Today's Class- Today we started our last new medium of the semester, conte crayons. These are harder than the wax crayons you grew up with (the binder in this case includes clay), and don't smear as easily as charcoal. They can be blended, but it usually takes more than fingers- white paper stumps work well, but some students have good luck with regular pencil erasers, and even bits of paper towel. They are available in a wide variety of colors, but most common are black and earth tones in the range from red to brown. Students drew from a typical still life set up, once using just a black crayon, once using just a red crayon.
How to make this up- Set up a typical still life. Put a few low boxes on a table, drape with white or light colored fabric, and use direct lighting to create patterns of light and shadow. Select some simple objects to draw and arrange them around the set up. First draw the still life on a full page of your 18" x 24" pad using just the black crayon. The results are not too visually different from compressed charcoal, but it will allow you to make more precise marks and edges. Then rearrange the objects and draw again using the red crayon. The value range with red will never be as dark as what can be done with black, but you can still create values that represent the darkest part of your set up. Deal with all the usual concerns we have with value drawings (shape, size, negative space, etc), but also use this opportunity to learn how to use the material to best effect. Above are two student examples from previous semesters. Specific details of the assignment and and additional example can be seen here.
These are portfolio exercises that must be made up by the last day of the semester to receive full credit.
Homework- Put together a typical place setting of silverware- fork, spoon, knife. Arrange on a table so that none of the utensils are laying parallel to any others. Draw the set with the black crayon on a page of your sketchbook, including any cast shadows and reflections in the silver. Leaving them in place, draw the set again using your red crayon. Then rearrange the utensils and draw again with the black and then the red. Total of 4 drawings, each with 3 utensils.
***Thanksgiving Vacation Nov 26-28th***
******No drawing class next week******
For next class 12/5/14- We will continue with conte crayons, this time using the red and black together to simulate the effects of chiaroscuro drawing techniques. Bring your 18" x 24" pad, red and black crayons, and whatever tools you feel will help you blend.
Today's Class- We devoted today's class meeting to the process of monotype or monoprinting, a form of printmaking that has things in common with drawing processes familiar to our class. Most types of printmaking use a fixed matrix (wood, metal, screen, stone, etc) to make multiple identical copies of a single image. With monotype, the prints are created on a perfectly flat and smooth surface, making each a unique artwork. I started with a slide overview of the history of printmaking, including examples of work from myself and some of my printmaker friends. Then each student created 3 or 4 prints, using various still life objects as something to work from. Toward the end of class, we critiqued the ink wash projects from last week, which were returned graded.
How to make this up- You will need something to function as a printing plate. Glass or plexiglass are most common- the transparency allows you to see the other side and get an idea of what the image will look like. A frame from a dollar store is an inexpensive source for glass- using masking tape along the edges will protect your hands from the sharp edges. Flat smooth metal will also work. Anything that won't absorb water or oil. Everyone started with their plate filled in with black oil paint (since the traditional black oil based printing ink is not carried in most art supply stores), like the drawings that were done by filling the page with vine charcoal. Lines can be drawn with a brush (back end or bristles) or a corner of mat card, broader areas can be wiped away with cotton swabs, bits of paper towels, edges of cardboard, or anything else that will do the job. (no rules in this process, whatever works is fine) If too much paint is removed, just add a little back. The paint can be thinned with a little vegetable oil if necessary. When you are fully satisfied with the drawing, carefully place a piece of drawing paper on top of the plate, and lightly rub the back of the paper with your hands to transfer the paint to the paper. Pick up a corner at a time to make sure the paint has transferred- if not rubbing with the backside of a wooden spoon or equivalent should do the job. Above and below are student examples from previous semesters. More detailed instructions and student examples can be found here.
This is a portfolio exercise, part of your 2nd half portfolio grade, so they need to be completed by the last day of class to receive full credit. If you are not quite sure about how to try this at home, just wait until our next class and ask me for more details.
Homework- The homework assignments are always linked to the work done in class, and it's not unusual for a least a few students to enjoy this process so much that they try it at home. Some parents aren't crazy about that, and it's way too messy to try to print in your sketchbooks, so I'm not assigning any new homework this week. Based on what I've seen of sketchbooks lately, it seems almost everyone is behind on homework, so I suggest that you use this week to start making up some of those missed assignments. Don't worry- I'll have new homework for you next week.
For next class 11/21/14- We will introduce our last new medium of the semester, the conte crayon. It's a classic drawing tool, not exactly like a wax crayon, or charcoal, or a pastel, but it has things in common with those. Doesn't smear easily, but it can be blended. It can come in a variety of colors, but what we need is black and sanguine (blood colored), the latter can be anywhere from bright red to orange red to red-brown, to straight brown. Bring the crayons, your 18" x 24" pad, and erasers. Tools for blending are optional.
Today's Class- Today we concluded our study of value drawing using ink wash. I set up a simple subject, a plant hanging in a wooden tripod, and students had the whole class to work on it. Drawings were collected at the end of class and will be returned graded next week.
How to make this up- Get a large potted leafy plant (can be real or artificial) and place it on the seat of a wooden chair. The room should be well lit. Sketch the set up with pencil line on your 18" x 24" paper at 100% scale (leaves in the drawing should be about the same size as those in the actual plant), including any parts of the chair that are in view. Use ink wash to match the values in your set up- the leaves, stems, pot, chair, and anything else in view. Treat background however you want. Spend up to 3.5 hours working on it. Above are some student examples from previous semesters. Further examples and more details about the project can be found here.
This is a graded project and must be made up as soon as possible to receive partial credit.
Homework- Go outside and find three intact leaves from three different species of tree (maple, birch, oak, etc). Place on a table top and draw the set on a page in your sketchbook- a pencil line contour and then ink wash to match the values. If a leaf has more than one color, your value study should show that. Also include the value of the table surface (local color, cast shadows). Then rearrange the leaves and draw again. A total of two drawings.
For next class 11/14/14- We will spend a week trying another new medium, the monotype print. It's a form of printmaking that has a lot in common with drawing. An oil based medium (traditionally printing ink, but finding oil paint will be easier for you) is used to create a drawing, either drawn reductively (erased) or directly, on a non-pourous surface, such as glass or metal. The paint can be manipulated on the surface for long periods, as it will not dry or soak into the surface. When the artist is satisfied with the drawing, paper is placed in top and carefully rubbed to transfer the design to the paper, so the drawing is essentially completed before it ever touches the paper. These will be portfolio exercises, not graded projects.
Bring your 18" x 24" pad, a glass, plexiglass, or metal printing plate (around 8" x 10" is best, but can be a little smaller or larger), a small tube of oil paint (black is preferred, or at least another dark color), brushes, and anything that might be used to move the paint around, such as cotton balls, q-tips, etc.
