11/29/10 2D Design

Today's Class- Today we discussed the various roles that still life paintings have played in the history of art, and then the class did a portfolio exercise in still life painting, similar to the above examples from a previous semester.

How to make this up- Start by making a still life. Put a small box on a table and drape with a patterned cloth, such as a sheet or tablecloth. Arrange on and around the box 3 solidly colored objects different in color from each other and the cloth. Paint the still life on a sheet of your 18"x 24" paper, either horizontally or vertically. You may draw the objects and drapery in pencil first, or just paint directly with the brush if you prefer. Match the shape, and relative size and space of the objects, and try to accurately match the colors of the objects and drape. You may put any color in the background around the drape that you want. Today's students spent about 4 hours working on it, not including lunch break.

This is a portfolio exercise that must be completed before the last day of class in order to receive credit for it.

Homework- The limited color palettes graded project started last week is now due at the beginning of class on December 13, 2010. (Note new deadline)

Anyone who still owes a back project (such as the woodcut or the season temperature collage) should try to get them in as soon as possible to receive partial credit.

Keep in mind that the museum paper is due on the last day of class, 3 weeks from today. If you haven't yet gone to a museum, you should make your visit soon.

For next class 12/6/10- We will be starting the semester's Final Project. It will involve a reworking of a color two dimensional work from the history of fine art. Bring a book with color images of work from a favorite artist, a favorite art movement, favorite subject, or if you have no favorites, a general book on the history of painting or history of art. In addition, bring your 18" x 24" pad, all you painting supplies, pencil and eraser. You will need some mat board or other heavy stiff cardboard as part of the project. (you may or may not get to that part next week, but you will need it, so if possible have it for next week) Scissors and glue are also recommended.

11/24/10 Intro to Art

Today's Class- Today we looked at the history of architecture, from prehistoric structures, through the Classical period, and into the 20th century. Then we did a portfolio exercise involving two point perspective drawing of the classroom architecture, as in the student drawing above.

How to make this up- The assignment requires knowledge of two point perspective drawing. A diagram showing the relationships of room architecture and furniture to the eye level and vanishing points, and the specific requirements of the assignment, can be found here. Unless you are familiar with the process, you may want to wait until the next time you come to class and I'll go over it with you.

Homework- The symbolic autobiographical comic strip project is due December 1, 2010.

If you haven't yet made your museum visit, I recommend doing it soon. To receive credit, you must turn in the paper by the last day of class.

For next class 12/1/10- We will critique the comic strips, look at the history of sculpture, and discuss the 3D project, our final art project of the semester. Bring paper (your 18"x 24" pad or a smaller sketchbook if you prefer) and pencil, along with the comic strip project.

11/22/10 2D Design

Today's Class- Today we looked at the season temperature collages that were due today. Then we began a new graded project involving specific color palettes. While artists often will want to paint things realistically in their natural colors, there are also times when they will choose other specific color combinations to get different effects.

How to make this up- Find a black and white photograph of an actual person, object, place, etc, Use pencil to divide a sheet of your 18"x 24" paper into 4 equal quadrants, and sketch the composition of your photo in all 4 boxes. Then you will use your acrylic paints to produce four small paintings (as in the student example above) involving some specific color combinations. For further student examples and the specific color instructions, click here.

Homework- This specific color palettes graded project is due at the beginning of class on December 13, 2010.

Those who still have not had their wood blocks printed or who still owe me their season collage should get those in as soon as possible.

For next class 11/29/10- We will be doing a portfolio exercise involving painting. Bring all your painting related materials- 18"x 24" pad, pencil and eraser, acrylic paints, palette, brushes, palette knife, and water container.

11/17/10 Intro to Art

Today's Class- Today the class worked on a few different things. We took a trip downstairs to see the Faculty Exhibition in the gallery. I helped students individually print their collagraph plates (adding color to the finished print using watercolors- as in the above image- or pastels is an option), while everyone worked on the comic strip graded project that we started last week.

How to make this up- Those who did not have their collagraphs printed today should bring the plate next week. I won't bring all the printing materials, but I will collect the collagraph plates, print them at my studio, and return them the following week. All the details regarding the comic strip project can be found at last week's class post.

Homework- The completed comic strip project is due at the beginning of class on December 1, 2010.

For next class 11/24/10- We will do our last portfolio exercise of the semester. Bring your 18"x 24" pad, pencil and eraser, and a ruler (longer than 12" if possible).

11/15/10 2D Design

Today's Class- Today the class started a new graded project working with the idea of color temperature. While that was going on, I helped each student print their woodblocks, all shown above. In addition, the class made a brief visit to the gallery downstairs to see the current faculty exhibition.

How to make this up- The graded project involves creating two collages made of pieces of color. Each collage must represent a particular season based on temperature (all warm colors, such as yellows, reds, oranges is summer, a mix of warm and cool colors is spring or autumn, etc). Below are two student examples from previous semesters.

For full details about how to complete this graded assignment, as well as additional examples, click here.

Homework- The color temperature project is due at the beginning of class on November 22, 2010.

Anyone who did not print their woodblock today should bring it to class as soon as possible.

*******Between our last meeting and today (11/17/10) someone did a thorough cleaning of the classroom and threw away all the plastic containers by the sink. Assume that you will need to bring a water container next week to use with your paints.**********

For next class 11/22/10- We will critique the color temperature collages and then start a new graded project. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencil, eraser, all your painting materials, and a black and white photo that will be the basis for the project. It should be something you are comfortable doing a drawing from, and have a full range of values represented (light, medium, and dark tones). I will have my usual pile of magazines for anyone who doesn't bring their own photo.

11/10/10 Intro to Art

Today's Class- Today we looked at art that had the common element of that the focus was on narrative- telling a story. This went back to cave paintings and Ancient Roman monuments, through the Renaissance, and into the 20th century. Then we started the first graded project of the semester, an autobiographical symbolic comic strip.

How to make this up- On this first day I showed previous examples on slide and some actual student projects, similar to the ones shown above. Students picked stories from their lives to depict, and chose symbols to represent the characters in the story. Some got as far as penciling a few of the panels. I also demonstrated some ways of using pastels, which will be used to color the finished comic strip. The class will be given all of next week to work on this as well (and further additional time on your own), so if you missed today, come in with story and character ideas, but you don't need more than that for next week. While students continue to work on the comic strips, I will help print the collagraph plates begun in class last week. For more details about the comic strip project and further examples, click here.

Homework- This autobiographical and symbolic comic strip project is due at the beginning of class on December 1, 2010. Collagraph printing plates are due at the beginning of class on November 17, 2010.

For next class 11/17/10- We will continue to work on the comic strips and print the collagraphs. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencil, eraser, pastels, and your completed collagraph plate.

11/8/10 2D Design

Today's Class- Today we started our study of color, something we will explore for the rest of the semester. I showed slides of art from prehistory to the present, discussing the technology and use of color in each. Then the class did a series of portfolio exercises involving the mixing of color and basic color theory, similar to the above examples.

How to make this up- Full details and complex instructions for completing the color wheel, complementary color mixing, and tints and shades exercises can be found here. These are portfolio exercises which must be made up by the end of the semester.

Homework- The completed wood blocks for your book illustration graded project are due at the beginning of class on November 15, 2010.

For next class 11/15/10- Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencil and eraser, all your painting related supplies (acrylics, brushes, palette, palette knife, water container), scissors, and some kind of glue, which will be used in a new graded project. At the same time, the wood blocks will be printed in class.

11/3/10 Intro to Art

Today's Class- Today we started by looking at slides from the history of printmaking, from the Renaissance through the present. Then the class started working on a related portfolio assignment, a collagraph. We also devoted some time at the end of class to looking at the results of the photography assignment given out two weeks ago.

How to make this up- Find a piece of cardboard about 8" x 10". (the large side of a cereal box will do) You need to attach a variety of materials with different textures to the cardboard, so that some kind of recognizable image is formed. In a few weeks you will bring in the completed collagraph plate and I'll help you print them. Student examples of the printed collagraphs are shown above and below. (the one below has been colored after printing with watercolors) For more details about the assignment, click here.

Homework- The completed collagraph plate is due at the beginning of class on November 17, 2010.

Anyone who still hasn't turned in their research assignment should do so as soon as possible to receive partial credit.

Those who didn't have their photos today should bring them in next week to share with the class.

For next class 11/10/10- We will start the first individually graded assignment of the semester. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencil, and eraser, and pastels.

11/1/10 2D Design

Today's Class- Today we opened with a critique of last week's charcoal value graded project, with the drawings graded and returned to the students later in the day. Then I distributed pieces of wood to the students and they started working on their designs for their woodcut book illustration projects. Toward the end of the day I did a demonstration of safe and effective cutting techniques.

How to make this up- You can't start the block until I give you a piece of plywood, but you can work out your design on paper. The image will be 8" x 6", and can be positioned vertical or horizontal, as in the student examples above. You can sketch it out in pencil, and may choose to use markers to fill in the black shapes to get a better feel for how the print will look. Remember that the resulting print is a mirror image of the block, so you will have to draw the block backwards from how you want the print to look.

Homework- The completed wood block is due at the beginning of class on November 15, 2010, at which time we will print them in class.

For next class 11/8/10- We will begin our study of color. Bring your 18"x 24" pad, and all your painting related materials- acrylic paints, brushes, palette, palette knife, and some kind of container for water, as well as pencil and eraser.