Beginning Painting

This course covers the fundamentals of color harmony and theory by painting from still-life,
photographs and the imagination. Students will explore the use of analytical and
expressive color techniques through various painting traditions, from realism through
abstraction. Emphasis is on the use of light and color in painting to realistically create
form, space and atmospheric effects. Techniques to be studied include chiaroscuro,
reflections, and transparencies as well as differing painterly styles. The course includes a
review of the elements of drawing and the principles of design.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

ATTENDANCE

Your attendance is critical. Classes are not optional. Two absences can negatively affect your grade. Three absences can result in failure. Class begins on time and students are required to be on time. Partial sessions, late arrivals and early departures are included in your total attendance average.

GRADING

The grading will be determined through classwork, attendance, individual contributions to class discussion and participation, and homework. Each project receives a grade, a total of ten grades for eight paintings. At semester’s end all grades are added, averaged and combined with your attendance, class participation and initiative. The average is your final grade. Late work may be down graded. You have the opportunity to redo work if unsatisfied with the first effort. If absent, you are still responsible for all your work. Any missing assignments must be made up before the last week or they become an F.

PARTIAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

The Encyclopedia of Oil Painting Techniques	Jeremy Galton	Quarto Publishing
Art Fundamentals: Theory and Practice	Ocvirk, Stinson, et al	Brown & Benchmark
Interaction of Color	Josef Albers	Yale University Press
Principles of Color Design	Wucius Wong	Van Nostrand Reinhold
The Painters Handbook	Mark David Gottsegen	Watson-Guptill
Color Manual	Stephen J. Sidelinger	Prentice-Hall
Artist’s Color Manual	Simon Jennings	Chronicle Books
Color and Human Response	Faber Birren	Van Nostrand Reinhold
Color	Zelanski & Fisher	Prentice-Hall
Color Basics	Pentak & Roth	Thompson-Wadsworth
The Artist’s Guide to Selecting Colors	Michael Wilcox	School of Color Publishing

SCHEDULE

Exercise and Assignment

Day 1

Introduction, value drawing, stretcher building demo
HW: get supplies

Day 2

value scale and painting
HW: photographs for collage, must include 2-3 of food

Day 3

value painting
photographs for collage due, must include 2-3 of food
HW: fantasy, dream or nightmare drawing

Day 4

monochrome and saturation scale painting
fantasy, dream or nightmare drawing due
HW: fantasy, dream or nightmare painting

Day 5

monochrome and split analogous color painting
first primary triadic glaze over value painting
fantasy, dream or nightmare painting preview

Day 6

analogous color painting
second primary triadic glaze over value painting

Day 7

complementary color harmony
collage compositions on tracing paper due

Day 8

complementary color harmony
collage composition painting preview
slides on representational color
HW: painting from collage composition

Day 9

complementary color harmony and split complements
third primary triadic glaze over value painting
HW: painting from collage composition

Day 10

quadratic color harmony

Day 11

quadratic color harmony
value drawing for self portrait due
slides on abstract color

Day 12

high contrast glaze over value painting
memory abstraction quick painting, triadic harmony

Day 13

quadratic color harmony
HW: self portrait and collage painting

Day 14

quadratic color harmony

Day 15

last day review and critique

MATERIALS LIST

sketchbook
vine charcoal , medium
8 stretched and primed canvasses, 26” x 24” or canvas boards
                       or primed 22”x26”, 22”x24”, 20”x24”, 20”x22” or larger
                              or stretcher bars for 8 canvasses; 16 of 24” and 16 of 26”
                                    unprimed canvas #10 or #12
                                    staple gun
                                    box of 1/4” staples
                                    canvas pliers
                                    quart or gallon of gesso
all-purpose disposable palette, 30 - 50 sheet pad, 12” x 16”
2” wide brush
bristle brushes:
            rounds #4, #6, #8, #10
            filbert #6
            flat #4, #6, #10
            and any other brush you’d like
2” to 2.5” trowel shape palette knife, 1/2 wide
pint of linseed oil
pint, quart of odorless turpenoid
smock or old shirt
3 resealable jars
small container of liquid dish soap
1” masking tape
large tube of titanium white oil paint
small tubes of oil paint color
            ivory black
            cadmium yellow light
            cadmium yellow medium
            cadmium red light
            cadmium red medium, deep, permanent rose or quinacridone red
            alizarin crimson
            dioxanine purple
            ultramarine blue
            pthalocyanine blue
            viridian or pthalocyanine green
            permanent green
            burnt sienna
            raw umber
            yellow ochre
or any other color that attracts your fancy
desire, commitment, and perseverance. Talent optional