10/28/16 Basic Drawing

Today's Class- Today was the final charcoal drawing of the semester, an individually graded project.  A still life was set up at the start of class and the students had the full period if necessary to draw it with charcoal, vine or compressed or both- whatever they felt most comfortable with.  These were collected and will be returned graded next week.  Mid semester portfolios (class work) were graded today as well.

How to make this up- Set up a still life on a table.  Place a box on a table and drape with a cloth.  Arrange of a mix of 5 (five) objects of similar size, divided 3 and 2 between white/light colored and darker colored objects.  Shine a direct light on it to create patterns of light and shadow.  Draw it on a sheet of your 18" x 24" paper using charcoal, and spray with fixative when you are finished.  Pay attention to shapes of objects, perspective, spacing, and matching the values of what you see.

This is a graded project, and the more time it takes you to make it up, the fewer points it will be worth.

Homework- Find a pumpkin.  Can be whole, or carved into a jack-o'lantern.  Do a full value rendering of the pumpkin on a page in your sketchbook using a soft pencil.  Then rotate it (or switch pumpkins) and do a second drawing.  Total 2 pages.

For next class 11/4/16-We will move on to our next value medium- ink wash.  This is black drawing ink that has been diluted with water.  Layers of ink wash in varying strengths will create a wide range of values.  Bring a small bottle of black drawing ink (or india ink), a medium sized watercolor brush, pencil and eraser, and your 18" x 24" pad.  We will be doing portfolio exercises in ink wash drawing.

10/28/16- 3D Design

Today's Class- Today we started the next graded project, what I usually call the plastic project.  Just as we recently had the natural materials project, this time we are only working with the opposite- previously manufactured items.  And just as things like natural wood and stone have the potential to be turned into all kinds of art, manufactured and synthetic materials can also be the raw ingredients of all kinds of art.  I had posted some examples of artwork from a local artist, Lisa Bagwell, who makes representative images of known objects using discarded manufactured materials. Below are three such examples (pizza, giant hoagie, and bird) all made from plastic bottle caps, corks, and other forms of garbage.   The colors and textures of the cast off materials can still be used to make things we can enjoy looking at.

I had also posted images of student work from previous semesters that used the same approach, making artworks from cast off manufactured goods.  It's easy enough to recognize the origins of most of the materials used in these student works, and it's also easy to recognize what they are intended to be.

How to make this up- The assignment is to create a three dimensional artwork using nothing but cast off manufactured and synthetic items.  I brought in bags of plastic bottle caps for students to make use of, and they took whatever they wanted from this supply.  As I had advised last week, some brought in other things to make use of, and as they started considering the possibilities of this project, they thought of many other potential materials that they can put to use.  Here are the rules for this assignment:

All work must be representative and resemble the object it is supposed to be.

All colors and textures must come from the materials used.  No painting is allowed.

The materials all must be manufactured items created for purposes other than making art or building things.  No lego blocks, tinker toys, etc.

Materials may be physically altered as needed.  

Sculptures may be assembled using any desired means- glues, nails, screws, staples- however you can get it together is fine.


Homework-  This cast off materials graded project is due at the beginning of class on November 11, 2016.  

Students who still owe me past projects, such as the modules, and the foam core reliefs, should get them done as soon as possible for partial credit.


For next class 11/4/16- We will be working with another repurposed material, books.  Students are asked to bring in old hardcover books.  Books are three dimensional objects and as such can be carved and sculpted to make other art objects.  I recommend books with hard covers and with at least 250-300 pages, to provide space to work.  There will be two options available for this project:


A.  Single view sculpture- 

The book is opened to a specific point, revealing a three dimensional image, as in the student examples above and below.  All the dark areas are cast shadows created by carved images in the block of pages.

B. Gradually changing view

As a book is opened and the pages turned, the dimensions continuously change, but then close the book and it goes back to how it started.  In this option, you will create a sculpture that can change as you move through the book.  In this example, the shapes of positive and negative spaces vary as one moves through the book, almost like moving through a piece of architecture.  This one is mostly geometric, but the idea can be applied to more organic sculptural shapes as well.

Rules for the book project-

All pages must remain attached to the original binding.  

You may not draw or paint on the pages, though you may make use of any images printed in the book by the publisher.

The book must be able to open and close as originally intended by the publisher.

You may use glue to repair torn pages, but you can't use it to build objects.

More examples will be posted before next week's class.  

Bring a book (having a second one as a back up is not a bad idea), and x-acto knife, and spare blades are recommended as sharp blades will cut the paper better than dull ones.  This seems simple, but it takes a lot more time than you might expect, so we will be giving two class periods to this project, plus more time to finish it on your own.

10/21/16 Basic Drawing

Today's Class- Today we continued our study of value using charcoal.  This time the set-ups included mixed values- a combination of light and dark colored objects, so we were working with local value (the value of the object surfaces) as well as the effect of light and shadow.  Two drawings again, one each with vine charcoal and compressed charcoal.

How to make this up-

Place a medium/small box on a table and drape with cloth, both something white or very light colored, on one that is darker.  Find four objects of similar size, two of which should be white or light colored, two of which are darker.  Shine a direct light source on the set up to create patterns of light and shadow.  More student examples and specific directions can be found here.

This is a portfolio exercise.  The midterm portfolio grading will occur during class next week on 10/28/16.  I'll be reviewing all work done in class this semester.  If you've missed no classes, you have it all done.  If you have missed one or more classes, I suggest you look back through this blog and make up anything you may have missed.  Portfolios not turned in next week can be graded in later weeks, but with a deduction in points.

Homework- Set up a still life in the same way as the "how to make this up" section above.  Draw on a page in your sketchbook using your softest pencil, paying attention to shapes, proportions, negative space, perspective, and all the other concerns we've had, but now also matching value as best as you can.  Rearrange the objects and do a second drawing, then rearrange and do a third drawing.  Total of 3 sketchbook drawings.

For next class 10/28/16- We will conclude our study of charcoal with one last charcoal still life drawing, this one as a graded project.  I should have it set up for the beginning of class and you'll have the whole period to work on it if you need it.  Bring your 18" x 24" pad, both kinds of charcoal, kneaded eraser, and spray fixative.  You should have the 1st half portfolio drawings with you as well, so you can get that graded on time.

10/21/16 3D Design

Today's Class-Today a portfolio exercise that relates to other recent explorations of visual relations to already existing shapes in our art materials.  In recent weeks we have looked at skeletons, and at seashells, both natural materials.  This time around we started with pulp cardboard coffee trays, available as a giveaway at almost every place that sells coffee to go.

For items that are generally treated as garbage, they have surprisingly complex surfaces that can be repurposed as both representative and abstract art.  An interesting mix of convex and concave surfaces.  Above and below are student examples from previous semesters of sculptures derived from the found shapes in the coffee trays.

How to make this up- Get two or three such trays.  Spend a few minute looking at them, all sides, and see what associations you might have with some of the inherent structures of the trays.  Then use your knife to cut pieces from the trays and assemble them into some kind of sculpture.  Below, an assortment of animal themed pieces constructed today. (no specific subject required- most students just wanted to make critters)

This is a portfolio exercise and can be made up for full credit any time before the end of the semester.

Homework- Nothing new, but some students still owe me the Make 100 module project, and/or the skeleton/relief sculpture project.  The longer the delay in completing these, the fewer points they will be worth in the end.  

The stone age/natural materials projects are due at the beginning of class on 10/28/16.

For next class 10/28/16- We will open with a critique of the natural materials project then move on to the modern update of this project- what I call the plastics project.  Once again it's a found objects project, but this time everything must be manufactured items, things created for non-art purposes but that we can repurpose as art materials.  Can be plastic, but also metals, or any synthetic or industrial material. 

This project was inspired by the work of a local artist, Lisa Bagwell, who specializes in using repurposed materials in her sculptures.  Below are some examples of her work.

The bird feathers are information tabs found in plants purchased from plant nurseries, and the feet are made from plastic cigar tips

A "giant hoagie" seen from a distance and close up.  The bread is corks strung on a wire, the olive on top is plastic bottle caps, and the sandwich contents include plastic cup lids, gloves, and disposable razors, among other things.

Below, a pizza made from plastic bottle caps, with a cork crust.

Below are some good student examples from earlier semesters:

Other rules-

1) No specific subject, but all should be representative images, looking like the things they are meant to be.

2) All colors and textures must be from the materials used- no painting of the sculptures is allowed.

3) Materials can be manipulated as needed to make the pieces to be used.

4) Any form of adhesive is acceptable for building the pieces.

Bring to class whatever you need to work on your idea.

10/14/16 Basic Drawing

Today's class- Today we moved on to the next phase of the class- drawing with value.  In art, value refers to use of light and dark.  I showed a few dozen slides of historical art (ancient Rome to the present), showing how value has been used to imply roundness, build space, add weight, show texture, tell time of day, besides just describing the visual appearance of what is being rendered by the artist.  Value based drawing will be a part of this class for the rest of the semester, but for the next few weeks, we'll be doing it with charcoal, a classic artistic medium.

How to make this up- Set up a still life on a table.  Place a small/medium box on a table, drape with a white or light colored cloth (sheet, towel, etc) and find 3 white or light colored objects of similar size.  Place one on top of the draped box, the other two on the table around it.  Light the set up so that patterns of light and shadow are created.  You will do two charcoal drawings, each on a full sheet of your 18' x 24" paper, using all the skills you developed in line drawing (shape, proportions, perspective, etc), but now adding matching light and dark.  The first drawing will be a reductive (eraser) drawing using vine charcoal, the second will use the darker compressed charcoal.  Specific instructions and student examples can be found here.

These are portfolio exercises that will be graded as part of the midterm portfolio evaluation in two weeks, so should be made up by then for full credit.  If you have no experience with charcoal, I recommend doing it before next week, so you'll be better prepared for next week's drawing exercises.

Homework- Set up a still life as in the above "How to make this up" section.  Draw the still life set up on a full page in your small sketchbook using the softest pencil you have (such as 4B or 6B), dealing with all the concepts from the first part of the semester, but now also matching the value you are seeing in the still life.  Then rearrange the objects and draw it a second time.  Then rearrange again an draw it a third time.  Total of 3 sketches.

For next class 10/21/16-  More of the same, except we will add more local colors and local values to our subject.  Bring your 18" x 24" pad, both vine and compressed charcoal. spray fixative, and a kneaded eraser.

10/14/16 3D Design

Today's Class-  Today we started the next graded project of the semester, one that looks back to the beginnings of 3D art.  I showed an assortment of slides (supplemented with images in print) of ancient 3D stone age art.  Common characteristics of this art include a use of natural materials available to the people of that era, low technology, subjects based on living things (such as humans, animals, and imaginary beings), and visual approaches often related to the materials.  So I decided we should take on this idea ourselves.   The assignment is to create a three dimensional artwork that takes on a human/animal/hybrid subject and does it by using only natural materials.  

We started with a simple exercise, taking a handful of sea shells and seeing what (if anything) the existing shapes there resembled.  Nothing was permanently assembled at that point, but students did find patterns and shapes that could have been expanded into fish, flowers, human behaviors, etc.  I made those shells available to the class, adding some cut pieces of bamboo from my residence, while some students had materials they had brought from home, such as sticks, pine cones, and rocks, and still more were foraged from the campus and surrounding woods.  I set up the following rules:

1) Subjects would be the types of things favored by stone age artists- humans, animals, details of such things, and mythological beings.

2) Building materials should come directly from nature- nothing manufactured by modern processes. So wood can be from sticks and other collected materials, through milled natural woods, but no plywood or composite wood.  Natural rock is acceptable, but no cement, asphalt, or bricks.  Absolutely no synthetics (plastics, refined metals, etc).  If it didn't exist in the stone age, we can't use it.  Materials may be manipulated through physical means/tools, such as carving, or smashing to pieces.

3)  One exception is that I will allow the use of hot glue as a means to attach stuff together, as well as other modern adhesives.  Since stone age art was often painted, you may paint your objects in any way you want.

4) No specific size requirements.

5) It should resemble the thing it's meant to be, but they need not be perfect renditions of those things.    For example, a horse wouldn't need to be an anatomically accurate rendition of a horse, but should be something that anyone would recognize as a horse.

Below are student examples from previous semesters-

And here are some from this semester:

Homework- The completed stone age inspired sculptures are due at the beginning of class on October 28, 2016.  

Several members of the class still haven't turned in any of the major projects yet.  Each week they are late, points are lost.

For next class 10/21/16- a portfolio exercise that relates to the idea of seeking inspiration in the shapes that exist in the world, as our stone are project does, and the recent skeleton relief sculpture project did.  I had asked you to secure for yourself some pulp cardboard coffee trays of the type found  most places coffee is sold as a take out item.  Bring in three, plus a knife to cut them up, and glue.

10/7/16 Basic Drawing

Today's Class- Today we did the first graded project of the semester, a pencil line still life.  The exercises done so far this semester addressed contour lines, negative space, perspective, and other important concepts, and today brought them all together.  Below is a typical example from previous semester.

How to Make this up- You will need to set up a still life to draw from.  Place a box on a table and drape it with some kind of cloth, such as a sheet or large towel.  Then place on the box or on the table around the box the following items:

A hat
A shoe
A bottle
Some kind of hand tool
A telephone (land line or cell phone)

Draw the set up on a full sheet of your 18" x 24" paper using the pencil of your choice.  This should be line only, no shading.  Cross contour lines are allowed, if you feel they can describe the scene.  

Homework- Place a box on a table, drape with a cloth, and choose 4 similar sized objects, anything you like.  Arrange them on and around the box, and draw it on a page in your small sketchbook using the pencil of your choice.  Rearrange the objects and draw it again, then rearrange one more time and do a third drawing.  Total of 3 drawings.

For next class 10/14/16- We move on to our first value medium, charcoal.  Value drawing uses combinations of light and dark to imply three dimensional form and volume in a flat drawing, and we will use it for the rest of the semester.  Bring your 18" x 24" pad, both vine charcoal and compressed charcoal, a kneaded eraser, and spray fixative.  It can be messy, so I recommend wearing dark colored clothing. 

10/7/16 3D Design

Today's Class- Today we started a new portfolio exercise on the topic of planes- broad exterior surfaces.  They can be flat, curved, angled, and move in any direction.  Planes are very much a part of car design, so the assignment included that as a subject.  Automobiles are the most heavily advertised thing in our society, a major consumer durable, and an inspiration for much art of the 20th century.  The assignment was to use foam core and/or bristol board to build a model of a motor vehicle, one chosen solely on visual appeal for the artist.  Students were asked to make the pieces, and a second copy of each piece to set aside.  After the cars were completed, the students were asked to use the duplicate pieces to create a second three dimensional artwork that is not a car.  Planes that can be used to make an attractive car should be able to be used to make other attractive art.  Below are examples from previous semesters, pairing the cars with the second sculpture.  Most went with abstract sculpture, but any subject would be fine.

This is a portfolio exercise and must be made up by the end of the semester to receive full credit.

How to make this up-  Everyone attended today, and everyone made progress on, or finished the car construction.  

Homework- The foam core relief images based on skeletons are due at the beginning of class on Oct 14, 2016.  

Those who have not yet turned in their completed Make 100 module project should bring them in as soon as possible.  The longer the delay, the fewer points it will be worth.

For next class 10/14/16- We will begin our next graded project, what I think of as a stone age artwork-  The oldest artworks known to exist go back to cave dwelling days, and what they all have in common is use of natural materials, and subjects tend to be representations of living creatures, real or imaginary.  We are going to explore the same area.  For materials you will need things found in nature.  I'll bring in some sea shells and some bamboo, and you are welcome to bring in whatever you can find as long as it is natural and not manufactured.  So you can use milled real wood, but not plywood, which is a manufactured product.  You can use real rock, but not cement or bricks (also manufactured) I will allow hot glue to be used for assembling things, and because artists of that era often painted their sculptures, you have that option as well.  Below are some examples from previous semesters.

Keep in mind that living plants do wilt and die quickly, so if you want to use leaves or flowers, I recommend waiting until just before it's due to pick them and attach them to your work.