Art School Curriculum 02 2012
Content
Studio incamminati ProfeSSional Program curriculum
reviSed January 2012
miSSion Statement
Studio Incamminati exists to meet the express needs of students eager to learn the aesthetic and philosophical principles of humanist realism. Modeled on the traditional Italian academia and French atelier, Studio Incamminati provides a dynamic teaching program to produce highly skilled artists who can call upon their abilities to create art with depth of purpose. We teach artists whose art and teaching will in turn inspire others. As Studio Incamminati progresses, students master the practices needed to develop rewarding careers and lives in the arts.
PurPoSeS
The curriculum is designed to assist students in developing the essential skills and techniques integral with humanist realism. Humanist realism concentrates on both the human form and soul, producing in the process, art that informs, fulfills, and nourishes society. Thus, Studio Incamminati’s emphasis on skill and technique goes well beyond the faithful reproduction of the object of study. The realism espoused and practiced by Studio Incamminati artists unveils the human condition in its complexity, revealing the human soul and something profound about us and the world we live in. Studio Incamminati strives to create richly meaningful art that will inspire generations to come. The broad aim of the curriculum is to teach foundational skills and is based on the belief that mastery of technique preludes creative expression. Mastery of foundational skills positions artists to be truly creative and communicate the human experience in meaningful ways. The absence of such skills is paralyzing, as it restricts the artists’ ability to convey the world in which we live. Thus, students at Studio Incamminati learn to draw and paint the human figure and still life, work with light and shadow, refine form and shape, and interpret and understand color. While indebted to practices of the Old Masters, the curriculum is dynamic, using the paragons of the past to bring enlightened meaning to the present. The curriculum consists of four successive levels (approximate years), each demanding mastery of certain competencies. Each level is organized in terms of stages. Advancement through the curriculum is contingent on demonstrated proficiency in the skills specific to the student’s level. Students who wish to advance will present their work to Studio Incamminati’s faculty for review at the semester’s close. Augmenting the school’s faculty members are guest instructors, and lecturers in art history and anatomy, all committed to maximizing student potential, rounding out their artistic learning experience. Studio Incamminati faculty communicate the essential concepts of the curriculum in their own terms and through their own language. There is no single way to communicate the curriculum, and there is no single way to master the basic concepts. Approaches to teaching vary, and each faculty member maintains their individuality, while remaining committed to the basic concepts.
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introduction
The curriculum reflects Studio Incamminati’s commitment to artistic excellence in fulfillment of our mission.
level one: firSt Stage
All Studio Incamminati students begin their experience by learning how to see the human figure in its most basic simplicity. The aim is to “see big” by grasping the whole figure and eschewing the micromanagement of form. Students understand the figure as movement, and they must “feel” the energy of the figure. Initially, through a series of short gestural poses, students capture the energy of the figure using charcoal as their medium.
Sample of a charcoal figure drawing: the gesture; Jen Hagen, American Artist Drawing magazine, Winter 2010
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As the semester proceeds, the poses are longer. Students exercise a certain freedom in their manipulation of the charcoal. Freedom, however, is not license, and students must maintain their commitment to seeing the form objectively. Their strokes should be fluid, driven by the kinetic energy of the pose they seek to describe utilizing straight lines and angles. At this juncture, students do not attend to curves. Straight lines and angles best describe the basic armature of the pose, providing the necessary foundation on which to build complexity. The progressive nature of the curricuSample of a charcoal figure drawing; lum demands that students first John Flavin, Figure Study, Charcoal on paper, 19 x 25 inches, 2009 master foundational concepts including accurately drawing the basic shapes and separating light and shadow into simple masses before continuing to the next level. Students step back frequently to assess how well they have grasped the energy of the gesture and the major direction or tilt of the figure. Students squint to eliminate details and see the form simplified into large elements, or prominent masses, of the figure. This exercise helps students improve hand/eye coordination and shapes their ability to critically observe form. Development of hand/eye coordination and observational skill mark all phases of the curriculum at Studio Incamminati. Students additionally work from still life to develop the ability to see graphic shapes in light and shadow. Still life offers students the advantage of depicting a variety of objects, forms, shapes, colors, surfaces, and textures, while also addressing subjects’ placement in space in relation to the background—all issues relevant to realism. At the foundational or beginning level, still life subjects consist of simply shaped
Sample of a charcoal still life drawing; Barbara Lewis, Value Study, Charcoal on paper, 15 x 10 inches, 2010
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objects in monochrome—the cylinder, the sphere, and the cube. Still life objects increase in complexity as skills progress. As with studies of the human figure, students strive to harness energy and movement in their still life compositions. They use straight lines and angles when beginning a still life drawing, to describe the form as simplified planes, using charcoal as their medium before moving onto oil paint. Students learn about value fields, along with the flow of light across the entire subject.
level one: Second Stage
In this stage students begin to use a variety of media including charcoal, oil paint and graphite. Having established the basic structure of the pose, students now mass in the figure by defining or chiseling shapes of light and shadow. Here students come to see with eyes squinted the planes of the figure and how they combine to create transitions of value. Values are seen best with eyes squinted. Students learn by squinting they can eliminate detail and see the largest shapes. While keeping the excitement of the gesture, students learn to perceive the figure in the abstract simplicity of light and dark shapes. This “blocking in” is rapid, dealing with the “whole,” not details. At this stage, the studies are developed beyond the two values of light and shadow. Shapes are made more accurate, without developing details. Recognizable features of the figure emerge from the development of abstract shapes. Students create dimensional form by increasing the range of values while maintaining a clear separation of light and shadow. Following the block in of basic light and shadow, focus shifts from the abstract to the creation of the figure. Students develop the figure with simplified planes, Sample of a charcoal figure drawing: block in; each describing different values. Christina Rose, David I, Charcoal on paper, 25 x 19 inches, 2009 As the drawing progresses, shapes of value become more accurate and refined leading to an in-depth understanding of how to build form. The figure is portrayed in its environment, establishing a human form with weight and well grounded in space.
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Students are introduced to the management and handling of paint using open grisaille: the use of thinly applied layers of brown paint, a mixture of burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, and titanium white, that serves as a painting’s first stage.
Sample of an open grisaille; Darren Kingsley, Open Grisaille, Oil on canvas, 8 x 10 inches, 2008
Traditionally used as an under painting, open grisaille is a monochromatic technique also used to study and capture the shapes of lights and shadows. Using a limited value scale, students build volume and form by painting in shadow shapes and wiping out light shapes with a soft cloth. The canvas’s tone functions as the lightest value. Exercises in open grisaille help students fully convey the energy of the figure while introducing paint handling. Students begin their work with open grisaille by painting the model, both in gestures and short poses, similar to methods of study used during students’ introduction to charcoal in the first semester. The exercise is repeated until the process becomes part of the student’s artistic nature.
Sample of an open grisaille; John Flavin, Open Grisaille, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2010
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Along with open grisaille using short poses, students gain basic skills in modeling form through a semesterlong cast drawing class. As a type of value study, cast drawing allows students to work longer on a single drawing, developing artistic stamina and mastering complex tonal work. The aim is to establish a strong foundation on which to build complexity. Students must resist the urge to refine the cast without first grasping its foundation. Students strive to see the larger shapes. They must repeatedly look from the subject to the drawing to assess how well they have recorded the object’s lights, darks, and cast shadow. The plaster cast gives the student the opportunity to study the human form for a longer period of time and under a controlled light source, while using an object that has a uniform “local” color— the white cast. The student learns correct shape analysis, how to verify proportion, how to separate light from shadow and how to model form with value gradations.
Sample of a cast drawing; Adelbert Yupari, Cast Drawing, Charcoal on paper, 24 x 18 inches, 2011
As students are introduced to new materials, they continue their charcoal studies in still life and in the figure. Still life drawing in charcoal continues, giving students the opportunity to develop further skills in drawing, creating values, and composing objects in the picture plane. These drawings form a solid base for future work in color. Students are introduced to in anatomy studies and structural drawing, an analytical way of constructing the form that promotes deeper understanding. Anatomy instruction is incorporated in drawing and painting classes and offered in a series of lectures.
Sample of a charcoal still life drawing; Sarah Fredericks, Off Season, Charcoal on paper, 25 x 20 inches, 2009
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Also at this stage, students are introduced to figure drawing in graphite. The objective is to push drawing skills, to increase ability to see relative values within the figure, and to learn to “plan ahead” with specific goals to be accomplished at different times throughout the drawing process. Students address the principles essential to transform abstract flat shapes into fully dimensional forms and to create a sense of light on the figure. They focus on drawing the figure with a full range of values and develop the ability to make accurate relative value calibrations. Emphasis is placed on gesture, anatomical landmarks, proportion, light direction, edges, composition, and abstract linear movements found in the figure. Emphasis is also placed on bringing the drawing to completion.
Sample of a figure drawing in graphite; Chris Nixon, Sitting Female, Pencil on paper, 25 x 19 inches, 2011
The second stage of Level One includes an introduction to color. Using simple still life objects such as boxes, students analyze basic color relationships under warm artificial light. Students learn about color relationships by seeing each color in relation to the colors surrounding it. They begin to “paint the effect of light” by understanding that colors are affected by the nature of the light source. Students are introduced to the Studio Incamminati full color palette and learn to make strong color statements in order to see and
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understand the color. Students learn to mix and adjust colors directly on the canvas, with full immersion in the dynamics of color coming later in Level Two.
Sample of a color study; Clair Cropper, Vase, Oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches, 2011
Upon completion of Level One, students are evaluated on and are expected to gain proficiency in the following concepts: CONCEPT: Seeing and drawing basic shapes and forms Skills to attain: ♦ Abstracting from nature ♦ Gesture ♦ Block-in ♦ Using straight lines and angles ♦ Accuracy of gesture and proportion ♦ Massing lights and darks ♦ Understanding light direction ♦ Value fields
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♦ Seeing shapes in perspective ♦ Stepping back to assess the big picture CONCEPT: Understanding human anatomy and other natural forms Skills to attain: ♦ Seeing and expressing the human figure as a whole ♦ Learning to edit down to the bare essence to create a powerful image that is not cluttered with unnecessary details ♦ Further defining shapes in successive passes CONCEPT: Applying this knowledge in monochromatic paint studies Skills to attain: ♦ Basic paint handling ♦ Painting with charcoal first ♦ Advancing to grisaille applying the lessons learned in charcoal to painting, such as massing in (block in) and wiping out CONCEPT: Pure color studies Skills to attain: ♦ Seeing and relating basic color relationships under artificial light ♦ Learning the vocabulary of pigments and terms such as hue, value, intensity and temperature CONCEPT: Synthesis Skills to attain: ♦ Setting up and composing still life ♦ Developing still life and figure drawings CONCEPT: Refining preceding stages by focusing on personal expression, selection of subject matter, and careful examination of why one paints the subject matter selected Skills to attain: ♦ Applying principles learned in still life to figure work and vice versa ♦ Attending lectures on art history ♦ Touring major exhibitions and collections in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC (all levels) CONCEPT: Working Independently Skills to attain: ♦ Completion of assigned homework such as Bargue drawings, Old Master copies, anatomical studies
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level two: firSt Stage
To aid students in mastering more complex depictions of the human form, further studies in anatomy are offered during class sessions, and in the form of lectures. Students continue to attend lectures in art history.
Sample of a charcoal figure drawing; Erin McGrath, Charcoal Study, Charcoal on paper, 13 x 11 inches, 2006
The final stage of charcoal drawing occurs during this semester. Students aim to build upon the drawing exercises of Level One. Students are taught skills that will allow them to develop drawings toward completion. Emphasis is placed on concepts such as accuracy of proportion, anatomical structure, perspective, value relationships, edge development, and generally working from “simple to complex.” Students use open grisaille to train in basic construction of the figure in paint, just as they have done in charcoal. At this stage, students build upon their foundational understanding of the figure. Longer poses gradually lengthen to three hours. Students move beyond the foundation of relating angles, anatomical landmarks, and shapes of light and shadow, and study value relationships and building form with value.
Sample of a charcoal figure drawing; Anne E. Hall, Donovan, Charcoal on paper, 27 x 26 inches, 2008
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In addition to continued study of the figure, Level Two students are introduced to cast painting. The goal is to understand how to develop form with value, painting a cast that appears to emerge from the surface of the canvas. Cast painting is a monochromatic exercise, using black and white paint with no color variation. The casts themselves are white in color and are placed against black backdrops. Students benefit from these studies, as consistency in lighting and the cast’s position, along with its monochromatic color, simplifies the painting process. These conditions aid students as they continuously revise proportions and further understand values and form. Concepts of gesture and proportion are of primary importance. Students strive to capture the character of the cast, just as they do with the figure. Principles of form and accurate relative values are stressed. In cast painting, students learn to convey subtle plane changes, modeling and carving out form with careful edge work and delineation of value shifts. Paint handling is very important at this stage and paint is applied in controlled, thin layers. The principles studied here are directly applied to figure and still life painting.
Sample of a cast painting; Vanessa Fenton, Hand, Oil on canvas, 14 x 14 inches, 2011
Sample of a cast painting; Diane Rappisi, Eye, Oil on canvas, 11 x 12 inches, 2008
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With these studies in charcoal drawing, open grisaille, and cast painting, Level Two students are expected to gain basic proficiency in depicting accurate proportions and values, along with basic skills in paint handling and an understanding of how to build three dimensional form with values. Students strive to seamlessly incorporate the concepts they have learned throughout Level One and the first stage of Level Two, such as abstracting the subject with angles and straight lines, blocking in simple shapes of light and shadow, and remaining sensitive to edges. Through these fundamental studies, students learn the essential skills needed to create powerful, finished paintings. These studies also help students considerably as they learn how to accurately paint color. This level of  Studio Incamminati’s curriculum introduces the transition from open grisaille to the increased tonal and value spectrum of closed grisaille. In addition to pigments found in the grisaille mixture, students add white and other colors to represent light. Areas that were wiped out in open grisaille are now filled with this paint mixture, allowing the student to paint the light mass on the figure. Generally speaking however, students are asked to keep this tone fairly unified in color in order to simplify the exercise. Students gain sensitivity to subtle changes in value. Edges are further explored as students learn to articulate edge variations from soft to hard. Textures are likewise explored as students learn to build certain areas of paint while keeping others thin. Brushwork, while remaining fluid, becomes increasingly subtle in recording light and shadow.
Sample of a closed grisaille; Diane Rappisi, Figure Study-Back, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2008
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Sample of a closed grisaille; Clair Cropper, Liz, Oil on canvas, 9 x 12 inches, 2011
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The study of color continues in the beginning of Level Two. Similar to the Studio Incamminati approach to shapes and values, students are taught to observe color simply at the start of a painting. Students approach color directly and broadly, avoiding the depiction of small color nuances, and instead portraying large patches, or notes, of pure color for each major plane change. Students paint subjects under warm, artificial light, which creates bold colors, making it easier to see basic color relationships. When beginning a color study, students are taught to start with the most easily seen color. This color should be easy to detect and usually represents a plane of the subject that is saturated by the light source. After establishing the first color note, students continue to paint strong, simplified color shapes, scanning their eyes back and forth between each color shape in order to see them in relationship to each other. By depicting the most easily seen colors first, students begin to create basic color relationships that they can build upon. Students are encouraged to exaggerate their initial color statements, in order to help them to see clear color differences. However, it is vital that students maintain accurate value relationships in the process of depicting colors. If color relationships are correct, value relationships are correct.
Sample of a color study; Kerry Dunn, Apple with White Jug, Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches, 2005
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Sample of a color study; Josh Breslin, Color Study, Oil on canvas, 15 x 10 inches, 2011
Committing to a rigorous study of learning to see color relationships, students do hundreds of short color studies of simple objects. The use of a full color palette familiarizes students with various pigments, their intensity, and how they interact. Students learn to understand color as the “effect of light” on form. For example, artificial light is warm, and affects “local” color differently than natural light. Natural light is generally cool, and usually creates subtle color changes and constantly changes with the time of day and seasons. Similarly, studio conditions affect colors very differently than those of plein air painting.
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Sample of a color study; Richelle Shelton, Color Study, Oil on canvas, 15 x 10 inches, 2011
Sample of a color study; Katya Held, Nude in Artificial Light, Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches, 2011
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level two: Second Stage
In the second semester of Level Two, students continue to develop their drawing skills using charcoal, graphite and other related media. From the study of color with simple still life objects, students move to more sophisticated compositions, capturing the effect of light, first with value studies, then in color studies.
Sample of a graphite drawing; Vanessa Fenton, Untitled, Graphite on paper, 24 x 19 inches, 2010
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Color studies of the human figure involve new challenges. Students come to appreciate the relationships between colors under different light conditions. Students test their observational skills by stepping back from the easel, and observing color relationships. They become sensitive to the color complexities of the human figure as it is juxtaposed to other color masses and subject to different light conditions. Students are able to push studies further, and now start to break the figure into smaller color shapes. They are now applying the concept of plane change as a color change to the figure, and they are able to draw on the skills they learned in closed grisaille.
Sample of a color study; Snehal Rajeev Page, Still Life, Oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches, 2010
Sample of a color study; Natalie Italiano, Color Study: Lauren, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2008
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Closed grisaille continues in this level, addressing the principles that are essential to transforming abstract flat shapes into three dimensional form and creating a sense of light on the figure. Students focus on the full range of values and develop the ability to make accurate value calibrations. There is a focus on structure, anatomy, proportion, light direction, edge conditions and abstract movements through the figure and composition. Students place an emphasis on paint handling through an application of semi-opaque and opaque paint in the light and shadow areas of the figure. Poses range from 6-30 hours of full-figure value studies.
Sample of a closed grisaille; Vanessa Fenton, Untitled, Oil on canvas, 20 x 18 inches, 2011
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Sample of a closed grisaille; Caroline Weitzman, Emma (Back Study), Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2010
Upon the completion of Level Two, students are evaluated on and are expected to gain further proficiency in all concepts from prior levels with the addition of the following: CONCEPT: Seeing and drawing basic shapes and forms Skills to attain: ♦ Maintaining basic shapes and forms as new disciplines are introduced ♦ Stating relative values with accuracy ♦ Creating value systems/ value relationships ♦ Developing edges and textures ♦ Building structure and form
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CONCEPT: Understanding human anatomy and other natural forms Skills to attain: ♦ Studying values of the figure in its environment ♦ Relating gesture, angles, anatomical landmarks, and shapes of light and shadow ♦ Transforming flat shapes into fully dimensional form ♦ Seeing and expressing abstract linear movements through the figure ♦ Studying anatomy ♦ Using various resources to analyze and understand the anatomy of model CONCEPT: Applying this knowledge in monochromatic paint studies Skills to attain: ♦ Proficiency in paint handling ♦ Controlling paint in thin layers ♦ Rhythmically integrating edges ♦ Advancing to the full tonal and value spectrum with “closed grisaille” CONCEPT: Pure color studies Skills to attain: ♦ Advancing to more complex figure studies ♦ Understanding color relationships under different light conditions ♦ Seeing and expressing complex color set-ups CONCEPT: Synthesis Skills to attain: ♦ A long pose figure drawing in charcoal ♦ A long pose figure drawing in graphite to see relative values and to plan ahead with specific goals for stages of a long pose figure drawing CONCEPT: Refining preceding stages by focusing on personal expression, selection of subject matter, and careful examination of why one paints the subject matter selected Skills to attain: ♦ Determining what the goal of the painting exercise is and when it is reached CONCEPT: Working Independently Skills to attain: ♦ Completion of homework such as self-portrait in charcoal and grisaille, copying Old Master paintings for structure, composition, abstract value fields, anatomy studies
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level three: firSt Stage
In this stage, closed grisaille/duotone into color is offered as a bridge from monochromatic to full-color painting. Students focus on beginning through the middle stages of the painting process. Basic value relationships are also explored within the duotone monochromatic palette. With this foundation, the student can introduce subsequent values while remaining organized. Additional colors are slowly introduced to the palette and students learn how to identify which colors are most significant.
Sample of an open and closed grisaille; Katya Held, Untitled, Oil in canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2011
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Sample of a duotone into color; Peter Kelsey, Seated Nude, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2009
Sample of a duotone into color; Leona Shanks, Portrait of Rob Goodman, Oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches, 2009
Students learn how to develop more finished figure paintings, “marrying” their skills in drawing with their skills in values and color. The result of this is an in-depth understanding of the different skills that go into a painting, and the process of developing a painting to completion. Poses get longer over the semester, short poses last three hours and longer poses go from four to eight days, or longer. At times, students are instructed to do value studies in charcoal or pencil drawings and color studies before starting a painting.
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Sample of an alla prima painting; Ning Hu, Sitting Figure, Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, 2009
Instruction in figure painting now guides students through the opening stages of full color painting and provides them with a foundational process. Students bring to Level Three competency in drawing, color study and value awareness learned earlier, and these skills will now be brought together to inform full color paintings. The poses are in both natural and artificial light. Paint handling, form building in color, atmosphere and spatial composition are addressed. Poses begin with twelve, three hour sessions moving to ten, six hour painting sessions as the semester progresses. There are long poses from thirty-six to sixty hours. Students are encouraged to execute studies to investigate both composition and color before beginning their paintings and to refer to their studies during the painting process. The alla prima technique of completing multiple studies, one after another, helps students foster good painting habits through repetitive practice.
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Instruction in structural drawing continues to train students to see the planes inside of forms while drawing the exterior. Students create convincing outward representations of the figure through observation of the positions of muscles and boney landmarks of the interior.
Sample of a figure drawing in charcoal; Jason Espey, Kayti Looking Away, Charcoal on paper, 24 x 18 inches, 2009
Sample of a figure drawing in charcoal; Diane Rappisi, Amy, Charcoal on paper, 24.5 x 19 inches, 2008
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Sample from mentorship cycle; Sakiko Shinkai, Small World, Oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches, 2011
Level Three students are mentored by on-site faculty one day a week in his or her private studio. In mentorship, students learn how to take control of completing a painting. Students learn what information is necessary in each stage of a painting and how each step is preparation for the subsequent step. Students also learn in mentorship the steps to be considered when preparing for public exhibitions. At the end of six weeks, students and faculty meet for a group critique in each studio to discuss work produced during that period. Students are also required to complete a mentorship self-evaluation form designed to discuss their challenges experienced creating the painting.
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Sample from mentorship cycle; Alisyn Kuntz, The Grass is Greener, Oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches, 2010
At this stage, students may apply for entry into the Teacher Training Program. This optional two-year program begins with an introduction in teaching the Studio Incamminati curriculum, and is designed to prepare students to teach the concepts and methods taught at the school. Upon successfully completing the first year of this program (continues through Level four), students are provided with the necessary resources and training to be eligible to teach in other Studio Incamminati programs including: outreach programs, artist demonstrations, artist-in-residencies, and assisting with workshops. Completion of the two-year Teacher Training program is required for application to the Studio Incamminati Fellowship Program.
level three: Second Stage
At this stage, Level Three students focus on longer model poses. The poses now range from three hours to their maximum curricular length of 60 hours. This provides students the opportunity to address individual needs while exploring the stages necessary to complete a fully developed painting. Students begin each painting with the necessary studies, which may include preparatory compositional sketches and a color study.
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Sample of a color study; Caroline Weitzman, Dione (A Study), Oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches, 2011
The goal of the semester is to apply all skills developed to this point including drawing, values, color, developing form, and paint handling, into one cohesive process resulting in a developed painting. This leads the Level Three students to a path of self-discovery and self-reliance and gives them the necessary tools to continue with their studies. Mentorship and optional Teacher Training Program continue during this stage.
Sample of a developed painting; Caroline Weitzman, Dione, Oil on canvas, 20 x 18 inches, 2011
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Sample of a color study; Rob Goodman, Ellen with Green Scarf, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2011
At the end of Level Three students begin to plan their Level Four schedule with advisement from their newly chosen mentors who coordinate a development plan to address the next phase of their work. This development plan includes a portfolio review of the student’s work by the artistic director and faculty, with input from the student.
Sample of a developed painting; Penelope Harris, Taped Bottle, Oil on canvas, 11 x 16 inches, 2011
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Upon the completion of Level Three, students are evaluated on and are expected to gain further proficiency in all concepts from prior levels with the addition of the following. CONCEPT: Seeing and drawing basic shapes and forms Skills to attain: ♦ Making shapes beautiful and combining shapes into poetic, musical wholes ♦ Stating relative values with accuracy ♦ Composing multiple elements ♦ Marrying drawing skills to color CONCEPT: Understanding human anatomy and other natural forms Skills to attain: ♦ Relating the figure to the background in color ♦ Making drawing studies to prepare for paintings ♦ Using resources to figure out anatomy of model CONCEPT: Applying this knowledge in monochromatic paint studies Skills to attain: ♦ Using warm and cool mixtures in “closed grisaille” ♦ Studying planes and light effects CONCEPT: Pure color studies Skills to attain: ♦ Developing color in light and shadow areas in progressively longer studies ♦ Advancing to natural light set-ups ♦ Exploring personal aesthetic sensibilities ♦ Capturing the essence of the whole in a three hour color study and maintaining the order of the whole when developing a study further CONCEPT: Synthesis Skills to attain: ♦ Preparing compositional sketches and basic color studies to apply skills acquired up to this point to a fully realized painting ♦ Developing paintings in stages from drawing and compositional studies through grisaille to completion CONCEPT: Refining preceding stages by focusing on personal expression, selection of subject matter, and careful examination of why one paints the subject matter selected Skills to attain: ♦ Working with mentors to begin thinking about personal professional direction
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♦ Progressing on the path to self discovery and self-reliance ♦ Planning Level Four schedule CONCEPT: Working Independently Skills to attain: ♦ Completion of assigned homework, such as creating painting from figure studies Mentorship Skills to attain: ♦ Completion of five finished still life paintings ♦ Completion of a master copy ♦ Learn to prepare work for exhibition ♦ Offer meaningful critiques to other mentorship students Teacher Training Program (optional) Skills to attain: ♦ Demonstrate proficiency in working with students at their easels ♦ Demonstrate proficiency in giving demonstrations ♦ Demonstrate proficiency in giving critiques and writing evaluation ♦ Demonstrate classroom management skills
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level four: firSt and Second Stage
With a focus on students’ individual needs, Level Four’s curriculum prepares students to work independently. Instruction focuses on technical development, the individual process, and creativity in concept and composition. Students strive to combine skills they have already learned in order to create finished still life, portrait, and figure paintings. The curriculum includes one weekly, full-day class in portraiture and fifteen hours a week in figure painting. Students progress even further in the process of completing paintings. During a minimum of nine hours a week, students compose and create paintings independently, with the guidance of studio mentors.
Sample of a developed painting; Alisyn Kuntz, Alyssa, Oil on canvas, 13 x 13 inches, 2011
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Sample of a developed painting; Snehal Rajeev Page, Dione, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 inches, 2011
Sample of a developed painting; Peter Kelsey, Figure in Warm Backlight, Oil on linen, 24 x 18 inches, 2011
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Students work with four different mentors throughout the school year for approximately ten weeks each. At the start of the school year, mentors meet with students to discuss list of strengths and challenges, portfolio review and group critiques discussed the end of the previous year. These tools are used to focus on students’ individual needs for continued learning and professional development. They are also used in the development of the students’ Independent Visual Thesis. The thesis is a series of paintings built upon a theme of figurative work, still life or both. Based on the thesis, students develop a body of work for public exhibition. Mentors monitor their progress through weekly consultations and help them create personal career development plans. Students attend lectures, presentations, and demonstrations which facilitate students’ learning and career development.
Sample of a developed painting; Snehal Rajeev Page, Lauren, Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches, 2011
Sample of a developed painting; Snehal Rajeev Page, Still Life, Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches, 2009
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Level Four students enjoy a degree of autonomy and have approximately two days per week to work independently in semi-private studio space with still life booths, model stands, and natural north light. Students are responsible for choosing, hiring, and scheduling their own models. Students have the option on their independent studio days to attend classes in the Professional Program to strengthen their skills in a particular area. Through the combination of class instruction and working independently in their studio, students begin the transition from student to professional artist. Students enrolled in the Teacher Training Program continue instructing in Level One classes or outreach programs under the guidance of assigned faculty.
Sample of a developed painting; Yoni Park, Portrait of Lt. Michael P. Murphy USN, Oil on canvas, 34 x 22 inches, 2009
Sample of a developed painting; Alisyn Kuntz, Rachel’s Two Fish, Oil on canvas, 16 x 22 inches, 2011
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Upon the completion of Level Four, students are evaluated on and are expected to gain further proficiency in all concepts from prior levels with the addition of the following. CONCEPT: Seeing and drawing basic shapes and forms Skills to attain: ♦ Maintaining a consistent level of fluid drawing that properly prioritizes the order of macro to micro CONCEPT: Understanding human anatomy and other natural forms Skills to attain: ♦ Mastering the ability to abstract from nature, rather than drawing the literal line CONCEPT: Applying this knowledge in monochromatic paint studies Skills to attain: ♦ Calibrating values while keeping each value note harmonic with the whole CONCEPT: Pure color studies Skills to attain: ♦ Painting with color that captures the beauty of light bathing form ♦ Keying the color temperature determined by the light source CONCEPT: Synthesis Skills to attain: ♦ Advanced figure studies incorporating all the fundamental concepts at the core of the program ♦ Still life CONCEPT: Refining preceding stages by focusing on personal expression, selection of subject matter, and careful examination of why one paints the subject matter selected Skills to attain: ♦ Preparing for specific exhibition opportunities such as auctions and Studio Incamminati exhibitions ♦ Choosing between painting still life or strengthening skills by classes in other levels CONCEPT: Working Independently Skills to attain: ♦ Developing creativity in concept and composition in consultation with assigned mentors ♦ Preparing for independent work at Studio Incamminati or elsewhere
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Mentorship Skills to attain: ♦ Addressing and resolving challenges, identify in consultation with mentors ♦ Developing a plan addressing the next phase of professional development ♦ Preparing work for exhibitions ♦ Completing the Independent Visual Thesis Teacher Training Program (optional) Skills to attain: ♦ Demonstrating proficiency in working with students at their easels ♦ Demonstrating proficiency in giving demonstrations ♦ Demonstrating proficiency in giving critiques and writing evaluation ♦ Demonstrating classroom management skills
teaching fellowShiP Program (oPtional)
The Fellows program exists to provide graduates of the Professional Program the opportunity to continue a direct relationship with the school that benefits both parties. Teaching Fellows (instructors with on-site studios) provide leadership and training of Studio Incamminati students in a nurturing environment while continuing to work on achieving their own goals as professional artists. In exchange for providing that environment, Fellows are supported through studio space, pay for teaching classes, and other benefits. This is a one-year program with an option to reapply each year. The Teaching Fellowship Program creates an environment where accomplished artists continue to grow and learn together in a “community of artists.” Studio Incamminati thus retains highly skilled artists who are prepared to guide the next generation of realist artists.
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on comPoSition...
Composition is a critically important element taught throughout Studio Incamminati’s curriculum. Initially, Studio Incamminati students face the foundational questions of composition, especially in placement and proportion. Will the figure or object fit on the page? Is the size of the subject pleasing in proportion to the surface? What kind of power or harmony does a given placement or proportion convey? These questions require students to grapple with essential considerations of whether or not a composition works on a basic level. As students develop skills in handling materials and depicting light, shadow, form, and color, questions of composition become more complex and sophisticated. Students make conscious decisions about composing subject matter in a meaningful ways while attempting to deal with both the technical and artistic challenges of those decisions.
on Setting PoSeS...
Faculty work with monitors to set poses for students. As students advance through the curriculum, they take note of decisions in setting specific poses and learn what to consider. Poses should be dynamic and well lit when viewed from as many as 13 vantage points. The model should be able to hold the pose for the time allocated. Poses should be marked, so the model can be re-set in the pose after breaks. When working in a group setting, artists should accept feedback from one other with patience and thought. Poses should also reflect what is being taught in a particular class. In due course, and in conjunction with faculty, students set their own poses, articulating their rationale for specific decisions. This is an essential and sensitive concern for every figure painter and an important skill to develop.
on the length of PoSeS...
Studio Incamminati faculty set the length of poses, and their duration varies considerably. Some poses during the early part of the curriculum last one minute. As students advance, the lengths of poses increase. Faculty determine when students are ready to devote more time to their compositions. The same principle holds for still life studies. A limited number of spaces for extended still life study are currently available for students to pursue longer still life work.
on the learning culture...
Studio Incamminati is a community of artists where individuals encourage each other as they steadily progress through the curriculum. Students are taught in a non-competitive, nurturing environment. This approach prepares students to assume greater responsibilities in the future and creates a sense of camaraderie. This collegial atmosphere inspires visual learning among the students as each displays his or her artwork (approved by faculty) on designated wall space. This experience is enhanced weekly as students visit the faculty’s on-site studios, and view and discuss the faculty’s work.
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on exhibitionS...
Studio Incamminati sponsors at least two exhibitions throughout the school year and collaborates with other organizations for additional exhibitions. Participation in these shows is contingent on a review process by the faculty. The annual end-of-year Artists of Studio Incamminati exhibition profiles the work of students in Level Two and up. As part of these events, students receive instruction on the elements of developing a successful exhibition. Among these are promotion, staging, framing, funding, sales, and building relationships with buyers and patrons.
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reviSed January 2012
miSSion Statement
Studio Incamminati exists to meet the express needs of students eager to learn the aesthetic and philosophical principles of humanist realism. Modeled on the traditional Italian academia and French atelier, Studio Incamminati provides a dynamic teaching program to produce highly skilled artists who can call upon their abilities to create art with depth of purpose. We teach artists whose art and teaching will in turn inspire others. As Studio Incamminati progresses, students master the practices needed to develop rewarding careers and lives in the arts.
PurPoSeS
The curriculum is designed to assist students in developing the essential skills and techniques integral with humanist realism. Humanist realism concentrates on both the human form and soul, producing in the process, art that informs, fulfills, and nourishes society. Thus, Studio Incamminati’s emphasis on skill and technique goes well beyond the faithful reproduction of the object of study. The realism espoused and practiced by Studio Incamminati artists unveils the human condition in its complexity, revealing the human soul and something profound about us and the world we live in. Studio Incamminati strives to create richly meaningful art that will inspire generations to come. The broad aim of the curriculum is to teach foundational skills and is based on the belief that mastery of technique preludes creative expression. Mastery of foundational skills positions artists to be truly creative and communicate the human experience in meaningful ways. The absence of such skills is paralyzing, as it restricts the artists’ ability to convey the world in which we live. Thus, students at Studio Incamminati learn to draw and paint the human figure and still life, work with light and shadow, refine form and shape, and interpret and understand color. While indebted to practices of the Old Masters, the curriculum is dynamic, using the paragons of the past to bring enlightened meaning to the present. The curriculum consists of four successive levels (approximate years), each demanding mastery of certain competencies. Each level is organized in terms of stages. Advancement through the curriculum is contingent on demonstrated proficiency in the skills specific to the student’s level. Students who wish to advance will present their work to Studio Incamminati’s faculty for review at the semester’s close. Augmenting the school’s faculty members are guest instructors, and lecturers in art history and anatomy, all committed to maximizing student potential, rounding out their artistic learning experience. Studio Incamminati faculty communicate the essential concepts of the curriculum in their own terms and through their own language. There is no single way to communicate the curriculum, and there is no single way to master the basic concepts. Approaches to teaching vary, and each faculty member maintains their individuality, while remaining committed to the basic concepts.
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introduction
The curriculum reflects Studio Incamminati’s commitment to artistic excellence in fulfillment of our mission.
level one: firSt Stage
All Studio Incamminati students begin their experience by learning how to see the human figure in its most basic simplicity. The aim is to “see big” by grasping the whole figure and eschewing the micromanagement of form. Students understand the figure as movement, and they must “feel” the energy of the figure. Initially, through a series of short gestural poses, students capture the energy of the figure using charcoal as their medium.
Sample of a charcoal figure drawing: the gesture; Jen Hagen, American Artist Drawing magazine, Winter 2010
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As the semester proceeds, the poses are longer. Students exercise a certain freedom in their manipulation of the charcoal. Freedom, however, is not license, and students must maintain their commitment to seeing the form objectively. Their strokes should be fluid, driven by the kinetic energy of the pose they seek to describe utilizing straight lines and angles. At this juncture, students do not attend to curves. Straight lines and angles best describe the basic armature of the pose, providing the necessary foundation on which to build complexity. The progressive nature of the curricuSample of a charcoal figure drawing; lum demands that students first John Flavin, Figure Study, Charcoal on paper, 19 x 25 inches, 2009 master foundational concepts including accurately drawing the basic shapes and separating light and shadow into simple masses before continuing to the next level. Students step back frequently to assess how well they have grasped the energy of the gesture and the major direction or tilt of the figure. Students squint to eliminate details and see the form simplified into large elements, or prominent masses, of the figure. This exercise helps students improve hand/eye coordination and shapes their ability to critically observe form. Development of hand/eye coordination and observational skill mark all phases of the curriculum at Studio Incamminati. Students additionally work from still life to develop the ability to see graphic shapes in light and shadow. Still life offers students the advantage of depicting a variety of objects, forms, shapes, colors, surfaces, and textures, while also addressing subjects’ placement in space in relation to the background—all issues relevant to realism. At the foundational or beginning level, still life subjects consist of simply shaped
Sample of a charcoal still life drawing; Barbara Lewis, Value Study, Charcoal on paper, 15 x 10 inches, 2010
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objects in monochrome—the cylinder, the sphere, and the cube. Still life objects increase in complexity as skills progress. As with studies of the human figure, students strive to harness energy and movement in their still life compositions. They use straight lines and angles when beginning a still life drawing, to describe the form as simplified planes, using charcoal as their medium before moving onto oil paint. Students learn about value fields, along with the flow of light across the entire subject.
level one: Second Stage
In this stage students begin to use a variety of media including charcoal, oil paint and graphite. Having established the basic structure of the pose, students now mass in the figure by defining or chiseling shapes of light and shadow. Here students come to see with eyes squinted the planes of the figure and how they combine to create transitions of value. Values are seen best with eyes squinted. Students learn by squinting they can eliminate detail and see the largest shapes. While keeping the excitement of the gesture, students learn to perceive the figure in the abstract simplicity of light and dark shapes. This “blocking in” is rapid, dealing with the “whole,” not details. At this stage, the studies are developed beyond the two values of light and shadow. Shapes are made more accurate, without developing details. Recognizable features of the figure emerge from the development of abstract shapes. Students create dimensional form by increasing the range of values while maintaining a clear separation of light and shadow. Following the block in of basic light and shadow, focus shifts from the abstract to the creation of the figure. Students develop the figure with simplified planes, Sample of a charcoal figure drawing: block in; each describing different values. Christina Rose, David I, Charcoal on paper, 25 x 19 inches, 2009 As the drawing progresses, shapes of value become more accurate and refined leading to an in-depth understanding of how to build form. The figure is portrayed in its environment, establishing a human form with weight and well grounded in space.
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Students are introduced to the management and handling of paint using open grisaille: the use of thinly applied layers of brown paint, a mixture of burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, and titanium white, that serves as a painting’s first stage.
Sample of an open grisaille; Darren Kingsley, Open Grisaille, Oil on canvas, 8 x 10 inches, 2008
Traditionally used as an under painting, open grisaille is a monochromatic technique also used to study and capture the shapes of lights and shadows. Using a limited value scale, students build volume and form by painting in shadow shapes and wiping out light shapes with a soft cloth. The canvas’s tone functions as the lightest value. Exercises in open grisaille help students fully convey the energy of the figure while introducing paint handling. Students begin their work with open grisaille by painting the model, both in gestures and short poses, similar to methods of study used during students’ introduction to charcoal in the first semester. The exercise is repeated until the process becomes part of the student’s artistic nature.
Sample of an open grisaille; John Flavin, Open Grisaille, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2010
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Along with open grisaille using short poses, students gain basic skills in modeling form through a semesterlong cast drawing class. As a type of value study, cast drawing allows students to work longer on a single drawing, developing artistic stamina and mastering complex tonal work. The aim is to establish a strong foundation on which to build complexity. Students must resist the urge to refine the cast without first grasping its foundation. Students strive to see the larger shapes. They must repeatedly look from the subject to the drawing to assess how well they have recorded the object’s lights, darks, and cast shadow. The plaster cast gives the student the opportunity to study the human form for a longer period of time and under a controlled light source, while using an object that has a uniform “local” color— the white cast. The student learns correct shape analysis, how to verify proportion, how to separate light from shadow and how to model form with value gradations.
Sample of a cast drawing; Adelbert Yupari, Cast Drawing, Charcoal on paper, 24 x 18 inches, 2011
As students are introduced to new materials, they continue their charcoal studies in still life and in the figure. Still life drawing in charcoal continues, giving students the opportunity to develop further skills in drawing, creating values, and composing objects in the picture plane. These drawings form a solid base for future work in color. Students are introduced to in anatomy studies and structural drawing, an analytical way of constructing the form that promotes deeper understanding. Anatomy instruction is incorporated in drawing and painting classes and offered in a series of lectures.
Sample of a charcoal still life drawing; Sarah Fredericks, Off Season, Charcoal on paper, 25 x 20 inches, 2009
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Also at this stage, students are introduced to figure drawing in graphite. The objective is to push drawing skills, to increase ability to see relative values within the figure, and to learn to “plan ahead” with specific goals to be accomplished at different times throughout the drawing process. Students address the principles essential to transform abstract flat shapes into fully dimensional forms and to create a sense of light on the figure. They focus on drawing the figure with a full range of values and develop the ability to make accurate relative value calibrations. Emphasis is placed on gesture, anatomical landmarks, proportion, light direction, edges, composition, and abstract linear movements found in the figure. Emphasis is also placed on bringing the drawing to completion.
Sample of a figure drawing in graphite; Chris Nixon, Sitting Female, Pencil on paper, 25 x 19 inches, 2011
The second stage of Level One includes an introduction to color. Using simple still life objects such as boxes, students analyze basic color relationships under warm artificial light. Students learn about color relationships by seeing each color in relation to the colors surrounding it. They begin to “paint the effect of light” by understanding that colors are affected by the nature of the light source. Students are introduced to the Studio Incamminati full color palette and learn to make strong color statements in order to see and
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understand the color. Students learn to mix and adjust colors directly on the canvas, with full immersion in the dynamics of color coming later in Level Two.
Sample of a color study; Clair Cropper, Vase, Oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches, 2011
Upon completion of Level One, students are evaluated on and are expected to gain proficiency in the following concepts: CONCEPT: Seeing and drawing basic shapes and forms Skills to attain: ♦ Abstracting from nature ♦ Gesture ♦ Block-in ♦ Using straight lines and angles ♦ Accuracy of gesture and proportion ♦ Massing lights and darks ♦ Understanding light direction ♦ Value fields
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♦ Seeing shapes in perspective ♦ Stepping back to assess the big picture CONCEPT: Understanding human anatomy and other natural forms Skills to attain: ♦ Seeing and expressing the human figure as a whole ♦ Learning to edit down to the bare essence to create a powerful image that is not cluttered with unnecessary details ♦ Further defining shapes in successive passes CONCEPT: Applying this knowledge in monochromatic paint studies Skills to attain: ♦ Basic paint handling ♦ Painting with charcoal first ♦ Advancing to grisaille applying the lessons learned in charcoal to painting, such as massing in (block in) and wiping out CONCEPT: Pure color studies Skills to attain: ♦ Seeing and relating basic color relationships under artificial light ♦ Learning the vocabulary of pigments and terms such as hue, value, intensity and temperature CONCEPT: Synthesis Skills to attain: ♦ Setting up and composing still life ♦ Developing still life and figure drawings CONCEPT: Refining preceding stages by focusing on personal expression, selection of subject matter, and careful examination of why one paints the subject matter selected Skills to attain: ♦ Applying principles learned in still life to figure work and vice versa ♦ Attending lectures on art history ♦ Touring major exhibitions and collections in New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC (all levels) CONCEPT: Working Independently Skills to attain: ♦ Completion of assigned homework such as Bargue drawings, Old Master copies, anatomical studies
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level two: firSt Stage
To aid students in mastering more complex depictions of the human form, further studies in anatomy are offered during class sessions, and in the form of lectures. Students continue to attend lectures in art history.
Sample of a charcoal figure drawing; Erin McGrath, Charcoal Study, Charcoal on paper, 13 x 11 inches, 2006
The final stage of charcoal drawing occurs during this semester. Students aim to build upon the drawing exercises of Level One. Students are taught skills that will allow them to develop drawings toward completion. Emphasis is placed on concepts such as accuracy of proportion, anatomical structure, perspective, value relationships, edge development, and generally working from “simple to complex.” Students use open grisaille to train in basic construction of the figure in paint, just as they have done in charcoal. At this stage, students build upon their foundational understanding of the figure. Longer poses gradually lengthen to three hours. Students move beyond the foundation of relating angles, anatomical landmarks, and shapes of light and shadow, and study value relationships and building form with value.
Sample of a charcoal figure drawing; Anne E. Hall, Donovan, Charcoal on paper, 27 x 26 inches, 2008
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In addition to continued study of the figure, Level Two students are introduced to cast painting. The goal is to understand how to develop form with value, painting a cast that appears to emerge from the surface of the canvas. Cast painting is a monochromatic exercise, using black and white paint with no color variation. The casts themselves are white in color and are placed against black backdrops. Students benefit from these studies, as consistency in lighting and the cast’s position, along with its monochromatic color, simplifies the painting process. These conditions aid students as they continuously revise proportions and further understand values and form. Concepts of gesture and proportion are of primary importance. Students strive to capture the character of the cast, just as they do with the figure. Principles of form and accurate relative values are stressed. In cast painting, students learn to convey subtle plane changes, modeling and carving out form with careful edge work and delineation of value shifts. Paint handling is very important at this stage and paint is applied in controlled, thin layers. The principles studied here are directly applied to figure and still life painting.
Sample of a cast painting; Vanessa Fenton, Hand, Oil on canvas, 14 x 14 inches, 2011
Sample of a cast painting; Diane Rappisi, Eye, Oil on canvas, 11 x 12 inches, 2008
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With these studies in charcoal drawing, open grisaille, and cast painting, Level Two students are expected to gain basic proficiency in depicting accurate proportions and values, along with basic skills in paint handling and an understanding of how to build three dimensional form with values. Students strive to seamlessly incorporate the concepts they have learned throughout Level One and the first stage of Level Two, such as abstracting the subject with angles and straight lines, blocking in simple shapes of light and shadow, and remaining sensitive to edges. Through these fundamental studies, students learn the essential skills needed to create powerful, finished paintings. These studies also help students considerably as they learn how to accurately paint color. This level of  Studio Incamminati’s curriculum introduces the transition from open grisaille to the increased tonal and value spectrum of closed grisaille. In addition to pigments found in the grisaille mixture, students add white and other colors to represent light. Areas that were wiped out in open grisaille are now filled with this paint mixture, allowing the student to paint the light mass on the figure. Generally speaking however, students are asked to keep this tone fairly unified in color in order to simplify the exercise. Students gain sensitivity to subtle changes in value. Edges are further explored as students learn to articulate edge variations from soft to hard. Textures are likewise explored as students learn to build certain areas of paint while keeping others thin. Brushwork, while remaining fluid, becomes increasingly subtle in recording light and shadow.
Sample of a closed grisaille; Diane Rappisi, Figure Study-Back, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2008
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Sample of a closed grisaille; Clair Cropper, Liz, Oil on canvas, 9 x 12 inches, 2011
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The study of color continues in the beginning of Level Two. Similar to the Studio Incamminati approach to shapes and values, students are taught to observe color simply at the start of a painting. Students approach color directly and broadly, avoiding the depiction of small color nuances, and instead portraying large patches, or notes, of pure color for each major plane change. Students paint subjects under warm, artificial light, which creates bold colors, making it easier to see basic color relationships. When beginning a color study, students are taught to start with the most easily seen color. This color should be easy to detect and usually represents a plane of the subject that is saturated by the light source. After establishing the first color note, students continue to paint strong, simplified color shapes, scanning their eyes back and forth between each color shape in order to see them in relationship to each other. By depicting the most easily seen colors first, students begin to create basic color relationships that they can build upon. Students are encouraged to exaggerate their initial color statements, in order to help them to see clear color differences. However, it is vital that students maintain accurate value relationships in the process of depicting colors. If color relationships are correct, value relationships are correct.
Sample of a color study; Kerry Dunn, Apple with White Jug, Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches, 2005
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Sample of a color study; Josh Breslin, Color Study, Oil on canvas, 15 x 10 inches, 2011
Committing to a rigorous study of learning to see color relationships, students do hundreds of short color studies of simple objects. The use of a full color palette familiarizes students with various pigments, their intensity, and how they interact. Students learn to understand color as the “effect of light” on form. For example, artificial light is warm, and affects “local” color differently than natural light. Natural light is generally cool, and usually creates subtle color changes and constantly changes with the time of day and seasons. Similarly, studio conditions affect colors very differently than those of plein air painting.
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Sample of a color study; Richelle Shelton, Color Study, Oil on canvas, 15 x 10 inches, 2011
Sample of a color study; Katya Held, Nude in Artificial Light, Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches, 2011
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level two: Second Stage
In the second semester of Level Two, students continue to develop their drawing skills using charcoal, graphite and other related media. From the study of color with simple still life objects, students move to more sophisticated compositions, capturing the effect of light, first with value studies, then in color studies.
Sample of a graphite drawing; Vanessa Fenton, Untitled, Graphite on paper, 24 x 19 inches, 2010
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Color studies of the human figure involve new challenges. Students come to appreciate the relationships between colors under different light conditions. Students test their observational skills by stepping back from the easel, and observing color relationships. They become sensitive to the color complexities of the human figure as it is juxtaposed to other color masses and subject to different light conditions. Students are able to push studies further, and now start to break the figure into smaller color shapes. They are now applying the concept of plane change as a color change to the figure, and they are able to draw on the skills they learned in closed grisaille.
Sample of a color study; Snehal Rajeev Page, Still Life, Oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches, 2010
Sample of a color study; Natalie Italiano, Color Study: Lauren, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2008
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Closed grisaille continues in this level, addressing the principles that are essential to transforming abstract flat shapes into three dimensional form and creating a sense of light on the figure. Students focus on the full range of values and develop the ability to make accurate value calibrations. There is a focus on structure, anatomy, proportion, light direction, edge conditions and abstract movements through the figure and composition. Students place an emphasis on paint handling through an application of semi-opaque and opaque paint in the light and shadow areas of the figure. Poses range from 6-30 hours of full-figure value studies.
Sample of a closed grisaille; Vanessa Fenton, Untitled, Oil on canvas, 20 x 18 inches, 2011
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Sample of a closed grisaille; Caroline Weitzman, Emma (Back Study), Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2010
Upon the completion of Level Two, students are evaluated on and are expected to gain further proficiency in all concepts from prior levels with the addition of the following: CONCEPT: Seeing and drawing basic shapes and forms Skills to attain: ♦ Maintaining basic shapes and forms as new disciplines are introduced ♦ Stating relative values with accuracy ♦ Creating value systems/ value relationships ♦ Developing edges and textures ♦ Building structure and form
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CONCEPT: Understanding human anatomy and other natural forms Skills to attain: ♦ Studying values of the figure in its environment ♦ Relating gesture, angles, anatomical landmarks, and shapes of light and shadow ♦ Transforming flat shapes into fully dimensional form ♦ Seeing and expressing abstract linear movements through the figure ♦ Studying anatomy ♦ Using various resources to analyze and understand the anatomy of model CONCEPT: Applying this knowledge in monochromatic paint studies Skills to attain: ♦ Proficiency in paint handling ♦ Controlling paint in thin layers ♦ Rhythmically integrating edges ♦ Advancing to the full tonal and value spectrum with “closed grisaille” CONCEPT: Pure color studies Skills to attain: ♦ Advancing to more complex figure studies ♦ Understanding color relationships under different light conditions ♦ Seeing and expressing complex color set-ups CONCEPT: Synthesis Skills to attain: ♦ A long pose figure drawing in charcoal ♦ A long pose figure drawing in graphite to see relative values and to plan ahead with specific goals for stages of a long pose figure drawing CONCEPT: Refining preceding stages by focusing on personal expression, selection of subject matter, and careful examination of why one paints the subject matter selected Skills to attain: ♦ Determining what the goal of the painting exercise is and when it is reached CONCEPT: Working Independently Skills to attain: ♦ Completion of homework such as self-portrait in charcoal and grisaille, copying Old Master paintings for structure, composition, abstract value fields, anatomy studies
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level three: firSt Stage
In this stage, closed grisaille/duotone into color is offered as a bridge from monochromatic to full-color painting. Students focus on beginning through the middle stages of the painting process. Basic value relationships are also explored within the duotone monochromatic palette. With this foundation, the student can introduce subsequent values while remaining organized. Additional colors are slowly introduced to the palette and students learn how to identify which colors are most significant.
Sample of an open and closed grisaille; Katya Held, Untitled, Oil in canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2011
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Sample of a duotone into color; Peter Kelsey, Seated Nude, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2009
Sample of a duotone into color; Leona Shanks, Portrait of Rob Goodman, Oil on canvas, 16 x 20 inches, 2009
Students learn how to develop more finished figure paintings, “marrying” their skills in drawing with their skills in values and color. The result of this is an in-depth understanding of the different skills that go into a painting, and the process of developing a painting to completion. Poses get longer over the semester, short poses last three hours and longer poses go from four to eight days, or longer. At times, students are instructed to do value studies in charcoal or pencil drawings and color studies before starting a painting.
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Sample of an alla prima painting; Ning Hu, Sitting Figure, Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches, 2009
Instruction in figure painting now guides students through the opening stages of full color painting and provides them with a foundational process. Students bring to Level Three competency in drawing, color study and value awareness learned earlier, and these skills will now be brought together to inform full color paintings. The poses are in both natural and artificial light. Paint handling, form building in color, atmosphere and spatial composition are addressed. Poses begin with twelve, three hour sessions moving to ten, six hour painting sessions as the semester progresses. There are long poses from thirty-six to sixty hours. Students are encouraged to execute studies to investigate both composition and color before beginning their paintings and to refer to their studies during the painting process. The alla prima technique of completing multiple studies, one after another, helps students foster good painting habits through repetitive practice.
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Instruction in structural drawing continues to train students to see the planes inside of forms while drawing the exterior. Students create convincing outward representations of the figure through observation of the positions of muscles and boney landmarks of the interior.
Sample of a figure drawing in charcoal; Jason Espey, Kayti Looking Away, Charcoal on paper, 24 x 18 inches, 2009
Sample of a figure drawing in charcoal; Diane Rappisi, Amy, Charcoal on paper, 24.5 x 19 inches, 2008
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Sample from mentorship cycle; Sakiko Shinkai, Small World, Oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches, 2011
Level Three students are mentored by on-site faculty one day a week in his or her private studio. In mentorship, students learn how to take control of completing a painting. Students learn what information is necessary in each stage of a painting and how each step is preparation for the subsequent step. Students also learn in mentorship the steps to be considered when preparing for public exhibitions. At the end of six weeks, students and faculty meet for a group critique in each studio to discuss work produced during that period. Students are also required to complete a mentorship self-evaluation form designed to discuss their challenges experienced creating the painting.
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Sample from mentorship cycle; Alisyn Kuntz, The Grass is Greener, Oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches, 2010
At this stage, students may apply for entry into the Teacher Training Program. This optional two-year program begins with an introduction in teaching the Studio Incamminati curriculum, and is designed to prepare students to teach the concepts and methods taught at the school. Upon successfully completing the first year of this program (continues through Level four), students are provided with the necessary resources and training to be eligible to teach in other Studio Incamminati programs including: outreach programs, artist demonstrations, artist-in-residencies, and assisting with workshops. Completion of the two-year Teacher Training program is required for application to the Studio Incamminati Fellowship Program.
level three: Second Stage
At this stage, Level Three students focus on longer model poses. The poses now range from three hours to their maximum curricular length of 60 hours. This provides students the opportunity to address individual needs while exploring the stages necessary to complete a fully developed painting. Students begin each painting with the necessary studies, which may include preparatory compositional sketches and a color study.
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Sample of a color study; Caroline Weitzman, Dione (A Study), Oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches, 2011
The goal of the semester is to apply all skills developed to this point including drawing, values, color, developing form, and paint handling, into one cohesive process resulting in a developed painting. This leads the Level Three students to a path of self-discovery and self-reliance and gives them the necessary tools to continue with their studies. Mentorship and optional Teacher Training Program continue during this stage.
Sample of a developed painting; Caroline Weitzman, Dione, Oil on canvas, 20 x 18 inches, 2011
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Sample of a color study; Rob Goodman, Ellen with Green Scarf, Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches, 2011
At the end of Level Three students begin to plan their Level Four schedule with advisement from their newly chosen mentors who coordinate a development plan to address the next phase of their work. This development plan includes a portfolio review of the student’s work by the artistic director and faculty, with input from the student.
Sample of a developed painting; Penelope Harris, Taped Bottle, Oil on canvas, 11 x 16 inches, 2011
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Upon the completion of Level Three, students are evaluated on and are expected to gain further proficiency in all concepts from prior levels with the addition of the following. CONCEPT: Seeing and drawing basic shapes and forms Skills to attain: ♦ Making shapes beautiful and combining shapes into poetic, musical wholes ♦ Stating relative values with accuracy ♦ Composing multiple elements ♦ Marrying drawing skills to color CONCEPT: Understanding human anatomy and other natural forms Skills to attain: ♦ Relating the figure to the background in color ♦ Making drawing studies to prepare for paintings ♦ Using resources to figure out anatomy of model CONCEPT: Applying this knowledge in monochromatic paint studies Skills to attain: ♦ Using warm and cool mixtures in “closed grisaille” ♦ Studying planes and light effects CONCEPT: Pure color studies Skills to attain: ♦ Developing color in light and shadow areas in progressively longer studies ♦ Advancing to natural light set-ups ♦ Exploring personal aesthetic sensibilities ♦ Capturing the essence of the whole in a three hour color study and maintaining the order of the whole when developing a study further CONCEPT: Synthesis Skills to attain: ♦ Preparing compositional sketches and basic color studies to apply skills acquired up to this point to a fully realized painting ♦ Developing paintings in stages from drawing and compositional studies through grisaille to completion CONCEPT: Refining preceding stages by focusing on personal expression, selection of subject matter, and careful examination of why one paints the subject matter selected Skills to attain: ♦ Working with mentors to begin thinking about personal professional direction
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♦ Progressing on the path to self discovery and self-reliance ♦ Planning Level Four schedule CONCEPT: Working Independently Skills to attain: ♦ Completion of assigned homework, such as creating painting from figure studies Mentorship Skills to attain: ♦ Completion of five finished still life paintings ♦ Completion of a master copy ♦ Learn to prepare work for exhibition ♦ Offer meaningful critiques to other mentorship students Teacher Training Program (optional) Skills to attain: ♦ Demonstrate proficiency in working with students at their easels ♦ Demonstrate proficiency in giving demonstrations ♦ Demonstrate proficiency in giving critiques and writing evaluation ♦ Demonstrate classroom management skills
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level four: firSt and Second Stage
With a focus on students’ individual needs, Level Four’s curriculum prepares students to work independently. Instruction focuses on technical development, the individual process, and creativity in concept and composition. Students strive to combine skills they have already learned in order to create finished still life, portrait, and figure paintings. The curriculum includes one weekly, full-day class in portraiture and fifteen hours a week in figure painting. Students progress even further in the process of completing paintings. During a minimum of nine hours a week, students compose and create paintings independently, with the guidance of studio mentors.
Sample of a developed painting; Alisyn Kuntz, Alyssa, Oil on canvas, 13 x 13 inches, 2011
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Sample of a developed painting; Snehal Rajeev Page, Dione, Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 inches, 2011
Sample of a developed painting; Peter Kelsey, Figure in Warm Backlight, Oil on linen, 24 x 18 inches, 2011
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Students work with four different mentors throughout the school year for approximately ten weeks each. At the start of the school year, mentors meet with students to discuss list of strengths and challenges, portfolio review and group critiques discussed the end of the previous year. These tools are used to focus on students’ individual needs for continued learning and professional development. They are also used in the development of the students’ Independent Visual Thesis. The thesis is a series of paintings built upon a theme of figurative work, still life or both. Based on the thesis, students develop a body of work for public exhibition. Mentors monitor their progress through weekly consultations and help them create personal career development plans. Students attend lectures, presentations, and demonstrations which facilitate students’ learning and career development.
Sample of a developed painting; Snehal Rajeev Page, Lauren, Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches, 2011
Sample of a developed painting; Snehal Rajeev Page, Still Life, Oil on canvas, 16 x 12 inches, 2009
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Level Four students enjoy a degree of autonomy and have approximately two days per week to work independently in semi-private studio space with still life booths, model stands, and natural north light. Students are responsible for choosing, hiring, and scheduling their own models. Students have the option on their independent studio days to attend classes in the Professional Program to strengthen their skills in a particular area. Through the combination of class instruction and working independently in their studio, students begin the transition from student to professional artist. Students enrolled in the Teacher Training Program continue instructing in Level One classes or outreach programs under the guidance of assigned faculty.
Sample of a developed painting; Yoni Park, Portrait of Lt. Michael P. Murphy USN, Oil on canvas, 34 x 22 inches, 2009
Sample of a developed painting; Alisyn Kuntz, Rachel’s Two Fish, Oil on canvas, 16 x 22 inches, 2011
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Upon the completion of Level Four, students are evaluated on and are expected to gain further proficiency in all concepts from prior levels with the addition of the following. CONCEPT: Seeing and drawing basic shapes and forms Skills to attain: ♦ Maintaining a consistent level of fluid drawing that properly prioritizes the order of macro to micro CONCEPT: Understanding human anatomy and other natural forms Skills to attain: ♦ Mastering the ability to abstract from nature, rather than drawing the literal line CONCEPT: Applying this knowledge in monochromatic paint studies Skills to attain: ♦ Calibrating values while keeping each value note harmonic with the whole CONCEPT: Pure color studies Skills to attain: ♦ Painting with color that captures the beauty of light bathing form ♦ Keying the color temperature determined by the light source CONCEPT: Synthesis Skills to attain: ♦ Advanced figure studies incorporating all the fundamental concepts at the core of the program ♦ Still life CONCEPT: Refining preceding stages by focusing on personal expression, selection of subject matter, and careful examination of why one paints the subject matter selected Skills to attain: ♦ Preparing for specific exhibition opportunities such as auctions and Studio Incamminati exhibitions ♦ Choosing between painting still life or strengthening skills by classes in other levels CONCEPT: Working Independently Skills to attain: ♦ Developing creativity in concept and composition in consultation with assigned mentors ♦ Preparing for independent work at Studio Incamminati or elsewhere
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Mentorship Skills to attain: ♦ Addressing and resolving challenges, identify in consultation with mentors ♦ Developing a plan addressing the next phase of professional development ♦ Preparing work for exhibitions ♦ Completing the Independent Visual Thesis Teacher Training Program (optional) Skills to attain: ♦ Demonstrating proficiency in working with students at their easels ♦ Demonstrating proficiency in giving demonstrations ♦ Demonstrating proficiency in giving critiques and writing evaluation ♦ Demonstrating classroom management skills
teaching fellowShiP Program (oPtional)
The Fellows program exists to provide graduates of the Professional Program the opportunity to continue a direct relationship with the school that benefits both parties. Teaching Fellows (instructors with on-site studios) provide leadership and training of Studio Incamminati students in a nurturing environment while continuing to work on achieving their own goals as professional artists. In exchange for providing that environment, Fellows are supported through studio space, pay for teaching classes, and other benefits. This is a one-year program with an option to reapply each year. The Teaching Fellowship Program creates an environment where accomplished artists continue to grow and learn together in a “community of artists.” Studio Incamminati thus retains highly skilled artists who are prepared to guide the next generation of realist artists.
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on comPoSition...
Composition is a critically important element taught throughout Studio Incamminati’s curriculum. Initially, Studio Incamminati students face the foundational questions of composition, especially in placement and proportion. Will the figure or object fit on the page? Is the size of the subject pleasing in proportion to the surface? What kind of power or harmony does a given placement or proportion convey? These questions require students to grapple with essential considerations of whether or not a composition works on a basic level. As students develop skills in handling materials and depicting light, shadow, form, and color, questions of composition become more complex and sophisticated. Students make conscious decisions about composing subject matter in a meaningful ways while attempting to deal with both the technical and artistic challenges of those decisions.
on Setting PoSeS...
Faculty work with monitors to set poses for students. As students advance through the curriculum, they take note of decisions in setting specific poses and learn what to consider. Poses should be dynamic and well lit when viewed from as many as 13 vantage points. The model should be able to hold the pose for the time allocated. Poses should be marked, so the model can be re-set in the pose after breaks. When working in a group setting, artists should accept feedback from one other with patience and thought. Poses should also reflect what is being taught in a particular class. In due course, and in conjunction with faculty, students set their own poses, articulating their rationale for specific decisions. This is an essential and sensitive concern for every figure painter and an important skill to develop.
on the length of PoSeS...
Studio Incamminati faculty set the length of poses, and their duration varies considerably. Some poses during the early part of the curriculum last one minute. As students advance, the lengths of poses increase. Faculty determine when students are ready to devote more time to their compositions. The same principle holds for still life studies. A limited number of spaces for extended still life study are currently available for students to pursue longer still life work.
on the learning culture...
Studio Incamminati is a community of artists where individuals encourage each other as they steadily progress through the curriculum. Students are taught in a non-competitive, nurturing environment. This approach prepares students to assume greater responsibilities in the future and creates a sense of camaraderie. This collegial atmosphere inspires visual learning among the students as each displays his or her artwork (approved by faculty) on designated wall space. This experience is enhanced weekly as students visit the faculty’s on-site studios, and view and discuss the faculty’s work.
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on exhibitionS...
Studio Incamminati sponsors at least two exhibitions throughout the school year and collaborates with other organizations for additional exhibitions. Participation in these shows is contingent on a review process by the faculty. The annual end-of-year Artists of Studio Incamminati exhibition profiles the work of students in Level Two and up. As part of these events, students receive instruction on the elements of developing a successful exhibition. Among these are promotion, staging, framing, funding, sales, and building relationships with buyers and patrons.
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