161 Syllabus

Painting—Arts 161—Spring 2018

Wednesdays: 2:10 p.m. 5:50 p.m.; Studio 104, Building C

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 works and the landscape. Occasional presentations on historic and contemporary artists will supplement the topics covered. 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 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

•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 2:10 p.m. Two tardies can 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 as to what we are working on and when it is 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 your paintings and averaged to make up 60% of your grade.  Class participation/attendance will count as 10%, preparation counts as 5% and your written assignments/reflections will count for another 10%. The Museum Paper will count 15%. Two unexcused absences will lower your grade by one letter grade. (From a B to a C, for, instance.)

Rubrics will be given for each assignment.

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:   
Week 1: 1/31—Introduction and Syllabus; Supply Tutorial, Group Abstraction Project

Week 2: 2/7—Introduction to the Still Life with Power Point and Demo. Also Nuts on Bolts on Clean-up. Tonal Ball (Painting 1). Bring a square canvas or canvas board (12 x 12" or so), rags, black, white and raw umber paint, turpenoid, brushes of different sizes as below on supply sheet), at least one jar for turp, your palette, brush cleaner and lots of rags!  Reflection Sheet #1 due next week.

Week 3: 2/14— Introduction to Color Power Point and Demo.  Begin Fruit Still Life (Painting 2). Bring smallish canvas or canvas board—11 x 14, or 12 x 16, palette, brushes, rags, turpenoid, brush cleaner and all your colors.

Week 4: 2/21— Fruit Still Life (Painting 2), continued and completed. Be prepared to work. Reflection/Writing sheet #2 due next week.

Week 5: 2/28— Critique/Assessment on First Two Paintings (1 & 2) at 2:10 p.m. followed by Introduction to Texture Power Point & Demo. Begin Textured Abstraction or Still Life (Painting 3). Bring canvas or canvas board no bigger than 12” x 16", palette, brushes, rags, turpenoid, brush cleaner and all your colors.

Week 6: 3/7 – Snow Day--School Cancelled

Week 7: 3/14— Continue and finish Textured Abstraction or Still Life (Painting 3).  Reflection Sheet #3 due next week.

             
Week 8: NO CLASS 3/21--COMP TIME FOR MUSEUM TRIP

Week 9: 3/28— Introduction to the Landscape Power Point & Demo. Begin Landscape, (Painting 4). Bring in canvas or canvas board, 14 x 18” or 16 x 20” and all supplied.Finish your Figure or Body Part (Painting 4).         Bring landscape photo or photos to the next class. Reflection #4 due next class.

SCHOOL CLOSED for Easter Break from 3/30—4/8; No Class on 4/4

April 11—Conversion Day—No Class—School is on a Friday Schedule

Week 10: 4/18—Landscape, Continued.

Week 11: 4/25—Landscape, Continued and/or Begin Free Choice Painting: Still Life/Figure/Landscape (Painting #5)

Week 12: 5/2—Finish Free Choice: Still Life/ Figure/Landscape, (Painting #5). Museum Assignment Due. Reflections # 4 &5 due next week.

Week 13: 5/9—Introduction to the Figure Power Point & Demo. Model Available. Begin Figure or Body Part (Painting 6). Bring in canvas or canvas board 14”x 18” or 16” x 20” and all supplies.

Week 14: 5/16—Model Available. Finish Painting #6. Critique last hour.

"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

I use Dick Blick or Utrecht (online). Michael’s is expensive, except for when canvases are on sale or there are special deals.

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, Wonder Whites (from Blick), not the stiff hogs-hair kind. Those are harder to control and clean. If you take care of your brushes, they will last a long time.

Minimum Brushes Needed:

BRIGHT SOFT (not bristly) BRUSHES: Choose at least 6 brushes (smalls (0, 1, 2, 4), mediums (6, 8, 10, 12), bigger ones (14, 16, 20, 24)

              

At least 1 ROUND brush smallish (0, 1, 2)

                  

Optional Brushes:  filberts, flats, a fan brush

Palette knife

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

Paint

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

Basic Beginning Colors

37 ml tubes of:

Cadmium Red Medium

Cadmium Yellow Medium

Alizarin Crimson

Ultramarine Blue

Permanent Green Light

Viridian Green

Burnt Umber

Raw Sienna or Yellow Ochre

Burnt Sienna

Ivory Black

Large 150ml tube of Titanium White

Optional Colors:

Cadmium Orange

Cerulean

Terra Verte Green or Hooker’s Green

Dioxazine Violet

Magenta

Raw Umber

Payne’s Gray

Supports—stretched canvases or canvas boards or a combination thereof to total 5-6 canvases in all:

3-12” x 16”

1 or 2-14” x 18”

1 or 2- 16” x 20”

Optional Fold-Up Table Easel (Black kind is best)

Earphones, ipod if you want to “zone out” while painting

                          Expectations: Checklist for Success—Prof. Healy-Painting 161

Name________________________________________________________________

Attendance and Lateness: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

Prepared: Supplies Brought (Including RAGS!!!)

­___ Week 2

___ Week 3

___ Week 4

___ Week 5

___ Week 6

___ Week 7

___ Week 8

___ Week 9

___ Week 10

___ Week 11

___ Week 12

___ Week 13

___ Week 14

___ Tonal Painting #1

___ Reflection #1

___ Fruit Still Life Painting #2

___ Reflection #2

___ Texture Painting #3

___ Reflection #3

___ Figure/Body Painting #4

___ Reflection #4

___ Landscape Painting #5

___ Reflection #5
___ Free Choice
___ Free Choice Reflection

Participation Notes:

Reflection Sheet

Name____________________________________________________________

Painting Assignment________________________________________________

Briefly describe the experience of making this work:

Did anything surprise you? Frustrate you? Discuss.

If you had to make this work over again, how would you change it?

What do you want to concentrate on learning in your next painting?

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