Experimental Approaches to Color
Experimental Approaches to Color
This online course is an in-depth exploration of color across 10 pre-recorded sessions. Through color theory and the analysis of historical and contemporary paintings we will deepen our understanding of color. We will apply these color concepts to create complex, specific and subtle color relationships in our own work.
Each session includes a slide lecture, painting demo, and a painting exercise to test out a different approach to color. Students will work from observation with a still life motif.
*Once you register, you will automatically receive an email with course information. Please check your spam/junk folder if you don’t see it within a few minutes! If you are still waiting for the email, please message zoey@zoeyfrank.com.
Materials List:
Feel free to use whatever materials you are comfortable with. Acrylics, gouache or other media are welcome but will not receive specific instruction.
Here are the materials that I recommend:
Legion Stonehenge or Arches Oil Paper, 12-15 sheets of the size that you’d like to work with. I ordered 22” x 30” sheets and cut them down to various sizes.
Glass palette, or ACM works well. I like to have at least 16 x 20” of mixing space
Palette knife. My favorite is the Liquitex Free-style #11
Gamsol
Painting medium: I prefer Winsor and Newton artists painting medium. I’m currently using Gamblin Solvent-Free Fluid while pregnant which works ok if you’re looking for a non-toxic alternative.
Brushes:
Signet bristle brushes (filberts) of various sizes
Princeton Dakota (flats) of various sizes
Simply Simmons synthetic sable (filberts) of various sizes
Paint: I mainly use Gamblin, though any artist-grade paint is great. You will want to have at least the colors below or similar equivalents. For many of the exercises it will be fun to pull out some other paints that you have on hand as well!
Titanium White (I also like to have Titanium Quick Dry White)
Lemon Yellow
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Indian Yellow (or other transparent pigment in a similar hue)
Cadmium Orange
Cadmium Red Light
Alizarine Crimson
Ivory black
Phthalo Blue
Ultramarine Blue
Course Outline:
Week 1: Hue, Value, and Chroma
Understand the fundamental qualities of color. Paint a Munsell color chart, then a series of 3 color compositions.
Week 2: Warm/Cool
Learn about color temperature, how color shifts around an object, and reflected light.
Explore how color temperature can make shapes advance and recede.
Week 3: Analogous Color or One Hue
Explore close color harmonies with observed temperature and value shifts.
Week 4: Complementary Color
Explore opposing color harmonies.
Week 5: 3 Color Palette and Layering Color
What color range can you achieve with just three pigments?
How does transparency affect how we read color?
Play with layers of color.
Week 6: Local Color
The “true” color of an object under neutral, flat light without the influence of shadows, highlights or surrounding color.
Attend to the placement and balance of color shapes across the composition.
Week 7: Relative Color
Explore how color is affected by atmosphere, reflected light and reflective surfaces.
Learn about simultaneous contrast.
Week 8: Playing up the Chroma
Balance vibrant colors across a composition using an expanded palette.
Week 9: Color Pathways
Explore how repetition of color can move the eye through a composition.
Week 10: Arbitrary/Expressive Color
Use of colors that are not based on the realistic appearance of your objects.
Instead color is used to convey emotion, mood, or create a desired visual effect.