Class 15 | Value Portrait Painting

Homework Due THIS CLASS

1. Final Value Self Portrait
2. Completed Painting Prep.
3. Bring your Painting Prep printout and be prepared to paint.
4. Today/Thursday is the last day to re-submit Project #1 to improve your grade!

Materials Needed THIS CLASS

• bristol pad
• tracing paper
• 2 small jars to hold paint
• brushes, if you have them.
• two water containers (yogurt cups, soda bottles with tops cut off, soup cans)
• palette (round 10-well) or plastic take-out container.
• cotton rags or paper towels (old white t-shirts or scraps)

Exhibition: Roy DeCarava

If you have a chance, check out the Roy DeCarava exhibitions at David Zwirner. Last day is Saturday, October 26th.

• The Sound I Saw at David Zwirner: 34 East 69th Street
• Light Break at David Zwirner: 533 West 19th Street

Visual Library & Value Portraits

Let’s designate a facilitator and take a look at your new Visual Library posts and your gallery of dramatic value self-portraits.

While looking at the Value Self-Portraits, ask yourself “do these images follow the guidelines?”

Guidelines: Take a series of closely framed, black & white/grayscale self-portraits that convey a dramatic mood using strong contrast of light and dark and a stable figure-ground relationship. Utilize the Rule of Thirds to create tension or energy in the composition. Avoid centering the subject (yourself).

IMPORTANT: Research Film Noir lighting and the jazz photographs of Roy Decarava before taking your photographs.

Lab: Painting Demo

Transfer to Bristol

1. Using your posterized portrait printout, trace the outlines of the posterized lights, darks and midtones to a piece of tracing paper using a inking pen (.2 or .5).
2. Then use the inked tracing paper and light table to transfer to bristol using a very light pencil.

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Painting on Bristol

1. With your posterized printout as a visual reference, paint each value area using a range of black, white, and gray values. Use your Value Scale as a guide for matching value steps.
   • NOTE: The paint will be lighter when it dries. Test your range of values on scrap bristol first.
2. When you have completed your composition carefully protect all elements with a piece of clean tracing paper.

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Painting Tips:

• Do not worry about accurately rendering an eye, nose or ear, see/think only in terms of value and the boundaries of each value relationship.
• Notice how some values crossover shape boundaries into adjoining areas (open-value), while others are limited by the edges of the shape (closed-value).
• Remember protect your painting with tracing paper as you work. Paint is delicate and can easily pick up the dirt and oils from your hands.
• Before you apply paint to paper make sure it’s completely mixed in the palette to produce a flat consistent appearance. We want flat, blocks of paint without streaks or brush marks.
• Keep two containers of water, use 1 for washing your brushes and 1 for adding water to paint, if needed.
• Wash your brush after each value is mixed and applied.
• Use a paper towel or rag to get excess paint and water off the brush before mixing a new value.

Homework Due Next Class

• Complete the transfer of your posterized value portrait to Bristol.
• Start painting! And come prepared to work in class on your painting.

Materials Needed For Next Class

• bristol pad
• tracing paper
• 2 small jars with paint distributed last class.
• brushes, if you have them.
• two water containers (yogurt cups, soda bottles with tops cut off, soup cans)
• palette (round 10-well) or plastic take-out container.
• cotton rags or paper towels (old white t-shirts or scraps)