skip to main |
skip to sidebar
How to make this up- Students were asked to pick a favorite vehicle purely from a design point of view. Most common were sports cars and trucks. The first part of the assignment was to reproduce the basic shape of this vehicle, especially the broad planes on all visible surfaces, using foam core for broad structure and support, and bristol board over the surfaces, especially those with curves. I used white glue for the example I made, but you can go with hot glue if your prefer. Meanwhile, everyone made a second copy of every single piece that went into their cars using the same materials. The second part of the assignment was to take that second set of parts and create an abstract sculpture that had no resemblance to a car. Above are four examples of cars and related sculptures from a previous semester.
This is a portfolio exercise and must be completed by the end of the semester to receive full credit, but I suggest finishing it by the time we return from spring break.
Today's Class- Today we discussed the idea of positive and negative space and looked at slides of sculpture that dealt with (or not) negative space, as well as relief sculpture. After that students started a new project that makes use of both ideas. We also had a quick critique of the Make 100 module projects, which were graded and returned. For those who missed today's class, I have posted a few photos of student sculptures from today's class on the original page for this project.
How to make this up- This graded project requires the construction of a corner out of foam core. The corner should have two sides that are each 12" square, and have a top and bottom triangle piece, each of which is half of another 12" square divided diagonally. The unit should be assembled so that the edges are all even with no overhanging parts. Either white glue or hot glue will work.
Once the corner is finished, you will use additional foam core to create relief designs on the two square faces and the top triangle piece. Start by sketching out ideas for designs on paper. When you are satisfied with your plan, redraw it on more foam core, cut it out with your x-acto knife, and glue the pieces to the surfaces. You may do it from a whole 12" square piece and glue it down as a unit, or cut out the pieces individually and glue them in place. In my example above, the left side face is from one whole piece, while the other two faces are assembled form separate pieces. The area immediately around the top center corner should not have relief elements added, but otherwise the design is up to you. The design should be non-representational, no recognizable images. Remember that positive and negative space are equally important in a relief, so the resulting negative spaces should be just as interesting as the attached positive pieces. Sharp blades do a much better job of cutting foam core than dull blades, so have replacements handy.
Homework- This graded Corner Relief project is due at the beginning of class on October 8, 2013.
Anyone who hasn't yet turned in their 100 modules project should turn it in as soon as possible for partial credit.
For next class 10/1/13- We will start a new portfolio exercise influenced by cars. Choose your favorite automobile purely from an exterior design philosophy; one you like because of its appearance, rather than speed, economy, reliability, usefulness, etc. Bring photos of the vehicle from all sides, as one part of what we will be doing will involve adapting its exterior design. You will also need two square foot bases (foam core or mat board), foam core (remnants from today's construction should be sufficient), a few sheets of bristol board, glue, scissors, x-acto knife, your sketchbook, pencil and eraser.
The Assignment- I had students do some simple memory sketches of items that had some degree of symmetry, either bilateral or radial. Then I assigned the exercise, to make a mounted three dimensional asymmetrical sculpture using nothing but bristol board and glue. The subject could be one of the things from a earlier sketch or something brand new, but it had to be something (object or life form) that was normally symmetrical. but here would be asymmetrical due to its placement on the base or to it being distorted in some way. (Picasso's guitar sculptures are good examples of the approach I'm seeking)
Above is a student example from a previous semester. Here we see the view from above, which includes interpretations of a flower, tall weeds, a lily pad, and ripples in water. While the flower itself is radially symmetrical, the placement of the other items makes the whole composition asymmetrical. Below is a side view. It's ok if your sculpture has one best viewing position, but it should be interesting from different angles.
Use a foam core base, anywhere from 6" square to 8" x 10". Cut pieces of bristol board with scissors or knife and attach to each other or the board itself. Spend about 4 hours on it. Take advantage of the physical property of paper, which can be folded or bent into many shapes, and consider your experience in building modules last week to make stable structures that can support some weight.
This is a portfolio exercise, so it must be made up by the end of the semester to receive full credit, but I suggest you do it soon, as the experience will be helpful for some future assignments.
The Assignment- This project is called Make 100. Students were asked to design simple three dimensional modules out of bristol board (above are a few examples I made), produce a prototype of one of the ideas, and once worked out, create 100 identical modules. The completed modules are to be turned into a piece of sculpture. The project specifics-
The 100 modules should be more or less identical.
At least one side should be 1.5" long, but no sides can exceed 1.5"
They should be three dimensional, having height, length, and depth.
They should be stable, strong enough to support their own weight.
Once you have completed the 100 modules, you will use them to create a sculptural work. Account for all three dimensions in your design, and glue it together to make the shape permanent. It can be a freestanding object, or you may attach it to some kind of base (such as foam core or mat board). Your design can make use of regular patterns, or just be seemingly random groupings of the modules. In grading the completed sculpture, I'll be verifying that it contains 100 modules and that it is a stable construction, and consider how it deals with all three dimensions and multiple viewpoints. The complexity of the modules and the final piece will also be accounted for in the grade.
Below are a few examples of projects from a previous semester using a variety of types of modules.
Today's Class- Today was our first meeting of the semester. I distributed the course syllabus and reviewed it with the class. Then I had students fill our a survey regarding their art experiences and interests, which we discussed as a class.
How to make this up- No one missed class today, so everyone is caught up.
For next class 9/10/13- We will start our study of 3D Design with some exercises in some basic design principles. Bring 3 large pieces (18"x 24") of bristol board (or 6 to 10 pieces if you have small sheets), x-acto knife and/or scissors, white glue, and sketchbook and pencil.
This is the blog that I have set up for my art classes at Kean University. To avoid confusion with other classes I have taught, all information for my 3D Design class (Tues 9:30 to 3:15) will be posted in orange text. Any information that applies to all students will be posted in black text.
I will use this each week to post information about the class. I'll include a detailed description of what we did in class, as well as homework, due dates, art materials required for the following class meeting, and student images of the classwork and big projects if applicable and available. The title of each post is the name of the class and date. About a month's worth will appear on the home page, and those from earlier in the semester can be found by looking in the archive function in the right hand column.
Certainly this blog will be useful to anyone who has to miss a class for any reason. Some students will even have the work made up before the next class meeting. However, even those who never miss a class may find it useful, as a place to see additional student examples, or get a reminder of the due date or what they need for the following class. It's available to you 24/7 without having to wait for me to reply to your questions. Of course, if you have any questions that aren't answered by what I have posted you are welcome to e-mail me, and I'll probably get back to you before the day is out, but in my experience you'll find most of what you need right here.
Today's Class- Today was our last meeting of the semester. We began with a critique of the final projects, then I dismissed everyone for about an hour while I graded those, semester portfolios, and a number of late arriving projects. Some students turned in late museum papers, which will be graded in the next few days. Everyone who returned picked up their graded work. As of when I left the building tonight at 8:30 pm, there was one morning student's work on top of the tall grey cabinet closest to the sink (under the word MY in the above header image) and two evening students' work on top of the tall tan cabinet by the window. I don't know how long the work will remain there, so if you care about getting it back, try to return and pick it up soon.
Final class grades will be calculated in the coming days and submitted to KeanWise by the end of the week, and will be made available online sometime after that. Enjoy your summer.
Today's Class- We looked at a few late arriving projects today, but most of the time was spent discussing the Final Project- based on a particular culture that you have first hand knowledge of. Work from previous weeks and museum papers were returned graded.
How to make this up- The final project will be a full color rendition of your cultural idea, done on a sheet of your 18" x 24" paper or something of equivalent size. The final piece should be mostly painted, but you may use some collaged elements to provide specific detail. The subject should be derived from one of the three sketches done for homework over the past week, each exploring an aspect of the particular culture you have decided to identify with. If you haven't yet done those sketches, you should do so as soon as possible- they are a part of the semester portfolio that will be graded next week and the starting point for the final project. Though the piece should be based on one of those developed ideas, you may bring in concepts from the other two sketches, as well as new ideas.
The discussion in class involved reviewing the ideas generated by the homework sketches, with the professor and class offering suggestions as to which idea to explore and ways to make it better. These suggested improvements could be both in terms of content (types of things to include) and formal art principles (composition, color, value, etc). In the end, each student must make the final decision as to how to portray the particular culture.
Keep in mind that as the artist you are responsible for every decision that goes into the final piece. Besides the obvious subjects in your work, consider the environment (interior or exterior, level of ambient light), and all the formal issues (color, shape, line, balance, etc).
Homework- The Final Project is due at the beginning of class on Monday, May 13, 2013. All other class assignments, including museum papers, that you still owe are also due that day. No work will be accepted after the official end of the last class meeting.
Semester Portfolio- The semester portfolio grade includes several items from throughout the semester that were not individually graded. On our last day of class you should bring the following items, which will be graded that day (dates correspond to when each can be found on this blog):
2/4/13 Contour line drawings of shoes
2/11/13 Abstraction exercise from Quilt pattern
2/25/13 Abstract language sketches
3/4/13 10 objects that are personal symbols
4/1/13 Early ideas for the behavior change poster
4/29/13 Three ideas for the final project
No need to remove these items from your large pad and/or sketchbook; just bring those on the final day and I'll find the specific pages within to grade.
For next class 5/13/13- Bring everything that you'd done during the semester, including previously graded work. The earlier items will not be regraded, bur I'd like to see them for consideration of your improvement over the semester. Any back projects not previously graded and the final project must be brought in to be graded. Nothing will be accepted for grading after the official end of class on May 13th. All student work will be graded and returned on that day.
Today's Class- Today we looked at the mixed media collage pieces that were due today, and a few late arriving behavior changing posters. I returned some previously graded work. Much of the day was spent working more on the final project that we introduced last week- something linked to a specific culture.
How to make this up- As a group, the class created a word association tree. We started with a single example term that could have many associations (HOME), then selected 5 related terms. Above is a photo of this morning's chalkboard (click on the photo to enlarge), starting with Home, which branched into Family, House, Safe, Bed, and Community. For each of these words we found 3 related terms, and for each of those 3 more associations, so that at the end we had 45 words at the end of the branches, all of which had a relationship to our original word.
Last week I had asked everyone to come up with a list of 3 cultures that would be possibilities as a subject for this last project. Today each student chose the one they liked best, and came up with a list of 6 branch words and at least 3 words branching off that. This was the basis of this week's homework.
Homework- Chose 3 of the initial branching words from your original chosen culture to be basis for some sketches. Use the branch word and any of the terms that branched off it to serve as the subject for a small pencil sketch. There may be some overlapping concepts between the three sketches, but the focus of each should be different. The sketches should be done in pencil, and can either be a full page in your sketchbook or half a page in your large pad. These may change before final piece due in two weeks, but use this opportunity to work out compositional ideas and gather as many related details. Do a total of 3 sketches.
Any graded projects that students still owe, including the museum paper, should be turned in as soon as possible to receive partial credit.
For next class 5/6/13- Bring the sketchbook, pencil and eraser. If you would like to use some class time next week to work out the final idea, make sure to have your 18" x 24 pad as well. We will discuss the homework sketches and look at any late arriving projects.
Today's Class- Today we looked at the behavior change posters and a few late arriving previous projects. I returned graded projects from previous weeks and more students picked the words that will be the subject of their mixed media collage. I also introduced what will be the final project of the semester.
How to make this up- Our final project will be based on a subject explored by many artists- their experience in a specific culture or subculture. Among the artists I showed was Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (above), whose paintings featured the subject of the tawdry music halls and bars he frequented. I also showed examples of my own work, series of prints about life in supermarkets and at New Jersey's boardwalks.
Students are being asked to pick some cultures they have experience being part of, one of which will eventually be the subject of the final piece. These cultures can be geographic, family/ethnic, occupational, hobby-related, etc. Over the next few weeks we will gradually focus attention to one specific culture on your list, with a specific aspect of that to be the subject of your final artwork.
Homework- For this cultural final project, select 3 specific cultures that you have first hand familiarity with, things that you don't share with everyone in the class. In your sketchbook list as many associations as you can think of for each culture- words for sure, and sketching objects and locations if you have ideas.
The mixed media collage projects that we began last week are due at the beginning of class on April 29, 2013. The museum paper is also due on that same day.
For next class 4/29/13- Bring your completed collage pieces and your sketchbook with potential ideas for the subculture final project.
City of Zoo
Dangerous Roots
Today's Class- Tonight we started our second to last project of the semester, a mixed media collage. We also spent some time discussing progress on the behavior changing posters, and looking at more late arriving projects from earlier in the semester.
How to make this up- The project makes use of a few aspects of the early 20th century art movement Dada, specifically the use of collage and of randomly generated art. We looked at a few slides of art from that period, and then students selected words (subject and modifier) from paper bags, the words forming random phrases that became the subject of the collages. You can't begin without your phrase, so either contact me and have me draw one for you, or wait until next week and choose from the bags yourself. Once you have the phrase, create a mixed media collage with a theme based on the phrase. The piece must use collaged elements, painted elements, and drawn (pencil, markers, etc) elements. You may use any of those media in any way you want in the creation of your piece. In grading these, I'll be looking for the use of all three media, addressing the theme, and how you compose the space (use of value, color, balance, etc). Examples from previous semesters can be seen above and below with the chosen theme underneath each one.
Untamable Deluge
Give us the Pragmatic
Tangled Men
Homework- This mixed media collage graded project is due at the beginning of class on April 29, 2013.
The poster to change behavior is due at the beginning of class on April 22, 2013
The museum assignment is due at the beginning of class on April 29, 2013.
Any earlier assignments not yet turned in (symbolic language, symbolic self portrait, synthesis project) should be turned in as soon as possible to receive partial credit.
For next class 4/22/13- We will have a class critique of the Behavior Changing posters, and I'll return items collected tonight for grading. We will also begin discussing what will be the final project of the semester, due the last day of class.
Today's Class- Today we held a group critique of the Synthesis projects, the work based on ideas from the recent student show in the Howe Gallery downstairs. We went back to that gallery again today, not for an assignment, but just to see the new current show (above), art from graduating students in our MA program. We also looked at some late arriving projects from earlier in the semester, discussed the Behavior Change project again, and filled out the semester's course evaluation forms.
How to make this up- We didn't start anything new tonight, but the details about the current graded project can be found in last week's blog post.
Homework- The finished Behavior Changing poster project is due at the beginning of class on April 22, 2013. However, I want to see ideas, including sketches of possible images to use in your poster by next week, April 15, 2013.
Those who still owe any of the previous projects (symbolic language, symbolic self portrait, synthesis) should turn them in as soon as possible for partial credit.
For next class 4/15/13- We will start our last new graded project of the semester before the Final Project. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencil and eraser, markers, acrylic paints and brushes and other painting supplies (palette, palette knife, water container), scissors and glue.
Today's Class- We looked at a few late arriving projects, and discussed the upcoming Synthesis project, but most of the time was devoted to what will be our next project, the idea of using art to change behavior.
How to make this up- I introduced the idea of semiotics, the study of signs and symbols and how their meanings are interpreted. Although these signs can be found in fine art, I chose to demonstrate using examples from the world of advertising, a mix of World War II era government propaganda and 1960's magazine advertisements, as in the above examples. I had the class bring examples of contemporary magazine advertisements and we took them apart the same way, looking at some of the associations carried by names, text, and images.
This gave us the frame of reference for the next graded project, a poster designed to change a person's behavior. Use your 18" x 24" paper and acrylic paints to provide full color. The purpose of the poster will be to try to convince someone to either start doing something that they are not, or to stop doing something that they are doing. The behavior can be something serious or trivial. You may use text to help carry your message, but this is an art class, so the visual image should be the primary means of communicating the idea. If you use text, size, shape, style, and location of the lettering should be specifically considered. In grading I'll be looking for all the formal issues (composition, value, color) and how you use visuals to try to to convince us of your point of view.
This graded behavior changing project is due at the beginning of class on April 22, 2013.
Homework- The Synthesis Project, combining aspects of two or more artworks from the recent student show, is due at the beginning of class on April 8, 2013.
This new Behavior Changing Project is due at the beginning of class on April 22, 2013.
Any back projects that you owe should be completed and turned in as soon as possible to get partial credit.
For next class 4/8/13- We will critique the Synthesis project and further discuss the behavior project. We will also probably complete the course evaluation and maybe visit the grad student show in the gallery downstairs. Bring your completed project, sketchbook, pencil and eraser.
Today's Class- Despite yet another Monday with threats of winter weather, the real snow never came and both sections met. We looked at the Symbolic Self Portraits and a few late arriving Symbolic Language projects. After the break, I spent a little more time talking about collaborative artistic processes, showing examples from my own experience (like the one above), and discussing how it relates to the current project introduced last week. I also talked a little bit about the process of developing an idea over time to make it better, again showing a recent example of my own. Work collected last week was returned, graded.
How to make this up- All the details regarding this Synthesis Project can be found on last week's posting. The last day for the Student Art Show (your starting point for this project) is Tuesday, March 26th, so you must see it by then.
Homework- The Synthesis Project, combining aspects of two or more artworks from the student show, is due at the beginning of class on April 8, 2013. I encourage students to bring their progress in next week to discuss their ideas and receive some feedback before the week that it's due.
Those who still owe either of the first two projects should complete them as soon as possible to receive partial credit.
Bring in 3 print ads (from magazines or newspapers) each advertising a different type of product or service. Choose ads where you specifically like the approach to selling the product.
For next class 4/1/13- We will have a discussion of semiotics and talk about art being used to influence or change points of view. Bring your sketchbook, pencil and eraser, markers, and the three advertisements.
Today's Class- Today we had a critique of the first project of the semester, the Symbolic Language project. We also spent a little time reviewing the next project, the Symbolic Self Portrait, and ended the class in the gallery downstairs visiting the Student Art Show, which will be the basis for our third project.
How to make this up- Artists are often influenced by other art they see, including subjects, styles, and mediums. The above artwork is a piece of mine from several years ago in which I visually build a tower of all the influences, both in and outside of fine art, which influenced the art I have made and still make today. The process of combining influences from other artists is known as Synthesis.
You won't be doing something quite so large, but instead producing an artwork influenced by two or more artworks from other artists. The class visited the Annual Student Art Show in the James Howe Gallery, down on the 1st floor of Vaughn-Eames. The show is all art from current Kean students, representing many of the classes taught here. You need to select two pieces, made by two different students and of two different mediums (such as metals and painting, ceramics and drawing, etc). You are to use aspects of each piece to create a new artwork. I don't want you to just copy bits directly from two works, but to look for aspects to bring together. You may get an idea for a subject, use of a medium, style of depiction, etc. Your new piece should be unique, not something either of your chosen artists would have done on their own, or something you would have done yourself without borrowing those elements. Most will choose to do paintings on your 18" x 24" paper, but you may choose any medium that relates to at least one of your chosen influences, including sculpture. If you are not sure, talk to me about it in class or by e-mail in between.
Most students in each section were there today and saw the show as part of the class. If you missed that, the last day for the Student Art Show (your starting point for this project) is Tuesday, March 26th (11am to 4pm I believe), so you must see it by then.
Homework- The Symbolic Self Portrait (see 3/4/13 on this blog), making use of at least 6 of the personal symbolic objects drawn in your sketchbook last month, is due at the beginning of class on March 25, 2013.
The Synthesis Project, combining aspects of two or more artworks from the student show, is due at the beginning of class on April 8, 2013. I encourage students to bring their progress in next week to discuss their ideas and receive some feedback before the week that it's due.
Those who still owe the Symbolic Language project should try to complete it as soon as possible to receive partial credit.
For next class 3/25/13- We will have a group critique of the Symbolic Self Portraits and any late arriving language projects. We will also go over the details of the Synthesis project again in the classroom and discuss examples of artistic collaborations. No art materials will be required for the class meeting.
Today's Class- Today we addressed the use of symbolism in art, specifically how recognizable images can be used to represent other concepts. We looked at a slightly edited (for time) film from Alfred Hitchcock, "Spellbound" (noting the protagonist's reaction to things he sees and the symbolism of the whole Salvador Dali created nightmare sequence), and at a few examples of historical art. After that, I introduced our next graded project of the semester, a symbolic self portrait. I also reviewed the symbolic language project from last week, for those who had missed class or needed further clarification. Remaining class time was spent working on ideas for one of the two projects.
How to make this up- A few weeks ago I assigned the class to do a group of 10 pencil sketches of personal symbols, objects that you own and that are strongly associated with you, by yourself or others. For this graded assignment, you are to take at least 6 of those (you can use all 10 if you want) and rework them into a new full size drawing. Rather than just reproducing the objects by themselves, or arranged in a pile like a typical still life, you are to show the objects in a more creative context. Above are two examples from a previous semester. In the top drawing, the student imagines herself as a posable fashion doll, and the symbols as part of a boxed set of accessories. For the bottom drawing, the student put her symbols on and around a human heart. Without copying either one of these, try to come up with a similarly creative approach. Do the drawing in pencil on a sheet of your 18" x 24" paper. In grading these I'll be looking at the drawings of the individual objects, the overall composition, and your idea for a context to show the symbols in.
Homework- This Symbolic Self Portrait Graded project is due at the beginning of class on March 25, 2013. The Symbolic Language Graded project that we started last week will be due at the beginning of class on March 18, 2013.
***Spring Break No Class March 11, 2013***
For Next Class 3/18/13- We will critique the Symbolic Language projects, which I will collect to grade later. I expect that we will also visit the Annual Fine Arts Student Exhibition down in the James Howe Gallery on the 1st floor. It's always a good idea to bring your sketchbook, pencil, and eraser with you. We are not going to be starting any new projects that day, so you won't need the 18" x 24" pad unless you want some feedback on the self portrait piece.
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.
