Assignment 2_Prismatic_(Desserts)

Color Studies, week 2: Prismatic Color

In Class Exercise

Required Materials: gouache, brushes, palette, sketchbook, graphite pencils, water container, metal ruler, exacto knife and paper towels.

Make a series of abstract thumbnails in your sketchbook based on YOUR FAVORITE DESSERTS and experiment with gouache to create high key (light valued), low key (dark valued) and full value range (light, medium and dark) prismatic color studies. A ball park estimate of approximately ten shapes will be needed to insure good color interaction. Do not settle for the first sketches that appear on the page. They may, or more probably, may not be the best designs. Push your designs beyond the first initial sketches for best results. A good design will require a variety of shapes in a variety of sizes that includes an interesting arrangement of shapes to articulate the interaction color.

Prismatic color – Pure hues that represent the spectrum colors at highest saturation.

Saturation – Intensity or chroma. Saturation refers to purity of hue and the measure of inherent light.

Value – the relative luminousity (lightness or darkness) of a color.

High key – refers to colors that are light in value.

Low key – Colors that are predominantly dark.

High Key Colors: Yellow, yellow-orange, yellow-green

1. Spectrum Yellow followed by Greenish Yellows and Orange Yellows that deepen progressively toward Yellow Green and Yellow Orange.

2. High key colors progressively lose their high key distinction the closer they move towards the middle key colors.

Middle Key Colors: Blue Green and Red Orange

Low Key Colors: Blues and Violets, Blue Violet is the darkest low key hue.

1. Low key colors progressively lose their low key distinction the closer they move towards the middle key colors.

A Co-Primary Triad Palette

1. Lemon Yellow and Brilliant Yellow. Lemon Yellow is a cool yellow that is biased towards green. Mix this yellow with Sky Blue to achieve the most prismatic greens. Brilliant Yellow is a slightly red leaning yellow. Mix this yellow with Cadmium Red to get good prismatic oranges.

Note: Mixing Lemon Yellow with Alizarin Crimson to make an orange will produce a comparatively muted orange as opposed to the desired prismatic hue. This is because both pigments are biased towards the orange complement of blue and will result in a duller mixture. The same is true for greens mixed from Ultramarine Blue and Brilliant Yellow. Both colors are biased towards the red which is the complement of green.

2. Cadmium Red and Alizarin Crimson*. Cadmium Red is a brilliant warm red that mixes with well with Brilliant Yellow to produce prismatic oranges. Mixing Cadmium Red with Sky Blue will produce a grayed violet that is unsuitable for a study of prismatic color. Alizarin Crimson is a blue biased red that mixes well with Ultramarine Blue to create beautiful prismatic violets.

3. Sky Blue and Ultramarine Blue*. Sky Blue is a brilliant cool, green tinged blue that mixes with well with Lemon Yellow to produce the most prismatic greens. Ultramarine Blue is a violet tinged blue that mixes well with Alizarin Crimson to create prismatic violets.

*Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue are dark transparent pigments that require a small addition of white to achieve prismatic intensity. This a characteristic shared by many transparent pigments. Transparent pigments are ideal for glazing in oil, acrylic and even watercolor, but glazing as a rule, is an unsuitable technique for gouache and the matte, opaque color requirements of this class.

Note: In this class white is a necessity, not a virtue. White mutes, cools and grays mixtures. To maintain maximum hue saturation, avoid adding white to the yellows, cadmium red or sky blue for this project.

Outside Assignment: Prismatic Color – Color studies/Variation on a visual theme/Family resemblance

• Create three abstract studies in gouache that are related in shape, composition, and handling of materials. Base the designs on the previous achromatic gray studies.

• The colors used should all be highly saturated or prismatic.

• The first should have a broad range of values. The second two should use a narrow value range with one in high key colors and one in low-key colors.

• Make sure your colors are opaque. The color of the paper may not be used.

• Do not repeat colors.

• Mount your 3x5" studies on a 9x12" Bristol.  Craft is important. Keep border clean.

• Materials: Gouache and Bristol board

Research Assignment

• Research artwork in books or online that utilizes an extensive prismatic color palette and include two labeled color prints in the sketchbook. Almost any kind of visual art (historic or contemporary) that uses an extensive prismatic color palette is acceptable. Grafitti, cartoons, anime and manga are not acceptable for the research assignment.

Note: The use of the of the art or artists brought in as examples by the instructor is mimicry, not research and is prohibited. The purpose of this exercise is for the student to look and make connections between their own efforts and the work of others.