ART7+Portrait+Color+Study

Homework: Portrait Color Study
__//Due Date: May 24, 2011//__

Color is arguably the most important element of art. It is generally the first thing you notice about an artwork and often one of the strongest features within a piece of art. If color is this powerful, you better learn how to make it!

The objective of this study is for you to first see the color, then analyze that color and finally create that color. Your portrait collage study is fill with numerous colors AND 8, 16, 24 or whatever number of colors that makes your color pencil box does not directly represent many of these colors. This creates a problem. You have to create those colors by blending.

First you look at the color (on your collage portrait) and think, “What am I seeing?” Start by noticing the dominant color you see and then analyze how your color is not like that color. For example, you many see the dominant color is red. But the red you see in the collage is not quite pure red. It is darker then a normal red and also cooler. Valuable information comes from your thinking. All you need to do is a quick few tests to find your color.

First you know that you need red, the dominant color. Then a darker color = black. Finally, a cooler color = possibly blue or violet. Then you blend these colors together by [|cross-hatching] (ink drawing technique that can be adapted to color blending). Since your dominate color is red, it will is the first to go down on the paper and then you add a little black, more red, little blue, more red and so on till you get your color. Periodically, you check your test by placing the color your making near the collage color. If your color gets too dark or cool you may need to start over on another test until you blend the matching color.

Once you have figured the blend of matching color you can proceed to add color with confidence on your artwork. This “testing” process can be unitized every time you come to a new color. As your seeing and coloring skills develop you may not need to “test” as often.

Click on ART7 useful links to find more information on how artist use color. Click on Portrait Project (Color Study Rubric) to see your assessment tool. Click on Portrait Color Study Exemplars to see examples of successful art pieces.