Tuesday 10/30/07 FA 1100 2D Design

Today's Class- We began our study of color with a review of color through the history of art, and a series of color mixing exercises with the acrylic paints.

How to make this up- You will need to do the color wheel, complement mixing, and tint and shade exercises shown above. It's a whole lot to explain here, so when you come to class next, I'll give you a hand-out and go over it with you. This is a portfolio exercise, so it isn't due until the end of the semester.

Homework- The woodcut blocks are due at the beginning of class next week 11/6/07

For next week 11/6/07- Bring the block, your pad, pencil, eraser, and your fine and permanent markers. I'll give an assignment to work on individually while students have their blocks printed one at a time.

Tuesday 10/30/07 FA 1000 Intro to Art

Today's class- We began with a slide review of the history of photography from 1826 to the present. The photo assignment was distributed and explained. After the break students had a chance to discuss what they learned from their research papers and the graded papers were returned.

To make this up- You can find a copy of the photo assignment by clicking here.

Homework- The completed photo assignment is due at the beginning of class on November 13, 2007

For next week's class 11/6/07- We will start a collograph print project. Bring scissors, white glue, and materials with interesting textures that you don't mind cutting up.

2D Design Woodcut Book Illustration Project

Today's Class- Today I distributed 8"x6" pieces of plywood (top photo) to the class so that they could begin their woodcut illustration project. I showed some examples of books containing black and white illustration, many of which were relief prints, and discussed the assignment. I also did a demonstration of safe cutting techniques. Students worked out their designs on paper, drew them on the wood, and started cutting them out with their knives.

How to make this up- Until you get the wood, all you can do is work out your design idea on paper. Next week I can provide a piece of wood to students who missed today's class. If you don't want to wait that long, you can provide your own wood. (contact me for wood information)

Meanwhile, you can work on your design. Draw an 8" x 6" rectangle (horizontal or vertical) on paper and complete a design in shapes of black and white that illustrates something from your chosen book. I recommend using your large marker to fill in the black shapes and lines so you get a good idea of how the design would look printed. Look at above examples of student woodcuts, along with those back on the home page, to get an idea of what is possible. Bring it to class next week and I'll show you how to proceed and provide wood cutting tips.

Tuesday 10/23/07 FA 1000 Intro to Art

Today's class- For the specifics of today's lesson and exercise on the topic of rhythm in visual art, as well as how to make it up, click here.

Homework- For those who haven't yet turned in your research papers, get them in as soon as possible. The longer the delay, the lower your eventual grade will be.

For next week's class (10/30/07)- No materials needed for the class. I'll be distributing a hand out for a photography assignment that you will complete on your own, and we will take care of some other things in the building.

Tuesday 10/16/07 FA 1100 2D Design

Today's Class- Today in class we began with the final charcoal drawing. I set up a still life of white objects, lit it from above, and let the students draw it for 3 hours. The later part of the class was spent looking at slides of prints from the 1400's to today as preparation for our print project next week.

To make up this class- Gather at least 5 white or light colored objects of similar size, arrange on white/light colored sheet, light with direct light, and draw with the charcoal of your choice. Spend up to 3 hours on it.

Homework- Bring in a book of your choice for the woodcut book illustration project.

For next week's class 10/23/07- We will begin a project involving creating an illustration for a book of your choosing. You need paper, pencil, eraser, black markers, and your x-acto knife.

Tuesday 10/16/07 FA 1000 Intro to Art

Today's Class- In class today we looked at slides of art through history, looking specifically at how color has been used. After the break we did some basic exercises in color mixing. First the students made a color wheel, putting primary, secondary, and tertiary colors (with tints) around the wheel, then mixing a complement pair to create neutrals.

How to make this up- When you return to class I'll give you a hand-out with a diagram and all the specifics, and you can make it up after that.

Homework- Research paper is due at the beginning of class next week.

For next week's class 10/23/07- Bring all the painting stuff again- big pad, paints, brushes, water container, mixing palette.

Tuesday 10/09/07 FA 1100 2D Design

Today's Class- Today we did two charcoal drawings from a set up of white painted objects lit with a single directional light.

To make this up- Put a box on a table, cover with a white or light color sheet or towel. Set up a group of 5 white or light colored objects on the table as in the above photo. Dim the room lights and shine a single light source across the grouping to create strong light and shadows. Then do the following drawings, spending about 2 hours on each-

A) Value Reduction- cover a full sheet of paper from your pad with vine charcoal, making an even dark gray. Use your kneaded eraser to erase out the lights in the still life.

B) Compressed Charcoal- start with a white sheet of paper, draw the still life set up with your compressed charcoal (draw with dark, not light) as you would with pencil, except this time you will use shading and want the finished drawing to to be all shapes (light,dark, medium gray, etc), not just objects surrounded by a contour line.

Homework- Today's class assignment is portfolio work, not something I'll be collecting and grading now. Make it up before the end of the semester, although I recommend you do it this week as practice for next week's graded project.

For next week's class 10/16/07- Next week we will do the final charcoal drawing for a grade, so bring your large pad and whichever kind of charcoal your prefer, as will as fixitive. We will also discuss the next graded project, involving a book illustration, so bring a book with you that you would consider doing an illustration for.

Intro to Art- mosaic collage project

Today's Class- Today we looked at slides of monumental art- large scale art that is designed to permanently cover walls, floors, and ceilings, mostly mosaics (tile) and frescos (painting directly into wet plaster). We also looked at a brief video about the making of a mural. Then we did an art project that made use of the idea of mosaic.

I put out old magazines, and asked students to find a color photo to copy. It must be a photograph of something real, not an illustration or artwork. The students then copied the basic composition of the photo in a pencil line drawing, either in a 6"x6" square, or a 4"x9" rectangle (vertical or horizontal). The next step was to go through the magazines searching for exact color matches for the colors in the chosen photo. The color matches are cut to pieces no larger than 1/4" in any dimension (they can be smaller to match the sizes of shapes in the original photo), and glued to the drawing, as shown in the above photos of student projects from earlier semesters. (click on the photos to enlarge to see details) Mount the original photo on the page with your new version.

Tuesday 10/2/07 2D Design

Today's Class- In tonight's class we began with a group critique of the dot drawings, which were later graded and returned. Then we started a new graded project, a line drawing still life. I set up a still life grouping and gave the students about 3 hours to work on it. The final part of class was spent looking at slides from the history of art (especially Renaissance, Baroque, and some modern and contemporary) that make various use of value, the use of light and dark elements in a 2D work.

To make this up- Put together a still life grouping with the following objects- a bottle, a cut flower or twig with leaves, a hat, a shoe, a brick (or small box if you don't have a loose brick), a telephone, 3 medium size pieces of fruit (or small sports balls- baseball, tennis, etc if you don't have fruit around). Draw the group using pencil line (no shading) as shown in the above student drawing. Pay attention to shapes and proportions of individual objects, proportions of one object to another, space between objects.

Homework- None, unless you owe me this or the dot project.

For next week 10/9/07 - Bring your large pad, two kinds of charcoal, kneaded eraser, and pencil/eraser. We will begin our work with value using charcoal.

Tuesday 10/2/07 Intro to Art

Today's Class- We reviewed slides from art history showing examples of how value (relative amounts of light and dark) is used in art. For the art project I set up a still life grouping of white painted objects and had the students draw the set up using charcoal, with the focus on matching light and shadow.

To make up this class- Put a small box on a table, then drape a white or light colored sheet or blanket over it. Arrange on the box and around it 4 white or light colored objects (such as vase, bowl, roll of toilet paper, etc). Dim the lights in the room and shine a directional light (such as a desk lamp) across the set up to create strong light and shadow. Draw the still life grouping large enough to fill the page, using charcoal. Use the charcoal to show the light and dark areas, as seen in the sample student drawing above.

Homework- Next week bring your list of 3 artists/artworks, and a book that will be part of your research.

For next class (10/9/07)- Bring your large pad, scissors, some kind of glue (glue stick, rubber cement, white glue), pencil, eraser.