Painting Arts-161/262/263: 2015

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Painting—Arts 161 L1—Fall 2015

Tuesdays; 6:10 p.m.-9:50 p.m.; Studio 104, Building C

Office Hour: Tuesdays, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Professor Julia Healy

Jhealy@qcc.cuny.edu

http://paintingatqcc.blogspot.com

Course Descriptions: Arts 161: Basic elements of oil or acrylic painting, designed for acquisition of skill and technique in the medium. Experiences in realism, abstraction and non-objectivity.

Introduction: This course will explore painting at the beginning level. Students will receive basic instruction on learning "to see" and develop skills in using form, tone, color and composition. Subjects will include still life, landscape, the figure and a self-portrait. Occasional presentations on historic and contemporary artists will supplement the topics covered, as well as a self-guided visit to a museum. We will have ongoing individual critiques, as well as group critiques and written self-reflections and writing assignments over the course of the semester.

Course Objectives

At the end of the course, students will:

· Employ techniques of mixing and blending color

· Create the effects of three-dimensional forms with shadow and light

· Observe and arrange still life objects, the figure and landscapes into a strong

composition of forms and shapes

· Analyze personal work through critique and feedback from classmates and

instructor

· Examine works by other artists that relate to their process

· Identify elements and principles of design in the world around them and translate

these into paintings

· Create five paintings, including one final project

· Develop our thinking and writing skills through personal reflections and aesthetic

inquiry

Attendance and Lateness: Attendance is mandatory and essential to your performance. There is no substitute for working and participating in class. Three absences are grounds for a failing grade.

Please be on time. Class begins promptly at 6:10 p.m. Two tardies will be counted as one absence. If you will have an ongoing scheduling conflict, please discuss it with me at the beginning of the semester. Note that parking is always an issue, so allow time to find a space or take public transportation.

Make-Up Policy: As a student in this course, it is your responsibility to make certain you obtain information covered, should you miss a session. This syllabus and our blog have the information you need to know what we are working on and what it due. Previously-absent students must come to the following class with all of the appropriate work finished for that class.

Grading: Individual grades will be given for each of the four first paintings and averaged to make up 50% of your grade. Class participation/attendance will count as 15% and your written assignments/reflections will count for another 20%. Your final project will count for 15% of your grade. Two unexcused absences will lower your grade by one letter grade. (From a B to a C, for, instance.)

Sample Rubrics for Fruit Still Life painting:

To receive a D, make a painting as assigned from observation

To receive a C, make a painting as assigned from observation and show that you can make it three-dimensional using light and dark colors

To receive a B, make a painting as assigned, from observation, show that you can create a three-dimensional effect using light and dark and show that you understand how to mix and blend colors for shading and use composition to good effect

To receive an A, make a painting as assigned from observation, show that you can create a three-dimensional effect using light and dark, show that you understand how to mix and blend color and show that you can create texture and surface qualities, understand and employ thoughtful composition, background, middle ground and foreground, while, at the same time, you are also developing your own style

Supplies: See below. Materials and supplies for this class are not inexpensive but if you take care of them, they will last a long time. We will discuss how to approach buying the materials the first class. You must come prepared to work every week, with all the materials you need. Do not expect other students to lend you paint, brushes and canvases!!!

Writing Help: You may want to refer to a very helpful website operated by Purdue University: http://owl.english.edu

The format to use is the MLA one and they have many resources available to help you make your writing better.

Sessions:

Sept. 1 Introduction & Syllabus; Group Project

Sept. 8 Introduction to the Still Life: Tonal Still Life (Painting #1)

Bring canvas or canvas board (12 x 16" or so), rags, black and white paint, turpenoid, 3 bright brushes of different sizes and other brushes as desired, jar for turp, palette, brush cleaner and lots of rags!

NO CLASS SEPTEMBER 15 or 22!!!

Sept. 25 FRIDAY!!!!!! Finish Tonal Painting (#1) Have another support available to work on a free-choice, if you finish early. Reflection/Writing sheet handed out and due next week.

Sept. 29 Painting #1 Critique at 6:10 p.m. Introduction to Color. Begin Fruit Still Life (Painting #2) Bring small canvas or canvas board no bigger than 9 x 12", palette, brushes, rags, turpenoid, brush cleaner and all your colors.

Oct. 6 Fruit Still Life.(Painting #2), continued and completed. Be prepared to work. Reflection/Writing sheet handed out and due next week. Bring a landscape photo to paint next week. This will be graded as a project!

Oct. 13 Landscape Power Point--

Begin Landscape Painting (Painting # 3) or continue still life. Bring canvas or canvas board at least 14 x 18", palette, brushes, rags, turpenoid, brush cleaner and all your colors.

Oct. 20 Critique on Fruit Still Life (Painting #2) at 6:10 p.m..
Landscape (Painting #3) begun or continued.

Oct. 27 Landscape (Painting #3), continued and finished. Reflection/Writing sheet handed out and due next week.

Nov. 3 Begin Painting #4 Nude Figure. Bring a canvas or canvasboard at least

14 x 18” and the usual supplies.

Nov. 10 Continue Painting #4 (Nude Figure). Reflection sheet handed out and due next week. Also, bring in an image of you (with your face showing), printed out on 8 1/2 by 11” paper. This is required and will be part of your grade.

Nov. 17 Begin final project--Self-Portrait, (Painting #5) or continue working with the nude model. Bring canvas or canvas board at least 14 x 18", the usual supplies, and your 81/2 by 11” print out of your self-portrait.

Nov. 24 Continue Self-Portrait (Painting #5) or begin final project.

Dec. 1 Self-Portrait, Continued. Reflection/Writing Sheet handed out and due next week.

Dec. 8 Final Critiques on last three paintings.

"ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:

As stated in the current college catalog, any student who needs specific accommodations based on the impact of a disability should register with the office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) to be eligible for accommodations, which are determined on an individual basis. The SSD office is located in the Science Building, room S-132 (718-631-6257). Students should also contact their instructor privately to discuss their specific needs."

Supplies

Apron or old shirt to use as smock. You will ruin your clothes otherwise!

Container for paints such as a large shoebox, tackle box or canvas tote.

A glass jar or two with a lid for turpenoid. Label with your name.

Soft pencil 4B and eraser (optional)

Scissors (optional)

RAGS: LOTS OF THEM! OLD COTTON BEDSHEETS RIPPED UP, OLD WHITE T-SHIRTS, ETC. NOTHING WITH A NAP, LIKE A TOWEL.

Turpenoid in the blue and white container (not the green one)

Master’s Brush Cleaner

Brushes: DON’T BUY CHEAP SETS…THEY ARE USUALLY A RIP-OFF. Get soft, sable or sableline brushes, not the stiff hogs hair kind. Those are harder to control. If you take care of your brushes, they will last a long time.

Minimum Brushes Needed:

Several BRIGHT brushes (1-2 smalls, 2-3 mediums, 1-2 bigger)

1 ROUND brush medium/small

filberts, flats (optional)

Palette knife

Palette—Palette paper tear-off pads are fine (12 x 16 “ give you enough mixing room)

Paint

Oil is preferable for beginners. If you have to use acrylic, see me privately. I use Gamblin Paints, but Windsor and Newton, Utrecht, and Grumbacher are also good. The best, cheapest student grade oil paint is WINTON.

Basic Beginning Colors

37 ml tubes of:

Cadmium Red Medium

Cadmium Orange (optional)

Cadmium Yellow

Alizarin Crimson

Ultramarine Blue

Cerulean Blue (optional)

Permanent Green Light

Viridian Green

Terre Verte Green or Hooker’s Green (optional)

Dioxazine Violet or Magenta (optional)

Burnt Umber

Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre

Burnt Sienna

Ivory Black

Large 150ml tube of Titanium White

Supports—stretched canvases, canvas boards or canvas pads or a combination thereof

We will be meeting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sunday, April 19 at noon in the main entrance hall on the left side. Depending on the number of attendees, we will go to the galleries together or in groups. I will join each group for the same amount of time. We will no doubt look at European and American paintings of different periods. Your assignment is to view some paintings "up close and personal." Look at the color mixing, brush strokes, backgrounds, etc. Learn a little about the artist and the history of the times. Then, write a reflection on a painting or paintings of your choice that you have viewed. It should in some way relate to your journey as a painter in my class. It should be a minimum of one typewritten page, but could be longer.

This counts towards your final grade, so do this assignment thoughtfully. You may want to take notes as you look at the art. Also, be aware that in many places, photos are not allowed. In any case, no flash photos are ever allowed in museums!