1. Color Detail 1: Colored line and texture. 3 Days. 
General Assignment Idea: Interpret picture(s) or invent picture(s) which is rich in detail.
Challenge: Do as many pictures as time allows in 3 days.
No less than one a day!
Detail can be "descriptive" describing certain kinds of detail, 
Detail can also be patterned, stylized lines or textures, 
Detail is secondary breakup. (inside of the main forms of the picture.) 
Select as many bright colors as you can. 
HINT - Do not be limited by what you imagine are the normal ‘"realistic"’ color choices. 
Skills: Using a fine pointed brush, using detail with good control bright colors, vivid hues of color.
Media and Materials: Use tempera paint which is bright, colorful and opaque. Small size brushes.
Ideas and Subject selection -  Make it tell a story or be about something. Describe something real that you can see. Or paint something whose details  you are very familiar with. Use many bright lively colors as colored line. Emphasize line and textures.  You may suggest textures by using small marks, dots, lines, small circles, etc.  
Limitations - Do not attempt to blend colors -- to make colors realistic -- or to fill in solid areas.
Design: Include more than one form in your visual content (Object with setting) Do not try to fill a large picture space with tiny detail (Too much  labor and time would be required.) 
The picture size will probably work best at 9x12 
Time: One or more can be done easily in one day. But you work  with this method for 3 days.
If you finish early repeat  the technique again with variation for extra credit, trying to be  more creative, often your best work comes with more practice and more freedom to express "creative play." 
Inspiration from Examples -   
Artists: See Van Gogh, Matisse, Vlaminch, Fauvism 

2. Color Assignment 2,  Still life: 4 Days 
General Assignment Idea: Create a still life setup. Interpret the still life display using abstraction methods You will observe and then reinterpret the forms in this design. 
Different Kinds of Abstraction: 
Use any of the following methods of abstraction: Overlapping, transparency, Lines of symmetry, or faceting.   You will be given samples or have explanation of these methods. 
Medium: Blended tempera or poster color. 
Skills: Composing objects in space;  and drawing skills - esign skill using interesting breakup of the picture space- Mixing color blends or tones; Using a palette. - Applying color with control. 
Hints: Painting in areas of solid or graded color tones - Color harmony should be planned, Borrow a color scheme from another famous artist, note his or her color choices. and make a note to use these. Consider a "dominant color" and "color contrasts." 
Design: Picture size: 18x24 with border or 16x20 (trimmed size) 
     •    Time: 4 days     Artists: Picasso, Braque, Gris, Feininger 

3. Color Assignment 3. Still life, Realistic: 6 days
General Assignment Idea: Organize a still life display which has good variety in shape, color, size and textures. 
Skills: Use the same skills as described above, But you will be achieving true life outline and tone and color. 
Materials or Media: Work with acrylic paint on canvasette  
Size: 18x24 with added border of 1.5 inches  Color

4. Color Assignment 4. Life Drawing (modeled human or other animal )
Modeled and tonal, means showing 3d-ness, as opposed to a flatness that results from no tonal shading.
General Assignment Idea: Use light and shadow illuminate a human forms or some other kind of life form, draw them as large as possible inside the picture space. 
Design approach: Emphasize the masses of the body and the light and shadow illuminating the body. Give the form a 3d environment though it may be simple. 

•      Size: 18x24 with border.
•      Time: 6 days to do one painting. 
•      Media: limited palette, paint media, brushes
•      Artists to Study: Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, Picasso (1921), Henry Moore, Botero 

5. Color Assignment 5. Serendipitous Water Color Wash Techniques: Use tempera or water color washes. 
(Discovering visual effects in fluid washes) 
 General Assignment Idea: Discover visual qualities. What makes the accidental flow and blend of colors beautiful? They are rich in purely visual effects; color, line, texture, shape are of great variety and  which are rich and infinitely variable.  Use transparent washes and wet in wet affects which express fluidity and spontaneity with the medium. Do Not overwork any of the color areas. The accidental of serendipity quality of wet in wet is such that you can not
always predict it try to allow for these effects to happen on their own and do not  rework that which happens in a spontaneous fresh way. 
This kind of art begins as play but must eventually be transformed and interpreted as some kind of subject or story using the wonderful visual results. 
Medium:
Water Color transparency happens with adding water to the paint until it is mostly water. Though tempera or poster color  is considered an opaque and not transparent medium it gives nice effects when very fluid. it is not quite as good for washes as water color tubes or water color cakes.  We will do the art by accident approach with a thinned out tempera dropped and dripped and folded and tipped on a wetted piece of paper. Once dried the effects can be studied for possible
Imaginative interpretation
Subject matter: the most challenging upon your imagination thus far. Follow up by adding line and some additional color tone to develop the vision that you discovered within your accidental universe. Make an effort to preserve the visual effects that have been made by accident!! 
Selection: Select a subject that you are inspired to use after doing a little experimenting with serendipity. (Accidents that produce amazing results=serendipity).  
HINT: The wet into wet paper blends are very effective to create the illusion of atmosphere, foliage, storms, seas, fur, flowers, etc.
Size 16x20 to 18x24 with border margin. 
Time: Allow One day for the wet in wet sketches and, 1to 2 days follow-up to clarify and complete with detail touch ups.
Production:: Do no less than two of these in 1 week's time. 

6 Color Design 6:
Water color quick figure sketches“ Technique: "Wash" sketches with pen detail.  
General Assignment Idea: Capture the essential pose and the proportions of the the human figure with “visual shorthand.” Work with a light wash from watercolor or tempera as in 5 above, you are to complete gesture drawing silhouettes of human figures in natural action poses: 
HINT: Do not use a heavy application of paint. Do not "cross out any less than  perfect sketch. Try to improve your skills while you work with a brush and wash method. 
Figure proportions:   Not too many people have a good sense of figure proportion so it is advisable that you review figure drawing proportion (1 to 7) with a guide sheet from your teacher. Some of these may be from pictures but be sure that the majority or from real life models.  Use the head length as the guide to proportion.
Design: Create a "montage" or multi image per page approach. Your art will have the appearance of practice or "studies" or practice  works but they should still be done sensitively and caringly.
Please consider size variation and position of the images 
Page size: 9x12 or 12x16 inch Drawing paper. 
Time: You will work with wash and pen for 3 days or until you have a minimum of six pages of studies 

Painting 7: Surrealism (Fantasy Images)
General Assignment Idea: Organize objects which can represent personal symbols, or juxtapositions of forms to
suggest fantasy or psychological content.  Ask for the fantasy painting guide sheet.  

HINT: To understand the concept of “irrational,” Look up Magritte,  Dali, Arp, Kandinsky or "Surrealism". To underastand the concept of pure visual texture look up, Kandinsky.  Do some concept sketches of your idea before you proceed. Search and examine internet web pages dealing with 3d ray-tracing and phantasy environments. 
Medium: Acrylic on canvas tablet 
Size: 16x 20 
Time: No more than 6 class days. 

Assignment 8 : Pattern and Texture-producing art techniques: 
General Assignment Idea: The painting knife which can be used either with a degree of realism or used in a semi-abstract sense. The effects of paint applied by a blade cause an interesting effect of texture when blending or "scumbling" painting over a previous paint color layer.
Experiment; this is a new techniqe so experiment to discover the textures which come from using a palette knife.(Or a stiff piece of card board to apply paint.) 
Dry brush is another effect: As the paint runs out on the knife or brush it produces a soft  texture,
the "dry brush" look. 
Subject matter: Select subject matter that is compatible to the method don't try anything too realistic.    
Painting technique. Do not neglect content and a sense of subject in an environment. 
Size: It is probably advisable to stay in the 12 to 14 inch size range for the page or canvas sheet.
Time: No more than 4 class days. 

Assignment 9 : Realism, painting a still life in normal colors and light.
General Assignment Idea: construct an attractive setting of objects in a group.
Select the objects to produce size and color contrasts as well as good line movement to affect a good composition.
Blend colors on palette to match those of your set up.
Subject matter: Select subject matter that is compatible or suggested by the knife painting technique. Do not neglect primary content and a sense of a main subject in its own environment. 
Size: 12 x 16 inch minimum size or larger. Choose canvas or heavy paper sheet.
Time: No more than 5 class days. 

Color Design 10  Pastel. Torn paper frisket / stencil method. Semi-abstract. 
General Assignment Idea: 
A stencil allows color to go inside a shape to leave that area filled with color or tone.
A frisket allows color to trace outside the edge of the torn or cut pattern.  Using a direct approach or cotton balls apply color blends over the top of torn or cut paper edges onto a plain sheet of paper.
A “Frisket” uses the edge of a guide form and a stencil uses the inside or cut- out areas. 
Selection: Select a subject which is simple but interesting. Think semi abstractly on stencil images with very simple, easy shapes. 
Friskets make beautiful patterns and can be torn out or cut with as much complexity as you feel comfortable with.
 

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