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Today's Class- I opened today with a few dozen slides of 20th century art, work that emphasized planes- relatively flat surfaces and their movements. I also had a few slides of art that took on motorized vehicles (trains and automobiles) as subject, as an introduction to today's exercise. The rest of the class period was spent working on the exercise, using foam core and bristol board to build a simple model of a car of the student's choosing, and then an abstract sculpture using identical copies of all the same parts.
How to make this up- Choose any car you like based solely on its appearance. Can be any make, model, or age. Using photos of the car from multiple angles, reproduce the car's basic shape, with an emphasis on the exterior surfaces. As you make each piece for your car, make a second identical piece and set it aside. Once you've completed the car, use the second set of pieces to build an abstract sculpture of your choosing, any form that doesn't look like a car. Above is an example from today's class. More detailed instructions, and additional student examples, can be found here.
This is a portfolio exercise and must be completed by the end of the semester to receive full credit, but I suggest finishing it soon. After spring break the projects will be bigger.
Homework- The two foam core relief panels begun two weeks ago are due at the beginning of class on March 4, 2014.
Reminder- deadline to withdraw from classes is March 4, 2014. Students still on the roster after that will remain in the class and get the grade they earn. Students who stop coming to class at that point, and thus stop turning in work, will fail.
For next class 3/4/14- We will open with a group critique of the foam core relief projects, which I will grade and return. Then we will be doing another portfolio exercise involving complex shapes. Bring 3 or more cardboard pulp coffee tray/holders, scissors and/or x-acto knife, and glue. If you would prefer to use hot glue, we have guns, but you'll need to get some hot glue sticks.
Today's Class- Due to what I believe was the fourth snow since our last meeting, Kean University scheduled a delayed opening for 11:00 am, and I decided to delay it a little further to noon, to make sure everyone, including myself, would have time to get there. As it turned out, the travel conditions were better than expected and I was on campus at 11:00, and students started showing up after 12:00.
With only a half day to work with, and a very reduced number of students, it didn't make sense to start the planned car-related exercise. So today those present were able to continue working on the foam core relief project we started last week.
How to make this up- The instructions and details for the foam core reliefs project can be found in last week's blog post. It has been updated to include images of my examples of the initial skeleton piece, and a second relief on another thing with similar proportions and motifs in the positive and negative relationship.
Homework- The pair of foam core relief panels is due at the beginning of class on March 4, 2014.
For next class 2/25/14- We will go back to the planned outline and do a portfolio exercise related to the concept of surface planes- the car assignment. Bring images from multiple directions of an automobile that you like specifically because of its physical appearance- any style or age is fine. Also bring a sketchbook, pencil and eraser. foam core, bristol board, x-acto knife and scissors, and white glue.
Today's Class- We opened with a group critique of the Make 100 Module project. These were graded and returned by the end of class. After that we looked at several slides of art featuring negative space and relief elements, then started our next graded project, using foam core to create relief sculpture.
Below is an example of using foam core in this process. It is a different project from today's but it gives an idea of what it can look like- a broad piece of foam core with a layer of cut and shaped pieces glued over the top to create a relief sculpture surface. The areas that have been cut become negative spaces in the composition, and the raised areas become the positive shapes. In both two dimensional and three dimensional art, positive and negative spaces are equally important.
How to make this up- For the new assignment you will need two 12" x 12" pieces of foam core, which will be the bases for two relief sculptures. We are going to use skeletons for the starting point of the first one. Skeletons are successful design, evolved over millions of years to help support and protect the owners of that framework. The bones can be thought of as positive shapes, and the spaces inside and between are negative shapes. I distributed photocopies of skeletons, a mixture of student drawings of human skeletons and book illustrations of animal skeletons, although students also had the option of finding one on their own. Below is one of the human skeleton images that were available.
Below is a demonstration piece I started today using that drawing, concentrating on the area of the rib cage. The resulting relief piece is not medically accurate, but maintains the positive/negative relationship of the original. Your relief composition should use the entire 12" square base. As in my example, you may choose a small piece of the skeleton and enlarge it. My sample is using all white foam core, but some students have requested to use both black and white, one for the base and the other for the raised relief elements, and that is fine if you like the idea.
For the second piece, you will select something different to depict. It can be a living thing or inanimate object, or even a scene with multiple objects, but your subject should be something that normally has some three dimensional quality. I suggest you start by sketching the composition on paper first. For the second relief sculpture, create a design with a breakdown of positive and negative shapes with a proportion similar to the skeleton piece. The shapes need not have any relationship to bones, though that is an option if you like. In my second piece below (frog on the ground near some plants) I have several long curved crossing elements, which echoes movements in the rib cage, and the frog includes shape that relate to the skeleton's shoulder blades.
Homework- The two panels of this graded relief assignment are due at the beginning of class on March 4, 2014.
Semester Schedule Change-
Although we have not yet missed any class time due to the winter weather, it's requiring me to rearrange the planned schedule for the semester. The graded project originally scheduled to start in two weeks requires me and you to gather materials found in nature, and right now everything outside is covered with a thick layer of snow and more is on the way. We will still do everything planned on the syllabus, just in a different order. Here is the new plan going forward:
Week 5 Planes and movement
Week 6 Complex contour surfaces (coffee holders)
Week 7 Textures and colors from life (found objects)
Week 8 Changing points of view (found objects)
Week 9 Changing points of view continued
Week 10 Forms in nature (found natural objects)
Week 11 Proportions (foam core/bristol)
Week 12 Proportions continued
Week 13 Begin Final Project
Week 14 Final Continued
Week 15 Final critique/all work due
I'll provide reminders each week regarding the required materials.
For next class 2/18/14- We will look at the use of planes (surfaces) in sculpture in a portfolio exercise. You will need to bring to class images of a favorite automobile from a purely exterior design perspective. Last time I had a class do this most went with sports cars or pick up trucks, but any style or vintage is acceptable. You should have photos of the vehicle from different sides, to aid you in building a simple model of your car, which will lead us to the second, more abstract half of the design exercise. Bring a piece of foam core, bristol board, sketchbook and pencil, scissors and/or x-acto knife, and glue.
Today's Class- We started today by reviewing some textbook definitions of sculpture, including various processes used. We then moved on to a discussion of the concept of symmetry and asymmetry, and examples of how they are used in three dimensional art. That was the starting point for a portfolio exercise that dealt with those concepts. We also took a walk over to the Bamboo show in the Burger Gallery, since it is relevant to some projects we'll be doing later this semester.
How to make this up- Students started by thinking about objects that demonstrate symmetry, and selecting one to turn into a three dimensional sketch made from bristol board. Above and below are two student examples from today's class. The specific requirements for this assignment, as well as additional student examples, can be found here.
This is a portfolio exercise, which must be made up by the end of the semester to receive full credit, though it's recommended you do it soon to get experience with the materials that will help when working on other projects.
Homework- The Make 100 Modules graded project is due at the beginning of class on February 11, 2014. If you haven't yet seen the Bamboo show at the Burger Gallery in the CAS building, I recommend you do so before it closes on Friday.
For next class 2/11/14- After a critique of the first graded project we will begin the second, which will make use of the idea of relief sculpture. Bring two small size (20" x 30") pieces of white foam core, x-acto knife and spare blades, white glue, a sketchbook, and pencil and eraser.
