Chapter 10: Color Readings and Exercises
Videos
Color Theory for Noobs
Readings:
Defining Warm and Cool Colors Just Paint
Color Theory and the Color Wheel Canva
Warm and Cool Cool Color Reflection: Art In Context
Important Terms
Transparent colors allow a light source to pass through them.
Translucent allows light to reflect off objects behind the surface replicating their own color wavelengths.
Opaque substance does not let any light pass through, in paint, a solid color.
Sketchbook:
Color wheel:
Make a color wheel for each color media you own, color pencils, oil pastels, dry pastels, etc. Include the three primary, three secondary, and six tertiary colors. Use an organic or geometric shape to trace for each color, this will make the wheel interesting or contain some sense of narrative.
How to spin the colour wheel, by Turner, Malevich and more… from TATE
Gradients:
Illustrate shifts of color with soft transitions. Make at least two gradient examples; one based on warm colors and the other cool colors.
Bezold:
Design a composition of an interlocking or connecting pattern that extends across your picture plane. Use acrylic or oil pastels and a minimum of three colors to illustrate the Bezold Effect.
Bezold is an optical illusion, named after a German professor of meteorology. Wilhelm von Bezold discovered that a color may appear different depending on its relation to adjacent colors.
Clear Objects:
How can you illustrate or represent, plastic, or plastic wrapped object? To paint or draw something white or clear, you need color. Select at least three objects that are glass, ceramic, porcelain, plastic, metal for this assignment. Look for your highlights to start, once you’ve established your brightest areas using color can help you develop your subject matter.
Look at masters of reflective objects, Janet Fish and Carolyn Brady.
Janet Fish Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
Neo Impressionism Self Portrait (or Divisionism not Pointillism):
Look at the examples located in the links below. Notice the different styles and approaches that were taken to develop a subject or location. Some works have thick bold marks (Robert Delaunay) while others have smaller intricate strokes (Théo van Rysselberghe). Whatever style you prefer to work with, it should be evident that there is a color relationship happening on the paper that is translated visually from a distance by the viewer.
Videos
Divisionism Style – also called chromoluminarism
Impressionism in 8 minutes: How it changed the course of art
What is Impressionism
Readings
Neo-Impressionism from TATE
Divisionism Britannica
Use the links listed above to learn about Impressionism and Neo Impressionism/Divisionism. Think about how artists observe color and utilize it in their work.
Josef Albers:
An artist and influential educator, worked in various media, including photography, painting, and printmaking. He is best known for his abstract paintings and color theory. His book, Interaction of Color was published in 1963. Wikipedia
Josef Albers: The Magic of Color YouTube
Josef and Anni Albers Lecture YouTube
Homage to the Square: Aurora YouTube
Interaction of Color YouTube
Writing:
Explore Impressionism and Op Art. How are they similar, how are they different? Talk about the way artists use color, texture, and pattern to create illusion and movement.
Impressionism Wikipedia
Op Art Wikipedia
What is Impressionism YouTube
5 Impressionism Art Characteristics YouTube
Op Art History YouTube
Large Projects:
Collage: Research the collage works by Romare Bearden. Notice how he divides his composition with color and shape. How can you use flat sections of color to portray space or distance? Incorporate figures or present a narrative by including interesting action or details. Use construction paper, painted paper, newspaper clippings, magazines, or catalogs to make a collage. If you have limited printed materials, a digital version is acceptable.
Collages, from the Romare Bearden Foundation.
Collage, from the MET.
Collage with Romare Bearden YouTube
Romare Bearden, Three Folk Musicians YouTube
How to Make collage with Helina Metaferia YouTube
OR a Dada Collage:
How to create a collage (for beginners) YouTube
German artists and collage YouTube
Dada TATE
Chance Creations: Collage, Photomontage and Assemblage, from MoMA.
DADA Movement in Practice – From Collage to Readymade, from Widewalls
Surreal Collage
Vintage Rock Posters:
Peruse the extensive online collection of concert posters online. Design a tour or show poster for your favorite musician. Consciously chose colors that relate to, are influenced by, or are evident in the music. How can you use all the elements of design for this project?
Family Dog Official Trailer YouTube
Where the 1960s “psychedelic” look came from YouTube
Poster Art of Wes Wilson
Folk art:
What is folk art? It covers all forms of visual art made in the context folk culture. It reflects the cultural life of a community; it encompasses the expressive culture associated with folklore and heritage. Wikipedia
Heritage is about tradition, achievements, the history of your group or nation. What do you value, what positive traits can I attribute to myself and my community? Consider your heritage, where are your grandparents from? Or perhaps you relate closely with a group of friends? Family isn’t always blood, who are you connected to, what connects you to your culture. What ties you all together, what could your folk art look like? Who makes up your community, what stories do you share with your kin?
Start off by sketching some designs and patterns in your sketchbook. Look at traditional folk art, does the work have a function or is it decorative. Once you have an idea of how to tell a story in one drawing or painting lay out a composition on a large sheet of paper.
Santa Fe’s International Folk Art Market YouTube
Scandinavian Folk Art YouTube
Alebrijes YouTube
Amate paper YouTube
Santoshi Shyam hyperallergic
Artists (and more) to Research:
Jean Michel Basquiat
1996 Movie youtube
Henri Matisse
MoMA Blue Window YouTube
Katsushika Hokusai
Fantastic Landscapes YouTube
Keith Haring
Sandy Skoglund
Morris Louis
Marc Chagall
Documentary YouTube
Yayoi Kusama
Amy Sherald
Art 21 YouTube
Lois Mailou Jones
Remembering the Masters YouTube
Mark Rothko
What Rothko’s Art Teaches Us About Suffering
Richard Diebenkorn
Hilma Af Klint
Piet Mondrian
Explained YouTube
Helen Frankenthaler
MoMA YouTube
Anish Kapoor
Black The Collector
Deutsche Guggenheim
Color Fields exhibit
Little Big History of Paint
A Story of Blue
Most Expensive Pigment in the World
Using petroleum with color pencils
The Amber Room
Gold Leaf
British Pathé YouTube
Kanazawa Artisans YouTube
More Projects:
Mural Proposal: If there is an actual project that you’ve been wanting to apply for, here’s a chance to work on a proposal. Or, make this a dream project, find a building and location that you would love to showcase your work. Find or estimate the measurements and dimensions of the wall surface, research best media and ways to apply media to surface and decide if you need an assistant (or more) to complete the job.
Cost per square foot ranges from $10 – $20 for murals, so a 50 square foot wall would at least be $500 or up to $1500.
Is the wall surface; flat, even, smooth? If it needs washing, caulking or putty is that your job? Does the wall need to be treated before or after your paint is applied? Are you painting around objects or including them, gutters, drains, windows, etc. Do you need scaffolding or ladders? Always be aware of your surroundings, is the location safe.
Statement: artist statement and/or idea or intent
Description: what is the project about
Work: show examples or other murals (if possible)
Budget: artist fee (hourly wage), preparation costs, supplies, materials, safety equipment, travel expenses.
How to Write a Mural Proposal Letter, I am Detour YouTube
Mural Mockup YouTube
Mural Pricing 101 pandr
Branding: Now that we’ve taken a deeper dive into the elements, how can you use this knowledge to engage your audiences? Is there a logo or design that your audience associates with you? If so, is there a way to incorporate it into merch, a website, or personal logo? Make a series of design sketches to find an image, acronym, slogan, letter, shape that best represents you and your current work.
Branding for Artists Constant Contact
Build Your Personal Brand in 5 Steps Very Private Gallery