4/30/12 2D Design

 Roots

Kerry James Marshall

 Painted Dreams

Vincent Van Gogh

Today's Class- Today we looked at some of the limited palette graded projects, then started on the Final Project of the semester- a reworking of the art of a specific artist, creating a new composition that borrows the format of a board game.

How to make this up- Everyone was in today, so you should all know the project, but here's the basics if you need a reminder.  Choose a recognized fine artist (found in major museum collections and art history textbooks) whose work is representational (not abstract), two dimensional, and in full color.  You will select elements from two or more artworks from this artist and arrange them into a new composition.  That can include figures, landscape, interiors, objects, and backgrounds.  Because this is a game, there must be a theme at least partly related to the artwork, a title, and some kind of game path. The game will be created using a piece of mat board, somewhere between 16" x 20" and 18" x 24", using your acrylic paints.  Above and below are examples from previous semesters, with the game title and artist beneath each.  The example I made, and the details behind how I designed it, can be found here.

 Magritte the Game

Rene Magritte

The Greek Grape Faze

Ancient Greek Pottery

Homework- This board game graded project is due at the beginning of class on May 14, 2012, which is also the final day of the semester.  No work will be accepted after that day.

Some students still owe some back projects (wood cut blocks, season temperature collages, limited palette studies), which can be turned in for partial credit.

Museum papers are also due by the last day of class, two weeks from today.

Spring 2012 Portfolio Exercises 

This is the list of all exercises that are part of the semester portfolio, which will be graded on the last day of class.  If you came to class every day, you probably have it all done.  If not, the list below, along with the dates they can be found on this blog, should help you fill in the gaps:

1/30/12  Wallpaper dots

2/6/12  Contour Lines  (shoes, chair, bottles)

2/27/12  Value (charcoal exercises)

3/26/12  Color Wheel and Mixing exercises

4/2/12  Text and Logo

4/23/12  Color Still Life painting

For next class 5/7/12- This will be a general work day for the class.  Many will use it to work on the final project, but you may use the time and space to do anything related to the class.  That can be one of the back projects, a portfolio exercise, or even the museum paper.  Bring whatever you need to work on whatever you plan to do in class.

Intro to Art- 3D Final Project

How to make this up- The 3D projects will have a specific theme.  The themes for each student's project were chosen randomly during class.  Each student pulled words from two bags, which were put together to create a random phrase.  The student can interpret the resulting phrase in any way that makes sense to them.  In the examples below from previous semesters, the chosen theme is shown beneath each piece.  Those who missed class today should either e-mail me and have me pick their phrase for them, or can wait until next week and choose it for themselves.  Once you have your phrase, you have two options for making the sculptural piece:

A) Open Front Box Sculpture- An open front box sculpture is a standing object meant to be seen from the front only, as if intended to be hung on a wall.  Because it's a box, it has a background, top, bottom, and sides, which can be decorated with painted or collaged materials, or have 3D elements attached.  Within the box there needs to be 3 dimensional objects, which can be found objects (things created by others for different purposes) or things you make yourself out of such materials as cardboard, clay, paper mache, fabric, natural materials, or anything else you can think of.  (craft stores may have many other options)  The box must be a minimum of 12" tall and 12" wide, and 3" deep, but can be a little larger.  The piece at the top was made out of wood, but cardboard is acceptable if you don't have access to wood or the tools to build with it.  If you can't find an existing box that meets the size requirements, you can make one by recutting existing cardboard or combining two boxes, which I can help you with in class next week.

Impasse Changed

Plowing Through The Nation

B) Freestanding Sculpture-  A freestanding sculpture sits on a pedestal or table top and can be seen from all sides.  The sculpture must be at least 12" tall, and may include an attached base if you want.  As with the box sculptures, you can include readymade found objects, but at least some of it should have elements you make yourself.  Below are three examples from previous semesters.

 Troubled Uprising

Fallen Merchant

Planet Gone Wild

2D Design Color Still Life Exercise

Having used paint and color in theoretical ways for the past few weeks, today we used them for a more traditional purpose- a color still life painting. After showing several slides of still life paintings from the Renaissance to the present, and discussing the purpose of still life paintings for artists and viewers then and now, I set up a still life and had the class paint it.

How to make this up- Set up a colorful still life. Put a small/medium box on a table in a well lit room and drape with a multicolored cloth. Arrange 4 solidly colored objects (each a different color from the others and the cloth) on and around the box. Produce a full color painting of the still life, paying attention to shapes, proportions, spacing, perspective, and value, but this time also trying to match colors as closely as possible. You may sketch it first with pencil or paint the set up directly with your brush. Spend about 4 hours on it. Student examples from previous semesters can be seen above and below.

This is a portfolio exercise and must be made up by the end of the semester to receive full credit.

4/20/12 Intro to Art

Today's Class- Today we looked at completed comic strip projects from all those students who had brought them in. They were collected and will be returned graded next week. We then looked at slides of the history of architecture from pre-history to the 20th century. After the break, we did an exercise in perspective drawing.

How to make this up- The exercise was to draw a corner of our classroom in two point perspective, an example of which is above. Converting three dimensional reality to a two dimensional drawing always involves a certain amount of distortion of the subject, but a perspective system creates a regulated system of distortions that works well for highly geometric subjects like architecture. A diagram of how two point perspective works, and the specifics of the exercise, can be seen here. The procedure is complex, and if you have no experience with it, you may want to wait until next week and I'll review it with those who missed class today. The exercise needs to be made up by the end of the semester to receive credit.

Homework- Those who haven't yet turned in their comic strip project should finish it as soon as possible- it's a graded project and the longer it takes to arrive, the lower the grade will be.

The museum papers are due on the last day of class, three weeks from today. If you haven't yet made your museum visit, you should get to it soon.

For next class 4/27/12- We will start our final project of the semester, which will be a three dimensional artwork. Next week will be spent developing the idea. Bring some paper for notes and sketches (your 18" x 24" pad or a notebook), pencil and eraser.

4/16/12 2D Design

Today's Class- Today we started a new graded project dealing with the idea of specific limited color palettes. While artists have traditionally painted realistic scenes by approximating the colors of nature, sometimes artists will purposely choose alternate approaches to color. We looked at a few dozen slides with examples of some of the common variations of limited palettes, then the class spent the day reproducing their chosen photos with different color schemes, as in the student examples above and below.

How to make this up- You will need a black and white photograph of a real scene (person, landscape, interior, still life, etc) and a wide range of value. Divide a sheet of your 18" x 24" paper into 4 equal sized boxes and use pencil to sketch the basic composition of your photo in all four boxes. You will then use your acrylic paints to reproduce all the values in the original photo, but using some specific color schemes. Additional student examples and all the instructions and requirements can be seen here.

Homework- This graded limited color palettes project is due at the beginning of class on April 30, 2012. Those who still owe back projects (wood blocks, color season collages) should get them done as soon as possible to receive partial credit.

For next class 4/23/12- We will use our painting experience to explore a more traditional use of paint, a color still life portfolio exercise. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencil and eraser, and all your painting materials.

4/13/12 Intro to Art

Today's Class- Today the class continued work on the comic strip autobiographical narrative projects that were begun during our last class meeting. While that was going on, I printed all the collagraph plates that had been made a few weeks ago. Above and below are examples of plates and resulting prints from previous semesters.

How to make this up- If you have a plate and it needs to be printed, bring it to class as soon as possible. I'll collect it, print it at home, and return it the following week. Once printed, it is your option to keep the plate or dispose of it, but the printed image on paper must be kept as part of your semester portfolio. (many students tape it to a blank page in the pad to keep it from getting lost) You also have the option to add color to the dry print, with either your watercolors (as in the above example) or with light pastels, so that the ink and textures show through. It won't affect your grade in any way, but if your subject is not clear from the print, color can help define the shapes and make it a better work of art.

Homework- The comic strip autobiography projects are due at the beginning of class on April 20, 2012. All the details are available on the post for our last class meeting.

Keep in mind that the museum papers are due on the last day of class, four weeks from now, though they can be turned in sooner. If you haven't yet made your museum visit, you should do it soon, before you get hit with all the end of the semester work from your other classes.

For next class 4/20/12- Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencil and eraser, and a ruler or at least a straight edge of some kind. We will do a project related to architecture, as well as looking at the comic strips.

4/9/12 2D Design

Today's Class- Today we returned to color, starting a graded project related to the idea of color temperature. I showed a dozen or so art historical slides, and the class discussed whether the overall perceived temperature of each painting was warm, cool, or balance. Then the class was set loose on the project shown above, a pair of color collages that represent two seasons of the year.

How to make this up- For the first time since January, the entire class was present, so everyone should know the details already. You need to mix 200 colors using your acrylic paints, which will be arranged in two 10" square boxes by temperature. Within each square, no two colors can be alike. Each square will represent a season of your choice- summer (all warm), winter (all cool), spring and autumn (mix of warm and cool) Colors will be cut to 1" squares and arranged in the large boxes. Additional examples and full details for the project can be found here.

Homework- This color temperature graded project is due at the beginning of class on April 16, 2012. Those who have not yet finished cutting their wood blocks should try to finish them as soon as possible for partial credit.

For next class 4/16/12- We will look at the resulting color temperature projects and start a new graded project involving limited color palettes. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, all your painting related materials, and pencil and eraser. You will need a black and white photo for this project (actual scene/place/person), so either bring your own or go through my pile of old magazines to find something.

4/2/12 2D Design

Today's Class- Today we opened with a slide show of art with focus on the use of text as a formal element in visual art, apart from any possible meaning of the words themselves. We also looked at examples of WWII era propaganda and advertising from about 50 years ago, discussing the use of text styles and other symbols within. Then students did two portfolio exercises related to text and advertising, while we printed all the completed woodblocks. Prints from today are shown above.

How to make this up-

Text Assignment- I had students choose 3 words from a list I provided and draw them in such a way that the way they were made (style of letters, arrangement, location on page, etc) would indicate the meaning of the word. The words chosen were to be descriptive (adjectives and adverbs) or action words (verbs). Nouns don't work, as there is too much temptation to just form the letters into the shape of the object named by the word. To make it more difficult for us to guess the meaning of the designed word, I had the students use Russian words in the Cyrillic alphabet, as in the example below.

To do this you will need an English-Russian dictionary. I can give you a few pages the next time you come to class, or you can just find one in the university library (where mine came from). Choose 3 appropriate words, and design first in pencil, then go over them with your markers to make them move visible. You may have all three on one sheet of your 18" x 24" paper.

Logo Design- The second exercise was to design a simple logo for an imaginary business. This is defined as a business that would provide a product or service that does not currently exist, either because the thing would be impossible under current technology, or such a bad idea that the business would fail for lack of customers or other issues. The student example below, "Buffalo Muffins".

The logo should sum up the most important aspects of the business in a simple and easily readable format. It may include text, but doesn't have to. Work out your idea in pencil, then go over it with ink. You should create two versions- one about 6" in every dimension, the one that is only about 1" square. Have them both on the same page.

These are both portfolio exercises that must be made up by the end of the semester to receive credit.

Homework- Those who have not yet finished their wood blocks should finish them as soon as possible to receive partial credit. Bring them to class and I'll arrange to print them later.

For next class 4/9/12- We will begin a new graded project related to the idea of color temperature. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencil and eraser, all your acrylic paints, brushes, palette knife and palette. Also scissors and glue.