The Painting Illustration Project

The Color Illustration Challenge

• You will create a large painting that features the human figure as portrait for subject matter and focuses on depth of space and environmental context to create a narrative or communicates an idea that intrigues the viewer.• You will decide whether to use local or emotional colors as you explore a

painterly approach to brushstroke and layering with acrylic to model form. • You will work from a combination of photo resources for the final, and you will

focus on communication through representational forms as accurately as possible….while still allowing for an expressive quality to emerge. • You will work to create illusionistic volume and depth of space to pull your viewer

into a convincing space with forms that could be of the real world even if you use elements that are surreal to enhance the idea….

Objective #1

• To explore painterly techniques from the late 1800s to the present in order to apply some of the master’s techniques to your own development of volume and depth in a representational painting…

Modern paintersResearch One

Cezanne

Van Gogh

Munch

Schiele

Albright

Freud

Neel

Theibaud

Flack

Saville

Skin Tone Scales

• Now choose your favorite work from the artist you analyzed. Spend class mixing skin tone scales with the paint we have. Work with a general tone you mix that approximates the main color of the skin in your chosen work and then attempt to isolate the basic colors used by the artist to create depth and intensity changes as well as modeled value shifts. • Mix your colors with your main skin tone to create a scale of values that

have around 10-15 shifts. • Attempt to recreate a section of the face in the work you chose in your

RWB using your skin tone scale.• Model a sphere using the same tones and methods to begin to apply this

technique and palette to real space.

Objective #2:

• To understand and apply the way contemporary illustrators and painters use environment, color palette, viewpoint and technique to communicate ideas in a narrative and to develop a sense of characters in visual work

Kehinde Wileyhttp://www.npg.si.edu/exhibit/recognize/paintings.html

Andrew Wyeth

George Prattwww.georgepratt.com/

Stanley Rayfield

http://www.stanleyrayfield.com/

Sterling Hundleyhttp://www.sterlinghundley.com/

Jenny Saville

Cindy Sherman

Contemporary Illustrators/Painters

• Pick one of the artists to research• As you collecting research, be sure to address today’s objective, which

is to consider the ways contemporary illustrators and painters use environment, color palette, viewpoint and technique to communicate ideas in a narrative and to develop a sense of characters in visual work. Take careful notes in your workbook based on your findings.

Objective #3:

• To develop a way of applying paint to surface that is consistent and grows out of your own personal style of markmaking in your work up to this point.

STUDENT WORK

The Color Illustration Challenge

• You will create a large painting that features the human figure as portrait for subject matter and focuses on depth of space and environmental context to create a narrative or communicates an idea that intrigues the viewer.• You will decide whether to use local or emotional colors as you explore a

painterly approach to brushstroke and layering with acrylic to model form. • You will work from a combination of photo resources for the final, and you will

focus on communication through representational forms as accurately as possible….while still allowing for an expressive quality to emerge. • You will work to create illusionistic volume and depth of space to pull your viewer

into a convincing space with forms that could be of the real world even if you use elements that are surreal to enhance the idea….

Specifications

• Dimension options: between 11x14 and 16x20• Must incorporate the majority of at least one figure but could

include more than one. Must include physical depth of space that references the real world of vision.

• Should utilize a limited color palette to create a mood.• Painting is encouraged! It can either be done on gessoed tar

paper or canvas.• Preparations/practice includes:

• A value/intensity scale of mixed color tones to create a scheme• one sphere with a strong light source• One small area of the final (including an eye) developing volume and color

scheme• An underpainting sketch of the entire composition in a wash format

Steps to create your figurative color illustration• Select subject matter you can photograph using some element of

portraiture: the more body the better!• Create a story that revolves around a photo: or start with a narrative

and take photos that revolve around it…• Select a paint palette that will allow you to continue your mark-

making exploration from the identity project in color that influences the mood and supports the narrative of the piece…

Your formal piece MUST use at least one of the following as narrative device

• Unexpected Viewpoint• Surreal Surroundings

• Reference to the 2D surface• Exaggerated Expression in Intimate Proximity

Unexpected Viewpoint

Ellie Braun2014

Surreal Surroundings

• Juxtaposition• Transparency• Distortion• Image morphing• Fantasy environment

Sophia Carr2015

Nick Buckingham2014

Reference to 2-D surface

Exaggerated Expression in Intimate Proximity

Ellie Braun2014

Nia Campbell2015

Ellie Braun2014

You will begin with thumbnails: You will be graded on the following & can use this as a page in your book:

• Three finished 3x5 sketches of your idea.• A strong composition that clearly shows where your

figure/figures will be placed as well as a sense of the environment.• A lightly shaded version of how you plan to use color

in your work. • An explanation of your intended narrative and your

color scheme (a short paragraph is enough)• Your resource photos

RUBRIC• ___10 Creative content related to one of the 4 project objectives:• Unexpected Viewpoint• Surreal Surroundings• Reference to the 2D surface• Exaggerated Expression in Intimate Proximity• • ___10 Interesting viewpoint/composition that has a “hook” for the viewer• __ 10 Composition has depth/context that relates to the idea behind the piece• ___10 Composition is formally resolved and demonstrates illusion of volume from the real world of form

• __10 Advanced color blending and layering techniques demonstrated with consistent stylistic painterly approach

• __10 Use of limited color palette to create unity and mood• ___10 Details addressed and edges defined • ___10 Contour/proportion of forms in composition-especially multiple figures• ___10 Craftsmanship: completed on time without messy or unresolved areas• ___10 Risktaking: attempting to communicate a powerful message in an unusual or complex way• ___100 TOTAL