ILLUS-3716

COLOR WORKS

Faculty: Mary Jane Begin

Course Level: Junior, Senior, 5th Year

3 CREDITS

This course is intended to help students design with color through the use of acrylics, watercolor and glazing medium of their choice. We will explore aspects of color, experimenting with various color grounds as well as a variety of limited palettes. Assignments will include color charts, figure work, still lives, and will cilmate in a final series of paintings.

Hit or miss approaches or repetition of a particular palette, or avoidance of color altogether. This class encourages awareness of color as one of the most dynamic components of an image and emphasizes the need for achieving a balance between knowledge and instinct. Students will investigate: value, harmony, limited palettes, color grounds, layering, mixing, opacity, transparency, temperature, mood, contrast, complimentary color, spatial relationships, vibration and reflection as part of their in-class and homework assignments. Students will work from models dressed in costume, with poses changing every three weeks, and will be given instruction in a combination of acrylics and watercolor in a variety of technical applications. The expectation is that individuals will gain a level of expertise in the designated media and then apply that knowledge to other media. Homework assignments that will include portrait, still life, color charts, a master copy, and a final series of illustrations/images of their choosing. The four week final project at the end of the semester allows students to explore a style, material, media and subject matter of their choice that includes an investigation of color related issues.

Capacity: 15

Registration Restriction: Major elective; restricted to Illustration juniors and seniors; open to non-majors pending seat availability and permission of instructor. 

Semester Offered: Spring