Color Portrait Variations

Art 105: 2-Dimensional Design  

Professor: Kyle Stevenson

Due: Thursday, November 29

Project 5 (Part B):  COLOR (Applying tints, shades, tones and values as color schemes to an existing image.)

MATERIALS:

Oil Paints (Black, White, Red, Blue, and Yellow)

Brushes: an assortment or variety pack

Turpenoid (or odorless mineral spirits)
            Liquin (alkyd based medium/dryer)
            Carbon Paper*

A (preferably) black and white photo of yourself

It should be reduced or enlarged to (about) 5x7  

1- Illustration board (Hot Press)

Comes in a pack of 2 (15”x20”) or 1 (20”x 30”-can be cut into 2 pieces)

Disposable Palette pad

Ruler
            Graphite Pencils

Instructions:

Start by taking your B+W photographic portrait and a sheet of carbon paper* and transfer the main linear structure of your image to 4 different rectangles.  They should be evenly balanced and laid out on a 15x20 sheet of illustration board.

*we will make our own “carbon paper by taking a sheet of drawing paper and filling the entire back of it evenly with your softest graphite pencil

Now make 4 different self-portrait paintings.  Each will be an exploration of one of 4 different Color Schemes: monochromatic, analogous, complimentary, and a final naturalistic (realistic) one.

1. MONOCHROMATIC
   First, choose one primary or secondary color as the basis for the first painting.  Paint your monochromatic portrait by starting at white and working your way to black (note: you will have to reduce the picture into distinctive shapes of value.  See example slides).  You will use tints (white added) and shades (black added) to make your monochromatic variations until you have a full value scale of one color.
   
   
2. ANALAGOUS
   Second, choose an analogous color scheme of 3 colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel) to paint your next portrait.  Choose a scheme that is either warm or cool in its feeling and association. With the three different colors, paint the back ground one color with varying tints and shades.  Paint the head and hair one color with varying tints and shades.  And paint the clothing one color with varying tints and shades.
   
   
3. COMPLEMENTARY
   Third, choose two different complementary color sets to paint the next painting (colors opposite each other on the color wheel).  Choose one complementary set for the Hair and the Clothing and choose a different complementary set for the face and background.
   
   
4. NATURAL OR REALISTIC COLOR
   Lastly, paint your portrait to have a natural or a realistic look (you will have a little more freedom to mix color on this one).  With what you have learned about mixing paint and color, do your best to mix colors that represent natural tones including skin and hair color.  Remember to not get too muddy or neutral with your tones and variations and try to keep a full range of values between white and black.  Use the background and clothing areas as possibilities for some more colorful and saturated gradations in the image.  

Good Luck.