Syllabus: Week Two: We talked about using color in shadows rather than blacks and grays. Color has both value and temperature. Shadowed areas are darker in value and cooler in temperature. We'll continue this discussion next week when we work from our photographs. Plus we'll discuss how the intensity of color helps determine form.
Week One: Discussion of what we would like to achieve this session - we are going to be working in different media and will be discussing more about how each of these work. Visit to the galleries - we selected a favorite work of art Internet work: blog, syllabus, and catalogue references
Week Three:
Color - continue working with value, temperature, and intensity
Week Four: Color: Intensity Composition: Using intense color to create focus Contrast: using intense vs. grayed color
Week Five: Color: Temperature Composition: Using temperature to create depth Contrast: Warm vs. cool
Week Six: Color: mixing color and continuation of color temperatures to show form
Week Seven: Color: controlling edges Composition: contrast using hard vs. soft edges, busy vs. calm and straight (architectural) vs. curves (natural)
Week Eight: Color: Temperature Composition: using rhythm contrasts continued
Week Nine: Return to galleries Assess paintings for contrasts used by artists Every student selects one painting and points out color usage, composition, and contrast used. Assessment of own paintings How is the student's like the painting they selected?
Week Ten: Using their target painting, students work on a painting mirroring the elements found in the masterwork. Color: using neutrals and color shapes using gradations of color
Week Eleven: Color: creating a color theme working with gradations Composition: Entering the painting working with foregrounds, middle ground and back ground
Week Twelve: Composition: working with photographs cropping for drama Changing a viewpoint
Week Thirteen: Completion of work Assessment of semester's work and learning Looking ahead: making goals
Weeks Twelve and Thirteen: Down the last two classes! Where did the time go? For these weeks we will complete one larger painting - use any size you feel comfortable working with - but try to be larger than 16" x 20". We will discuss the method you'll be using: creating a value plan, a color plan, and a composition idea. Think how you will crop your reference to work with your plans. Then use large areas of color to show the underpinning of the painting - or the armiture. Finally follow with the detail. You just completed a smaller painting with great results using these methods. Now just translate them to the larger canvas or paper, using the same thinking that went into the smaller one. Be careful not to equate more space with more detail, etc. Just think of it as the same thing but bigger. We'll talk about this on Wednesday.
Week Eleven: For week eleven we will be completing what we have started up to this point. Then looking forward to the last two weeks of class, we will plan a larger painting where we can confidently use color and movement to create a composition.
Weeks Nine and Ten: These two weeks we worked on using large masses of color/value to lay an underpainting and create a pleasing composition then adding detail on top of the underpainting to complete our painting. We looked at how that underpainting may change the tone of the painting - using a deep brown created a somber mood while using a turquoise underpainting created a more light and airy one. Even though we used acrylics, which are very opaque, the underlaying color influences the painting just as the underlaying masses of color influence the composition.
Week Eight: This week we worked on mixing greens, keeping in mind that the natural color GREEN will have many variations - some cool, some warm. GREEN will also have lighter values and darker values. This allows you to add excitement to your painting even if you are using only one color. And here's the wonderful part - Every other full intensity color will have the same 4 variations - temperature, cool and warm and value, light and dark. Imagine the power you have!
Week Seven: We'll be working with color temperatures as well as value. For this we'll mix at least three temperatures for a given color. This way there will be a warm blue, a true blue, and a cool blue. In composition we'll discuss verticals and horizontals.
Week Six: This week we'll be doing more work with color values. We'll also try working with portrait placement.
Week Five: After we show our work from last week and discuss how successful we were we move on to more color work. Color Intensity: How to achieve more and less intensity of color How we can use color intensity effectively Armature: the L
Week Four: This is a continuation of last week's class. We will continue painting showing values in color and an armature we talked about last week.
Week Three We will paint a small picture showing a landscape. Please bring photographs from home of a landscape or cityscape you have photographed.
Composition: Armatures in Landscape – Fulcrum, O , diagonal, triangle Color value - how does color translate into value?
Week Two This week is a continuation of the material we talked about last week.
Using information and preliminary sketches from the week before, paint during this class with an eye to the following:
Color - Hue what color theme have you set up for your painting?
Armatures - S or Radiating Lines how have you set up either an 's' or radiating lines in the painting?
Border - what shape will the overall painting take?
This week should be much easier than last week. You have already set up all the planning for your painting. Now you will just need to go ahead and paint. Feel free to add as much detail in this as you want.
Be sure to bring your painting to week three.
Syllabus –Confident Painting
Welcome to the fall session. One thing I am hoping to accomplish this session is to provide a safe and meditative environment for painting. We will be doing this by:
Starting class right on time. Class starts at 1 p.m. and I will begin the lecture portion of the class at that time. If you are detained, please come in quietly and take a seat until we are ready to start painting. Setting up during the lecture time can be very disruptive for the other painters.
This way we will be able to take a break around 2 to 2:15 for conversation, sharing each other's work, or whatever you'd like to do with that time.
I'll be sharing music with a more meditative theme during painting time.
I'll be answering your questions as they arise during the class. If you arrive late, there will be an opportunity to catch up either during break time or on this website - either on this page or in my blog.
I'm hoping we will move through this session with this goal in mind:
"The road to Mastery: Unconscious Incompetence Conscious Incompetence Conscious Competence Unconscious Competence" Anonymous
Week One: The four most important compositional Lines – the border of the picture Color introduction – Hue, value and intensity Composition: Introduction to Armatures for landscape – the S and Radiating Lines
We will complete a sketch for a painting that you will be doing next week. Some people may have time to start the painting.
Information from class one:
The four most important compositional lines in a painting are those that determine the border of the picture. Make sure the sketch you have so carefully prepared in planning your painting represents the space you have chosen for your painting. i.e. don't plan in a square, then paint in a rectangle.
Here are three properties of color we discussed:
Hue - the basic color you are using. sometimes called the 'local color'. The color as it appears on the color wheel. 'Blue' is a hue, as is 'red', 'yellow' 'blue-violet', etc.
Value - how light or dark a color is. i.e. blue could be a very light sky color (high key value) or a very dark navy color (low key value). They are both the same hue but lighter or darker.
Intensity - the pureness of the color. The most intense or pure color is found on the outside of the color wheel. Intensity is reduced as other colors are added. The least intense color is found by adding a complement.
A word about mixing: This is a personal choice. I like to mix on the canvas or paper. I find this gives me a fresher and more interesting outcome. You may choose to mix on your palette. (There are times I do this, also.)
"S" armature: often found in nature and landscapes. such as meandering streams. Be careful that the s doesn't shoot the viewer off the page.
Radiating lines: usually and most obviously found in one point perspective. Radiating lines pull us into the painting. Be careful that we aren't just directed to one spot too quickly.
Class assignment: using a picture cut from a magazine or from your personal 'stash', find a landscape using one of the armatures we talked about. Create three planning sheets: one: a value sketch showing the armature (in black and white) two: a color sketch showing hues and value placement of color three: a page of swatches showing the actual colors, including intensity of colors, you will using.
Use very little detail on these preparatory sketches. Simply lay in larger areas of color in a rapid manner. Don't spend a lot of time drawing in the picture. Just swash the color on.
Be ready to paint next week.
Week Four: Finish painting from last week.
Week Five: Color intensity - how to achieve more or less intensity what can be achieved with color intensity
Composition: Armature: L
Week Five Continuation of Color Values
Composition: The Cruciform plus portrait
Week Seven: Color temperatures Composition: Horizontals and verticals
Week Eight Color -controlling edges the color green