11/28/11 2D Design

Today's Class- Today we explored another aspect of painting with color, a simple still life painting of colorful objects. We looked at about a dozen slides of still life paintings from the Renaissance to the present, discussing what purpose the paintings served for the artist and the viewers, past and present. Students spent the rest of the class working on a color painting from a still life set up.

How to make this up- Set up a still life. In a well lit room put a box on a table and drape with a multicolored cloth. Find four solidly colored objects, each a different color from the others and the cloth. Arrange on and around the box. Do a painting of the set up on your 18" x 24" paper. You may sketch with pencil first, or just paint directly. As with earlier still life projects, pay attention to the shapes of individual objects, the proportions of individual objects and between objects, and to the relative value of objects. In addition, try to match the colors of the drape and objects as closely as possible. You may choose any color you want for the background. Above are two examples from previous semesters.

This is a portfolio exercise which must be completed by the end of the semester to receive full credit.

Homework- Nothing new, but the limited color palettes project that we started last week is due at the beginning of class next week, December 5, 2011. Those who still owe back projects (woodcut, seasons) should get those done as soon as possible to receive partial credit.

The museum paper is due on the last day of class, 3 weeks from today, but it can be turned in sooner if you have it.

For next class 12/5/11- We will begin the final project of the semester. It will be based on the artwork of a fine artist of your choosing. The artist must be a legitimate fine artist (the type found in art history texts, major museums, etc), working two dimensionally, in color, and with recognizable content (images). Bring color examples of the artists's work to class. If you have no artist in mind, bring a book with examples of a favorite painting subject or style, or even a general art history textbook. For materials you will need a piece of mat board- any color, at least 18" x 24" (standard mat is 30"x 40", so two students can split one). Also pencil and eraser, and all your painting supplies.