Hey, Here's the new flyer for the color class and please note the change from January to February!
As always, feel free to ask us any questions you may have!
In addition for those who are interested in signing up, there is a deposit of $100 will be needed to hold you a spot in the class, the remainder being due upon the first day. If for some reason you need to cancel, the deposit will be refunded up until one week prior to the beginning of the class. Should the class itself, for some reason, need to be cancelled, all monies shall be refunded.
We've been asked this question lately, a lot. There is a lot of confusion about what the color class is really about and if it's really necessary and so we wanted to clear that up!
First off, there are a lot of color classes available to artists/art students. Some are taught by really good(and sometimes famous) artists. But without doubt, most of these classes are actually color DESIGN classes which talk about light source, color schemes and mood through color.The problem with these classes is that they presume you already have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of color and we meet a lot of people that come away from such classes/workshops without a better grasp of color. You see color design is not actually a foundational understanding of color. So how do you know if you have a fundamental grasp of color and if a color design class is worth your money/time? Well, if you know the following facts and can answer the following questions easily you might actually get something from one of those typical color classes. If not, then that's why we have our color anatomy class...
- Light source color is not always important. Why?
- There are no primary colors. This is very important to know why not and how that affects color design too.
- When do you use black? Is it good or bad?
- Why are there different color wheels? What is the purpose of a color wheel?
- How do we see color?
- What is chroma-value and why is it so important?
- How do I choose a palette of colors? When do I use earthtones?
- What are flesh-tones? Why is the Zorn palette so good for flesh-tones?
- If computers use additive color why use a subtractive color wheel when you paint digitally? It's illogical.
-Can I substitute this expensive color with this cheaper one?
- How do I mix colors effectively?
- Ultramarine blue is not a middle blue.
- What colors are shadows?
- And so on...
So how did you do? Well, there are so many questions that people have that go unanswered when they attend those other color classes and they keep taking them in the hopes that somehow if they just figure out what color scheme to use then they'll be a great artist. What they really needed is a class that empowers them with factual, non-bias information. And that's what we supply :)
Feel free to ask us questions to see if you'd benefit from our classes
If you've spent any amount of time listening to art teachers, you've probably heard the saying "It's all about value." And I cringe every time I hear it because it's often used without context. Is value important? Of course, but the issue is much more complex. If a painting is based on value as the prime directive then color is subject to the value choices. However, if a painting has color as the primary directive then values are selected for the color. Take, for example, the above Monet painting (pardon the poor imagery). The color version is the original. If by simply removing the color from that painting we are left with the image at top left. There are obviously different values but the overall effect is lacking as a B/W picture compared to the original . To remedy this we have to adjust the values to make for better contrast and effect . The result is the bottom left picture. Now, look back at the color version and you will probably notice that it feels as if it is actually more like the bottom black/white picture in terms of contrast (especially with the original). Why? Because Monet made color the prime directive in this picture and the values are incidental to the color choices. This is just to show that while value is clearly important (especially in drawing) it's not always the one pulling the reins...
I didn't take this to its final conclusion as I didn't have enough time..However, regardless of that this is a 4 color(all strong high chroma) plus white study where colors are mixed on the canvas only. It is a weaving of colors popular in some schools of painting. As far as color goes, there are limitations of certain ranges of low-key colors. This could be altered with the addition of other paints. This method allows for great control while maintaining high level of color movement.
Thanks to to all those who made it to the lecture this past Friday at Richard Morris' studio ( who graciously let us have it there- big thanks to him). We hope we gave you a glimpse of what color anatomy is all about and how it fits into the big picture. We'll keep you posted on when we have the next class up and running. Thanks again!
