Quail Creek Fine Arts Club Workshop on the Color Wheel and Color Theory: Description and Supplies

Quail Creek Fine Arts Club Workshop on the Color Wheel and Color Theory: Dec 3, 2015. 9-12 am at the Creative Arts and Technology Fine Arts Club at Quail Creek, Green Valley Arizona.

by Karen Halbert, Artist, Mathematics Profesor, www.karenhalbert.com


Description:  Introduction to the history of color and color theories and color wheel, using some examples from websites.  Hands-on exercises in mixing and simple color wheel construction.  

You may preview the actual proposed contents of the workshop by going to the posts listed to the right on this blog: Workshop Contents, Color Wheel Revisited and Color Harmony (new).

Updates made after Nov 28  listed in the Updates post to the right or scroll down.

 Topics and exercises covered will include:
  1. The Artist's Color Wheel. 
  2. Color in space: hue, value, chroma. 
  3. From Newton to RGB.
  4. Historic and contemporary artist palettes.
  5. Color Harmony. 
  6. Other artist's tools: Brief demonstrations -  additional color wheels, the Magic Palette, color charts, Munsell color chips. 
  7. Workshop Exercises: Construction of : value scale, primary color wheel,  split-primary color wheel. Detailed instruction on creating your personal Artist's Color Wheel from blank forms..
  8. (Time permitting) Monitor and print palettes: RGB, CYMK, Munsell color charts.
Preparation: I suggest that you do preliminary exercises as described in the Workshop Exercises' post to the right (and in your email).  The main objective is to be comfortable mixing with a limited number of paints before the workshop.

SUPPLIES:
If you do not have the colors listed here, a set of six Acrylics (Utrecht Artist quality) split primary colors will be provided in the workshop.  But just three colors plus white would suffice: primary red, blue and yellow for the purpose of experimentation with a primary color wheel. Or just use your favorite red, blue and yellow for experimentation.

Required supplies: there are easels but I presume we will be using table tops.
Plastic table cloth

I would prefer that you have a palette even if you are going to use my acrylics.  I will have a small oval plastic palette for each of you if you don't have one; in this case be sure to have the listed spray bottle for water.

Acrylics or watercolor:
          Two Water buckets (e.g., 16 oz. yoghurt containers)
           Tubes of paint listed below, but I will have them for you to use
           Palette
           Paper towels
           Medium if desired.
           Empty Spray bottle for water
Oil painters.
            Mineral spirits, eg, gamsol. But no real turpentine.
            Tubes of paint listed below, but I might have some.
            Palette
            Paper towels
            Medium if desired.
            But see acrylics supplies if you are going to use my tubes.
             
Pastelists:
             Your own paper
             Pastel sticks to match the primaries and the mixes.
             But see acrylics supplies if you are going to use my tubes.

I will provide canvas paper, small tubes of acrylics, disposable palette paper, flat sponges to keep acrylic paints moist,  brushes (decent quality, but bring your own also). As indicated you do need some kind of (rectangular) palette to hold the sponge and palette paper. I have small plastic palettes but the paint dries out too fast, though perhaps spraying with water will suffice.
  
If you are an oil painter and do not wish to use the Acrylics, please let me know at my email address.  I have LOTS of different oil paint tubes that could be used (somewhat mix and match in brands).

You can use any of the following "primary" sets of tube paints (or pastel sticks) to set up your palette and/or create a color wheel (simplified for the initial workshop) (also, you may use the brands that you have, though I used Utrecht):

(Don't forget I will have sample acrylic tubes for you to use).

TITANIUM WHITE PLUS: 

Cadmium red medium, cadmium yellow medium and ultramarine blue

AND/OR

Hansa Yellow Light, Quinacridone Red and Phthalo Blue.

You may use the following substitutes:
For Quinacridone Red substitute alizarin crimson (not light-fast)
For Hansa Yellow Light substitute Cad lemon
For Phthalo blue substitute cerulean blue.

For a slightly more complex wheel combine these sets into what might be considered a split primary set (see the Color Mixing post). 


Please  feel free to email me any questions.

For the two pastelists in the group, try to find pastel sticks that correspond with the 6 primaries given.  You might try using cross-hatching to produce the secondaries and tertiaries,.Or select pastels that most correspond with mixes. 



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