Course Description

Portraiture takes on new meaning in this abstract acrylic painting course as painters discover new ways to see and present the human face. Students will explore dynamic, interpretive, expressive and abstracted approaches to colour, texture, line, and shape while incorporating conceptual elements such as memory, emotion, spontaneity and intuition into figurative representation. This course assumes students will have some familiarity with acrylic painting.

Course Fee: $280 (supplies not included)

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Syllabus

• Abstract interpretation strategies for portraiture
• Planning and preparing abstract approaches
• Finding the essence- editing and pairing down
• Incorporating intuitive, spontaneous and unplanned elements
• Building meaning in non-representative forms

Supplies

• Acrylic paints: Whatever paint colours you already own. Golden Acrylic, Liquitex, or Meeden are recommended brands. At minimum, the following pigments (or equivalent) are suggested:
  • Titanium White
  • Zinc White
  • Mars Black
  • Primary Yellow
  • Raw Sienna
  • Cadmium Red Medium Hue
  • Alizarin Crimson
  • Pthalo Blue (Green Shade)
  • Ultramarine Blue
  • Dioxazine Purple
  • Burnt Umber
  • + any fun colours you would like to include
• White gesso
• Regular gloss gel medium
• Pumice medium or a small ziplock bag of sand (mixed with gel medium)
• Painter's tape
• 5 stretched canvas or canvas boards (masonite or birch board are options) size 16" x 16" or larger are recommended
• Canson XL Mix Media Paper pad, 18" x 24" or similar large heavyweight mixed meda paper
• Spray bottle with water
• Brushes:
  • 2" wide flat angled synthetic housepainting brush
  • 3/4" or 1" flat synthetic brush
  • A variety of synthetic and hog bristle acrylic brushes, including flat and round styles in several sizes (a few for detail, a few for larger strokes)
• Palette knives for mixing
• At least one trowel shaped metal painting knife (pallette knife)
• Palette of your choice. Can be as simple as an old plastic lid, or a wet palette if desired
• A few small plastic containers (recycled small sour cream, cream cheese, or small yogurt containers will do)
• Roll of paper towel
• Small set of oil pastels, anything that is cheap and available-Meeden, Artecho or Mont Marte are great, but for this, Mungyo, Paul Rubens, Pentel or unbranded whatever will do. (DO NOT get Sennelier for this- it is too greasy and soft)
• Photos of individual people or small groupings that you would like to make abstract portraits of.