, then at the Fine Arts Academy in Berlin, Marielle has followed her red thread of on-location drawing for over 25 years. Her drawing work has been published and exhibited in Europe and New York, and has received multiple awards and distinctions. Sharing her knowledge is an important part of her practice, and she teaches drawing at the Gobelins School.
She sketches during her many travels, both distant and still— from New York to Saigon, via Cape Verde, Galicia, or the Balkans. More recently, she draws in her Paris neighborhood or during residencies with the DRAC, sometimes on a moped, from the bucolic landscapes of Brittany and Auvergne to more urban environments like the French National Assembly, where she documents Government Q&A sessions.
Panoramas and Depth of Field: how to represent the landscape of the Geneva lakeside promenade in an accordion sketchbook, working with multiple planes.
Workshop language: French English German
We’ll start with a warm-up exercise to practice focus, letting go, and fluid linework at a spot along the promenade. Then we’ll head towards Bains des Pâquis, observing how different planes create a sense of perspective and depth. Finally, at the Bains, we’ll integrate people to bring the overall composition to life.
From the lakeside to the Bains des Pâquis, each double page of the leporello will allow us to create a wide panorama of Geneva facing the mountains.
Suggested material:
- A small watercolor box. Suggested colors: yellow ochre, orange, ultramarine blue, sap green (or bladder green), and Payne's grey. I use Sennelier in tubes, but pans are better for beginners.
- Two brushes for ink or watercolor: one larger, one fine for detail. I personally use a large Raphael brush and a finer Pentel water brush.
- Paper from 170g to 300g (three 20x30 cm sheets or A4 folded lengthwise to make a leporello—accordion sketchbook with 6 panels about 20–21 cm high), preferably with a fine grain.
- A waterproof fine liner like a Uni-Pin
- 3–4 colored pencils (blue, red, grey, green, ochre, black)
- A drawing board + two clips
- A water container
- A cloth
- A small folding stool
