Final Grading

Color_End of Term (Final) Grading.

Final Grading- Color Foundations

For your final, you will be turning in a folder on the server, which will include

1. scans, or photographs of all your finished projects since midterm,

2. your artist research papers (if you have not already placed them on the server... they were due last Friday)

You will also be handing in your sketchbooks so i can review your progress on in class exercises, research, note taking, and overall organization. Sketchbooks will be graded for overall content and construction.

You will label your folder with “lastname_firstname_final” and place it in the folder labeled "Finals" in our classroom folder that is found by accessing the server.  You will also place a copy of this folder in the classroom dropbox.   If you are having problems accessing the server, you may have another student from the class log in and you may place your folder on the server via their access or bring your images on a thumbdrive and I will grant you access to place these files. 

To begin: 

1. Scan and/or photograph your images   Because of the size, you will have to PHOTOGRAPH the harmony (midterm assignment) and you will also have to PHOTOGRAPH you final project (4 Seasons). I will bring my camera and be glad to help you photograph the larger works, which you can edit during the first part of Friday's class.

2. You should edit and adjust all the images to make sure they look professional using Photoshop of the photo editing software of your choosing. Your images should be 300 dpi and sized about 8x10.  You will need one image per weekly assignment.

3. Create a folder (on your desktop or a thumbdrive).  Drop your images in the folder.  Each image should be named “Lastname_Firstname_Project Name”

FOR EXAMPLE  "Green_Thomas_Harmony" "Green_Thomas_Bezold" and so forth.

You should have images for the following.

6. Harmony

7. Altered_Limited
8. Interaction_Transparency
9. Bezold
10. Four Seasons

All your projects along with your papers and the sketchbook (300 points total) will total 2150 points.   Scanning, Photographing your work and properly naming and placing the files on the server for the final will count as 100 points.


Sketchbooks are due at the end of class on Friday, and will be available for you to pick up Monday. 

You have until 12:00 Noon SATURDAY to get everything on the server.  NO EXCEPTIONS I will have your grades processed and sent to you (hopefully) by Monday morning.   You may contact me via email, facebook if you have questions or concerns about the grade issued. 

Final Project_Four Seasons

Green seasons from Thomas Everett Green

Color Studies Final: Four Seasons

In Class Exercise and Outside Assignment

• Create four related designs/images that express, visually, the idea of the four seasons. The idea of the seasons is to be communicated through the use of color and is not to rely on illustrative content. Bare branches in winter are an example of obvious illustrative content and are unacceptable. Inspiration can be derived from the natural world, culture (as in seasonal holidays) or personal associations. It may be helpful to revisit the altered palette projects and use combined saturations (prismatic, muted, chromatic gray) to create an overall seasonal tone or mood.

 Avoid seasonal color clichés. Pastels for spring; blue, white and gray for winter, and grade school leaf colors for autumn are all examples of seasonal color clichés. Again, these colors can be used in the work, but they are not allowed to carry the piece. Artwork relying on seasonal color clichés and obvious illustrative content to convey the idea will not receive a good grade.

• Try not to use a color more than once in each piece unless you are trying to achieve an all over harmony and have a specific reason to do so.   

“Do not use modeling or shading of any sort.  We are still working with shapes

• Materials: Gouache, Color-aid paper and Bristol

• Mount your 7x10” studies on 9x12” Bristol. Use a 1” border. Craft is important. Keep border clean.

In Class Assignment:  Brainstorm ideas about what you might want to include in the composition.  You might want to abstract nature, or use relevant and subjective subject matter, or employ an entirely abstract design.   Make a list of 10 ideas in your brainstorming process.  From this you will choose 4-5 ideas/concepts you have for the project.

Create 4-8 sketches on each the various ideas that you have.   You should have a minimum of 16 sketches in your sketchbook. Better planning makes for a better final design.  Consult your instructor for help and reflection into more effective, interesting, and unique ways to express the concept both visually through design and with the incorporation of color using various theories or explorations you have learned during the semester.

As always:  Craftsmanship is the utmost importance and will count for half of your grade.

50 percent of the grade will be based on how well each of the compositions has a unique feel, color scheme, and how well they convey the ideas of the four seasons.

EXAMPLES OF PAST ASSIGNMENTS

Video resources for Albers Interaction of Color.

Five videos that help explain color illusion, interaction, transparency and the Bezold Effect

MIXING AND TRANSPARENCY


Color Mixing and Transparence (Part 1) from Josef and Anni Albers Foundation on Vimeo.


TRANSPARENCY AND SPACIAL ILLUSION


Transparence and Spatial Illusions (Part 2) from Josef and Anni Albers Foundation on Vimeo.

TRANSPARENCY AND TEXTURE




Transparence of Texture (Part 3) from Josef and Anni Albers Foundation on Vimeo.


THE BEZOLD EFFECT

The Bezold Effect (Part 4) from Josef and Anni Albers Foundation on Vimeo.

The Bezold Effect

Somewhat contrary to what we have studied about color interaction, there is another effect that occurs when colors are placed next to one another.  Instead of the general color interaction that one might expect to occur, Colors seem to take on their surroundings.  Psychologically, the mind is trying to organize and consolidate the areas into one general, easy to interpret value and hue.  This effect is known as The Bezold Effect.

Here is a look at my presentation on the Bezold Effect:

                        

Green bezold effect from Thomas Everett Green

Color Studies : Bezold Effect/Mood

Color in art can express emotion, convey a mood and communicate meaning. It can be used psychologically to work in concert with subject matter and other formal concerns. Formal elements can be thought of as the abstract language of design and includes shape, rhythmic intervals, pattern, texture, edge quality, relative visual density and of course, color. Design is important as an arranged vehicle for color interaction.

Color symbolism is used to express ideas and values. It is pervasive throughout history, but it varies from culture to culture. Color symbology can become so ubiquitous within a culture that it becomes a cliche.

Examples of cliched emotional color symbology:

• yellow: happy and joyous

• red: love, passion and anger

• green: envy and jealousy

• gray or blue: sad, down, depressed

Homework:

Create and title simple abstract compositional sketches that express a particular feeling or mood. Be specific about the mood/feeling to be conveyed.

The Bezold Effect from The Interaction of Color, Josef Albers

“There is a special kind of optical mixture, the Bezold Effect, named after its discover, Wilhelm von Bezold (1837-1907). He recognized this effect when searching for a method through which he could change the color combinations of his rug designs entirely by adding or changing one color only. Apparently, there is so far no clear recognition of the optical-perceptual conditions involved.”

Outside Assignment: Mood – Color studies

• Create and title a simple composition based on your in class studies that defines for you the particular feeling or mood you choose from the chits I’ll give out in class. Be specific about the mood/feeling you are attempting to convey. Write it down and do not share the mood that you wish to express with anyone except the instructor.

• Keeping in mind the Bezold Effect make a second version of your composition that, through the substitution of one color produces the opposite feeling or mood.

• Materials: Gouache/ Color-aid paper

• Mount your 7x10” studies on 9x12” Bristol. Use a 1” border. Craft is important. Keep border clean.

• Write your name and the emotion expressed on the back of each piece.

In Class Mood Critique

• Students will be given time to state in writing their intentions in addition to the customary self appraisal of his or her efforts.  The class will critique and and attempt to decipher the mood in a given individual’s work. The student will then discuss his or her own work and the critique will conclude with commentary from the instructor.

Interaction and transparency

In Class Assignment

Based on the images shown on median transparency and dark transparency, experiment with transparency, using gouache and color-aid paper in your sketchbook.   Create eight studies that exhibit transparency (4 median, 4 dark)

The object of this exercise is to create the optical illusion of transparency with opaque color and is not to be confused with literal transparency.  The illusion of transparency enhances the appearance of spatial depth in 2D design.  This illusion is produced by one shape overlapping another and thereby forming a third shape that appears to be part of each. Imagine two translucent rectangles superimposed at right angles to form a cross.  Emerging at the intersection of the cross is a square, with the color of the square determining the effect of transparency.  There are two distinct categories of transparency

In Median Transparency-the illusion of transparency exists where the value of the color at the overlap is halfway between that of the two parent colors. The hue of the overlapping area blends the hues of the two overlying colors equally.

In Dark Transparency- the illusion of transparency exists where a color of the overlapping area is darker in value than both colors that appear to overlap. The hue in a dark transparency blends the hues of the two parent colors.

Outside Assignment: 

(Albers) Color Interaction

Recommended text: The Interaction of Color (Revised and Expanded), Josef Albers, Yale University Press, 2006 (on reserve in the library).

• Create two 5x8" related and non objectional designs using geometric or organic shapes or a combination of both.  Use a different palette of colors in each. Use at least 10 to 12 shapes and at least 6 different colors. Employ each color more than once in your designs amongst different surroundings to show the effects of color interaction.

• Employ color interaction effects learned in class. Think about the interaction of shapes and color for maximum effect. Consider shapes within shapes, shapes running across shapes and shapes against shapes. Remember, that the repetition of color creates harmony. Good color interaction will give the appearance of a greater variety of color than the number of hues actually used.

• Materials: Gouache, Color-aid paper.  Try and employ equal parts of each.

• Mount your 5x8 studies on 9”x 12” Bristol. Use a 1” border. Keep border clean. Craftsmanship in the execution of the studies and presentation is important.

PART II

(Albers) Color Transparency

Recommended text: The Interaction of Color (Revised and Expanded), Josef Albers, Yale University Press, 2006 (on reserve in the library).

Create a 7x10 study based on overlapping geometric or organic shapes or a combination of both.  Exhibit the use of transparency in your composition.   You should include several median and a dark transparencies in the composition.    You might want to include a background or try and keep the composition somewhat simple, as transparency has a tendency to get confusing when you have too many overlapping shapes. 

Mount your 7x10 transparency study on a 9x10 sheet of Bristol. 

Due  Friday April 10

Interaction Examples

Transparency Example

Previous student work

Color Interaction.

Color Interaction In Class Assignment.

Using your color aid paper (and Gouache if necessary) you will be creating color squares as Josef Albers did to explore the relationships and interactions of colors between and surrounded by other colors.

You will be placing a ½” square within the center of a 2” square for each of the following studies

1.     Value-try to alter the value of a color.  First by using an achromatic gray and second by altering the value of an chromatic gray. Then, make two more studies (1-achromatic gray, 1-chromatic gray) which make two different values appear to be one.

2.     For the second- create a group of five studies and try altering only the hue of a single color; value should remain the same.   Use experimentation and trial and error to get five good examples; explore colors at all levels of saturation.  As you work, think about what you discover and try to make sense of it.

3.     Make five studies that show an alteration of saturation predominantly.

4.     Produce five studies that appear to alter the hue, value, and saturation of a single color

5.     Finally, try to make two different colors appear as one. 

SEE BELOW for added instructions and image samples.

Due Friday April 4

The following is taken from our text Colour: a workshop for artists and designers (David Hornung)