Spears Art Studio High School and Adult Beginners Painting with Oil and/oracrylic Can You Answer? Brushy Creek Brushy Creek reference photo and painting D. S. Spears oil on canvas image size: 40"x30" Spears Art Studio Painting with Oil and/or Acrylic Can You Answer? 1
Can You Answer? 1. WHAT IS ART? Art is basically anything done well. Also, it is any work done in visual, verbal, musical communication, or performance, (i.e. the art of cooking), whether or not it is done well. 2. HOW MANY KINDS OF VISUAL ART ARE THERE? (Kind of a trick question) Basically, two kinds of art are: (1) successful (good) and (2) unsuccessful (bad). However, much confusion and controversy exist about what is considered good or bad. Art can be considered good if it follows good design rules (elements and principles of art) regardless of subject matter. Some consider "good" subject matter is required for good visual art. Some works of art are depraved subject matter. Just because a piece of work follows the rules of good art production successfully, does not mean it is a worthwhile contribution to society. Freedom of expression in the artist s studio is important, but censorship, discernment, and wisdom should be exercised about displaying everything produced. This is where Christians must allow the Holy Spirit to minister discernment and then take a stand. Learn to make good judgments of art based on its successful use of art principles and its agreement with the principles of God's Kingdom. Some artworks make statements about art itself, do not seem to fall into either category of good or bad subject matter, and are judged solely on their adherance to the principles of art production. Some art is also different from a person s experience, and the temptation to call it bad is strong because it is unfamiliar. Most people who have had limited experience in art expect art to contain the sublime, placing more importance on content (subject matter) while ignoring art principles, to determine its value. The answer you probably expected Fine arts are divided into visual art, music, dance, creative writing, and theatre arts, each with some divisions. The arts also include crafts, of which there are many categories, such as weaving, ceramics, sewing, crochet, knitting, needlepoint, making ornaments, origami and many more. 3. WHY DOES ART EXIST? Many purposes for art should be obvious. Among them are to call attention to beauty, make a political or religious statement, display emotion, explore the inner self, improve the environment or simply to decorate useful objects. Spears Art Studio Painting with Oil and/or Acrylic Can You Answer? 2
4. WHY DO WE NEED THE FINE ARTS? We practice fine arts to learn eye-hand-body coordination, learn to follow directions, learn to think creatively in problem-solving and to make our environment interesting, stimulating, and beautiful. Tests and studies have proved the production and study of the fine arts increase academic performance. 5. ARE ART SKILLS INHERITED OR LEARNED? Both. Natural inheritance from parents who are talented usually creates the art interest in children. We have a spiritual inheritance also, because we are created in the likeness and image of God. Our God is creative therefore we have the ability to be creative in Him by His Spirit. We also develop skills by learning and through practice of techniques. We need to have a big deposit of skill in us for God to draw upon. 6. WHAT ARE THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF ART? A. BASIC ART ELEMENTS All these elements can exist in painting: 1. line a mark that has a beginning and an ending 2. shape a line that encloses space 3. space the area in, around, under, over, and through an object 4. color the perception of light reflected from or absorbed into a surface a. hue the name of the color; spectrum position (1) Primary red, yellow, and blue (2) Secondary orange, green, purple (3) Tertiary intermediate colors between the primary and secondary (i.e. red-orange, blue-green, magenta, etc.) 4) Analogous colors: colors next to each other on the color wheel (i.e.: magenta, red, red-orange) (5) monochromatic colors of the same hue (family) (6) complementary colors opposite each other in the color wheel (red-green; blue-orange; yellow-purple) b. value lightness and darkness (1) tints - hue plus white (2) shades hue plus black or a very dark color (3) intensity saturation, purity (brightness and dullness) 5. texture the surface characteristic; texture can be real or implied, and is usually present in visible brush strokes. If the texture has been built up through application of sculptural material under the paint, then actual form can be achieved, as in bas relief. Spears Art Studio Painting with Oil and/or Acrylic Can You Answer? 3
6. form an object with space in three dimensions (height, width, depth) in a flat picture plane, form is achieved by the illusion of depth through the principles of aerial and/or linear perspective. B. BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN (design an artistic plan or pattern) Many of these should be present in a successful painting. Some will be more prominent. A focal point should always be present. The following are the major principles: 1. repetition the creation of patter 2. proportion the relationship of parts to a whole 3. contrast/value the comparison of light and dark 4. balance/symmetry/asymmetry a harmonious arrangement or proportion of parts producing stability and equilibrium; a cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces. 5. emphasis/focal point to draw attention to a specific component 6. unity the successful working together of all parts of the whole 7. variety the introduction of many parts 8. harmony a pleasing or balanced combination of elements a pleasing or balanced combination of elements 9. rhythm/movement/force the direction of line or shapes that cause the eye to move around the picture plane; the flow of elements C. TECHNIQUE a systematic procedure or specific way of doing D. CONTENT the subject or message of the piece of art E. PERCEPTION SKILLS edges, spaces, relationships, light/shadow, value, and Gestalt. In this study, you will learn about 1. lost and found edges, 2. how to manage the space on a picture plane, 3. relationships of objects, value, hue, light and shadow, and... 4. Gestalt the whole; the uniqueness of the thing perceived; the thingness of the thing. This is a concept easy to forget, because it is rather esoteric (highly specialized knowledge and vocabulary). Gestalt is is a German word, originally meaning configuration. It is used in a particular school of psychology that emphasizes the fact that the whole may be more than the sum of its parts, and that the parts of the whole are often modified by their relationships to t he whole and to one another. You can see how this applies to art: that the components of the painting (subject matter, objects, colors, emotional content, etc.) must work together to achieve its goal. Components of an artwork can be appreciated separately, but they must contribute Spears Art Studio Painting with Oil and/or Acrylic Can You Answer? 4
to the whole and relate to the other parts through skillful use of the elements and principles of art. 7. HOW MANY DIFFERENT MEDIA CAN YOU NAME? Medium (S)/ Media (PL) the material(s) used in the production of art pencil, ink, colored pencil, charcoal, crayon, pastel, oil pastel, acrylic, oil, watercolor, gouache, tempera, clay, stone, metal, wood, paper, fabric, dye, yarn, found objects. Can you think of more? Most of the media in fine arts are also used in crafts, therefore sometimes creating an indistinct line between fine arts and crafts. For example: clay is used in sculpture and in poured ceramic moulds. In music, the medium is the instrument or voice; in dance the medium is the physical body; in theatre arts the medium is the voice and the physical body. 8. WHAT IS A DIMENSIONAL PLANE? 1. one dimension line straight, curved, crooked, broken, length 2. two dimensions shape flat with height (thick, thin) and width; irregular, circular, angular 3. three dimensions form shape with height, width, and depth (a cube rather than a square This information will be practiced again and again in this manual. Remember, practice and repetition are the foundations of learning. Spears Art Studio Painting with Oil and/or Acrylic Can You Answer? 5