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Today's Class- Today's topic was printmaking, the collective name for mediums that involve artworks derived from a previously made fixed matrix, resulting in identical copies. I showed examples in both slide form and in actual prints of carved relief (woodcut, linoleum), metal plates (etching, engraving), stone processes (lithography). I had no examples to show of silkscreen, which uses a stencil on fabric mesh. The method that we will be using for an exercise in this class is collagraph, where a collage of materials is built up on a surface, which we will print as a relief print in a future class.
How to make this up- There are many ways and materials that can be used to create a collagraph plate, but the one we employed used cardboard and found objects to build a printing surface that will be used in a future project. Everyone was given a flat piece of cardboard, the large panel from a cereal or cracker box. For materials I had bags of scrounged material discarded by our school's interior design department, though students may provide additional materials later. Students could use scissors to cut the materials to various sizes and shapes, and white glue was use to glue them to the cardboard plates. Later when dried, the plates will be used by students to print collagraphs.
Two rules for this assignment- at least 8 different textures must be used in the final print, and the image must be something recognizable to a typical viewer. I showed physical examples of student prints from previous semesters and the plates that made them. Here are additional examples:
Some things to be noted- the color of the objects used to make the collagraph plate have no effect on the resuting print, which will be made with black relief ink in a few weeks. Also the print is a mirror image of the plate- everything is reversed. Not an issue for pictures, but if you decide to use letters or numbers in your print, they will have to be backwards on your plate to print correctly in the resulting print.
The collagraphs will be printed with black water based relief ink in two weeks during class, and color may be added to the final print with watercolors or pastels (as in the last one above) or with collaged materials. But we'll talk about that again when we get to that point.
This is a portfolio exercise, and the resulting art will be part of your portfolio grade for the class.
Homework- The finished collagraph plate will be printed in class on April 12, 2019, so you have until that day to finish it or make changes to what you have. Some students have their plates ready to go after today's class, while others will be adding additional materials, and those who missed class will have to do the whole thing on their own, but this is within the capabilities of all students. If you have questions about materials or the process, ask me in class next week.
Those who did not turn in a rough draft of the museum assignment today (when they were due) should complete it and get it to me as soon as possible. Longer delays will result in more points lost, and until I review your first draft, I can't give you notes on what you need to make you best possible version of the final museum paper, due the last day of class and worth 20% of the final class grade.
For next class 4/5/19- We will start the first individually graded art project of the semester (not portfolio), which will involve your pastels (from your list of class materials). This is a multi-week project so you will need the same materials the following week as well. Bring your 18"x 24" pad of paper, pencil and eraser, and your set of color pastels, which can either be oil or chalk based. Both are messy.
Today's Class- Today's topic was the idea of rhythm, which can be applied to visual art as much as sounds. I talked a little about how rhythm can be found in relationships of shapes, colors, marks, spaces, objects, and other things that can be described visually, using terms that we use in describing audible rhythms that we might hear in music. Then the class did a portfolio exercise relating to the idea of visual rhythm, involving making visual representations of musical rhythms- or art based on sounds we hear.
How to make this up- I played recordings of various musics for the class, and had the students use watercolor paints to interpret the sounds visually, in the form of abstract representations of what they were hearing. They could choose any colors, shapes, or visual characteristics that they wanted, as long as there were no recognizable images of things. Here are some examples from past students:
Additional examples and the specifics of the class exercise can be found here.
This is a portfolio exercise that can be made up for full credit any time before the end the semester.
Homework- Nothing directly related to this assignment, but I reminded everyone that the rough draft of the museum assignment, our first graded item of the semester, is due at the start of our next class meeting- 3/29/16. I handed out additional copies of the museum assignment to anyone who needed one, and there is a simplified list of the questions available on this blog by clicking on the "museum assignment" link at the top of the home page. That also brings up a list of the pre-approved museums and active links to their websites. As with any graded assignment, there are penalties for submitting things after the deadline.
For next class 3/29/19- We are starting a new portfolio exercise, our last new one before the first graded art project of the semester. This next exercise relates to printmaking, a general medium that makes use of a created source to produce art. The class will be creating collagraphs, a printing plate built through the collaging of textural materials, which will eventually be rolled with ink and printed. This can't be done until the glue holding it all together is dry, so that step will have to wait for a later week. Meanwhile, here is an example of a collagraph plate and a resulting print. Note that the colors of the objects used to make the plate have no effect on the resulting artwork.
I will provide cardboard for the plate base and bring in a variety of materials that students may cut up and attach to the bases as part of creating their plate. The printing part of the process will be done a few weeks from now, so students will have the opportunity to add additional elements that could result in a preferred printed image. For next week bring scissors and white glue, with flat items possessing textures an option. We don't need the large pad of paper, so you can leave those home if you prefer.
Today's Class- Today our topic was photography, a relatively recent medium with roots in antiquity. The ancients were aware of a device called a camera obscura from the Italian words for "dark room". It allowed a three dimensional scene to be projected onto a flat wall, and artists could trace the scene onto a canvas or panel as part of the painting process. However, many sought a way to affix such images directly to paper without the aid of an artist, and advances in chemistry and lens design eventually made this possible.
We looked at slides of the history of photography, from the early experiments of the 1820's to the late 20th century, and discussed some of the many ways it was used in art. I distributed a written take home assignment in this medium, and showed student examples of the assignment from last semester to help explain the idea. After that we left the classroom and worked our way down to the 1st floor of Vaughn-Eames, visiting classroom studios and the student art show along the way. We dismissed from the 1st floor.
How to make this up- The photography exercise is a take home assignment, a list of types of photos that need to be taken, though there are many choices of subjects. Students who were not present today can see examples of the exercise here, and can get the written version at our next class meeting. I can also show you the same photo examples from last semester that students looked at today.
Homework- The photography take home assignment is a portfolio exercise, and can be made up at any time for full credit. However I did put a deadline of April 26, 2019 on the assignment, just to encourage students to get it done sooner, and allow your classmates to see what you came up with. Besides, you'll have other things in this class (and likely your other classes) due at the end of the semester, so it's best not to have to deal with this at that point.
The photos need to be printed on paper, but it can be on photo paper or just on computer printer paper. They can be black and white or color, and you may use a cell phone camera if that is what you have. This is more about subjects and interpretation than it is about camera technique.
The first draft of the museum assignment is due in class on March 29, 2019. All the information is available by clicking the "museum assignment" link at the top of the blog home page, including active links to the pre-approved museums. If you wish to go to another museum, e-mail the information to me and I'll let you know.
****Spring Break March 11-17, 2019. No class meeting that week.****
For next class 3/22/19- We will go back to color and the watercolors, with a more expressive portfolio exercise than the color theory stuff we did last time. Bring your 18"x24" pad, watercolor paints, brushes, a water container, and a palette if you wish.
Today's Class- We got back to color today with some basic color theory. The class used watercolors to do two exercises that involved color mixing, using watercolors. We also looked at some slides from art history, a brief look at how color has been used over the years, discussing sources and purposes of color.
How to make this up- The two exercises involved creating a 12 step color wheel, and mixing a set of complementary colors to create various neutrals.
Detailed instructions as to how to do these exercises, and an additional student example, can be found here.
This is a portfolio exercise and can be made up for full credit any time before the end of the semester, but color will be used again, so this experience will be helpful. The watercolors will return again in a few weeks, in a rhythm related assignment.
Homework- Nothing new today, but I'm reminding you that the first draft of your museum assignment is due on March 29, 2019, now less than a month away. I recommend going on your museum visit soon if you haven't done so yet. Information about the written assignment can be found in the link at the top of the blog home page. There are also links to the home pages of the pre-approved museums list, for quick access to a list of shows, hours, fees, policies, etc.
For next class 3/8/19- Our topic is photography. In class we will look at slides covering the history of photography, which starts with experiments hundreds of years ago, and really gets going in the 1800's, and continues into our lifetimes. A related portfolio exercise will be completed on your time, from an assignment I will give you on paper in class, so you do not need to bring any materials to class next week, the only time that will happen this semester. A chunk of the remainder of the class meeting time will be used to take a tour of the building, with looks at any studios we can get into that day and the current student art show in the gallery.
