Syllabus: ART 150: Introduction to Painting

Instructor: Kelly Manning

or by appointment
Email: kmanning@hastings.edu

Office Hours: TTH: 10:30-11:00

office phone 461-7328

ART 150: Introduction to Painting

Tues/Thurs: 1:00-2:20pm

Course Description
Welcome to Intro to Painting. For many of you, this is your first art class since high school,
or perhaps even grade school! Learning to paint requires knowledge of paint materials and
techniques, basic color theory knowledge, basic drawing and design skills, and exposure to
successful finished paintings. So in essence, this class is a combination of four classes: intro
to painting, intro to drawing, 2D design and art history. Therefore, emphasis will be placed
on understanding the following:
Painting materials: You will learn the purpose and characteristics of various painting
materials. For example, you will learn that there are different shapes and textures of
brushes, each of which create different brushstrokes.
Painting techniques: You will learn different painting techniques, such as impasto (using
lots of paint) and glazing (using transparent layers of paint).
Palette mixing: You will learn how to create a color palette, relying on both color theory
and observation.
Drawing: You will learn drawing skills such as sighting and the grid system. This will be
very basic drawing knowledge, meant to compliment the painting process.
Basic design concepts: You will learn the basics of creating a pleasing composition, or
how objects within the painting are arranged.
Art history: You will learn about several different artists and art movements as they relate
to each painting assignment. Seeing the work of successful artists opens your mind to what
can be achieved with paint. For our portrait master-copy, you will be required to write a
short paper about the artist whose work you chose to paint.
While there are many types of paint available to artists today, this class will focus
exclusively on painting with oil paint. Oil paint allows for a wide variety of techniques, and
has a rich history. Also, sticking with one type of paint will let you devote more of your focus
and attention on developing your painting skills from one painting to the nextseeing the
strengths and weaknesses of each painting and making the necessary adjustments in the
following painting. Yet much of your newly acquired painting knowledge will be applicable to
paints such as acrylics, tempera and watercolor.
Like many beginning painting classes, the assignments in this class are centered on
representational imagery, which you learn to paint through careful observation. Learning to
paint from observation gives you a solid understanding of how paint works by giving you a
structured and identifiable goal, which is valuable when learning any new skill. The
semester will be divided into two sections: still life, in which objects will be observed from
life, and portraiture, where we learn how to use photographic sources.

Grading
Your final grade will be assessed as follows:
90%: Painting Assignments
10%: Test
Paintings
You will complete 4 medium-scale and 3 small-scale paintings. Your grade for each painting
assignment will be more than just an assessment of your paintingit will also evaluate your
work ethic. This includes:

Completing the assignment on time

Working in class every day (having good attendance, paying attention to
demonstrations, working actively on your paintings, not leaving early, not doing
homework for other classes during class time, etc.)
Working outside of class when needed. (The basic college standard is that, for
every credit hour you take, expect to work 2 hours outside of class every week. This
is a 3 credit hour class; therefore expect to spend at least 6 hours (3 credits x 2) a
week outside of class.)
Sketchbooks: You will keep an informal sketchbook, in which you will record color
palettes, draw thumbnail sketches, give self-critiques on finished work, do artist
research, etc.

See the attached grading rubricthis is how each of your paintings will be evaluated.
Test
You will be given a test covering painting materials and terminology (see class schedule).
The purpose of this test is to make sure you leave this class with a good understanding of
basic painting terms. While Im attaching a copy of this test, it is not a take-home testI
want you to know these terms from memory. If you receive a low grade on this test, you can
retake the test any time before the end of the semester, and as many times as youd like
however you need to take the initiative and let me know! I will take the best grade of all
your attempts.

Attendance
Good attendance (in this class as well as in your other classes) is an important life skillit
requires self-discipline, it signals that you respect your professors time and talents, and it
ensures your tuition is well-spent. If you miss any painting classes, you either miss out on
important demonstrations or valuable class time set aside to paint. Furthermore, youll find
that you learn so much from watching and interacting with your fellow classmates, and
conversely your classmates learn from you! In short, if you miss too many classes, your
painting suffers.
If you miss class, it is your responsibility to seek the notes, assignments, etc. from another
classmate. I encourage you to email me as to why you miss class. However, I will not
respond to emails with a detailed reply of what youve missed in class. If you dont attend
class for more than a week without contacting me, it is college policy to report you to the
dean of students.
The following amount of absences, regardless of the reasons for your absences, will affect
your final grade as such:

4 absences: your final grade will be reduced one letter grade.

5 absences: your final grade will be reduced two letter grades.
6 absences: your final grade will be reduced three letter grades.
7 absences and I will manually withdrawal you from classif that deadline
has passed, you will receive an F.

In the unlikely event that you have 4 or more absences all due to school or sporting events,
or due to extreme circumstances that I deem excusable, I reserve the right to make
exceptions to my attendance policy.
Also, realize that each painting grade takes into account your attendance during the class
time allotted for each painting. So its highly likely that if you have excessive absences,
youre not getting an A in the class to begin with!!!
I keep track of attendance on Bronco Board, so you can check your attendance record
anytime. Please note that your final grade as it appears on Bronco Board does not reflect
the amount of absences you have.

Health and Safety

While painting with oil paint is relatively safe, there are precautionary measures we need to
take.
Paints:
Use gloves when mixing your palette and cleaning up. Many pigments in paint
(whether it be oils, acrylics or watercolors) contain heavy metals and over time could
cause damage to your organs and nervous system. While it wont hurt you to have a
little paint on your skin, be on the safe side, keeping skin contact with paint to a
minimum. Its up to you whether or not you wear gloves as you paint.
Do not put paint waste in the regular trash!!! Any trash that has oil paint on it
goes in the red solid waste container. This includes paper towels used while painting,
old or used-up tubes of paint, and Saran wrap soiled with paint. Anything soaked in
oil has the possibility of starting on fire! This is why we need to keep our paint waste
in a closed containerjust in case a fire does start, it will be contained.
Dont use your hands to eat when they are dirty with oil paint. While its
okay to eat and drink in the painting studio, use common sense.
Never clean your palette off in the sink, or pour paint down the drain.
Solvents:
Do not leave opened jars of solvent out on the counter!!! The solvents we use
to clean our brushes have a strong odor and can cause headaches. It is important to
keep lids on all containers when not in use!!!
Always make sure to label jars with the appropriate solvent, medium etc.
Do not put empty containers of Turpenoid or paint medium (such as Liquin
or linseed oil) in the solid waste can. Let air dry and put in regular trash.
Never pour solvents down the drain!!!

Materials
Most of the painting materials will be provided for you in this class. Much of the materials
you will be using will stay in the painting lab after you leave. Therefore, it is important that
you take care of the materials provided for you! Here is a list of materials that you are
responsible for buying for this class:

Book: Bill Creevy The Oil Painting Book: Materials and Techniques for Todays Artist.
Retail value: $19.95

Apron, smock or old button-up shirt (Oil painting is very messy!!! You will definitely
want to protect your nice clothing from paint!)
Small sketchbook (Allens and Walmart both have small sketchbooks!)
Used plastic bottle caps, such as pop or juice lids (used to contain painting mediums)
Two or more rolls of blue shop towels (found at any hardware store)
Razor scraper for cleaning your palette (found at any hardware store)
Bar of soap and soap container (for cleaning brushesget a moisturizing soap if
possible)
Baby oil or cooking oil (for cleaning brushes)
Blue painters tape (1 roll)
Saran wrap

Note to Art Majors

If you have even a thought that youd like to paint for your junior and/or senior thesis show, I
recommend you go above and beyond the expectations of this class. For instance, read
through the entire Bill Creevy text, really internalizing the painting terminology. If I
reference or mention any artists either relating to an assignment or that apply to your
specific work, research these artists outside of class, building a list of contemporary and
historical artists that inspire and influence you. If your schedule allows, stay after each class
and paint with the advanced painters (2:30-3:50 T-Th). Just being around more experienced
painters, watching them paint and explain their work, will have a positive impact on your
own painting. In other words, Im asking you to be very proactive on your path to becoming
a better painter.
In closing, I look forward to painting with each of you this semester. My hope is that you
leave this class surprised and inspired by what you were able to create.