Today's Class- Tonight was our first real night of art. We began our study of two dimensional art with the most basic unit of mark making- the dot or point. Students did a portfolio exercise involving dots, then started our first graded project of the semester.
Wallpaper Exercise
Everyone on the roster was present tonight and did the wallpaper exercise. The idea was to use dots to create three patterns that repeat at least once from top to bottom, although we also used it to introduce the idea of the proximity of dots as a way of creating value, and implying form and movement.
Stipple Value Drawing Project
Next we began the first graded project of the semester- a stipple drawing. This is a drawing made entirely of individual dots of ink. Increasing the number of dots in a given area leads to a darker value. Each student started with a black and white photo of a real three dimensional object (person, landscape, thing, etc), sketched the basic composition in pencil, then used dots from their ultra fine point black marker to reproduce the shapes of value, as in the above student example. Additional examples of the project, and the full instructions, can be found here.
Homework- This graded stipple value drawing project is due at the beginning of class on February 13, 2014. You must bring the original photo with you to class for me to grade it.
For next class 2/6/14- We will begin our study of line. We'll be doing a series of exercises involving contour line, and the subject will be shoes. I may have some, but to be safe, everyone should bring a shoe to draw from. Any kind is fine, though I recommend closed shoes- sandals and flip-flops just don't have enough stuff to draw. Also bring your 18" x 24" pad, pencils, and eraser.
Today's Class- Tonight was our first meeting of the semester. Thanks to complications caused by the midweek snowstorm, I was unable to get the syllabus copied in time for tonight. I was able to run off copies of the contact information and the materials list, which everyone received. I read the rest to the class from a copy I had, and it's posted to our Ocean Cruiser page. I plan to distribute printed copies next week, but students can download it before then if they wish. After that, I had the class fill out a survey about their artistic background and interests, and we discussed this as a class. I used the same form to talk about my own background.
Homework- Nothing yet.
For next class 1/30/14- We will start our study of two dimensional art with the most basic of marks, the dot. Bring your 18"x 24" pad of drawing paper, pencils and eraser, black ultra fine point markers and larger permanent marker, and a black and white photo that will be the subject of one of our projects. The photo should be of an actual three dimensional object or scene (not a drawing or artwork), and with a wide range of value from light to dark. Choose something you would be comfortable with drawing. It can be printed on photo paper, or something reproduced in a book, magazine, etc. I will bring in a bag of magazines for anyone who does not bring a photo, but you are better off bringing in your own so you don't waste a big chunk of class time looking for one to use.
This is the blog that I have set up for my classes at Ocean County College. To avoid confusion, all posts for my Two Dimensional Design class (ARTS 184 E-01) will be posted in blue text. Any postings that apply to all my classes will be in black text.
Following class each week I'll post information about the meeting that occurred earlier that evening. The date of the class and its name will appear in the post title. I will include a description of what we did in class, along with images of student work from previous semesters, if available and applicable. If there is homework, I'll include those instructions and due dates. I will also post what materials will be required for the following week's class. About a month's worth of posts will be on the main page, and earlier weeks can be found using the archive function in the right column.
Certainly this site will be very useful for anyone who misses a class for whatever reason. Some students even have things made up by the next time they come to class. However, this site can also be useful even to those who never miss a meeting, but just want a reminder for when something is due, or what supplies will be needed the following week, or want to see additional examples. It's here 24/7 and you don't need to wait for a reply from me to get the most commonly sought information. If you have questions that are not answered here, you are welcome to e-mail me and I'll likely get back to you within a day, but in my experience most of what students need to know will be here.
