Today's Class- Today we started our study of value, the use of light and dark in two dimensional art, which will be a part of all our drawing for the rest of the semester. Value helps to imply form and space in a still life. Patterns of value can provide a type of rhythm to drawings, as well as focus attention on specific areas of the composition. I set up a still life of all white objects and drapery, so that we would just be studying the effect of light and shadow, and not concerning ourselves with local color values. Drawings were done with both vine and compressed charcoal. Last week's line drawings were returned graded.
How to make this up- You will need to set up your own still life. Place a medium size box or stack two small boxes on a table. Drape with a white or very light colored sheet or towel. Find three white or very light colored simple objects of roughly similar size to use in the still life, and the set up should be lit with a directional light that will result in patterns of light and shadow. Specific instruction as to how to set it up and to use the charcoal can be found here.
These are portfolio exercises that must be made up before the 1st Half Portfolio collection and grading at the beginning of class on March 14, 2013.
Homework- Set up a still life in the nature of the one mentioned above, three white or light colored objects, white drape, box, single light source. Sketch the still life in your sketchbook, using a full page, and using your softest pencil (6B or 8B if you have one). Pay attention to our usual concerns of shape, proportion, spacing, and perspective, but now also pay attention to value- try to match the values as closely as possible for the objects and drapery, and choose background value(s) that best contrast with the value in the objects. Leaving the objects in place, move yourself to a new viewing position and draw the still life again in full value. Total of two pages of drawings.
For next class 3/7/13- We will continue studying value with charcoal, adding in the challenge of drawing from mixed value objects. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, both vine and compressed charcoal, kneaded eraser, and spray fixative.
Today's Class- Today was our final line drawing of the semester, a graded project. A still life with a variety of objects (some we've drawn before, some we haven't) was set up at the start of class, and students were given the full class to do a drawing of it. The drawings were collected and will be returned graded next class.
How to make this up- You will need to set up a still life similar to the one above. The list of objects to use in the still life and the other particulars of the assignment can be found here. This is a graded assignment and must be made up as soon as possible.
Homework- Set up a small still life. Place a box on a table and drape with a sheet or towel. Select three dissimilar objects of approximate size. Place on one top of the box and the other two on the table around it. Draw the still life in your sketchbook using the whole page, pencil line only, about the same level of detail as the class drawings from today. Then without changing anything in the still life, move yourself to a new viewing position and draw it again in your sketchbook. A total of two pages.
For next class 2/28/13- We will start our study of value, using charcoal. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, both vine and compressed charcoal, kneaded eraser, and spray fixative.
Today's Class- We continued our work on pencil line drawing, this time concentrating on perspective. I discussed and demonstrated one and two point perspective basics on the board, but for the purposes of drawing we are concentrating on natural perspective, drawing things based on their appearance from a single viewpoint. I set up still life groupings of objects with simple geometric forms and had students draw them as portfolio exercises.
How to make this up- On a table in the center of the room I set up groups of identical boxes, laying on the table on their broad side, in stacks of one, two, or three high, spread around the table. Students were asked to select a view that had 3 of the stacks, and draw the boxes, paying attention to the proportions of the facing sides, the relative size of the top of the box stack to the sides, points where one object meets another, and the spacing in between. For the second exercise I removed some of the boxes and replaced them with cylindrical forms (various types of cans), so that we could consider the ellipses, the curved shapes at the top and bottom of the cans. Details about how to set up your own still life groupings and what to do can be found here.
These are portfolio exercises and must be made up by the mid semester portfolio review to get full credit.
Homework- You will need a box like the ones above and three bottles of similar size. Lay the box on a table. The bottles will also be placed on their sides, one (the mouth) facing toward you, one facing to the right or left, and one facing an angle in between. One bottle should be on the box, and two in front of it. Draw the set up with pencil on a page in your sketchbook. Switch the bottle on top of the box with one of the others facing a different direction and draw again. Switch the bottle on top with the one in the third direction and draw one more time. A total of three drawings of the box and three bottles, with the bottles in different directions and positions in each.
For next class 2/21/13- We will finish our study of line with a complex still life (multiple different objects), our first graded project of the semester. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencils and erasers. I will be collecting the drawings at the end of class.
Today's Class- Today we continued our study of line, completing three portfolio exercises, dealing with such concepts as reductive lines, and negative space.
How to make this up- We did three exercises using pencil line, each taking one page in the 18" x 24" pad. First was doing a series of reductive sketches from a plant. Second was an exercise in pure negative space, drawing the empty spaces in a wooden chair. For the third exercise we found a more practical application for using negative space in a still life drawing. The specific instructions for these exercises can be found here. These are portfolio exercises and must be made up by the first half portfolio collection.
Homework- Set up a still life with 4 bottles of similar size (four wine bottles, four soda bottles, four perfume bottles, etc), arranged near each other. Draw the set up using pencil line only, to the level of detail in the above student drawing. Pay attention to the size and shape of the bottles and the space around and between them. Use a full page in your sketchbook. Leave the bottles where they are and move yourself to a new viewing position and draw it again. Then move one more time and draw it again, for a total of three drawings. (instead of moving around your set up, the other option is to have the four bottles on some kind of tray and just rotate the tray without disturbing the bottles)
For next class 2/14/13- We will continue with line, with exercises that explore perspective in drawing. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencils, and eraser.
