FIRST SEMESTER PROJECTS
Assignment 1: Composition and Planes.
This assignment is done in the sketchbook. Students will do a number of drawings of each other. Emphasis is put on the shading and expression of the planes of an object. Value and the rhythms within the work are the primary focus.
Painting 1: High Key Monochrome Painting (Tints).
From Assignment 1, choose a successful composition of the self-portrait. Do a painting on a 9" x 12" canvas or canvas board where most of the values are light. All the values will be achieved by adding white to the chosen color. Any color which is derived from adding white is called a tint.
Assignment 2: Still Life Sketch.
This assignment is done in the sketchbook. Do three full-page drawings using the still life as your source material. Dramatic lighting is encouraged.
Painting 2: Low Key Monochrome Painting (Shades).
From Assignment 2, choose one of the still life sketches and transfer the drawing to a 9" x 12" canvas or canvas panel. Paint the surface with only shades of a color which is the complement of the color used in Painting 1. All the values will be achieved by adding black to the chosen color.
Painting 3: Vegetablescape Imprimatura Painting.
Cover a 9" x 12" canvas panel with a neutral color (burnt umber or raw siena). Bring assorted fruits and vegetables to contribute to a still life. Paint the still life using the rules of landscape depth. Focus on the attributes of landscape-like depth. Do three thumbnails and choose the most interesting. Then paint the composition over the prepared canvas, making sure to use some of your medium with the paint. Match colors as closely as possible.
Paper 1: Landscape Painting.
Write a two-page paper on a work by an artist who focused on the landscape. The paper should examine the painting's attributes and be accompanied by some images of the artist's work. Note techniques used in the works somewhere in the text. A visit to the Evansville Museum is recommended.
Painting 4: Landscape from life.
Using an 11" x 14" prestretched canvas and several landscape sketches from life, do a painting that captures the vibrance of the changing seasons. Accentuate the warm and cool colors. Use an underpainting of colors which are not present in the landscape to add to the vibrance of the colors.
Painting 5: Broken Stroke Self-portrait.
Using Painting 1 as your ground, paint the same self-portrait using the broken stroke technique. Apply paint in an impasto fashion. Allow elements of the underpainting to show through. This assignment investigates the concept of painterly space.
Painting 6: Dry Brush Still Life.
Using Painting 2 as your ground, paint your still life painting using the dry brush technique. Allow elements of the underpainting to show through, but not too much. This assignment also investigates the concept of painterly space and sfumato.
Assignment 3: Trompe L'oeil Composition.
Using your sketchbook, draw at least three compositions using only geometric shapes. Be aware of rhythms that occur through the repetition of elements, varying sizes of objects, and directional movement. Please no gutters or symmetrical compositions.
Painting 7: Geometric Abstract Trompe L'oeil Painting.
Using an 18" x 24" prestretched canvas, create a collection of geometric forms (sphere, cube, cone, etc.) in a rhythmic composition. The forms must appear to exist in "real" space by using convincing chiaroscuro, and, perhaps, perspective. It will help to look carefully at geometric objects with dramatic lighting. Trompe l'oeil means "fool the eye" in French. You can find information on these concepts at: www2.evansville.edu/studiochalkboard/
Painting 8: Making the Familiar Strange.
Create a composition using something familiar as the subject and do a painting (18" x 24" or larger). You should try to make something that is familar seem odd or strange. As an alternative to this painting, you can opt to make something which is strange and odd seem familiar.
Painting 9: Mural Project.
The class will be participating in the painting of a large-scale mural. Students will be responsible for a small section. 4 th semester students will act as team coordinators setting working times. This project will introduce students to collaborative projects, public art, and basic organizational skills needed for large-scale works.
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