Since the earliest days of human society, we have been painters. Lining ancient cave walls, the oldest known paintings in the world date back over 50,000 years. Despite the fact that painting is such an integral part of human civilization, many people feel intimidated by the medium. Perhaps the intimidation stems from the knowledge that some of the greatest works took years (or even a lifetime) to complete. Or maybe it’s the more technical aspects of painting that holds would-be artists back—the dozens of brush types, the unpronounceable pigments, the unfamiliar terms like chiaroscuro and grisaille. For these reasons and numerous others, painting can feel like an inaccessible art form. And yet, many people joyfully painted as children—who doesn’t smile when remembering the tactile thrill of fingerpainting or those little watercolor palettes of primary colors in elementary school?
Author(s): Ricky Allman
Series: The Great Courses
Publisher: The Teaching Company
Year: 2018-12
Language: English
Pages: 125
Tags: Paint
Professor Biography......Page 3
Table of Contents......Page 5
Course Scope......Page 7
About This Book......Page 8
Paints (Oil and Acrylic)......Page 9
Miscellaneous Oil Supplies......Page 10
Optional Supplies......Page 11
01 — The Painter’s Toolkit......Page 12
Choosing a Workspace......Page 13
Shopping for Brushes......Page 14
Exercise: Brush Handling and Mark Making......Page 16
Relevant Artists......Page 17
02 — Getting Started: Surfaces and Brushwork......Page 18
Surfaces......Page 19
Exercise: Tree Silhouettes......Page 20
Provided Reference......Page 21
03 — Fundamentals: Establishing Value......Page 23
Perceiving Value......Page 24
Exercise: Gray Scales......Page 25
Relevant Artists......Page 26
04 — Fundamentals: Building Volume......Page 27
Understanding Shadows......Page 28
Exercise: Three-Dimensional Study......Page 30
Relevant Artists......Page 31
05 — Fundamentals: Basics of Color Theory......Page 32
The Color Wheel......Page 33
Color Terminology......Page 35
Exercises: Color Scales and a Color Wheel......Page 36
Relevant Artists......Page 37
06 — Fundamentals: Creating Color Palettes......Page 38
Selecting Colors......Page 39
Finding Inspiration for Your Color Palettes......Page 40
Exercise: Picking a Four-Color Palette......Page 41
Relevant Artists......Page 42
07 — Fundamentals: Compositional Choices......Page 43
Hierarchy......Page 44
The Golden Ratio and Rule of Thirds......Page 45
Dynamics......Page 46
Preparation for Composition......Page 47
Relevant Artists......Page 48
08 — Putting It All Together: A Simple Landscape......Page 49
Supply List......Page 50
Exercise: Painting a Simple Landscape......Page 51
Relevant Artists......Page 52
09 — Creating Linear Perspective......Page 53
One- and Two-Point Perspective......Page 54
Vanishing Points......Page 55
Sighting......Page 56
Relevant Artists......Page 57
Provided Reference......Page 58
10 — Creating Atmospheric Perspective......Page 59
General Tips on Atmospheric Perspective......Page 60
Provided Reference......Page 61
Relevant Artists......Page 62
11 — Putting It All Together: A Still Life......Page 63
Colors and Value......Page 64
Details and Viewing Distance......Page 65
Relevant Artists......Page 66
12 — Working with Oils......Page 67
Safety Tips for Oil Paint......Page 68
General Tips for Oil Painting......Page 69
Exercise: Still Life with Oils......Page 70
Relevant Artists......Page 71
13 — Traditional Oil Techniques: Grisaille......Page 72
Exercise: Traditional Grisaille Work......Page 73
Relevant Artists......Page 74
14 — Working with Acrylics......Page 76
The Properties of Acrylic Paint......Page 77
Manipulating Acrylic Paint......Page 78
Exercise: Acrylic Experimentation, Part 1......Page 79
Relevant Artists......Page 80
15 — Playing with Mediums......Page 81
Ways to Use Acrylic Mediums......Page 82
Using Gloss Gel......Page 83
Exercise: Acrylic Experimentation, Part 2......Page 84
Relevant Artists......Page 85
16 — Painting Water and Clouds......Page 86
Exercise: Water and Clouds Study......Page 88
Relevant Artists......Page 89
17 — Painting Trees and Bark......Page 90
Painting Tree Trunks......Page 91
Painting Bark......Page 92
Exercise: Woodland Study......Page 93
Provided Reference......Page 94
Relevant Artists......Page 95
18 — Painting Rocks and Mountains......Page 96
Painting Rocks......Page 97
Painting Mountains......Page 98
Exercise: A Rocky Landscape......Page 99
Relevant Artists......Page 100
19 — Painting Light......Page 101
Four Questions......Page 102
Exercise: Painting Fire......Page 103
Relevant Artists......Page 104
20 — Painting Glass......Page 105
General Tips......Page 106
Exercise: Glass Study......Page 107
Relevant Artists......Page 108
21 — Painting People......Page 109
Finding a Subject......Page 110
Painting Skin......Page 111
Exercise: Portraiture......Page 112
Relevant Artists......Page 113
22 — Getting Creative: Composition......Page 114
Sampling Imagery......Page 115
Relevant Artists......Page 116
23 — Getting Creative: Surface and Texture......Page 117
Painting on Wood......Page 118
Collages......Page 119
Relevant Artists......Page 120
24 — Getting Creative: Space and Dimension......Page 121
Tips for Manipulating Space......Page 122
Relevant Artists......Page 123
Image Credits......Page 124
