Expressive Color Narrative

Marc Chagall, The Madonna of the Village, 1938-42

Due:
Part 1: One week (Steps 1 - 6 below)
Part 2: Second week

Project:
Create a narrative composition that uses subject and color to express a mood. You are telling part of a "story" of some kind. This is to be a completely original, well-designed and well-crafted portfolio piece, rich in color and refined in technique.

Medium:

• Primarily oil pastels, but you may also include paint, color tissue paper, and/or other materials (may include "unusual" materials)
• Work large, up to 18 x 24" - Paper could be white, toned, or color
• First draft with pencil

Objectives:

• Generate ideas/theme for personally expressive artwork.
• Improve your skills with composition to grab and hold people's attention.
• Use color expressively. Create a mood through color.
• Experiment with design, with materials and technique, and with style. Try things out. Take risks.

To Start (Complete these 6 steps during the first week.):

1. Think about subjects that might create strong feelings (You may refer to the "Psychology of Color in Film" Cheatsheet below for possible feelings/emotions to express, then come up with a subject that could illustrate that feeling in a powerful way.).
2. Define your Subject and the Feeling/Emotion.
3. Jot down visual ideas.
4. Design your page by drawing at least 3 thumbnail sketches.
5. Develop your best thumbnail sketch into a well-designed full-size rough draft.
6. Make color studies using some type of color medium (watercolors, color pencils, oil pastels, etc.)

Tip:
Think about how SIZE and PLACEMENT can help to emphasize the most important things in your narrative.

Restrictions:

• Do NOT write words to describe the feeling. 
• Do NOT use hearts and other cliche symbols to symbolize feelings.
• Think of your composition as the frame of a movie you have written and directed. What color scheme would the cinematographer use to denote the emotions you would like the audience to feel?

Time Commitment and Planning:
This should take a few hours to complete over the next week. Begin it today.

Learn from the Masters:

Notice how these artists use color expressively. Before beginning your own artwork, look up these artists and read about their work.

(Below) Vincent van Gogh was what we now call a Post-Impressionist painter:

Edvard Munch, The Scream, 1893

​(Below) These are all oil paintings from Pablo Picasso's Blue Period:

​(Below) These are from Picasso's Rose Period:

​(Below) Oil paintings by Henri Matisse:

(Above) The Kiss, by Gustav Klimt.

​(Below) Oil paintings by Marc Chagall:

The image below is from studiobinder.com, which has informative articles and videos on the expressive powers of color in movies.

And click this link for Part 2 of The Psychology of Color: Movie Color Scheme Cheat Sheet.
​

And here's a quick guide from nofilmschool.com.:
Within each color are a multitude of hues you can break down to specifically hone in on the exact level of emotion you're seeking. 

• RED – anger, passion, rage, desire, excitement, energy, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence
• PINK – love, innocence, healthy, happy, content, romantic, charming, playfulness, soft, delicate, feminine
• YELLOW – wisdom, knowledge, relaxation, joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard
• ORANGE – humor, energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant
• GREEN – healing, soothing, perseverance, tenacity, self-awareness, proud, unchanging nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy
• BLUE – faith, spirituality, contentment, loyalty, fulfillment peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, sky, water, cold, technology, depression
• PURPLE/VIOLET – royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning, power, sensitive, intimacy
• BROWN – materialistic, sensation, earth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity
• BLACK – No, power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger
• WHITE – Yes, protection, love, reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical, sterile
• SILVER – riches, glamorous, distinguished, earthy, natural, sleek, elegant, high-tech
• GOLD – precious, riches, extravagance. warm, wealth, prosperity, grandeur