Course Description

Painting Boot Camp
This series of workshops is an opportunity to learn many of the key concepts taught at GCA in a short, condensed time frame. Artists will be trained to think sculpturally, to make more accurate decisions, and to create paintings, both in grisaille and color that are true to life.

• The series will include demonstrations/lectures on each step of the process as well as frequent one on one critiques from the instructor.
• Students will work at their own pace on their own paintings.
• However, due to the short time frame, emphasis will be put on learning and understanding concepts, rather than creating completely finished works of art.

Painting in Value:
Students will be introduced to the fundamental concepts of depicting light and form in grayscale. A series of exercises designed to help illuminate the fundamental concepts will lay a foundation for the ensuing weeks of instruction in color. During this time, students will learn to construct their paintings in a sculptural sense by utilizing the conceptual understanding of the physics of light on form. This practice will allow for a greater sense of depth and realism in drawings and paintings. In addition to individual critiques, there will also be discussions on materials, paint handling, and process.

Still Life/Color Studies:
Starting with basic color shapes and transitioning into simple still life paintings, the concepts of three dimensional form rendering will be expanded to color. A brief introduction to the Munsell system will underpin the student’s exploration of color with a specific understanding of hue, value and chroma. Additionally, instruction in the use of color studies will emphasize the importance of coordinating an entire image through light effect, color harmonies and hue/value/chroma hierarchies. The Munsell system of color coupled with a strong optical impression serve to inspire the strongest realism in painting.

Portrait:
Students will apply the previous concepts to the live model through a series of portrait paintings. These two weeks will begin with three days of alla prima (one day) portrait paintings. These paintings, which could serve as color studies, will give the student the chance to refine their abilities to draw in paint, capture an overall image quickly and efficiently, and apply the ideas of form in an abbreviated fashion. A seven day, long-form portrait painting will afford the student ample time to apply the subtleties of form modeling in color. The process will start with a refined block-in with an emphasis on structure, proportions, and likeness. The block-in is then transferred to canvas under the guidance of the instructors. The method of rendering is a form by form process in which each part of the portrait is painted to completion. Daily demonstrations and critiques will focus on the properties of light and its relationship to the portrait, as well as values, anatomy, perspective, and manipulation of materials.

Kevin and Rodrigo will alternate teaching.