Paint in Portugal and Margarida Ornelas organize several workshops each year with well-known and highly skilled artists. This time, she had invited Marc Folly from Lyon. That sounded exciting to us, so we booked a full year in advance, as his workshops tend to fill up quickly.We were 14 participants from different countries who gathered in Cascais to paint with Marc. He has a distinctive style with strong contrasts, often featuring backlighting in a garage or a cluttered storage space.
After welcoming us, he introduced three colors for the first exercise: ultramarine blue, a yellow (similar to Indian Yellow), and Permanent Rose. He painted them in a row—first yellow, then red, and finally blue—and let them flow into each other. He then mixed all three to create various shades of gray. With just these three colors, you can essentially mix almost any color. Then it was our turn to try.
After that, Marc began sketching one of the three subjects we would work on during the workshop. The reference photo showed a large space with boats and various objects, lit by strong side light. He sketched carefully and calmly, showing how he constantly compares with what he has already drawn to get the proportions right. Boats are tricky, so he started with a rectangle and then drew the boat within it.
He uses a small mechanical pencil (HB) and wood-pulp paper rather than cotton paper. The advantage is that you can lift color afterward, since it doesn’t absorb the paint in the same way—the pigment sits more on the surface. Not all papers behave like this, but this particular one from Hahnemühle does.
Once he finished his sketch, we did the same. It was a challenging subject, but everyone did well. Then Marc began painting. What sets him apart from many others is that he starts with the darkest areas, then the mid-tones, and finally the lightest. We painted step by step following him. It worked well, but it’s important to let each layer dry and not overwork it.
He didn’t have time to show everything—the final yellow-red on the boat would come on day two. Marc is an excellent teacher and also very entertaining. He walks around and helps everyone.
Quote of the day from Marc:
“The first brushstroke is usually the best.”
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