Beginning Painting: Oil, Acrylic, Gouache

Painting is a way to make an image that can be rich, enjoyable, and surprisingly real. Through working with paint you can explore very specifically how things look, experiment with bold color and brushwork to express your thoughts or feelings, or you can combine these pursuits as you see fit.

This introductory painting class will introduce fundamental practices and concepts for working with opaque paint media in which you can mix white into colors to lighten them, allowing for flexibility in image making. For this class, you may work in your choice of oil, acrylic, or gouache. It is okay if you are not sure which one to choose, although it is recommended that if you have been interested in starting oil painting this may be a good opportunity to do so. On the first day of class, we will discuss the working qualities of each medium, and students will receive a supply list for each medium and related application tools and surfaces. There are a lot of art supply options available, so choosing effective options aids the learning process greatly.

On the first day of class we will also review some drawing fundamentals that will be helpful for starting painting. Graphite pencils, erasers, and drawing paper will be provided for our first-day drawing exercises, and for the remainder of the class we will explore paint application, then work on mixing different values of one color. We will then paint monochromatically, in one color, from direct observation of a simple still life, then work on making color mixtures based on introductory color theory, and begin considering color in terms of value.

Prerequisite (recommended): This is a process-oriented class requiring or building patience. Simple procedures will be introduced, and time will be allowed on an individual basis for building familiarity with these procedures. To get the most out of this class, it is recommended that students will have taken a beginner level drawing class and ideally Drawing: Light and Shade with the Center for Lifelong Learning.

Supplies: No supplies are required for the first day of class. Painting supplies lists will be provided for subsequent classes during our first class meeting.