Chris Farley

reflections - watercolor-mixed media 6" x 9" I have taught this lesson from K-12 and students really engage themselves. We start with a short art history tie-in (Rothko, Kandinsky) and show students hands on the process of gluing wet tissue to board and adding color.

Red Line - Watercolor. 8" x 10" Exercise in abstract expressionism.

Pencil - Watercolor. 5" x 7" This watercolor exercise is to teach students to observe and work fast, which is the way watercolor works. This pencil watercolor took me 15 miinutes to complete.

Banana still life - Acrylic. 4" x 8" This is a simple still life painted in layers of acrylics. It started out as a gray tone (grissaille) to build shadows and light. Yellow is glazed on next layer. This is how many of the old masters of the Renaissance worked.
View PDF

untitled portrait - Watercolor. 12" x 18" I encourage students to get whimsical with the medium of their choice. Use their imagination and expressionism. Be unconventional.

Portrait of Sara - Mixed media 5" x 7" This exercise was to show students they do not have to be so literal when doing portraits. Experiment with color and depart from traditional flesh tones. Be expressive with color.

green Eyed lady - Acrylic. 11" x 14" I wanted to paint something simple with line and color. I employed a simple graphic approach. A good lesson for painting students to start with before painting traditional still life and portraits.

Chuck Berry - Watercolor. 14" x 17" Hail! Hail! Rock n' Roll

Harry Potter - Pencil. 5" x 7" Students always ask me to draw a character or celebrity for them. It is a tough lesson for students to capture a likeness. As I sketch, I break down the steps I go through so they do not feel so intimidated. A lesson such as this should be preceded with intense drawing exercises with light, tone and facial proportions.

Mick jagger - Pencil. 5" x 7" Quick sketch (10-15 minutes). I blocked in hair quickly with bold strokes. Just sketch loosely and avoid erasing as much as possible.

Roy Orbison - 18" x 24" Charcoal

Bob Dylan - 18" x 24" Acrylic on board.

circle of Fire - Monoprint-mixed media. 4" x 4"

Lunchbox still life - Charcoal pencil. 8" x10" Principles of art and design. How to use charcoal effectively. Different kinds of charcoal to use. I used vine charcoal to layout drawing and charcoal pencil for details.

Yellow Stare - Monoprint. 4" x 4" I show student's how to roll ink onto glass or any non-porous substrate and use a wood stylus to create a one-off (mono) design. Printed on paper burnishing with a wooden spoon. Better results with etching press if available. Students can add color.

Fear of Red - Monoprint. 4" x 4"

The Three - Monoprint. 6" x 6" This monoprint I had register points so I could print more colors exactly where I wanted them to go. I added pastel for the blank faces.

Look through the door - Monoprint. 6" x 6" Can you spot the figure in the door?
View PDF

collage (cardboard, paper, acrylic on board). - Acrylic. Mixed Media. 9" x 7" This is a lesson on collage and found objects. Shown in class for reference; images by Rauchenberg, Dechamps and Jasper Johns. Great lesson in color, texture and expressionism.

Untitled - Mixed Media. 8" x 10" abstract expressionism
View PDF

Eye on Andy - Photoshop Exercise to show students how to composite images together in photoshop to create one pleasing design.