Advance Painting
Assignment 5 and Final paper
Current or Historical Event with Alternative painting applications
Problem: The subject of your final painting will illustrate a current or historical event. In this painting you
will incorporate an alternative mark making application.
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In your paintings be original; do not copy an existing illustrations or photographs. I am looking
for you to be inventive and creative with this series of paintings.
In your paintings challenge yourself and integrate some complexity into your artwork, for
example: challenging your use of color, value, texture, mark making and or develop the
background of your subject.
You can include text (portion of event) or collage into this painting if you like.
Alternative mark making applications can include the following: collage, spattering, dripping,
stenciling, pallet knife, skins, brayers, finger painting etc.
Spattering and Spraying: The spattering and spraying technique consists of splashing the paint on the
support. Applied with washes and drips that enhance the atmospheric effect of the painting, the technique is
an effective way to suggest grainy textures and to provide consistency to the flat areas of color.
Use an old tooth brush to create a spattering or spraying technique.
Stenciling: Stiff paper (or other sheet material) with a design cut into it as a template for shapes meant to
be copied. Ink or paint forced through the design's openings will produce a print on a flat surface placed
beneath. The design need special to producing a stencil: balance the requirement to cut out most of the
desired shapes against maintaining the strength of the loosest parts of the stencil. The relationship between
the positive and negative spaces is best when no part of the sheet is damaged or lost in its use. Art in which
stencil letters are used often make reference to flatness, cheaply hand-produced signage and package
labeling, among other common applications. Patterns and other designs are also painted as stenciled
architectural decorations.
Stencil- Cut out and image and paint the inside shapes.
Use tape to create a stencil
Collage: A two dimensional image created by adhering flat elements as newspaper, wallpaper, printed text
illustrations, photographs, cloth, string, etc., to a flat surface. Most of the elements adhered in producing a
collages are "found" materials. Introduced by the Cubist artists, this process was widely used by artists who
followed, and is a familiar technique in contemporary art. "Collage" was originally a French word, derived
from the word coller, meaning "to paste."
Juan Sanchez, acrylic and collage
Jean Michel Basquiat, acrylic and collage
Brayer (small rollers): Brayers are small rollers that can be used to create flat areas of color.
Pallet knifes can be used as an alternative to paint brushes.
Dripping, spatter, collage and crackle
Sketch book:
a. Create two pencil studies before you start painting.
b. Take a 4” x 6” color digital image of the final painting and place into the sketch book. Make sure your
digital image is in focus, squared off and color and value are comparable to original painting.
c. Your description and analysis will be part of your final paper and you do not have to include these
paragraphs in you sketch book.
Final Paper: Final Paper: After you have completed your painting write a double space three page paper.
Your paper should be divided into two main subjects: Objective and Subjective and four sub-topics:
description, analysis, interpretation and judgment.
Look over the following ideas and questions and incorporate them into your paper/essay accordingly.
Objective part
I. Description
You will make observations about what you see. You must be objective. For this part please make no
inferences or express opinions. Become a detective at the scene of the crime. You are going to create a list
of what you see. List only the facts about the artwork.
A. subject matter: landscape, still life, portrait, genre scene, figurative, historical, abstract, nonobjective
B. Medium: acrylic, collage, mixed media
C. Style: impressionism, expressionism, hard edge, pop art, abstract expressionism, photorealism, pointillism
Do you have a style that you can describe? How did you arrive at this style? Is it traditional,
contemporary, avant-garde, realistic, abstract etc? Explain
D. Technique: What alternative painting techniques are you using? Are you using collage,
spattering, dripping, stenciling, pallet knife, skins, finger painting etc? How are you using a
water color technique and or opaque painting technique?
II. Analysis
How do you compose (organize) your painting? This is where your knowledge of the design elements and
the Design Principles play an important role. The combinations of these, elements and principles help the
artist create the mood of the work or express a particular point of view or message.
A.
B.
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Design elements: line, shape, value, color, size, direction, texture
Design Principles: repetition and rhythm, dominance and subordination, unity and variety,
contrast, balance, emphasis, scale and proportion
What is your light source and how dose is affect your value range?
How do you use value in your painting? High contrast, low key high key
What is your focal point? How do you guide the viewer to the focal point?
What design elements are dominating and what are subordinate?
How do you lead the viewer to your focal point? Through size, texture, detail, contrast
How do you use texture in your painting? Simulated, actual, invented
How do you do you create the sense of space in your drawing? Flat, cubical (3D), ambiguous
(combination of both)
How did you use color in your painting? Is the color in your painting monochromatic,
complementary, and analogous or a combination?
Subjective part
III. Interpretation
What does this work say to the viewer? You can make guesses and inferences. However, these should be
educated guesses and not just random guesses. Don’t make up meaning, but use what you see to construct
and support reasonable interpretations. You must be able to articulate, or express yourself intelligently
using words, and provide insightful comments as to why you feel the mood or the meaning of the work is?
Interpretation is very personal.
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Where do your ideas come from? Do your ideas come from pop culture, childhood memories,
dreams, culture, and history?
How did you select this current or historical event?
Why did you choose this current or historical event?
What is content of your artwork?
Talk about the event you are illustrating.
What is your story/narrative about?
Do you copy what you see, or do you visualize from your imagined, or are you symbolizing an
idea and or concept?
IV. Judgment:
Everyone is going to have reasons for liking or disliking their painting. Saying "I think this is good art" is
not enough. Be sure to support your opinions with specific things you see in your final painting. How you
value your painting is a personal judgment. But, it is important that you recognize what works in your
painting and what does not.
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Is your painting successful? Through technique, composition, color symbolism etc.
How do you feel about this piece?
Does your painting have artistic merit?
What kinds of things do you learn about yourself by making art?
What are some of the surprises that you have discovered while working?
What technical problems did you encounter while creating this piece?
How/what would you do to improve your painting?
Student examples