11/14/14 Basic Drawing

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.