Painting Techniques Styles and Mediums

Bravissimo embraces an inclusive and expansive approach to traditional
painting by mastering both time-honored techniques and innovative material
behaviors. Our forward-thinking philosophy nurtures the development of
creative, self-reflective, and critically engaged artists. We foster these values
within a collaborative environment, placing a strong emphasis on storytelling,
symbolism, and iconography.

We teach a wide variety of painting styles and mediums, ranging from
classical hyperrealism to cutting-edge matte painting techniques used in
creating full-sized backgrounds for live-action films. These approaches are
rooted in reliable, professional painting methods that ensure high-quality
results.

The process of developing painting skills is accompanied by fundamental
topics, including:

  • Lighting: Understanding how light interacts with form and color.
  • Drawing techniques: Building the foundation for accurate representation.
  • Design elements: Exploring shape, pattern, and color theory.
  • Composition: Arranging elements effectively to create balance and harmony.
  • Perspective and anatomy: Creating realistic depth and proportion.

We recommend that students explore these concepts with us to elevate their
abilities to the highest level, ensuring a well-rounded mastery of both technical
skill and creative expression.

 

We currently offer classes in a variety of mediums, including:

  • Oils
  • Acrylics
  • Gouache
  • Watercolors
  • Airbrush techniques
  • Special effects and mixed media, using all forms of mark-making
    materials.

 

Below are just a few of the specialized topics we cover to enhance your
painting practice:

  • Understanding the temperament of each medium: How to adapt
    to the qualities of different paints.
  • Layering and glazing: Building up complex textures and
    transparent effects.
  • Drying times and application techniques: Timing your work for
    optimal results.
  • Brushwork and raised impasto techniques: Learning to apply texture and create dynamic surfaces like a master artist.

 

THE PROPERTIES OF COLOR

      • Primary Colors
      • Hues
      • Pigment
      • Complementary Colors
      • Tint
      • RGB and CMYK
      • Basic Color Mixing
      • Hue, Value, and Intrinsic Value
      • Normal and Mixed Value
      • Tint and Shade
      • Intensity of Saturation
      • Temperature (Warm and Cool Colors)
      • Color Intensity
      • Fill and Reflected Light
      • Saturated Color
      • Low Key and Hue Key
      • Contrast

 

COMMUNICATION WITH COLORS
In verbal communication, we often focus on dominant colors and describe them in
simple, general terms. However, colors come in many variations of hue, brightness,
and complex mixtures.

 

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY COLORS
Students will learn how to create secondary colors from primary ones and explore the
basic color wheel.

 

THIS LESSON IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR PARTS:
1. Primary to Secondary Colors
2. Complementary Colors
3. Warm and Cool Colors
4. Mixing Colors

Colors aren't always straightforward. Artists who rely solely on pure colors will often be
disappointed. Mixing colors creates more realistic shades. Students will learn different
formulas for mixing, helping them achieve more lifelike results.

 

VALUE SCALE
Students will create a full grayscale range from light to dark.
STATING VALUE PLACEMENT IN SPACE
Students will learn to distinguish different values in the light and shadow of objects,
giving depth and volume to their artwork.

 

VALUES IN COLOR
Understanding grayscale values in color is essential for making a piece appear three-
dimensional. This skill leads to more believable lighting, shading, and shadowing,
enhancing any art style.

 

COLOR VALUES UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
Students will focus on the values of colors, analyzing them closely to develop a
deeper understanding. They’ll compare original color paintings with grayscale
versions to see the difference.

 

A SYSTEM FOR VALUE MAPPING
Students will learn an organized system to translate grayscale values into color values.

 

ASSOCIATIONS AND EMOTIONS
Colors are deeply tied to human emotions. Students will learn how to use color to
elicit specific feelings and assign meaning to their work.

COLOR IN SEMIOTICS
Students will discover how to use color to strengthen storytelling and communication
in their designs.

 

DISTINCT COLORS
Certain colors can communicate as effectively as spoken or written words. Students
will learn how to use distinct colors for impactful communication.

 

CONTRAST IN SITUATIONS
Students will learn how to adjust color contrasts to convey different moods and
environments.

 

MANIPULATING COLORS AS TRIGGERS
Learn how to use color to create specific effects or messages, such as assigning a
distinct color to a character or brand.

 

ICONIC COLORS
Students will learn how to create recognizable characters, logos, and brands using
limited but effective color combinations.

 

SEPARATION AND AFFILIATION OF COLORS
Students will explore how colors have historically marked group affiliations, from
sports teams to political parties, and how to use color for clear communication.

 

COLOR INFORMATION AND CONVENTIONS
Viewers often understand color through learned conventions. Students will learn how
to manipulate these conventions for maximum impact and create their own unique
color meanings.

 

FOCUS IN COLOR
Students will learn how to direct the viewer's attention using distinct colors within
their artwork.

 

TACTILE SENSATIONS
Certain colors evoke specific sensations and feelings. Students will learn how to pair
colors with textures to enhance the viewer's experience.

 

COLOR SITUATIONS
Students will learn how to set up color schemes that resonate with the viewer on a
subconscious level, using colors to trigger emotions and instincts.

 

MONOCHROMATIC SEQUENCES
Learn how to use monochromatic color schemes to evoke specific effects and moods,
inspired by vintage photography and old film.

 

EFFECTS OF BRIGHT AND VIBRANT COLORS
Students will discover when and where to use vibrant colors for different effects in
their work.

 

LIGHT INTENSITY AND EMOTIONAL IMPACT
Light and color greatly influence how people perceive the world. Students will learn
the scientific facts about how light interacts with color and affects human emotions.

 

SUBSURFACE SCATTERING
This lesson covers the special effect technique of subsurface scattering.

 

USING A COLOR WHEEL
Students will learn how to use both common and less conventional methods of
working with a color wheel.

 

TRIADIC COLORS
Learn how to use triadic color schemes for effective design.

 

A GUIDE FOR COLOR SYMBOLISM AND MOOD SETTING
Color plays a crucial role in storytelling, especially in sequential art. Students will
have access to a quick-reference list of colors and their symbolic properties.

 

 

THE PROPERTIES OF COLOR
Primary colors

Hues
Pigment
Complementary colors
Tint
RGB
CMYK
Mixing color basic
Hue
Value
Intrinsic value
Normal value
Mixed value
Tint
Shade
Intensity of saturation
Temperature
Warm colors
Cool colors
Color intensity
Fill light
Reflected light
Saturated color
Low key
Hue key
Contrast

 

COMMUNICATION WITH COLORS- In verbal communication most of us have learned
to settle on the most dominant colors and
describing them in the most simplistic and general way. While in fact there are many
variations of hue and brightness and complex
mixtures of colors surrounding us.

 

PRIMARY COLORS AND SECONDARY COLORS- Student will discover how to make
secondary colors from primary colors and
explore a basic color wheel.

 

THIS LESSON IS DIVIDED INTO THE FOLLOWING FOUR PARTS- Students will learn:

PRIMARY TO SECONDARY COLORS
COMPLEMENTARY COLORS
WARM AND COOL COLORS
MIXING COLORS- Colors are not always simple; if artists use pure colors as they come
either in a tube of paint or in a colored
pencil, they’ll be very disappointed with the resulting work. Colors need to be mixed

with others to achieve realistic colors. Students
will learn all available formulas for mixing colors to create variations. This will aid
traditional artists in having the ability to mix from scratch and match paint resulting
in more realistic work.

 

VALUE SCALE- Students will learn how to create a full range of grayscale values from
light to dark.

 

STATING VALUES PLACMENT IN SPACE- Students will learn how to state the different
values of the colors within the light and
shadow sections of objects. This technique will visually define each shape and form
creating volume and mass.

 

VALUES IN COLOR- Students learn how to identify the grayscale values within each
colors. Without a learned understanding of
values, the student’s painting or drawing cannot possibly appear three-dimensional.
This skill leads to believable lighting, shadowing
and shading from within the colors and makes for believable artwork in any style.

 

COLOR VALUES UNDER THE MICROSCOPE - In this section, students will focus their
attention on the values more so than the
colors themselves as teachers a full range of values from the mixed colors under a
microscope to form a deeper understanding on how
to utilize them. They will also be comparing original paintings in colors to same ones
in grayscale.

 

A SYSTEM FOR VALUE MAPPING - Students learn an organized system for coding
grayscale values into color values.

 

ASSOCIATIONS AND EMOTIONS- Every color is intrinsically linked and deeply rooted
in human emotion. These associations are
grounded in what it means to be human. Students will learn the gamut of how and
why we perceive color the way we do. This will
inevitably aid the artist, allowing them to assign purpose to each color.

 

COLOR IN SEMIOTICS - Students will learn how to use proper color management to
their advantage, to create strong narratives and
clearer communication. Students will also gain the ability to utilize colors in design,
art and storytelling.

 

DISTINCT COLORS- Colors, which can instantly and without ambiguity be labeled, are
as powerful in communication as any spoken
or written word.

 

SEPARATING DISTINCT COLORS FROM COLOR SITUATIONS- Distinct colors hit the
brain; color situations hit the gut. This
lesson will help the students manipulate and control the viewer as they follow within the narrative using color coding.

 

CONTRAST IN SITUATIONS- Students will learn how to set up and adjust contrasts in
color to state different moods or situations
of the environment.

 

MANIPULATING COLORS AS A TRIGGER- Students will learn techniques for assigning
exclusivity to props and sign usage using
colors.

 

ICONIC COLORS - Students will learn to use a limited selection of distinct colors to
make characters and brands recognizable.
They will also learn to make effective company logos, corporate identities, iconic
character by using simple combinations of distinct
colors.

 

SEPARATION AND AFFILIATION OF COLORS- From games, sports, enterprises and
nations to political parties and back to the
days of tribes and caves, color labels have been used to mark group affiliations
because humans and animals naturally connect objects
and elements that are in coded arrangements. They are even able to subconsciously
bring distinct colors into order based on their
function or rank. This helps create instantly understandable situations. Students will
learn how to arrange clear and consistent color
language to help the viewer to distinguish many things.

 

COLOR INFORMATION AND CONVENTIONS - Viewers understand previously learned
conventional meanings of colors.
They also often accept color information from their everyday life. Students will learn
how to have maximum impact on a
demographic and manipulate commonly known conventions aimed at its perspective
target audience. Students learn how to narrow
down their target audience by region, age and demographic along with their
association of symbolic uses of color. The right context is
needed to trigger the correct interpretation. Students will also learn how to establish
their own meanings for distinct colors
conventions and how to guide their audience to except their unique color
arrangement.

 

FOCUS IN COLOR- When the viewer recognizes a distinct color, they will always give
it more importance and attention than the
overall color situation. Here students learn how to direct the attention and focus
towards certain elements using distinct colors.

 

TACTILE SENSATIONS- This technique is a very effective way to suggest tactile
sensations. As the human brain is wired to
attribute certain feelings and even the taste of things to certain colors and textures.

Students learn how and what colors to pair with
specific textures in what situations to assist in asserting mental imagery. This will
yield a vivid connection with the viewer as they will be entrenched in the world manufactured by the artist.

 

COLOR SITUATIONS- Students learn how to set up colors in a way the viewer will
process them on a subconscious level. These
situations have a subconscious impact on the viewer, because they connect to their
primal instincts. These kinds of associations are
branded into their subconsciousness and make color situations an effective tool to
trigger moods and emotions. Color situations play
an important role in determining if an environment are hostile or friendly. Students
will be able to set the right mood and color
schemes appropriate to their environment as well as set up transitions by
foreshadowing story elements through the use of colors.

 

MONOCHROMATIC SEQUENCES- The qualities of vintage photography, old film, and low-tech print, along with our history
placing a sequence in monochromatic colors makes the viewer look at a sequence
from a certain way. Students learn what effects this
produce from the audience so they can use them in the right situations to bolster
their work.

 

EFFECTS OF BRIGHT AND VIBRANT COLORS- Students will learn when and where to
use bright and vibrant colors to
create deferring effects.

 

LIGHT INTENSITY EMOTION FACTS- Light and color play a key role in how people see
and perceive the world around them.
This is because color and light influence the way the brain processes emotional
stimuli. Students will learn scientific facts on how
light effects the way humans think and feel. This study also goes into examples of
how certain shades of light meet particular colors
and how the brain responds. From a scientific standpoint, students will learn all the
many ways in which light and colors affect us
emotionally, and are conventionally used or culturally understood.

 

SUB SURFACE SCATTERING - This is a special effect technique students will learn.

 

USING A COLOR WHEEL- Students will learn both popular and uncommon variations
using a color wheel.

 

TRIATIC COLORS - Students will learn how to use this effective variation on the using
a color.

Leave this out below
A GUIDE FOR COLOR SYMBOLISM AND SETTING THE MOOD - There is a tremendous
amount of storytelling happening through the use of color at all times especially in
sequential art. Because of this students are provided with a list of the colors with
their listed properties for quick access to the information. Bravisamo art lessions our
structured in a way where we dont tray and make you memorize