Art Assignment?

So at school, I just finished my art class for high school credit, and I got my final grade! Turns out I have an "A" in it, and I get full credit.

This was supposed to be my last assignment... I couldn't get high quality pictures so the colors look weird and blurred, but this is basically what I painted. It was a Full Spectrum assignment, so I had to use all the colors of the color wheel.

 I'll remember to post a better quality picture of the painting, once I find my camera...

- Process -

1) Blank paper - clean, organized space. 

I cut a cardboard box so that it's surface would be flat, acting as a sheet or a cover for the table. I took a single sheet of plastic wrap and taped it onto the cardboard so that it acts as a palette. (I made sure the wrap was fully stretched out and flat so that it didn't wrinkle together.)

2) Starting to Paint/Painting the Focal Point

To begin painting, I had to figure out what the focal point was going to be, and what my overall outcome would look like. I started by taking a small amount of Teal Blue paint and placed a small amount of white next to it, giving me the ability to mix different shades. I started out with the top of the dress, working my way down. I usually don't create outlines first, so while I painted, I added texture and shaped out my figures all at once. To get the lighter tones and the texture of the dress, I used a lot more white then any other color.

 3) Creating the Foreground
The next order of business was to create the foreground. The foreground was a picture frame showing a painting of the ocean and the water flowing out of the painting. Her dress blends in/comes out of the water, creating a surrealist-typed concept.

4) Thinking of the background

I started the background in a field of grass. I used the colors yellow and light brown mixed together to create a tan-ish tone. Using a dry brush with plastic hairs, I lightly brushed back and forth. As for what the rest of the paper would be, I had to figure out a way to show the opposite of what was inside the picture frame while figuring out how to use all the remaining colors to a full spectrum.

5) The Outcome

Honestly, the outcome was way different from what I had intended, but it counted as a full spectrum. I completed the painting by adding in the colors of purple and blue in the sky, and creating an opposite setting in the background from the painting. The water rushes out of the painting and into the field, where the girl's dress emerges from the water.

Here are the paints that I used:

They were all mostly acrylic paints, and they are very old. I didn't have that many colors, so I had to mix colors to get a certain shade. The white paint and the black paint was used most often, and the other small paints were eggshell paints. I didn't pay that close attention to the sizes of the brushes, mostly since I don't own that many. I used 4 different brushes overall, and a mini easel fit for a table.


It was not that hard to do, but the outcome was a little disappointing to me. I am practicing more on my own, so be looking forward to more paintings as I go on with the year.