Assignment #1 part three revising or finishing the third portrait.

Hi for those of you who have finished the second part and are working on the third part of the portrait, here is a plan on how to approach your third piece.

When you moved onto the third piece, the instinct was to add some fun patterns or other unreferenced objects to the piece. This was fine, but missed the spirit of what I was originally going for ( my bad, I might not have been clear)

So for further definition, Here is how I want you to proceed on the third piece.


Most people approached their second piece using the "local color" of the image they painted. Meaning that the skin tones and colors matched the color in their original reference.  One or two brave people added a color filter to chan ge the colors, but didn't paint much new to the face or alter it.

The challenge I place before you here, is twofold.

One: Distort the image, don't necessarily add a background, but distort the face in some manner whether that be a slight distortion or a blown out caricature, make the piece your own. I don't just mean use a distortion filter, but use your own creativity to say something interesting using the features of the face you are painting. This could include distorting features, changing lightning conditions and colors.

Two: Use non- local colors. Instead of a typical fleshtone, what if the person were red or blue? how would that effect the face? If the background is bright green, how does that effect the reflected light on the face? If the light source moves warmer and the shadow side cooler, what would that do to the color scheme? Go back to the assignment sheet and look at how form and color are changed away from reality in those pieces.


Look at the following pictures. How does the choices of colors in the bar scene effect the characters? How does the yellow background effect the skin tones on Eddie Murphy's face? How does the green effect Mick Jagger? Note how much complementary colors appear in the shadows( yellow vs purple: Eddie) (red vs green: Jagger )







The colors in the George Lucas piece are pretty "naturalisic" and true to the reference,  but Look at how the Bill murray piece is influenced by the grey of the background.







This  third piece is the place to experiment and bring in something really interesting!

Assignment #1: reworking the middle ( color ) piece with value.

I wanted to cover lighting and form a little more in depth.

" The form principle is the analysis of nature in terms of geometrical solids which can be rendered according to laws of tonal contrast."- James Gurney Color and Light

Put simply everything we see, we see because light is hitting an object and reflecting back to our eyes. We see form in aspect of light and shadow and color.

That said, we understand our world through value.( color is important but we'll get there later.)
Every object be it a simple sphere, a head, a cube, every object we see and paint will be affected by light the same way( except translucent and transparent materials)

In the following example of a sphere, it is an object with a single strong directional lightsource, as we might see with the sun at certain times of day.
What you will notice on this sphere is a strong division between the "light side" and the "dark side"
On the light side, you have the Highlight, which is the point at which the direct light is hitting the object and "blowing out" all other value or color. On most materials this appears to be white or near white. note that it is not on the edge of the sphere but appears inside the form of the sphere showing us that the highlighted part is closer to us than the flat visual "edge" of the object.

As we move our eyes over the from away from the highlight the actual color of the object begins to appear. That is the Center Light which is the closest to the most unadulterated value or color of the sphere. In other words, its Local color or value.

The Halftone is where the form starts to move further away from the highlight and is getting darker but the light here is still stronger than the dark areas.

Next we hit the Terminator Line. The terminator( aka the shadow edge ) is the division between light and dark. It is the darkest area on this sphere and the darkest area involving the sphere after the occlusion shadow. This is where the "dark side" begins, after this, we begin to see more lighter dark values due to light reflecting from the rest of the world. The terminator line appears as a 90 degree line( which curves over the surface of the object) to the light source as you can see in the second example( the axis line.) At the terminator all surface texture seems  to disappear. Any textures on the surface, like skin texture, is difficult to see in any of the shadowed areas, but at the terminator line disappears completely possibly to return in the reflected light.

The core shadow is right behind the terminator line in darkness and only exists if the secondary or reflected light sources don't overlap with the main light. The core shadow is important to maintaining the illusion of form in your drawing even if you don't see it on your model/reference.

Reflected light every object exists in space and since every object is reflecting light, all these objects will reflect on each other. Since the direct light is strong, the reflections can only be seen in the shadow. So as we move further away from the strong light, the wold reflects back into the shadow creating a lighter area on the object.

The Occlusion Shadow is the point at which the sphere or object meets another object. No light can get in between the two and so therefore it is the darkest area in this image. It is quite literally an area without light...complete and total darkness.

The cast shadow is the shadow the object casts upon the surface it is upon or against.
. 

Can you see these light principles at work on the Lincoln bust? The light source is a 3/4 left light source like the sphere above.

The cubes below show how the same concepts apply. Note the grey cube and the white cube are more likely than the black cube to have reflected light areas and the terminator line defines the hard edge of the cube rather than the soft edge of the sphere or lincolns head.  Look for ares of Hard Edge and soft edge on the Lincoln portrait. 

This is an example of diffuse light on a sphere. Its the kind of light you might see on an overcast day. Note that there is no distinct light side, shadow side terminator or core. all of the upward facing planes are lighter because the light is coming from many angles rather than a direct light.


Its important as you work on your pieces to recognize where the light source is, and how you can best express that in your image.



Again with the lincoln portrait, look at places where like the cube, the planes shift direction like the temple, the cheekbone, the nose, the chin and even less dramatic ares like the lips and eyelids. There will be a harder defined edge here( like the cube) where as on the forhead, where the planes are only slightly different at angles( more like the sphere, you can see the highlight and a gradual shift to the center light and halftone. Approach your portraits with this in mind as you move forward.

First assignment

Assignment #1 Portrait Due On January 28th



This lesson is to create and then alter a photographically inspired painting. The reasoning for this is twofold. One, to see what level the student is in their understanding of the digital tools and to see where they are in their ability to create compelling images.

1. From a photo reference( provided) create a digital drawn portrait of the person in the photograph using your digital painting program. there are many chalk and pencil brushes to choose from and try to play around with the opacity as you draw to get transparent effects.
2. On a second layer paint over the sketch using broad strokes and color, try to reproduce the feel of the lighting over the forms of the portrait and create a sense of depth. Try to follow the value and color provided in the original image but bring your own sensibility to it.  ( try using different layer modes to see how the second layer will effect the lower layer.
3. On a third Layer, using reference where needed, alter the original photo to your liking. Tell a story with the image, add color, add design, try whatever you find interesting to say about the person pictured in the portrait.

You can use more layers to alter and adjust your image, but the three images should be different enough to see the difference

Specifications The final art should be 8 x 10 at 300 dpi. I want the three separate separate images as separate jpeg files. The giant tif or PSDs will crash the system. Make certain to save unflattened copies for your own use we will be referencing back to these files later.


A note on "realism:"


I used the term realistic last week and someone groaned. When I say realism, I do not mean photographic realism, but beleiveability. I want an image that has depth, value, tone, a sense of space and volume and form. One that attempts to create a sense of verisimilitude. So when I speak of realism, I do not want simple reproductions of a photograph, but something that feel real and alive.
 

Reference images to follow. If these images aren't of interest, try to find an image with a strong directional main light source and a secondary/reflective lightsource.

Class Syllabus

Class-

This should answer any and all questions about the class. Pay close attention to the methodology section and the week by week section at the end. Email me with any questions.

Digital Painting ILL 300

Instructor Steve Ellis

ILL 300 Spring 2019

Digital Painting/ Illustration

1:30-6 PM Mondays Room 332

Tel 315.289.5771

Email steveart1@gmail.com or stellis@syr.edu

Website: http://steveellisart.com

Course Description

In this class we are going to explore the possibilities of digital art. Since most digital illustration is founded on strong drawing skills, we will be working to expand upon our drawing skills and develop understanding of color theory, observational painting, composition and conceptualization. The projects in class will be challenges to get students to create and conceptualize on the computer, weekly assignments will give opportunities to hone skills while longer term assignments will challenge students to create fully thought out pieces of art. While we will deal with the technical aspects of working with computer programs such as photoshop and others( Clip Studio, Procreate etc…) we will also be working with the fundamentals of what makes a good painting, ( shape, value, edges and color.)I plan to break the semester into three themes.

1. Technical - mastering technical tools

Painting tools, editing, color theory and tools, scanning, interface/ui, layers, masking, collaging etc., color adjustment tools,  perspective tools/transform etc.

2. Observational-Painting- creating work from a standpoint of observing nature. Since we will all have portable material, we will be able to use models, photographs and live drawing to create from. We will deal with creating form, using design aspects as well as shape, value, edge and color.

     C. Creative-conceptualizing new imagery, painting and conceptualizing from imagination, using reference as a tool for expanding imaginative ability.

Methodology of Digital painting Class:

There will be a technical Demonstration by the instructor. The best way to get painting technique across is the demonstrate it. I will demonstrate all the various techniques necessary for the completion of projects.

Group Class Critiques- As time permits. In the critique, students and the instructor will discuss the merits and weaknesses of each work, as well as offer constructive criticism. Understanding how to speak about your own and other’s art in a clear, critical and non-judgemental way is an important skill for any artist.

Hands _On- The instructor will work directly with each student on a daily basis, offering technical advice, constructive criticism and encouragement. In addition Instructor will provide a technical demonstration either on the students work( by permission), or to the side if possible.  

Discussion-  at the beginning of each project, the instructor will introduce, explain and discuss with the students as a group the terminology, philosophy and technique involved in the new project.

Course Rationale:

Digital media is considered one of the most versatile art creation mediums in regard to versatility of technique, color possibilities and blending. It offers much of the capabilities of traditonal mediums all at once. While much of digital painting is used to recreate the effect of natural mediums, there are opportunities to expand beyond natural possibilities. The added bonus of no drying time, less fuss with technical paint makes digital faster and often can increase a students skills in traditional mediums.

Objectives:

1. Students will familiarize themselves with brushes and other tools for painting.
2. Students will learn best practices with regard to layers.
3. Students will learn the properties of value, shape,  color and edge as well as chroma hue and saturation and how best to apply them
4. Students will learn techniques involving texture which can be visually stimulating and enhance the illusion of depth.
5. Students will learn to apply “paint to a surface in the manner which creates an illusion of space
6. Students will learn the aesthetic, emotional and spatial properties of the various colors and how to mix them.
7. Students will learn techniques of glazing ad applying filters and adjustment layers and masks
8. Students will learn digital painting vocabulary.
9. Students will be given encouragement, constructive criticism and technical advice.

Materials List:

Laptop with Photoshop installed and 6x 9( at least) drawing tablet

Hardware option: ipad pro, or other drawing computer with a pressure and angle sensitive pen.

Software option: Clip Studio for ipad pro( subscription) or for computer( single purchase)

Course Evaluation/Grading System  

Each project done during the semester will be handed in for grading. Factors included in evaluation are:

- Use of tools and technique 20 pts

- Composition 20 pts.

- Use of drawing, perspective, value, color, and paint

- Manipulation to create a convincing illusion of form and space 20 pts.

- Visual impact, expressiveness 20 pts.

- Work performance in class – attendance, attentiveness

- Receptiveness, progress, productivity, timely completion,

- Neatness 20 pts.

The final grade will be an average of the grades on all the projects done during the course of the semester

9. Course Policies

· Attendance

Since there is so much to learn and experience in one short semester, every class period is designed to give you information vital to your performance throughout the semester. You are expected to attend all classes. Absences lower the grade. If you have to miss a class, consult with me so that you can make up the work. Punctuality is necessary. It is important that you are in class for the full period from beginning to end.

· Withdrawal

After three absences, the instructor may withdraw the student. The instructor may withdraw the student or suggest to the student that he withdraw for the following reasons:

If the student falls far behind in the exercises, for any reason

If there is an extreme language barrier between student and instructor

If the instructor finds that the student has insufficient understanding of the course

prerequisite.

· Incomplete

I do not give incompletes

Weeks	Class	Homework
Week 1	Introduction and explanation of syllabus, show and discuss art supplies.	Work on digital portrait. Due Week 2
Week 2	Discuss portraits. Demonstration by instructor of value painting and brushes. Students begin monochrome paintings of still life starting with loose marks and employing value shapes. Students complete monochrome after class.	Finish tonal painting of still life. Due Week 3
Week 3	Discussion and demonstration of glazing techniques, employing filters, layers, color adjustments: hue saturation value/lightness. etc. Discussion and demonstration of applying opaque color. Students begin “glazing” colorizing and adding opaque color to monochrome pieces.	Finish applying transparent and opaque colors to monochrome still life. Due Week 4.
Week 4	Discussion about Alla Prima portrait painting. Begin Alla Prima portrait with model.	Work on portrait outside of class.
Week 5	Work on Alla Prima portrait in class.	Finish Alla Prima portrait. Due Week 6.
Week 6	Begin figure drawing of life model in space.	Work on figure drawing outside of class.
Week 7	Continue working on figure drawing in class.	Work on figure drawing outside of class.
Week 8	Continues working on figure drawing in class. Figure painting due at the end of class.	Take 100 landscape photos. Choose your best 20 to bring into class. Due Week 7.
Week 9	Choose photos for landscape and begin landscape painting.	Work on landscape painting outside of class.
Week 10	Work on landscape painting in class.	Work on landscape painting outside of class.
Week 11	Work on landscape painting in class. Landscape painting due at the end of class.	Take landscape/scene photos for final project. Due Week 12.
Week 12	Approve photos for final project. Begin comp sketches for final project. Project must have 1-3 figures relating in a space.	Finish working on comp sketches for final project. Due Week 13
Week 13	Critique on comp sketches. Begin color sketches.	Work on final project outside of class.
Week 14	Work in class on final project.	Finish final project. Due Week 14.
Week 15	Critique on final project.