Photo submitted
Vermilion Community Art Club hosted their first digital live art session on April 3. Participants prepared a portrait sketch and had the opportunity to use any opaque medium of their choosing. Meagan Balaneski led the session and said, “I believe that art is really good for mental health and a sense of connection. It helps you tap into an area of pure creativity, and completely disconnect from the stresses of the moment. It’s also a really low-cost activity to get into.” It is becoming increasingly important for people to keep engaged and find ways to interact in positive creative outlets. Throughout the session she continued to offer tips. “When doing portraits it’s important to be dramatic with your colours and shadows, because we’re painting so close to our canvas. When you stand back, it will look a lot more beige than you thought it would. For faces, I also make the areas where your bone is closer to the surface noticeably greener than the rest of the face. Areas that have more flesh beneath the skin are pinker tones,” said Balaneski. The digital live art session was a great way to overcome social distancing and get people involved. To join the Vermilion Community Art Club you can email vermilionartclub@gmail.com.