Today's Class- Today was our final meeting of the semester. We opened by looking at the Final Drawings from last week. After that, I dismissed everyone temporarily while I finished grading those, as well as grading the 2nd Half Portfolios and the sketchbooks. Students who returned by the designated time were able to pick up those items and learn the grades for those things. Students who did not come back can pick up their work from our designated shelf at their convenience.
The top horizontal shelf closest to the classroom door is labeled Friday Drawing or something like that. It includes a stack of 18" x 24" pads and all the sketchbooks. Inside the sketchbooks are small grading slips that list the grades for the sketchbooks, for the portfolios, absences, and other relevant information.
Final semester grades will be calculated in the coming days and submitted to the school. The school will release them whenever it is they do that. Enjoy the break.
Today's Class- Today was our final drawing of the semester. I set up a complex still life with a mix of familiar and new objects and the class had the whole period to draw it using their choice of the three value mediums we studied this semester. The drawings were collected and will be critiqued next class.
How to make this up- Everyone showed up and completed the assignment.
Homework- No homework this week, but I imagine most of you need to make up at least one or two of the past ones. If you don't have them written down, they are all listed here on the blog under the days of the semester.
2nd Half Portfolio- All the work done in class that was not for an individually graded assignment. If you missed no classes, you should have it all done. If you missed some time or may have misplaced some work, here is what I will be looking for and the dates you can find it on this blog:
11/6/15- Ink wash with white objects
11/20/15- Monotype exercise
11/25/15- Conte Crayon introduction
One red drawing, one black drawing
12/4/15- Conte Crayon, mixed tones
Two drawings (mannequins) with red and blue
For next class 12/18/15- Our final meeting of the semester. We will open with a critique of today's drawings. After that I will temporarily dismiss everyone while I grade the 2nd Half Portfolio and the Sketchbooks. At the time I tell you to return, you can pick up all your work and learn the grades for the Final Drawing and the Portfolios and Sketchbook.
Bring your 18"x 24" pad (or at least the drawings that were in it), and your homework sketchbooks. If you need to show me any earlier work, bring that as well. No drawing materials needed.
Today's Class- Today we continued our work with conte crayons, trying variations of the chiaroscuro technique. This is a style that developed during the renaissance, in which artists used three different tones. In drawing, it was typically starting with a medium toned (neutral or color) paper and the artist drawing with both white (pastels, chalk) for highlights and black (ink, graphite) for the shadows and darks. Also in this time there was a chiaroscuro woodcut technique, with white paper, and the image was created by a combination of a dark ink block and a medium value ink block. I adapted aspects of both techniques for today's exercises, having students use both the red and black together.
How to make this up- To reflect nearing the end of the semester, I left the white bottles and shoes at home and broke out the department's supply of mannequins and body parts, so everyone could try a more complex subject. Students did two drawings today.
Traditional approach- Since the college book store has decided it will no longer sell art paper, we'll use the white paper from your large pads and red conte for the medium values, black for the darkest values. Start by using your red conte crayon to do a full value drawing from the subject. Then gradually blend in black crayon to build the darks, going to full black if necessary. Above and below are student examples of this approach.
Hard edged approach- This relates more to the woodcut variation, with all tones being reduced to just three- solid white, red, and black. For this to be successful, the artist has to decide in advance what range of value in the subject will be represented by each tone and consistently apply it. All light is solid white, then at a certain point in the value range everything will be solid red. All values in the range above the red will be shown as solid black. Since conte crayon can't be completely erased, the artist is committing on each shape. Two student examples showing the different approaches to drawing the same mannequin can be found here.
If you don't have any store fashion mannequins of your own at home, you can use a dress making form, a figural sculpture, or even substitute a live subject. (dressed is fine) Everyone must try the traditional approach for the first one, spending about 1. 5 hours. Light the subject so as to create patterns of light and shadow over the figure, and draw the subject large, as in the above examples. For the second drawing, find a new figure, or change the angle. I also put together a few combinations of body parts (including the semester's visit from Headless Baby) as an option. And for this one, you can use the same technique or try the hard edge approach if you like. Again, spend about 90 minutes on the drawing.
These are portfolio exercises and must be made up by the last day of class to receive full credit.
Homework- We're going back to our roots and drawing shoes. Select two shoes, and light the first to create patterns of light and shadow. Draw it on a page in your sketchbook using the red and black crayon together, paying attention to shape, proportions, perspective, value, texture, etc. Then set up the second shoe in a similar way and draw that on a second page. Two drawings total.
For next class 12/11/15- Students will be doing the Final Drawing of the semester. I'll set up a complex still life, a mix of familiar objects and things you haven't drawn before. You have the choice of using charcoal (vine, compressed, or both), ink wash, or conte crayon (black, red, or both). Also bring your 18" x 24" pad, and any items associated with the medium you are choosing (erasers, spray fixative, etc). You may have up until the end of the period to work on it and I'll collect them from you that day.
