skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Today's Class- Having concluded the basic drawing and design portion of the semester, today we moved onto the creative problem solving aspect of the class. Today's topic was constraints and structures as part of the artistic process. I read some examples of constraint fiction (books in which the authors give themselves special rules to follow) and discussed how many ancient and modern written languages were originally derived from visual symbols. I also discussed and showed slides of art that used structures and systems to organize or even generate visuals, as in the example above. After that we spent the rest of the class working on the first graded project of the semester, the creation of a symbolic language and a system to use it to make a piece of visual art.
How to make this up- For our purposes, a symbolic language is a series of at least 10 symbols that do not literally refer to items that they may resemble, but represent other objects, conditions, or concepts. In the above example (an artwork of mine from many years ago), prints of arm and hand shapes are arranged with different orientations, colors, and combinations to represent words, and the words expressed specific concepts. None of the words or concepts have anything to do with arms or hands. Similar symbols were used to create other words in the "language" that were used to make a sentence.
Your 10 or more symbols can be derived from images of objects, or be completely abstract shapes, but there should be a visual relationship between them. I recommend making the symbols simple shapes, as you may need to reproduce it identically many times. You also need to create a system that would determine how these symbols will be distributed on the paper. The formula would dictate the specific symbols and the order in which they appear. Anyone who knows the formula and has a key to translate the symbols should be able to determine the conditions that created it in the first place. My example was based on language, but some of the ideas students were exploring today included systems where symbol order will be determined by such things as weather patterns, state lottery drawings, and stats in specific sporting events. Today we were working in the small sketchbooks, but the final piece will be done on your 18" x 24" paper. You have a choice of designing the final piece using just black and white (markers) or using color in your symbols (paints, etc). In grading the project I'll be considering the design of the symbols, use of a standard system, and the overall composition of the final artwork.
Homework- This symbolic language graded project is due at the beginning of class on March 18, 2013. We will hold a group critique of the pieces, and they will be collected for grading. I recommend starting it before our next meeting on March 4th, so I can check your progress and let you know if you're on the right track.
For next class 3/4/13- We will start a new graded project, based on images of personal symbols of your choosing. If you have not yet completed the homework assigned on 2/11/13 (sketches of 10 personal symbols- objects you own that are symbolic of your life and interests), get it done before our next meeting. Bring your sketchbook, 18" x 24" pad, pencil and eraser.
Today's Class- Today was our second day of basic design principles, a quick review of art fundamentals that will be helpful once we start the more complex graded projects. I showed about two dozen slides of historical art, discussing how different compositional strategies were used by the various artists. Then we did two exercises relating to considering color, shape, value, and intensity in two dimensional composition.
How to make this up- We spent a little time as a group playing a few rounds of the composition game (above photo) with paper and pushpins on the wall. Then I had student take out their sketchbooks with the homework from last week, sketches from the show of quilts at the Human Rights Institute gallery. Each student selected one of their quilt sketches and reproduced the line composition on a larger scale on a sheet of their 18" x 24" paper. I selected some of the resulting shapes within the composition, the students outlined them with a black marker, and filled in the shapes with the colors of their choice, using crayons or colored pencils I provided. The last step was to use the same marker and create one or more new shapes on the page- not using the original pencil lines, but shapes of a similar nature to the chose quilt shapes- and complete the composition. Below is an example:
Above is an original piece of the quilt. The student reproduced the composition as a drawing, treating the edges of each color shape as a contour line. Below is a student example. Notice the remaining pencil lines from the original composition. Five pieces were chosen to be colored- parts of hair on each figure, an arm and hand, and a piece of clothing of the figure on the left.
Then the student chose to create a single shape (the yellow crescent moon) and place it in the lower right corner.
Go through your sketches from the quilt show and choose one that has a fairly complex group of shapes, and draw it in your 18" x 24" pad, more or less filling the page. Bring that to class and I'll select the shapes to be outlined and colored. This is a portfolio exercise and must be made up by the end of the semester, but I recommend completing it before the next class, as we'll be starting the more complex graded projects with our next class meeting.
Homework- Choose 10 objects that can be considered personal symbols. They can be items that are rare or unique, or things that are very common. (think about the Cosplay show in the Dryfoos Gallery; the objects in each photo can be considered personal symbols of those characters) Do pencil contour line drawings of each object in your sketchbook, one or two per page.
***2/18/13 President's Day. No class next Monday***
For next class 2/25/13- We will discuss the use of structures and constraints in the creation of art, and begin our first graded project of the semester. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, sketchbook, pencils and eraser, and black markers.
Today's Class- We began our study of art for real today, with some exercises in line drawing. We started with few dozen slides of historical art, discussing the use of line from prehistory through the late 20th century. Then we did exercises involving contour line- an introduction for those with little or no art experience, and a review for more experienced artists. I also distributed the museum assignment.
How to make this up- Select a shoe. Use your 18" x 24" paper to do several line sketches of your shoe using the pencil of your choice. You may have multiple shoes on the same page, and even use the back of the sheet if you want. Spend 20 minutes doing exterior contour line sketches, just the outer silhouette of the shoe, as in the example above on the left. Pay attention to the details of the edges, the proportion of height to length and front to back, the curve over the toes, and the relative position of different shoe parts. Most did 3 or 4 in the 20 minutes. Then use the same shoe and do one more drawing, this time also drawing interior lines, such as laces, the line between sole and upper, etc, like the above drawing on the right. Again spend 20 minutes on the one drawing. Then select another object of similar size, such as a hat with a brim, a small tea kettle, a hand tool (hammer, wrench, etc), or a wine glass. Using the same paper, draw the object once, still using pencil line only, paying attention to the same concerns as we use in the shoe drawings, once again spending about 20 minutes.
These are portfolio exercises and must be made up by the end of the semester to receive full credit.
Homework- You will need to take a trip to our library on campus to visit two art shows. A) Pass through the main entrance, into the lobby, and then look for the doors on the left. This is the Human Rights Institute. There is an exhibition in the gallery called Advocacy Quilts, in which different groups of people from places around the world created quilts to tell people about issues they faced. Choose three of the quilts, and on each quilt, one of the individual panels that tells a story. In your sketchbook, use pencil line to to reproduce the basic composition of the panel- the shapes within and the space around it. One such drawing per page. B) Go back to the lobby and through the doors into the library. Make a quick right, just before you reach the StarBucks, and enter the Nancy Dryfoos Gallery. There is an exhibition called Cosplay in America, large color photos of people engaging in cosplay, the tradition of dressing in costumes of favorite cartoon, comic book, sci-fi, and fantasy characters, and gathering with like-minded individuals. Again using pencil line in your sketchbook, choose three of the photos and do sketches of objects used as parts of the costume. The homework is due at the beginning of class on February 11, 2013.
The Human Rights Institute is open noon to 7 pm on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, noon to 4 pm on Wednesday and Friday. The Nancy Dryfoos Gallery is open 10 am to 8 pm on Monday to Thursday, 10 am to 5 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 1 pm to 5 pm on Sunday.
For next class 2/11/13- We will discuss the basics of composition. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, sketchbook, pencil and eraser, and black markers.
