Details:

Each of the 10 live, online sessions will be held via Zoom. For the duration of the class, project feedback will be given each week by TA's through the online platform Mighty Networks.

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 would recommend:

• Oil paper: I am using legion Stonehenge Oil Paper. Arches Oil Paper is also great. Around 15 sheets of the size that you’d like to work with. I ordered 22x30” sheets and am cutting them down to size (mainly in half).

• 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 also 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, and artist-grade paint is great. You will want to have at least these colors or similar equivalents. For many of the exercises it will be fun to pull out other paints that you might have on hand as well!

  • Titanium 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. Paint a still life with a warm/cool compliment pair. White, grey, warm and cool objects. Play with advancing and receding shapes and vibrating boundaries.

Week 3: Analogous Color or One Hue

• Make a painting with close color harmonies, but with observed temperature and value shifts.

Week 4: Complementary Color

• Use 5 pigments of one hue + an opposing color 1 off from the compliment to paint your still life.

Week 5: 3 Color Palette, Transparency

• What color range can you achieve with just three pigments? How does transparency effect how we read color? Select 3 pigments (at least two transparent) to use for your still life. Play with layers of color.

Week 6: Local Color 

• Focus on the true color of each object, minimize bouncing color or reflected light, same hue for the shadows. Focus on placement, on balance of color shapes across the composition. 

Week 7: Reflected Light 

• Focus on shadows/reflected light, use reflective surfaces, white objects, cast shadows from raking light. 

Week 8: Playing up the Chroma

• Key it up: intensify the chroma, use colored paper set ups, double primary palette. Simultaneous Contrast: Use the same color in two places and make it appear to be different.

Week 9: Color Pathways 

• Use repetition of color to move the eye through the composition.  

Week 10: Using Expressive/Dissonant Color

• Make a painting with arbitrary/expressive color. Dial into complex, specific color relationships. Pick one dominant color relationship and a third color for the painting. Mix precisely, throw in a very dissonant color. Double primary palette.