Sheridan College/UTM Art & Art History 2017
Instructor: Mark Bell
Painting 1
FAS 145H
Fall 2017
Art and Art History Program
Sheridan Institute /UTM
Instructor: Mark Bell
Thursdays
9:00 am to 12:00 noon
and
2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Above: Claude Monet in his Givernystudio, c. 1905.
Painting 1
Weekly Outline - Fall Term 2017
The following is to be considered as an outline only. Full explanations of the individual projects will occur in class each week. This outline may change to reflect new directions or timelines agreed upon by the instructor and the class or an individual student.
Morning Classes 9:00 -12:00 am / Afternoon Classes 2:00 – 5:00 pm1 / Thurs. Sept. 7
Introduction to Painting 1 Syllabus
Demo: Intro to Wood Shop, health and safety, stretcher making and applying gesso. Students buy materials and brush kits – / Stretcher building and gessoing workshop
2 / Thurs. Sept. 14
Monochromatic Still Life OR Landscape outdoors / Introduction to Colour: colour exercises and charts.
Introduction to Location, Location, Location
3 / Thurs. Sept. 21
“Abstraction and Colour”
Basics of Composition. / Limited Palette (Knife) Painting Still Life OR landscape
4 / Thurs. Sept. 28
Interior Perspective Painting / Interior Perspective continues
PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION #1
Introduction to Maquette Painting
5 / Thurs. Oct. 5
Chromatic Grey Still-life Study / CRITIQUE of Location, Location ,Location.
Critique of maquette sculptures
Thurs. Oct. 12 Reading Week - No classes
Gallery toursin Toronto and trip to Albright Knox in Buffalo, NY. Oct. 10 and 12
6 / Thurs. Oct.19
Impasto Pasta Painting / Portrait #1
7 / Thurs. Oct. 26
Transparency Still Life / Monochromatic figure painting on paper
PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION #2
8 / Thurs. Nov. 2
CRITIQUE of Maquette Painting
Hand in Maquette painting for marking
Collage demonstration / Portrait of a friend
9 / Thurs. Nov. 9
Collage Self-portrait ANDNarrative Collage
(Bring collage materials!) / ColourFigure Painting on paper
10 / Thurs. Nov. 16
Work-in-progress critique of Narrative Collage
Work on Narrative Collage in class / Portrait #2
PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION #3
Artist Talk review is due
11 / Thurs. Nov. 23
Grisaille Painting / Grisaille Painting” continued
12 / Thurs. Nov. 30
Work Period for Narrative Collage / PORTFOLIO SUBMISSION #4
Critique of Narrative Collage
DATE / ASSIGNMENT / SUPPORT REQUIRED
Sept. 14 / Colour chart / Sketchbook paper
Sept. 14 / Monochromatic Landscape / Canvas paper or masonite 12” x 16”
Sept. 21 / Abstraction and Colour Contrast / 4 pieces 8” x 12” canvas paper or masonite
Sept. 21 / Palette knife landscape / Canvas paper or masonite 12” x 16”
Sept. 21 / Location, Location, Location / 16” x 20” stretched canvas
Sept. 28 / Interior Perspective / Canvas paper or masonite 12” x 16”
Oct. 5 / Chromatic Grey Still-life / Canvas paper or masonite 12” x 16”
Oct. 5 / Maquette Painting (Independent Assignmnt) / Mediacom paper will be supplied
Oct. 19 / Impasto Pasta / Canvas paper or masonite 12” x 16”
Oct. 19 / Portrait #1 / Canvas paper or masonite 12” x 16”
Oct. 26 / Transparency Still Life / Canvas paper or masonite 12” x 16”
Oct. 26 / Monochromatic Figure Painting / Mediacom paper will be supplied
Nov. 2 / Portrait of a friend / Canvas paper or masonite 12” x 16”
Nov. 9 / Colour Figure Painting / Mediacom paper will be supplied
Nov. 9 / Collage Self-portrait / Canvas paper or masonite 12” x 16”
Nov. 9 / Narrative Collage / 20 x 24 gessoedmasonite or canvas
Nov. 16 / Portrait #2 / 16 x 20 gessoedmasonite
Nov. 24 / Grisaille Painting / 20 x 24” gessoedmasonite
- Dimensions are intended as a MINIMUM size, feel free to go larger if you wish.
- At least one (1) support must be a stretched canvas that you build yourself.
Please come to class prepared to paint. This means having the appropriate Support primed and ready to go. Don’t use class time to gesso your canvases. The above list will tell you exactly what is required for each class.
Grading Scheme
There are 14 in-class paintings (or groups of paintings) that are each worth roughly 4% for a total of 55%
And 3 independent assignments each worth 10%
Portfolio #1 Due Sept. 2910%
Portfolio #2 Due Oct. 2630%
Portfolio #3 Due Nov. 210%
Portfolio #4 Due Nov. 1610%
Portfolio #5 Due Nov. 3025%
1 Written Artist Talk review5% Class participation – attendance and participation in critiques 10%
Total 100%
Portfolios are as follows:
Portfolio #1 Due Sept. 28 (10%)
-Chromatic Grey Charts
-Abstraction & Colour (4 paintings)
-Monochromatic Painting
-Palette Knife Painting
Portfolio #2 Due Oct. 26(30%)
-Interior Perspective
-Chromatic Grey Still-life
-Location, Location, Location*
-Impasto Pasta painting
-Portrait #1
Portfolio #3 Due Nov. 2 (10%)
-Maquette painting*
Portfolio #4 Due Nov. 16 (10%)
-Monochromatic Figure Painting on paper
-Colour Figure Painting on paper
-Portrait of a Friend
-Include with #4 your written review of one artist talk (5%)
Portfolio #5 Due Nov. 30 (25%)
-Grisaille Painting
-Portrait #2
-Narrative Collage Painting*
-Collage Self-portrait
Participation will account for 10% of the final mark. Participation includes the following: arriving on time, listening to lectures and instruction, being prepared and working in class time, sharing ideas, concepts and creative exploration and conceptual development with other students and cooperating in group projects, analyzing and offering opinions about work in progress and listening to and being an active participant in critique and discussions.
Please hand all work in in some sort of portfolio. This could be any sort of bag or cardboard or leather container. As long as they are all packaged together.
All work should be clearly labeled with your name and the title of the project on the back.
BASIC PAINTING MATERIALS LIST
The absolute minimum requirements are:
1 brush kit (sold by Mark Bell for $15)
1 paint kit (sold by Mark Bell for $20)
1 disposable palette
1 or 2 palette knives
Rhoplex and/or gel medium
1 book of canvas paper (10 sheets 12” x 16”)
1 sketchbook8” x 10”
several pieces of Masonite or Canvas board
a pair of scissors or an exacto knife
Acrylic paint will be used for all Painting 1 asignments
A basic paint kit is available for you to purchase from Mark Bell for $20. This subsidized kit will include:
Titanium White
Alizarin Crimson
Lemon Yellow
Ultramarine Blue
Pthalo Green
Hansa Orange
Dioxazene Violet
This kit is sufficient to complete all the assignments for the class, but if you would like to experience a fuller range of colours, then you should also purchase some or all of these colours:
Raw Umber
Burnt Sienna
Burnt Umber
Yellow Ochre or Raw Sienna (or both)
Cadmium red
PthaloBlue
Cobalt blue
Hookers Green, or Sap Green or Cadmium Green
Try to avoid buying really cheap paint, the pigments are weak and it is difficult to mix colours accurately. Do not buy thin, watery acrylic paint (the type found in squeeze bottles). All acrylic paints, regardless of brand, are compatible with one another.
Forbidden Colours:
Ivory Black, Mars Black, Bone Black, Eerie Black, Black Oxide, Olive Black, Black Spinel, Jet Black, Ebony,Charcoal Noir, Smokey Black, Raven Black, SchwartzwaldSchwartz,Uberdunkelfarben Schwartz Black
Or any other black
Gesso (white primer)there will be a limited amount available to the class, but you may have to purchase additional gesso once this runs out.
Palette
Use a disposable paper palette or you can make one cheaply by using a piece of cardboard covered with a sheet of wax paper, or use masonite, plywood or Plexiglas that you can purchase from John McCartney in the Woodshop of the Annie Smith Building. Take note that masonite/cardboard palette must be sealed with gesso.
Do not purchase the palette with cups these are for watercolour use.
Your palette should be a flat surface. Recommended size 9” x 12”.
Palette Knives
Trowel type, 4" blade long, 1/4" wide tip –recognizable by its cranked handle and more flexible blade. Plastic knives are fine; buy 3 to 4 knives in different sizes and shapes and one metal knife. Palette knives are used to apply paint to the picture surface and to scrape it off. They are an essential tool for scraping areas of paint from the picture surface so the surface can be reworked if necessary. They are also necessary for mixing colours and cleaning the palette.
Brushes:
All students are required to purchase a Brush Kitfor $15. The Brush Kits are subsidized by the A&AH Program and students are only paying half of the price. These brushes are of good quality and have longhandles(short handles are for gouache or watercolour painting). Synthetic bristles are for acrylics – do not use hair bristle brushes. If looked after properly brushes will last for years and keep their shape. The Brush Kits contain 8 brushes in various sizes plus 1 plastic palette knife, so buy a few more knives (see Palette Knives). Buy a 4” house painting brush for applying gesso. See the Painters’ Handbook for more information on brushes.
Brush Kits will be supplied for purchase in the first class of the term and for two weeks after.
Mediums:
Many mediums are on the market; they are used to thin and/or to modify the paint — to improve its consistency for impasto. You will need at least one of the following mediums:
Rhoplex–available from John McCartney for cheap!
Recommended:Acrylic gloss medium (liquid) (this is similar to Rhoplex, but much higher in quality).
Acrylic gel medium – gloss (not essential, but it also works as an effective glue for collage)
Acrylic retarder (this will slow down the drying time and extend the “open time” of your paint)
Sketchbook
Minimum size 10" x 8" spiral bound
Pencils HB, 2B, 4B
Acrylic users might also have in their paint box:
Plastic water container (yoghurt type, 750 ml)
Good provision of rags (cotton)
Sandpaper – medium: approx. 150 grit
Charcoal – Willow branch type – 3 sticks
1” roll of masking tape or green painters tape.
Small utility knife or a pair of scissors
Roll of waxed paper if you are using this for your palette
Plastic tool box to carry paints and other materials – it’s a good idea to have a carrying case.
NOTE: Fabric stained with acrylic paint is almost impossible to clean totally. Please wear appropriate clothing.
Disposable gloves and dust masks are available from the wood shop for anyone who would like them.
PAINTING 1 ASSIGNMENTS
INTRODUCTION to the Syllabus
This first class will be an overview of what we plan to cover in Painting 1. We’ll also have a demonstration from John McCartney in the woodshop on how to build a stretcher and apply canvas so you’ll be prepared for week 2.
Stretcher Building and Gessoing workshop.
Under the guidance of Technologist John McCartney everyone in the class will build a wooden support (stretcher) in the wood shop. (16” x 20”) We will then learn how to stretch canvas and staple it in place. Once the canvas is stretched everyone will prime (gesso) their canvases. These canvases will be used for the Location, Location, Location project. We will also be priming masonite panels. There will be a nominal cost of approx $3.00 supplies.
SKETCHBOOK
Throughout the class you are required to bring sketchbook which you will use to map out your compositions for most of the assignments we do. Also, use your sketchbook to plan your home assignments, take notes, make observations, experiment with colour mixing, doodle aimlessly or experiment with any medium or subject matter whether it is relevant to the course or not. Hand this in at the end of the term.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION(INDEPENDENT ASSIGNMENT)
Support: stretched canvas; use the canvas that you construct in the wood shop during the first day.
Painting is a way of communicating. An interior doesn’t have to be just a depiction of architecture, nor does a landscape have to be only about trees. A painted image can also speak of who we are as well as describing our environment. Unlike (most) photography, painting is capable of being expressive as well as descriptive.
Step 1: choose a Location (could be an interior or exterior space) that you are familiar with or have visited or are somehow interested in. Perhaps a place that holds some significance to you. This could be a childhood home or it could be where you are living now. It could be a place you once visited. It could even be a virtual space where you have gamed online.
Step 2: make a painting of this place either from OBSERVATION or from MEMORY or by using a REFERERNCE such as a photograph. (Note: if you use a photographic reference, try not to make your painting a direct copy of the photo. Use it as a starting point and be open to change.)
Step 3: The Hard Part: use some of the formal aspects of the painting process (colour, composition, brushwork, lighting etc) to emphasize anything you would like to say about the space you are depicting. Is this place safe? Menacing? Melancholy? Calming? Disturbing? Boring? Heart wrenching? Friendly? Quiet? Thought provoking? Is there a specific philosophical or political idea you would like the painting to evoke? Are you in awe of Nature’s/God’s terrifying force as Casper David Friedrich was when he painted “Monk by the Sea”? Or are you trying to evoke the powers of darkness as Vincent Van Gogh did when he painted “Night Café
Don’t feel that you have to be too obvious with your ideas. Better to err on the side of being too subtle rather than too obvious.
MONOCHROMATIC STILL LIFE / LANDSCAPE
Support 12” x 16” Masonite primed with Gesso or Canvas paper
Materials:sketchbook, pencils, paint supplies.
On your support you will execute a simple landscape painting using ONE DARK COLOUR and white and various tones in between. Find an interesting view that might make a good painting (don’t just find the most comfortable place to sit and hope that it looks out over a good composition.) Start by doing a few sketches in your sketchbook. Once you have decided on a composition you might lightly draw a few key elements on your board with charcoal or pencil, or draw these elements with a small brush and some thin paint.
Begin painting with a washy medium grey. Use this wash to draw in some of the key elements and determine where the darks are. Don’t worry about the details; just loosely map out your composition. Next, introduce a darker grey (not washy but mixed on your palette) to push some of the darks back. Use a light grey to show where the light areas are. Continue developing the painting in this way. Squinting will help you to see where the large areas of light and dark are.
Don’t get caught up in the details, think of the big picture. Don’t worry about painting individual leaves or small twigs. Concentrate on the areas of dark and light. Use as large a brush as you dare.
introduction to Colour
This class will look at some of the fundamental aspects of colour in both the subtractive theory (pigment) and the additive theory (light). We’ll discuss colour terminology and we’ll execute a chromatic grey scale and practice colour mixing.
Colour Assignment 1. Chromatic Grey Scales. You’ll find two scales at the back of your Handbook of Painting Techniques.Use these as a guide to making your own chromatic grey chart in your sketch book. As the name suggests, Chromatic greys are greys that have colour (chroma) in them. They are achieved by mixing any two complementary colours in near equal proportion.
Colour Assignment 2. Matching Skin Tones
Support: page from your sketchbook.
Use the skin on your forearm as a reference. Try to match this colour in your sketchbook. Try to remember roughly what colours you used to get this skin tone.
Colour Assignment 3. Colour Inventory
Support:(2) 8 x10 page from your sketchbook.
Find an image or object you like and make a proportional colour inventory of it. Look at the colours in your original art work/object and try to match the colours in your sketchbook rendering the original source as a series of horizontal bands of colour. Try to make the size of your bands of colour proportional to how much space they take up in the original.
Now use those same colours to make an abstract composition (also in your sketchbook).
2 COLOUR PALETTE KNIFE PAINTING
Support: Masonite, primed with gesso OR canvas paper (Minimum size 12 x 16”)
Materials Use only the following colours: Yellow, PURPLE AND WHITE. (If you don’t have Yellow, Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochreare fine.) Mix them up to make a variety of colours and tones. Try to create as much contrast as possible.
Start by applying a coloured ground to the surface of your support. A washy mid-tone of a mixture of yellow and purple and white would be best.
Then: Draw out some compositions in your sketchbook (a minimum of 4) until you have one you are happy with.
Then draw out the basics of your composition with either diluted paint or charcoal.
Refine your information using palette knives. The knives will be bulky compared to brushes, so you will have to simplify your image as you go along.
Palette knife: use a trowel-shaped knife because the bend in the blade keeps your knuckles off the canvas. Use the flat underside of the blade to pick up paint from the mixtures that you have made. Make big, broad strokes with the flat side and smaller strokes with the tip. Always work with the minimum number of strokes. Don’t move the knife back and forth, set it down firmly and spread the paint with a single decisive movement. Aim to cover each area with a minimum number of knife strokes.