Catalog Description:
Instruction in various techniques of watercolor painting, with references to European and American Traditions. Prerequisite: none, VA33 recommended
I. Goals: The goal of the course is to:
· Introduce students to the basic techniques and processes of the watercolor medium.
· Teach students to apply these techniques to describing form, space and light.
· Teach students the basic formal principles of compositions and color theory integral to the medium.
· Have students use a variety of approaches in making a painting (such as working perceptually from life or inventing through abstraction).
· Teach students to work through the creative process to develop ideas and arrive at their own solutions to visual problems.
II. Outcome Behaviors:
Upon completion of the course students should be able to:
1) Demonstrate a variety of techniques, including flat washes, variegated washes, wet into wet blends, dry brush and other textural effects, with the watercolor medium.
2) Use these techniques to describe form, light and space.
3) Create unified, rhythmic compositions that are both abstract and representational.
4) Work in a process that is both quick and spontaneous as well as a controlled and planned out, using many steps.
5) Identify the differences in the most common watercolor materials and make the appropriate choices to achieve a desired effect.
6) Apply critical and creative thinking to produce insightful and unique solutions to a problem.
7) Be critical of ones own work in order to improve upon it and offer constructive criticism.
8) Use a basic vocabulary of art terms when discussing watercolor.
9) Explore new ideas and take risks as a means of discovering ones own creative potential.
PROCEDURES: Students will be given projects and exercises to work on in class and at home. Each project will explore different painting methods and visual concepts with the intention of building on the information gained from the previous assignment. Each assignment will be explained through a combination of lecture/demonstration and slide lecture. Each student will proceed individually, working to complete the assignment and meet the defined objectives. Upon completion of the assignment a group critique will be held and the students’ work will be evaluated. Each student will be expected to participate in critique and articulate relevant ideas concerning the concepts addressed in each assignment. Work not completed by the due date and available for critique will be graded down 5 points for each day late.
REQUIREMENTS:
1) Regular attendance is absolutely mandatory.
2) Completion of all in-class projects, exercises and homework assignments.
3) Participation in critiques and class discussions.
ATTENDANCE: The college policy is followed (see handbook or college catalog). Excessive absence or lateness will lead to failure of this course. The college defines excessive absence as more than one week of classes. Two tardiness equal one absence. In the exceptional circumstance in which the student is allowed to continue in the class beyond two absences, which is solely up to the discretion of the instructor, the student’s grade will be lowered as a result of the missed work in class. This is a studio course. The knowledge that is gained in this course comes almost exclusively from working in class with others and with the instructor’s personal attention. This can not be made up outside of class. Therefore it is absolutely essential that you be in class. However, you are responsible for all the information that transpired in class should you happen to be absent. This includes such things as materials you need to have for the next class. Arrangements should be made to contact the instructors or fellow student before returning to class.
EVALUATION: Your grade will be determined from the following:
PORTFOLIO – 80% of your grade will be based on a portfolio of all the painting projects and exercises you have completed over the course including those done for homework. Each assignment will be given a grade on a scale of 0-100. Assignments not turned in will receive a 0. The final grade is determined by averaging all the graded assignments by the total number given. All paintings submitted on-time for critique can be reworked or developed further for re-evaluation. No work will be accepted more than one week pass the due date without special permission.
EFFORT, PARTICIPATION and PROGRESS – 20% of your grade will be based on your overall work ethic, your seriousness of purpose, how prepared you are in class, how much you contribute to discussions and critiques and how much your work progresses from the beginning to the end of class.
WEEKLY OUTLINE
WEEK 1: Review materials and syllabus. Homework: color chart, tonal scale.
WEEK 2: Colored shape paintings, composition, rhythm and design.
WEEK 3: Monochrome painting, flat wash, five values. .
WEEK 4: Gray paintings with complements, graded and variegated washes.
WEEK 5: Warm/Cool paintings, limited palette.
WEEK 6: Value, color, light – integration of techniques, matching local
color, local value..
WEEK 7: Wet into wet. MIDTERM
WEEK 8: High key, Low key painting. Unifying brush stroke – large, small.
WEEK 9: Landscape #1. Texture – spattering, dry brush, scoring, scratching, etching.
WEEK 10: Landscape #2. Critique #1. Build on lessons learned in #1.
WEEK 11: Abstract Painting. Texture – sponging, adding salt, sand, plastic wrap. Color
systems – color on gray field, color on color field, gray on colored field.
WEEK 12: Independent project – series on a theme of your choosing.
WEEK 13: Independent project.
WEEK 14: Final project workday.
WEEK 15: Final Critique.
MATERIALS
Watercolor Paints
Either tubes or pans are fine. You can buy a pre-assembled set of at least 10-15 colors or buy the colors individually. You generally get what you pay for so the inexpensive paints are not always the best deal. A beginner set at a legitimate art supply store should do fine to start but you may find that you soon want to add better colors to create more variety and brilliance.
A basic palette:
Cadmium yellow
Lemon yellow
Yellow ochre
Cadmium red
Alizarin crimson
Burnt Sienna
Ultramarine blue
Pthalo blue
Cerulean blue
Viridian (green)
Hookers green
Sepia
Paynes Gray
Watercolor Brushes
Quality varies greatly with brushes and the best are very expensive. Natural hair are the best but some synthetic are adequate. Don’t get the cheapest. It is better to get fewer good brushes than a wide variety of bad brushes.
To start I suggest:
#4, #6, #8 round
½ inch and 1 inch flat
Watercolor paper
9”x12”/ 10”x14” 140lb cold press or rough cotton or 100% rag watercolor block (15 – 20 sheets)
4 sheets 140lb cold press or rough watercolor paper, 22”x30”
Miscellaneous
Watercolor mixing pan
Water can
Paper towels
Masking Tape
Non-porous board (for stretching paper)
Sponge
Drawing pencils
Eraser
Sketch pad
Ruler
viewfinder
