4/27/18 Intro to Art

Today's Class-  A very busy day today, so luckily my tires were all in better shape.  We started with a brief in class critique of all the comic strip projects that were due today.  Then we moved on to the final 3D project of the semester, found object sculptures based on randomly selected themes. Then we took time to complete the course survey forms, after which we could devote time to thinking about approaches to the last project.  Along the way, I collected research assignments due today, collagraph plates from those students who did not have them ready to print in class, and the comic strips to be graded before next week.

How to make this up- The last project this semester is a 3D sculpture made from found objects and other materials, representing the themes chosen from hats in class.  You may use any material you wish to depict your chosen theme.  I showed slides of some examples from the past century, sculptures made not from traditional techniques like carving stone or casting bronze, but rather from assembling, and materials can be anything you can find.  Below are some student examples from previous semesters, along with the random phrase that inspired each:

appetite for distraction

fallen merchant

impasse changed

planet gone wild

plowing through the nation

troubled uprising

The piece can be a freestanding object, or permanently attached to a base.  You may also create a backdrop or location, as in a few examples above, or some that we saw in  class today.  It should be at least 8" in one dimension, but no bigger than what you can easily carry to class. If you weren't in class today to get a topic, either e-mail me during the week or you can get one in class next week. 

Homework- This final 3D project is due by the end of class at our last meeting- May 11, 2018.

If you still owe your comic strip project or any papers, get them to me as soon as possible.  The longer the delay on any individually graded project, the fewer points it will be worth.  

Everything not individually graded will be part of the semester portfolio and will be graded the last day of class.  I will eventually produce a list of what's expected, but you can use this blog to review this entire semester and verify what you need.

For next class 5/4/18- A general work day for anything part of this class.  If you are all caught up on everything else, you may take advantage of the tables and space to work on your 3D final.  Or if you need to, you can work on one of the individually graded projects, a portfolio exercise, or even one of the papers.  Bring whatever materials you need to work on what you plan to do.  

4/20/18 Intro to Art final edition

Today's Class- Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was not able to make it up to Union today.  The day started out normal enough, up at 5:30 am, out to my car by 7:30 am, which would allow me to get to Kean in time to check e-mails, pull slides, etc.  However, my car was pitched to one side in its parking space, and that's never good. When I got close enough, I could see that one tire was completely flat.  Didn't get a photo of it, but imagine a hubcap resting on a pile of black banana peels.  No photo because I used the time waiting for tire assistance to clear a bunch of stuff out of my car- things for today's class, things for my local woodcut class, snow shovels and other winter tools that I just can't give up yet (we may get below freezing tonight), etc.  Got done just in time to uncover the well that holds my spare and send e-mails to the morning class.  Changing it didn't take long, but those donuts are not meant for high speed or long trips, so my usual 100 mile round trip on the GSP was out.  

That one screw between the treads doesn't look like much, but with the weight of my car on it, a disaster.  Called the office, sent e-mails to my afternoon students, then set out to get some replacement tires.  See, much better.

 

How to make this up- Had a lot of time to think about this, and came up with a new plan.  I've decided to abandon the earlier idea of having us do today's lesson (architecture/perspective drawing) next week, and instead we'll just use the remaining 3 weeks to work on the 3D Final project.

Homework- Nothing new, but some dates may have changed.  For example, the 2D Final (symbolic autobiographical comic strip in pastel) will now be due at the beginning of our next meeting- April 27, 2018.

The second written assignment, the research paper, will still be due on April 27, 2018.  This is to allow students who turn it in on time the opportunity to correct the mistakes and resubmit it for a higher grade.  Turn it in late, you get what you get.

Those who have not yet printed their collograph plate should bring the cardboard plate to class next week.  I'll collect them, bring them to my studio, print them there, and then bring back the plates and prints the following week.


For next class 4/27/18- We will start with a quick class critique of the comic strips, which I will collect, grade, and return the following week.  And if the course evaluation forms are in my mailbox, we'll need to fill those out.

After that, we will start work on the 3D Final.  The subject of your sculpture will be determined by a random drawing thing.  You don't need your 18"x24" pad, unless you want to use it to protect your comic strip.  I do recommend something to write with and a notebook or loose paper to start working out ideas for your last piece.  Materials for that will be discussed in class next week.

4/13/18 Intro to Art

Today's Class- Today was the continuation of some things begun in previous classes.  Most students worked on the symbolic/autobiographical comic strip, our first individually graded project of the semester.  Those who brought in completed collagraph plates got them printed up.  I answered a lot of questions about papers, old and forthcoming, and we looked at a few photo examples from students who had brought them in.


How to make this up- All the information about the comic strip  project and some student examples can be found on last week's blog post (April 6, 2018 on this site).  Below is a student example print from a previous semester.

Printed with black water soluble relief ink on white paper from the big pads.  

Homework- The symbolic autobiographical comic strip project is due at the beginning of class on April 20, 2018.  This is an individually graded project, so late arriving projects will be downgraded as usual.  

The printed collagraphs are part of the semester portfolio, so must be completed by the last day of class.  If you have the tools, materials, and know how to do it on your own, all well and good.  If you would prefer me to do it for you, bring in your completed cardboard plate as soon as possible.  I'll collect them, bring them to my studio, and print them there.  I'm not going to bring in the ink and tools every week to do it there.  

The historical research paper is due at the beginning of class on April 27, 2018.  


For next class 4/20/18- We will do the last portfolio exercise of the semester, an architectural drawing using two point perspective.  Bring your 18"x 24" pad, pencil and eraser, and some kind of straight edge is recommended.  I'll have several yardsticks, so if you don't have your own ruler, you'll have to share with everyone else.

Student examples of 2D Final- autobiographical symbolic story

Today's Class- Our topic today was narrative, which we determined was the quality of telling a story.  

The inspiration for this project is the comic strip Maus, published in the 1980's and early 1990's, and collected in bound volumes in the 1990's, what is often called a graphic novel.  It simultaneously tells two stories, one of the events in the life of two Jewish people in Poland, captured in the Holocaust, and imprisoned in a work camp.  The two prisoners do survive, the camp is liberated as  World War II ends, they emigrate to America, and have a child.  The second story takes place much later, from the point of view of that child, now a grown man living in NYC, and having to deal with his often cantankerous elderly widowed father.  What made it unusual was that the characters are all portrayed as animals, in a cartoon hierarchy.  The Jewish characters, or all nations, are shown as mice, who are constantly pursued by German soldiers (cats), until they are defeated by the American soldiers (dogs). Other animals play roles as well.  Sometimes the animals are drawn as cartoon characters- personified with human style arms and legs, and with expressive faces.  Sometimes the characters are shown as humans wearing animal masks, Halloween style.  


What our project will have in common with this is that students will be creating a comic strip that tells a true story from their lives, so it will be autobiographical, and portraying themselves and other characters with symbols instead of people, so it will be symbolic.  The symbolic characters can relate to the nature of the story, or be personal symbols the student associates with the people. The story can be serious or inconsequential, happy or sad- it doesn't matter.  Here are a few examples from previous semesters:

These first four are one I have in my possession, and if we were meeting you could see them in person.  These are all  examples of this strip done by students taking this class, the same problem.  In this one, the characters all all beach related- a ball, pail, umbrella, etc. These were chosen as a personal symbol, of interest to the participants, or based on characteristics possessed by the participants, according to the creator. The story has nothing to do with the beach, but the characters all liked the beach.  The story is actually about a time the group was playing field hockey and an injury occurred. In the first page, the group gets together to play the game, but early in the second page, the ball gets injured, has to go to the hospital, is seen by a doctor (a shell) and eventually emerges on crutches. (in the class, the student no longer needed them, so a happy ending. 

The second strip also has a beach theme, but this time the story is also a beach story, so the symbols are related to the story.  Two friends decide to go to the beach, the two friends are depicted as bathing suits with no further personification. The two bathing suits take a trip to the shore, lay on the beach, enjoy some pizza, then more time on the beach.  A nice day.

Our third example has no beach at all, but three Kean friends who decide to go see a view of the George Washington Bridge.  The symbols are a flower, a water drop, and an apple, none of which have anything to do with the subject, so these are personal symbols chosen by the creator. They depart together by car, later walk through the woods where they have a scary encounter with a spider, eventually reach their goal and see the bridge, the spider incident not so bad.

Our fourth example is a less good one, what not to do. The story isn't bad, about a student getting a job to earn some money.  He portrays himself as a 50 lb. dumbbell type weight, which may be a personal symbol, but in this case it is a story symbol as well. The job is working in a weight room.  Our character gets the job, helps spot lifters, cleans, organizes, and at the end of the first page, gets a paycheck.  The second page shows him going to the bank to turn it into cash, which he takes to the store, and uses to buy some nice sneakers. The story is good, the character/symbol is good, but the art is lacking. The drawing is perfectly fine, but there isn't enough color- too much empty white space.  The grade ended up being a B, but would have been a A with more color.

Here are several more good examples of this project from past years.

Each strip should use two full pages from your 18" x 24" pad, with 6 more panels per page- panel size can vary as needed.  Format can be horizontal or vertical.  I suggest using pencil to sketch out the layouts.  You may use pencil, pen, or markers to put in lettering (as in dialogue balloons, boxes of captions) or outline objects, but all color must come from pastels.  You can also go wordless if you want. New colors can be created by combinations (like we did with the paints), typically layering one over the other and blending, such as with fingers, a scrap of paper towel, or anything else you prefer.  Objects that one might expect to be white may remain that way (pastels or white from the paper), but otherwise use color everywhere, like what you might see in a Sunday paper. 

Other rules:

1) Story should be true, something that happened in your life. You will be a character in the story.

2) Story can take place in any time, and can cover as long a period as you want- a moment, a few days, a year, a lifetime.

3) Characters must be symbols, not just humans.  You have the options of adding limbs, faces, and other human attributes, but you don't have to.  There are examples of both styles above.

4) If it makes sense for the characters to change (age, etc), that is permitted, but make sure it is clear that the character is still the same. 


5) We can do anything permitted in comic strips.  Words can be used in transitions or to show sound effects.  The above examples can provide guidance.  Dialog balloons, thought balloons, all available.