HEAD PAINTING
Head Painting online class
Instructor: Kirk Shinmoto
COST: $680
Course length: 10 Weeks
**For cancellations, the deadline for a full refund is 5 days before class starts. After this there will only be a 50% refund. No refunds will be given once class beings. Please be aware that by signing up you are reserving a spot in the class that cannot be taken by someone else.**
About the Class: This class is an introduction to head painting with acrylic/gouache paint designed as a stepping stone from drawing to painting. We will start from the beginning, discussing traditional materials and work up from painting in greyscale to using a limited palette of red, white, black, and yellow (aka the Zorn palette). The class will emphasize the importance of drawing and having a clear sense of structure and organization while painting.
Course level: Recommended for intermediate students. Some drawing experience and knowledge of head construction is highly recommended. No previous painting experience required.
Class Format: This course will run for 10 weeks and will be taught through a combination of pre-recorded lectures and live critiques through Discord. Each week students will be given access to class lectures and we will then have a live, group critique session the following week to go over homework. We will also have a live meeting the first week to go over class materials and to answer any additional questions students may have. All lectures and critique recordings will be made available for students to download and review. Class will be limited to 10 students.
Homework: There will be homework assigned every week based on the lecture material. Workload estimated to be around 6-8 hours/ week.
Materials: This course will be taught with traditional medium but paint-overs for critiques will be done digitally. Because we will be expected to work traditionally, I will include a suggested materials list below so prospective students will have a better idea of what they may need or may have on hand before signing up. As with most of my classes, we will be doing a lot of painting for homework so I’ve tried to keep the materials list as inexpensive and efficient as possible. Estimated materials cost $60-$80 usd.
Materials List
Weekly breakdown
Week 1 - Introduction to materials (live) and Lecture: Basic Head Structure & BW values
Week one we will go over materials live so students have a chance to ask questions going forward with the class. The recorded lecture will focus on basic head proportions/construction and blocking in a 2-value, black and white drawing.
Week 2 - Grayscale Palette; Elements of Light and Shadow
This week will cover the major elements of light and shadow and how they relate to creating a value scale. We will practice painting some basic forms as well as applying our value structure to the simple construction of the head.
Week 3 - Grayscale Palette; “High-Key” and “Low-Key” Painting
Continuing with painting basic forms, we will discuss grouping values and how to control the overall “value key” of a painting.
Week 4 - Grayscale Palette; Planes of the Head Part 1
This week will cover more detailed constructions and painting strategies for the brow ridge, eyes, and nose.
Week 5 - Grayscale Palette; Planes of the head part 2
Continuing from the previous week, we will go over the construction and painting strategies for the mouth, neck and ears.
Week 6 - Grayscale Palette; Composition and Painting Hair
This week will cover painting hair along with going over compositional considerations for portrait painting.
Week 7 - Expanding Limited Palette to Black, White, and Red
This week will expand the black and white palette with the inclusion of red. We will cover understanding color as value, and warm and cool color relationships.
Week 8 - Expanding Limited Palette to “Zorn” Palette, Black, White, Red, and Yellow
We will expand our Palette to include yellow ochre. The lecture will focus on palette organization and understanding how to mix and match colors.
Week 9 - Zorn Palette Continued
Continuing practice from the previous week we will go over painting different lighting situations as well as painting refinement.
Week 10 - Final Critique (live)
Final critique and discussion on expanding the palette and advice for further practice and study.
