why i'm taking this class

I took this class last year, and I learned a lot. I felt like I could learn even more and further my painting abilities by taking this course again at the advanced level. Also, i am working on my college art portfolio so I need time and projects for pieces I will eventually put in my portfolio.

my skills as an artist

I have always really enjoyed working with color, and have become more accomplished at it over the years. I like mixing colors and working with different shades and tones, highlights and shadows.

a painting i remember

A painting that comes to mind of one I have particularly liked was on Newbury Street, on the side of the road. It was of the Boston skyline at sunrise, but it wasn't a typical landscape. The buildings were very details and realistic looking, not just a bunch of black rectangles. And the sun looked as though it was shining over the painting, with the rays streaking all over the place. I remember thinking I wanted to buy this, but instead trying to do something similar myself. I then did a skyline painting, not similar though, but I was inspired by this one.

what i know

The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow.The secondary colors are orange, green, and purple.Secondary colors are created by mixing two primary colors (i.e. red and yellow make orange, blue and yellow make green, and blue and red make purple)Complimentary colors are the two colors that would be across from each other on the color wheel. Together, these colors make brown. It is always a combination of one primary color and one secondary color (i.e. blue and orange, purple and yellow, red and green)Two ways you could emphasize something in a painting is with color and texture. You could make it realistic by applying highlights and shadows, and add some texture to make it look 3D.If I were trying to create a shadow on an object in a painting I would mix a darker color and paint it on to where the shadow was. This dark color would never be black, it is generally the complimentary color (to an extent) of the color that the object is (i.e. on an orange, the shadow would be blueish).If I were painting an object and i wanted to create the illusion of a highlight on it i would add a lighter shade of the object's color. This color is rarely plain white, it is usually just a light shade, and it is placed on the part of the object where the light is hitting.If I were trying to make an object look like it's far away I would make it smaller.These are the steps I would take to build a painting: first i would outline/sketch everything in a light yellow. then i would put in big blocks of color without worrying about lighting or texture. then i would slowly work up the detail of each object/space, by adding texture, highlights, and shadows.

plans for the term

I plan to make a self portrait for my college portfolio. I am going to do it of my face. First I am going to practice drawing each individual feature on small peices of paper as a warm-up for the real painting. Then i will start mapping out the proportions then filling in big blocks of color, and slowly working up the detail of my face. I will be working from mostly the mirror, but also use some photographs as resources.