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Today's Class- Today we continued with color, a formal introduction to the idea. We used the watercolors to create a color wheel, and to do an exercise in complementary colors. We opened with a few dozen slides on the history of color in art, then got onto the exercises.
How to make this up- The class made a 12 step color wheel (primary colors, secondary colors, intermediate colors) and then an exercise in complementary colors.
The instructions and details for completing the two exercises can be found here.
These are portfolio exercises and can be made up any time before the end of the semester for full credit.
Homework- Anyone who was present today and had their materials is all caught up in this area, so no new homework there, but I just want to remind everyone that the rough draft of the museum assignment is due in few weeks, after we return from Spring Break, so if you haven't done your museum visit yet, you should go soon.
If you had no paint materials today, or are missing any of the previous exercises, nothing is due until the end of the semester, but you are better off not waiting too long to make them up. As the semester moves on, work in this class and your other classes will increase.
For next class March 6, 2020- We take a break from color to look at the history of another medium- photography, as well as to do an exercise in photography. This will be a take home assignment, to be done on your own time as a portfolio exercise, which will be received on paper next week. The class period will also include a tour of the building, with as many studios and galleries as are open, to show some of the possibilities of art. Since the assignment will be done on your own, no need to bring any materials to class next week, as you would otherwise need to carry them around once we leave the room.
Today's Class- Today we had our first look at color, just matching, not mixing. The topic was monumental art, which I defined as large permanent work that is used to decorate large surfaces in public spaces. Museums are a relatively recent invention, and before them, art belonged to whoever paid for it, and was shown (if at all) where the owner wanted it. The most publicly seen art was in civic and religious settings, such as palaces, city halls, and churches. Sticking just with 2D stuff today, I showed a few historical examples on slides of frescoes and mosaics, and a short video of the creation of a mural in 2007, from planning to completed painting on the side of a building. Then the class started the next portfolio exercise, a mosaic collage, using cut paper as our color source.
How to make this up- You need to choose a photograph to start from. It must be a photo of an actual thing or scene, not digitally created artwork. You can find one printed in a magazine or elsewhere, or on the internet. If your source is digital, you will eventually need to attach a printed copy to the page in your pad next to where you do your own.
The minimum size for this assignment is either 6" x 6" or 9" x 4" (vertical or horizontal). You may go larger, but there is no grade advantage, and this is very time consuming, so I don't recommend that. Reproduce your photo image in the form of a pencil line drawing inside your chosen box. You may crop the image to fit the space in any way you want, but anything that is in the proportional space must continue to be part of it. Very small print (like what might appear in an advertisement) may be possibly eliminated- talk to me first.
An accurate drawing will make the process easier, but the priority today is matching colors. Use cut paper from magazines (there are many in the classroom) and find colors that match the original photo as closely as possible. Cut these to small pieces, no larger than a 1/2" in any direction, and glue them to the drawn box to match the source photo. Below are a few examples from previous semesters:
In each case we see the original photo and the student copy they made. There can be a slight space between color pieces (like grout in a tile wall) or they can overlap, if it is easier for you. Speckles and thin lines of color can appear on top of other colors if it makes sense for your image.
This is a portfolio exercise, and thus due by the end of the semester, but I suggest dealing with it sooner than that. Of all the parts of the portfolio, this exercise is the one that students are less likely to finish, leaving behind the points that would go with it.
Homework- Nothing new yet, but just remember that the rough draft of the museum assignment is due in about a month. If you haven't done your museum visit yet, do it soon.
Kean requires us to provide mid semester evaluations to students and advisors this week, so you'll receive that through KeanWise. This has nothing to do with your semester grades, and you won't be getting any letter grades at this point because I have no grades for you yet, so I'll just be selecting comments from the drop down menu.
For next class Feb 28, 2020- More color, but this time you'll be making them. This will be classic color theory, using your watercolors to produce a color wheel, to explore color mixing, complements, etc. Bring your large pad of 18" x 24" paper, set of watercolor paints, brushes, pencil and eraser. Right now there are things that can function as water cups and mixing palettes in the room, but I can't guarantee they will be there next week, so it may not hurt to have your own.
Today's Class- Continuing with drawing today, but moving on to the idea of value. Value is the proper artistic term for the idea of light and dark and how they are used in art. I showed a few dozen slides of historical art, ancient to the present, showing and explaining how value was used in various cases to do such things as imply form, focus attention, emphasize drama, show time of day, etc. I also showed a few student examples of charcoal drawing, our medium of the day, and explained how value drawing is built more on shapes than lines. After that, the class did a few portfolio exercise value drawings in charcoal, from directly lit props that had plenty of shadows.
How to make this up- On a low table, place a box or similar item, then drape it with a white or light colored sheet or piece of cloth. Find a couple of white or very light colored objects and place them on or around the draped box. Shine a single light source on it to create patterns of light and shadow.
Sketch this set up on a sheet of your 18"x24" paper, paying attention to the values, trying to match them when possible in terms of relative darkness and shape. Use the charcoal from your supply list. Backgrounds are up to you- dark ones can be used to contain and emphasize light areas, but it's up to you. Meanwhile, don't forget the things we've done in previous weeks, like overall proportion, shapes, negative space. Spend up to 45 minutes on it. After finishing one, replace the two white objects with two new objects, and do a second drawing. Below are two examples of student charcoal drawings.
Homework- Those who were present today are caught up on this exercise. If you missed class, you will need to make this up before the end of the semester to receive full credit for it.
The rough draft of the museum assignment is due on March 20, 2020. Plan ahead.
For next class 2/21/20- Our first look at color, with a project that is a mosaic collage. Mosaics have been popular since ancient days, flat surfaces covered with small pieces of stone, glass, tiles, or whatever, forming patterns or images. They can cover whole walls, ceilings, and floors. Because the color sources are often small solid objects, the colors don't fade, and the art can last indefinitely. We will use something a little easier and less expensive- cut paper from magazines, glued to a page in your big pad. You will work from a color photograph of something real (object, scene), sketch the basic shapes in pencil, and then match the colors with small pieces of colored magazine paper glued in place. Below are a few student examples from previous semesters:
In each case, you see the original photo, and the student mosaic collage copy. Your original source photo may come from anywhere (bring it in, download it, or from the pile of magazines in the classroom). The color pieces should be cut from magazines, which you can bring from home, or find in the large piles of old magazines we have in the classroom. Bring your 18"x24" pad, pencil, scissors, and glue. If you wish to contribute more old magazines to our collection, you may do so.
Today's Class- More drawing today, with the topic of positive and negative space. In two dimensional art, a distinct shape in space surrounded by a contour line is usually seen as a positive space, and the empty space around it as negative space. Empty spaces between objects can also be seen as negative. Positive and negative space are each defined by the other, and one creates the other, making them equally important in art.
How to make this up- We did two portfolio exercises today, each related to the concept to negative space. The first was to draw all the negative space in a chair- I brought in an old wooden chair for this purpose and had the students use pencil to draw all the negative spaces- all spaces surrounded by the wood that made up the chair, as in the example below.
For the second exercise, I set up a simple still life with several bottles (mostly wine bottles) and had the students do a line drawing of it in pencil, drawing the positive shapes of the bottles, but using the negative spaces to help find the shapes and locations, as in the example below.
These are both portfolio exercises that can be made up for full credit any time before the end of the semester. Additional student examples and specific instructions can be found here.
Homework- If you were present today, you are caught up. If not, you need to make up the two exercises. Doing these things will help prepare you for next week, so you may want to do this soon.
For next class 2/14/20- More drawing, but we move on to value, which you may also know as shading. We will use charcoal to draw the lights and darks in still life. Bring your charcoal stick (can be compressed or vine- your choice), a kneaded eraser (the stretchy kind, designed to absorb dust, perfect for charcoal drawing), and your 18" x 24" pad of paper. I recommend wearing dark (black or dark gray) clothing, as charcoal can be messy, and if you get it on your clothes, they will look dirty. It has no binder and washes off with soap and water, but for the rest of the day you may look grubby. I will provide soap and the subject for the exercises.
