Module 4: Art Making/Material Exploration: Exploring Value and The Subtractive Color Theory

• Discuss what you thought about creating the Value Scale and Color Wheel.
• I really enjoyed creating both the value scale and the color wheel. I was unable to purchase charcoal for the value scale and had to improvise with normal graphite pencils. I found that the graphite did not smudge as well as charcoal would and so, my value scale does not look as aesthetically pleasing nor is it as definite as one created with charcoal would but I feel as though it still conveys the same message. As for creating the color wheel, I borrowed my little sisters acrylic paints (a simple Crayola paint set with primary colors) and fine tipped brushes. I actually have not used paint in years (I took no art classes in High School and am only exploring my creative capabilities now) so it was really fun to mix colors and use the brushes to paint on paper. I think mixing the colors yourself gives you a greater depth of understanding, and it was fun to mix different colors for my own enjoyment. 
• Which media did you enjoy working with the best and why?
• I really enjoyed working with acrylic paint. As I said above, it has been a long time since I have used paint for artistic purpose (my last experience with paint was painting my bedroom when moving). Although I completed the color wheel in about twenty minutes, I found myself painting for about an hour. I sort of became distracted and just found myself painting. 
• What was the most important discovery in the creation of these studies?
• Although this may seem like simple knowledge, I did not know that the combination of the primary colors created black. At first I did not see how this was possible, but as creating them it became more clear. Also creating the subtle changes of the value scale gave me a greater appreciation for artists' use of light and shading in art and is something I am definitely going to look for on my next visit to the art museum. 
• What is the most important information you learned from watching the videos for this project? What is your opinion of the videos?
• From the first video demonstrating the creation of a value scale, I found his technique of shaving the pencils down and filing them to the correct boldness to be very intriguing. The second video "Color Theory 2: Paint/ Pigment Primary Colors" addressed the fact that red, yellow and blue are not the correct terms for describing primary colors and that in fact they are "historic" and "pre-scientific" ways of describing the primaries. The video stated that the correct colors are cyan, magenta and yellow and that these primaries produce the secondary colors of red, green and blue which then combine to form black. This I did not know and will have to keep in mind in future references to the primary colors. Overall, I found the videos the be both very concise and informational. 

As for the Value Scale and Color Wheel I have created, I have attached them below for viewing.