Y is for Yellow! K May

Transcription

1 Y is for Yellow! K May 27, Welcome to Lesson K, our first lesson of Session 2! For our drawing exercise we will work on drawings in the style of Kathe Kollwitz For our mixed-media exercise we will work in watercolor on Paul Klee Color Grid Paintings Let s get started! (But first...) ^

2 K is for... kelp keep kids kitten kitchen kite keyboard knickers kewpie kinaesthetic king knock koala kiss kaleidoscope kidding kerosine knowledge keen knucklehead kvell key kindergartener kaput kibble knight kookaburra knuckle kerchief kingdom kosher kick knee kind knock kidnap keystone kindrid knock killjoy kit n kaboodle knockout kachina Print out and add your own K words in the spaces in-between those listed here!

3 Artists... Gustav Klimt Paul Klee Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Wassily Kandinsky Color possesses me. I don t have to pursue it. Frida Kahlo Kathe Kollwitz It will possess me always, I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: Color and I are one. I am a painter. Willem de Kooning Franz Kline Jeff Koons Wolf Kahn Paul Klee Add your own names to those listed here!

4 Drawing Assignment Kathe Kollwitz Drawings Supplies Needed sketchbook black crayon or charcoal references of Kathe Kollwitz drawings (if you can find a book at the library, this would be better than the internet for this particular assignment. If not, no worries!) photo references of people (you can use Wes!)... For the K drawing assignment, you will do six drawings in the style of Prussian artist Kathe Kollwitz. Let s get started!

5 This assignment is half looking, half drawing. Gather your supplies. Look at the drawings of Kathe Kollwitz for about 2-3 minutes. Just look and notice errant lines, erasures, the way she makes her marks, lights and darks, etc. Thank you to Wes Sonheim for his cheerful modeling (his 4th year-long class cameo!) Then, when ready, immediately start drawing your first portrait. Be gentle with yourself as you make your first marks; it s a scary thing, drawing, and the first mark is rarely right! Just keep looking and adjusting and correcting. Spend about 3-8 minutes per drawing. Assignment 1. Do two sets of three portrait drawings (total = 6). This should be done on two different days. 2. Draw in your sketchbook K things for minutes on two other days; Blind Contour Kitchens, Contour Kittens, One-liner kachina dolls, etc. (It s your choice how you would like to draw.)

6 Mixed-Media Assignment Klee Inspired Color Grid Paintings Supplies Needed watercolor paper (hot press or cold press, 140#), about 8 x8 pencil watercolors brushes (a #12 round or a small flat) references of images of some of Paul Klee s color grid paintings masking tape/artist s tape optional: heat gun classical music...

7 Step by Step Step 1 Find references of several grid paintings by Paul Klee and put on some Mozart or Beethoven (as a nod to Klee, an accomplished violinist). Step 2 On your watercolor paper, mask off a square with masking tape; press tape down firmly on the inside edges, as the watercolor can seep through. (Test this on a scrap piece of paper to make sure the tape doesn t rip your paper when pulled off.) Step 3 Lightly in pencil, design your grid. It can be simple or complicated; refer to Klee s work for ideas.

8 Step 4 Begin paint your first layer in watercolor. We are working in light, transparent layers, and will build up intensity with 2-3 more layers. You must let each layer dry completely before adding subsequent layers. (A heat gun can come in handy here.) Also, to avoid bleeding, take care not to fill in areas next to other areas that are still wet. If you are getting streaks, add more water. If you have added too much water, you can lift off the excess with your brush. Step 5 As you add layers, think about keeping some rectangles lighter in value and some darker. You will have a limitation/guide for each painting (see next page), but hold the assignment loosely and let your intuition tell you when to break out of the limitations. Look to Paul Klee s examples for ideas (such as making two or three squares be pure, saturated color, left).

9 Step 6 When you feel you have a nice balance of lights, darks, and hues, remove your tape carefully. Assignment Complete 3 small color grid paintings: 1. One with warm colors in the center and cool colors on the outer edges. 2. One with a limited color palette -- just three colors. 3. And one using whatever colors you would like to use (truly, have fun with this one! See what happens).