UL VIAR 111: Drawing Pick Up

All VIAR 111 Classes: You can pick up your final drawings (as well as portfolios and sketchbooks) in Annex Room 108, under the window. The work from all three of my classes will be here. If you want your work you MUST get it by Wednesday of next week or it will be in danger of being thrown out. Have a good break!

JN

LSU 1011: Final Project due next Thurs

Next Thurs is the last day of class. We will have a final critique in which we discuss the final project. Be prepared to talk about your work in terms of form and specifically color.

Good Luck!

UL VIAR 111: Sketchbook Assignment

Here is an image of a Mondrian Chrysanthemum drawing. This one is slightly different from the version in the book. You can choose either to make a master study from. After that, fill two more pages with hatched/cross-contour studies of plants, branches, or flowers. Due the Monday after Thanksgiving. Have fun!

UL VIAR 111: Folio due Wednesday, Nov. 21

3.1 Drapery Study
3.2 Umbrella Study
3.3 Complex Still Life
3.4 Skull Transposition

Remember, if you are traveling on Wednesday, then you need to turn the portfolio in on Monday.

Cheers,
John

LSU 1011: Project 3 due Tuesday

Just a reminder that Project 3 is due next Tuesday. We will be having a critique so be prepared to talk about your project in terms of color, tell us a little about your source artist, and be prepared to discuss the process of adapting some of their visual language to create your own image.

UL VIAR 111: Umbrella Study due next Monday

Your full value umbrella studies are due next Monday. Take some time to resolve this drawing fully and make it as well-crafted as the drapery studies. Here's a Gustave Caillebotte painting.

Have Fun, J

UL VIAR 111: Drapery Example/Sketchbook

Here's one of the drapery examples we looked at on Monday.

Also, your sketchbooks assignment is due tomorrow: Wednesday.

Good Luck!

UL VIAR 111: Folio 2 / Due Monday

2.1 1st Value Study (Class Work)
2.2 Geometric Value Still Life (Home Work)
2.3 Complex Object Value Study (HW)
2.4 Stacked Still Life (CW)
2.5 Complex Object Value Study: Cow Skull, Gas Mask, Candle Holder, or Paper Bag (CW)
2.6 3/5 Value Scale Object Study (CW)

Folio due Monday. Remember you can continue to work on any of these drawings to improve them for the Folio. Also, remember that 2.4 will be the most important drawing in the folio. On Monday, come with your Folio labelled and in order; ready to turn in at the beginning of class.

Sketchbook Master Study and Pillow Studies due on Wednesday.

Have fun!

LSU 1011: For Thurs

Bring your artist books from the library...also pencils, strathmore, color pencils or crayons might be helpful as well. We're going to start working on preparatory drawings for the project....

UL VIAR 111: Durer Sketchbook example

New Sketchbook assignment:

1. Master Study of Albrecht Durer's "Six Pillows." Use a 1-inch grid to recreate drawing accurately. Try to observe Durer's use of hatching to develop a convincing sense of light and form.

2. 2 pages of hatched studies of pillows. Fill up the page. Use what you've learned in the Master Study to help you with building a sense of light & form through hatching/cross contour.

UL VIAR 111: Homework Still Life

Full Value Still Life of one complicated object. Should be comparable to last week's drawing. Life size. Single light source. Side lit. All value / no lines. 2.3 in the folio.

Good Luck!

UL VIAR 111: Homework/New Folio

Homework Due Monday:

Full Value Still Life. Single light source. Side lit. Describe the elements of Chiaroscuro. At least 5 objects. Keep the objects simple. Should be working on this drawing for AT LEAST 4 hours.

Folio 2:

2.1 First Class Full Value Still Life
2.2 Full Value Still Life (5 Objects)

Have fun!

LSU 1011: Project 2 Due Date

Thursday, October 18th. Two weeks from today.

Good Luck!
J

UL VIAR 111: Portfolio Due Wednesday!

Portfolio List:

1. Collaborative Blind Contour
2. Still Life: Cubes & Spheres
3. Still Life: Cubes, Spheres, & Cylinders
4. Chair
5. 1 Point Perspective Conceptual City
6. 2 Point Perspective Observed Landscape
7. Class Drawing
8. Class Drawing
9. Class Drawing
10. Class Drawing

You can choose any four class drawings to represent 7-10. Obviously, I would recommend choosing the strongest, most accomplished drawings you have. Also, you can improve upon any of these drawings to make them stronger for the portfolio.

Your sketchbook will be due on Wednesday as well. Please feel free to add additional drawings to the sketchbook between now and then. They WILL be taken into consideration.

Good Luck!

UL VIAR 111: Examples

Here are some images relating to 1 Point Perspective that you may find useful:

LSU 1011: Homework for Thursday

Project 2: Complete the pencil sketch of your image so you will be ready to start working in pen on Thursday. You may want to start looking at the Line and Value chapters again; we will be having a slide quiz next Tuesday.

UL VIAR 111: Homework for Wed

-1 Point Perspective City Drawing, Charcoal on Strathmore, (Structure not Detail!)
-Sketchbook assignment: FILL UP 4 (more) pages in your sketchbook of hatching

UL VIAR 111: Sketchbook for Mon: Hatching

Sketchbook Assignment for Monday:

Fill up 4 pages of your sketchbook exploring hatching/cross-contour. I really want you to spend some time with this assignment; you should be spending at least 30-60 minutes with each page.

Good Luck!
J

UL VIAR 111: Hatching

Some examples of artists who were masters of hatching and the cross-contour....

1. Ingres
2. Rembrandt
3. Daubigny

LSU 1011: Project due Tues/Line Ch.

Project 1 will be due at the beginning of class on Tuesday (one week from today). We will have a long critique to discuss the project in terms of form. Be prepared to talk about the composition as well as the process of part 2 of your project.

Also, read Ch. 3 (line) this week.

J

LSU 1011: Syllabus

ART STRUCTURE: 1011

INSTRUCTOR: John Norris MEETING PLACE: 334 Art Building
OFFICE HOURS: Upon Request T/TH MEETING TIME: T/TH 12pm/3pm
E-MAIL: jharlannorris@gmail.com

COURSE OBJECTIVE: The goal of 1011 is to familiarize students with the fundamentals of 2-D design. We will examine design elements such as form, line, value, color, space, etc. by doing a series of projects that correspond to the Art Fundamentals textbook. Readings of this book will aid students in thinking and talking about art while the projects will help put this knowledge to work.

REQUIREMENTS: As the class will focus largely on a series of involved projects, active student participation will be a key requirement. In order to create successful projects, students will need to fully understand project instructions and demonstrations. Moreover, students participation is essential to understanding concepts and terminology covered in the book and revisited in class discussions and critiques. Thus, students will be expected to be prompt and present in order to be fully involved in the class.

GRADING: Grading will be based on two elements: projects and class participation. The projects will make up the bulk of final grades and will be based on a 10 point scale:

A: 90 - 100% B: 80 - 89% C: 70 - 79% D: 60 - 69% F: 0 - 59%

Projects will be graded based on four main elements:

1. INSTRUCTIONS: how well the student performed within in the guidelines of the project / the degree to which the piece expresses the project’s specific formal concerns.
2. QUALITY: the degree to which the project expresses a sense of craft, indicated through attention to detail, a sense of neatness, and a mastery of the materials.
3. FORM: how well the project expresses a growing understanding of the formal concerns covered in the book and in class. As the class proceeds, overall form should improve.
4. INVENTION: the degree to which the work exceeds the most fundamental requirements of the project through creative initiative.

Class participation grades will be based on a series of slide quizzes that occur throughout the semester in conjunction with readings, as well as on general class activity: attendance, promptness, focus, active participation during critiques, etc.
At midterm, your participation grade will count as one project which will be averaged together with your other (2 or 3) projects to give you your grade. At the end of the semester the same process will occur, then your midterm and end of semester grades will be averaged together into your final grade.

IF YOU ARE CONFUSED ABOUT GRADING, FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS.

MATERIALS:
-The textbook: ART FUNDAMENTALS: THEORY and PRACTICE
-18 x 24 pad of Strathmore Drawing Paper: Medium 400 series
-drawing pen (Millennium Medium Fine Point or an assortment)
-gray kneaded eraser and white FACTIS eraser
-graphite pencils: 2H, HB, 2B, 6B
-pencil sharpener
-bottle of black India Ink
-x-acto knife
-white, black acrylic tubes of paint
-18” metal ruler
-1/2” round watercolor brush, small Co-op #2 watercolor brush
-mixing containers
-small paper portfolio case

WE WILL DISCUSS THE PURCHASE OF OTHER MATERIALS FOR INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS AS WE PROCEED.

SCHEDULE: I do not define a rigid, dated schedule at the beginning of the semester because these schedules invariably change and are therefore not particularly valuable. However, I will describe the general pattern of activity that will occur throughout the semester:

1. We simultaneously begin a new project and read one or two chapters in the book that relate to the project.
2. After the assigned reading, we will take a slide quiz based on the vocabulary terms used throughout the chapter.
3. We will have class lectures and discussions regarding the material covered and continue working on the project in and out of class.
4. As the project deadline approaches we will have some class periods designated entirely to project work.
5. The project will likely be finished outside of class and we will hold a class critique on the project deadline date.

UL VIAR 111: Homework

Portfolio drawing #3: due next Wednesday

10 object still-life using cubes, spheres, and cylinders. Done in vine on Strathmore. The same guidelines as the last homework drawing. This version will simply be more complex.

Portfolio List:

1. Collaborative Blind Contour
2. Still Life: Cubes & Spheres
3. Still Life: Cubes, Spheres, & Cylinders.

Good Luck!

LSU 1011: Homework

1: Read Form Chapter in Book (or the handout)
2: Continue progress on part 1 of the project
3: 6 Thumbnails on Strathmore for part 2 of project

LSU 1011: Homework for THURSDAY

1. Get the (right) book: Art Fundamentals (the orange one)
2. Finish collage exercises: 2 collages: one symmetrical & one asymmetrical
3. Make progress on first part of project

UL VIAR 111: HOMEWORK, PORTFOLIO #2

Just wanted to remind you about your homework assignment: a still life of cubes and spheres on strathmore w/vine. Remember that you want to make sure your proportions and relationships in scale are correct, and also keep the quality of your lines in mind. You want to make fresh, confident marks that illustrate a strength that has come from all the legwork put in during earlier stages of the drawing. This is your first homework assignment that will go into your portfolio (drawing #2), so you will want to demonstrate all of the skills you have acquired thus far. Good Luck!

LSU 1011: The Book Situation, Part 2

I spoke with a manager at CoOp and he said you could return the wrong book for a full refund even if it's been opened. Just bring the receipt. HOWEVER, today is the LAST day for full refunds. So you need to go ahead and do it asap if you haven't yet.

LSU 1011: THE BOOK SITUATION

I spoke with someone at the LSU Union bookstore and they said that there indeed was a mix-up regarding 1011. He said that they would accept the book back for a full refund (regardless of whether or not it has been unwrapped). They will have the right book by next week, so you should be able to trade. He also said that he thought the other book stores had the same policy, however I haven't had the chance to speak with them yet. So for now, I would say to try and return the book if you have the wrong one and get ART FUNDAMENTALS: Theory and Practice (it has an orange cover). I will post again when I find out more. Good luck on your projects. Remember, 2/3 to 3/4 finished with penciling them in by Tues.

Cheers,
J

UL VIAR 111: Line Quality

British Artist Frank Auerbach

click here to hear a BBC interview with the artist

UL VIAR 111 SYLLABUS, Fall 2007

VIAR 111 : DRAWING 1
Fall 2007 – 3 Credit Hours
Section 1 : MWF 8am - 9:50am, Annex 101
Section 2 : MWF 10am - 11:50am, Annex 101
Section 4 : MW 1:30pm - 4:15pm, Annex 108
Instructor: John Norris
E-mail: jharlannorris@gmail.com Phone: 482-6056
Blog: norrisartclass.blogspot.com

COURSE OBJECTIVE: The goal of Drawing 1 is to provide students with an introduction to the basic tools of drawing and to initiate them into an understanding of how to begin looking, thinking, and talking about art in an informed way. The course will concentrate on various elements of observational drawing including investigations into line, value, shape, space, composition, materials, etc.

REQUIREMENTS: Drawing skills will be developed through technical exercises in class and homework assignments employing these techniques. The homework will allow students an opportunity to use their acquired skills creatively and to build off of the techniques they have learned in class. This is a STUDIO CLASS, and therefore requires that students be actively involved in drawing exercises and contribute during critiques. Thus, students must be present and punctual to receive full participation.

ATTENDANCE & CLASS PARTICIPATION: More than 3 unexcused absences will cause your grade to fall. More than 5 unexcused absences will cause you to receive a failing grade. Excused absences must be in the form of documentation from the source of the absence. Tardiness, leaving early, taking excessive breaks will also cause your grade to fall. Class Participation also affects you grade, and this means coming to class prepared, being actively engaged, and working throughout class on your assignment to come up with the best possible outcome. NO CELL PHONE ACTIVITY WHATSOEVER DURING CLASS.

GRADING: Grading will be based on assignments (which will be submitted in portfolio form), your sketchbook, and class participation. The portfolios will make up 50% of your grade, and your sketchbook and class participation will each make up 25%.

A: 90 - 100% B: 80 - 90% C: 79 - 80% D: 60 - 69% F: 0 - 59%

Portfolio and sketchbook grades will be based on the following elements: 1) Indications that the student has understood the assignment and is employing its specific techniques. 2) a sense of quality showing that the students has invested a significant amount of time and focus into the assignment. 3) The overall success of the final image based on formal elements (composition, line quality, sense of light & volume, etc.) as well as creativity. TURNING IN ASSIGNMENTS LATE AUTOMATICALLY REDUCES YOUR GRADE. IF YOU ARE CONFUSED ABOUT GRADING, FEEL FREE TO ASK QUESTIONS.

COURSE OUTLINE: We will be investigating several concepts including line, value, shape space, composition, etc. In doing so, we will follow a pattern through which students will gain understanding of concepts, learn to put them to practice, and ultimately combine them to create successful drawings:

1. We will discuss a new concept, do readings, and do several exercises based
on this idea.
2. We will do a series of more extended drawings connected to the concept.
3. We will do a series of sketchbook drawings to further investigate.
4. We will work on an extended drawing inside/outside class that may take up
to 2/3 weeks to complete.
5. We will critique the work and its relation to the concept as a class.

YOU WILL BE WORKING OUTSIDE OF CLASS VERY MUCH. BE PREPARED TO COME INTO THE CLASS ROOM OUTSIDE OF CLASS AND TO WORK ON DRAWINGS AT HOME.

STUDIO HOURS & RULES: Students will have to devote studio time outside of the normal class hours. The ROTC drawing lab’s open studio hours are determined by scheduled classes. Please be aware of your personal safety when using the studios away from class; try not to work alone. Due to health and safety concerns, SMOKING IS PORHIBITED IN BOTH OF THE ROTC STUDIO AREAS. You will be sharing the studio with other students and faculty. Be courteous and pick up after yourselves and return all studio materials to their appropriate location. Pagers, cell phones, and any other portable communication devices are to be turned off. If you want to listen to music, use headphones and use them only after any instruction has finished.

BOOK / BLOG: Students are required to purchase the following text:

Drawing Space, Form, and Expression, 3rd Edition, Enstice/Peters

We will do regular readings from the book, and students will be expected to have the text with them at all times during class. Handouts will also occasionally be made available. However, students will usually receive additional info, image examples, assignment specifications, and portfolio details via the following blog:

NORRISARTCLASS.BLOGSPOT.COM

You will be expected to check this regularly as part of your class participation.

MATERIALS: Students will be required to purchase the following materials. Materials can be found at University Book Store in the Student Union on Campus, Hartiens at 3214 Johnston St, Michael’s on Johnston St, Hobby Lobby at Johnston St:

-9x12 Sketchbook (preferably Strathmore)
-18x24 pad of Strathmore Drawing Paper
-18x24 pad of Newsprint
-drawing board with clips: a 25 x 28 piece of masonite will work
-vine (soft) charcoal
-sandpaper for charcoal sharpening
-compressed charcoal
-shammy cloth
-gray kneaded eraser and white Factis-type eraser
-graphite pencils: 2H, HB, 2B, 4B
-pencil sharpener
-small box to contain materials

WE WILL DISCUSS THE PURCHASE OF OTHER MATERIALS FOR INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS AS WE PROCEED.

ACADEMIC HONESTY: See USL Undergraduate Bulletin, p. 427

COLLEGE EXHIBITION POLICY: The college exhibition policy is on file in the VIAR office, room 310 Fletcher.

EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURE: A map of this floor near the elevator marking the evacuation route and the Designated Rescue Area. This is an area where the emergency service personnel will go first to look for individuals who need assistance in exiting the building. Students who may need assistance should identify themselves to the teaching faculty.

1011: Final Project due Thurs, May 3rd

1011 Students:

This is a reminder to let you know that your final projects will be due at the beginning of class on Thursday, May 3rd. This will be the last day of 1011. During class we will have a critique of the projects and arrange a time for pick-up. A handful of you have been notably absent during our work period for this project. I highly recommend that you attend on Tuesday, May 1st to demonstrate your progress on the final project.

Good Luck!

1847: Portfolio 2 Drawing List

Your second portfolio, which includes your final drawing, will be due on Thursday, May 3rd. This will be the last day of 1847, and we will be having a final critique. On this day we will also determine a pick-up time for your portfolios. Remember, you have exactly one week left to work on your final drawings, so you likely will need to continue to work on the drawings outside of class to assure that they are your most ambitious, successful, and fully realized drawings to date.

Portfolio 2:

1. 1st Drapery Study
2. Long Drapery Study
3. Long Still LIfe (Drapery, Paper Bag)
4. Very Long Still Life (Gas Mask, Candle Holder)
5. Landscape
6. Final (Independent) Drawing

Good Luck!

1011 & 1847: Final Project Attendance!

1011 & 1847 Classes:

As you know, we are currently in the midst of working on our final class projects, which we will be focusing on for the remainder of the semester. It is important to remember that while we are working independently on individually designed projects, it remains critical that you show up to every class and be consistently productive. I am still taking daily attendance and your participation grade hinges on you being present and focused. More importantly, in order to create a successful project it is imperative that you work continually, go through all of the necessary processes, and build a steady momentum towards making a resolved, well-crafted piece. It is natural to sometimes get a slow start when coming up with your own final project, but some of you are getting behind and are in danger of causing your project to suffer. So if you feel you are falling into this catogory, please catch up! If not, feel free to disregard this post and return to obsessing over your project.

Good Luck!

1011: Final Project

For Tuesday:

Bring your written proposal for your final project along with five thumbnails describing your concept. Also, have the materials with you in order to begin work on the project in class. I will meet with you individually to discuss your ideas and to work with you on how best to pursue them.

Good Luck!

1847: Final Drawing Guidelines

FINAL DRAWING OPTIONS

STUDENTS: Including this Tuesday, you will be in class six more times this semester. The last day, Thurday, May 3rd, will be the day on which you turn in both your final drawing, your 2nd portfolio, and during which we will have our final critique. From now until then, I am going to assign a final drawing which you will work on in the coming weeks as a culmination of all of the drawing skills you have acquired in class. This will be an ambitious drawing, a value drawing, and a drawing that demonstrates your ability to suggest space, perspective, and proportion. Furthermore, this must be a drawing that you can work on during class. Therefore the subject matter should be something in or around the classroom. With all this in mind, it is up to you to come up with your subject. Let me offer a couple of possible options.

STILL LIFE: This has been our main subject throughout the semester. Still Life allow you a lot of control, and your experience should enable you to create an impressive, fully resolved work containing a wide variety of objects.

DRAPERY STUDY: You may want to set up a highly ambitious drapery scene and build from your previous drapery study to achieve something more complex and more fully resolved. You may want to choose a striped or patterned drapery to make the exercise more challenging.

INTERIOR: One genre we have not yet covered is the interior: a view of an interior scene in a building. For example: a corner of a cluttered classroom, a view down the hallway, through a doorway, etc. With our experience in perspective and still life, this should be a natural progression for those of you that wish to pursue it.

LANDSCAPE: Though our exposure to the landscape was relatively limited, some of you took to it very quickly. So if you wish to create a more ambitious landscape for your final drawing, the option is open to you. Remember however that it must be a subject that is close enough to the classroom to work on during class.

We have a fairly large chunk of time to work on these final drawings; therefore I expect them to be HIGHLY FINISHED, AMBITIOUS, & GENERALLY IMPRESSIVE. Remember, this is an expression of all you have learned in 1847, and needless to say, this drawing will bear the most weight in terms of the grading of Portfolio 2.

Good Luck!

1011 & 1847: No Class Tues, Assignments Due Thurs

Hey Classes,

Have a good Spring Break! And remember, we will not be meeting the first Tuesday after the break: April 10. We will resume classes that Thursday with some assignments due.

1011: Project 3 (Board Game) will be due. Make sure you bring your source materials. Also be prepared to talk about the formation of your composition and how you synthesized elements from your source artist with the functional requirements of board game design.

1847: Long Still Life w/Drapery drawing (#4) is due. Remember that this set-up will be in place from now until the Thursday when we look at the completed drawings.

Cheers,
John

1847: Contemporary Still Life

Here are a couple of contemporary still life paintings to get you thinking about the still life drawing you're currently working on in class. 1. Sheldon Tapley 2. Jacob Collins

1847: Morandi

Here are some examples of work by 20th Century Italian painter, Giorgio Morandi. He worked his whole life on these modest still-lifes of mundane, household objects. They are in a way very simple, but also remarkable in their observation of light. Look at the way he observes value and shadow...

1011 Homework: 3 Fully Developed, Color T-Nails

Your homework is to continue progress on Project 3 by creating 3 more fully developed Thumbnail Sketches of your design concepts. Working roughly 5" x 7", choose 3 of your best thumbnails and make more detailed, refined versions that get closer to a design that you may want to pursue. This time consider color. Any medium is fine (colored pencils, watercolor, pastel, crayons, etc); just introduce color into the equation and try to make it enhance the composition. Think about the color relationships we introduced in class on Thursday. Good Luck!

1847 Homework: Drapery Study

Your homework for Tuesday is to come into the classroom studio and work for 2 hours on your drapery study. This should be a completely resolved, finely crafted work; so really try to graduate from observing the more basic values to working also on the small details of individual folds, wrinkles, cast shadows, etc. REMEMBER, you really want to demonstrate that you understand the principles and elements of Chiaroscuro....shadow edge, shadow core, highlight, reflected light. Keep all of these things in mind. Here are three master drapery studies for inspiration: 1. Leonardo 2. Michelangelo 3. Ingres

1011: Project 2 due today

Project 2 (the value/line project) is due today!

Make sure you are prepared to talk about your work (in terms of form, line, value, etc), and be able to defend the photograph you took in terms of composition.

Good Luck!

1847 Midterm Portfolio Guidelines

Make sure to follow these guidelines when preparing your portfolio for next class:

1) Make sure that the drawings are in order (1-20) and that you label each drawing with it's designated number.
2) Place a sheet of clean newsprint inbetween value drawings to prevent smearing.
3) Place your drawings either in a portfolio bag/case or wrap them in a sheet of folded newsprint.
4) Make CERTAIN that your name is clearly printed on the outside of your portfolio.

Good Luck!

1847: Portfolio due next Thursday

Your portfolio will be turned in next Thursday (March 8). Here is the current running list of drawings. We may add one more from Tuesday's class:

1. 5 Straight Lines
2. Best Blind Contour Drawing
3. HW: 10 Minute Blind Contour Self-Portrait
4. Collaborative Blind Contour
5. Long Blind Contour
6. First Geometric Still Life
7. HW: 2 8x12 Still Lives using the same 3 objects
8. Long Geometric Still Life
9. Perspective from Life: 2 Cubes
10. HW: 2 Pt. Perspective Experiment
11. Long Cubic/Geometric Still Life (Books & Boxes)
12. HW: 8x12 Still Life of 3 Objects (Manmade & Natural Forms)
13. Long Mixed Still Life: Natural, Manmade, & Geometric Forms (Pears, Potatoes, Bottles, & Boxes)
14. Hatching/Cross-Contour (Potatoes and Pears)
15. HW: 10 Hatched Objects
16. Hatching Study: Paper Bags
17. HW: 2 Hour Paper Bag Drawing
18. First Value Drawing (choose one drawing from this class)
19. Value Study Still Life (Sphere, Cone, Box, Egg)
20. HW: 3 Hour Value Still Life (4 Simple Objects)

1011: Old Master Value Subjects

1. Tintoretto, Rape of Helen
2. El Greco, Laocoon
3. Tintoretto, The Raising of Lazarus

1847 Homework: 2 Hour Hatching Assignment

Your homework is two make a two hour drawing of the paper bag I gave you using the methods of hatching and cross-contour lines which we have been investigating in class. Working in graphite, build up a sense of form, light, and texture by addiing layers of hatched marks upon each other. Remember to start out using the lightest grade pencil you have and slowly work up to the 6B. In the end your drawing should have a wide range of marks and values and should appear to be a fully realized work. Finally, This is a key folio assignment and should offer indications of both your developing skills with hatching/graphite and of a significant time commitment. Good Luck!

**One last reminder: remember to crumple up your bags so they have a sense of texture and surface!***

1011 Homework/Quiz

Homework is to make considerable progress on Project 2 between now and next Tuesday. Attendance has been a bit shoddy around the Mardi Gras Holiday, so I expect those of you who have missed to be making progress outside of class. Several are coming along nicely and are already looking great! I would like to see the projects somewhere between 50%-75% completed at the beginning of next class.

Also, Value/LIne Quiz on Tuesday. This one will resemble the first quiz and will be completed IN class.

1847 & 1011: Chiaroscuro

Some examples:

1) Jean-Honore Fragonard
2) Francisco de Goya
3) Caravaggio

1011 & 1847: Chiaroscuro

Some words on Chiaroscuro as well as a diagram from StudioChalkBoard.Evansville.edu:



Chiaroscuro is a method for applying value to a two-dimensional piece of artwork to create the illusion of a three-dimensional solid form. This way of working was devised during the Italian Renaissance and was used by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. In this system, if light is coming in from one predetermined direction, then light and shadow will conform to a set of rules.

A hightlight will mark the point where the light is being reflected most directly. This is most often bright white, although in my illustration it is 10% Black. As one's eye moves away from this highlight, light hits the object less directly and therefore registers a darker value of gray. In my illustration there is a regular transition until you reach the point where the shadowed area of the form meets the lighted side.

Here there is a more sudden transition to darker values because no light is hitting that side. Some indirect light is available because the dark side does not turn solid black. This is the result of reflected and refracted light that naturally occurs. As you look at the extreme edge of the form, you will notice that it is markedly lighter than the shadowed area of the object. Light in the environment is illuminating the back edge.

The cast shadows are usually divided up into separate values as well. The area closest to the object is usually the darkest area that is being portrayed. Then, as light becomes more available, the same cast shadow lightens in increments until it reaches the shadow's edge.

Hint: Often times a drawing does not have this exact transition of grays. One can control and manipulate this formula to create interesting moods and character in a piece of work. A High Key drawing is one that has mostly light values, probably with no value of more than 60% at the darkest points. A Low Key drawing would be one that has mostly dark values. In both Low and High Key pieces this system of chiaroscura can be used to create the illusion of three-dimensional space in a drawing.

1011 Homework: Project 2

Your homework for next Thursday is simply to make CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS on Project 2. Come in with a good deal of value laid in and be ready to work. Also be sure to remember that a VALUE/LINE quiz is lurking on the horizon. It will likely take place the Tuesday after we return.

1847 Homework: Hatching

Your Homework assignment for next Thursday is to draw 10 objects using hatching and cross-contour lines. Use one piece of Strathmore to draw 10 individual objects on the page. Don't draw one unified composition, but rather ten individual studies of single objects. Remember some of the techniques we practiced in class. Think about using different grades of graphite and other ways to vary your line quality. Try some different approaches, but resolve each object as fully as you can so that it contains a sense of volume and light. Choose relatively simple objects, so that you can concentrate on line quality rather than the complexity of the object. Good Luck!

P.S. Remember that I now will be initialing each Homework assignment during the critique as an indication that it was completed on time. This will then be considered when grading the portfolio.

1847: Portfolio Drawing List

A running list of the drawings to be included in your midterm portfolio:

1. 5 Straight Lines
2. Best Blind Contour Drawing
3. HW: 10 Minute Blind Contour Self-Portrait
4. Collaborative Blind Contour
5. Long Blind Contour
6. First Geometric Still Life
7. HW: 2 8x12 Still Lives using the same 3 objects
8. Long Geometric Still Life
9. Perspective from Life: 2 Cubes
10. HW: 2 Pt. Perspective Experiment
11. Long Cubic/Geometric Still Life (Books & Boxes)
12. HW: 8x12 Still Life of 3 Objects (Manmade & Natural Forms)
13. Long Mixed Still Life: Natural, Manmade, & Geometric Forms (Pears, Potatoes, Bottles, & Boxes)

More to follow...

UL VIAR 111: Hatching

Some examples of artists who were masters of hatching and the cross-contour....

1. Ingres
2. Rembrandt
3. Daubigny

1011 Homework: Project 2

Your homework for the weekend is to complete part 1 of Project 2. In this part, you will be using your camera to come up with a photograph that is both a well-balanced composition (think about the elements of the Form chapter) and is interesting in terms of value. It may be that the image contains a particularly wide value range, deep value contrasts, or uses value compositionally. Remember, on Tuesday YOU SHOULD HAVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPH AVAILABLE either on disc or printed out. If you print it out yourself, go ahead and convert it to black and white if possible. This is a wide open assigment; so the pressure's on you to come up with something great! Good Luck!

1847 Homework

Your homework assignment (which we will look at on Tuesday, Feb 13) is to create a small still life similar to the one we drew at the end of class on Thursday. Use dimensions of/or around 8" x 12" on your Strathmore. Construct the still life with three objects. Remember, they should be a combination of natural forms and manmade forms. Also, think about how you may want to use a different approach for each type of object; depending on if it is an irregular form or it is a complex form made of smaller geometric components.

1011 Form Quiz

As mentioned in class, the point of this quiz is to get you to write an extended piece on one work of art. Remember to describe specific characteristics of the work in terms of form. How does the composition achieve balance? What elements are at play? Write around 300 words on one of the following works and turn it in on Thursday.

1. John Frederick Peto, Office Board for the Smith Bros. Coal Co, 1879
2. Lucian Freud, Reflection, 1985
3. Piet Mondrian, New York City 1, 1942

1847: Two Point Perspective

As I mentioned in class, two point perspective is often times more useful to consider when drawing from life because our picture plane is not usually perfectly parellel to the object we are observing (the conditions necessary to draw in one point perspective). There are many different ways to approach two point perspective. Here is one brief explanation from studiochalkboard.evansville.edu that helps again to explain the process we have been practicing in class:

When using two point linear perspective, one must look carefully at the placement of the object. If the object is not perpendicular and parallel to you and you are looking at it's corner, then you probably want to work in two point. Sometimes when working in two point perspective one of the vanishing points is not on the page. You then must approximate where the point falls by looking at the angles of the object which you are drawing. The best way to approximate an angle and find a vanishing point in two point perspective is to first find your horizon line. This is a level line. By using this level and placing it next to the front corner of the object one can then see the angle and continue this angle out until it intersects with the horizon line. After you have found this intersection, then you have established your vanishing point for all the planes that are parallel and recede the same direction. Repeat this process for the other side of your object and all convergence lines will be established. Use the font edge of an object in two point perspective when you want to scale it. This is the only constant line in two point because there are no horizontals on the object to work from. Verticals are always at a 90 degree angle to the horizon line in one and two point perspective.

Hint: Find your horizon line first. Then find out how much distance in proportion to the object's height there is between the horizon line and the front vertical edge of the object. This will help eliminate distortions.

1847: Examples of One Point Perspective

1. School of Athens by Raphael, 1518
2. The Disputation of St. Stephen by Carpaccio, 1514

1847 Homework: 2 Pt. Perspective

Your assignment for Tuesday, Feb. 6 is to construct something using the 2 point perspective method we practiced in class. Remember these elements: horizon line, two vanishing points, the station point. It can be anything, small or large, simple or complex; but whatever the case, really try to make it have a convincing sense of space based on this method.

1011: Project 1 due Tues, Feb 6

Your first project (both parts 1 & 2) will be due on Tuesday, February 6. Come to class with the project totally completed and be ready to talk about it. Specifically, be ready to tell the class about your formal decisions for part 2. Which elements of form were you considering when constructing the image? What steps did you take to assure it would be a balanced and harmonious composition? Did it ultimately work or do you have reservations about the outcome? You will turn the project in to be graded after the critique.

1011: Visual Economy

A few examples of visual economy: 1. Robert Motherwell 2. Gerhard Richter 3. Laylah Ali

1011 Homework: Part 2, Project 1

Make four Thumbnail Sketches with four distinct design ideas for Part 2 of Project 1. Remember, try to think of a specific formal approach to apply to each sketch (negative space, rhythm, radial composition, asymmetrical balance, etc). Chapter 2 on Form will be a great guide. Also, see how far you can take the image away from it's original character; could it morph into a completely non-representational image?

1847 Homework

Create two 8"x12" still life drawings. Use the same three objects for each. Choose simple, geometric objects with forms similar to those we addressed in class. Arrange the objects differently for each drawing to come up with two distinct compositions. Remember what we talked about in class regarding line quality. See if you can manipulate the line to reflect the light situation. How are the edges of the objects in full light different from the edges in shadow?

This assignment will be #7 in your portfolio. On Tuesday, we will pin the drawings up and discuss them at the beginning of class.

1011 FORM EXERCISE: Negative Space & Rhythm/Repetition

Thursday, January 25th

NEGATIVE SPACE: When constructing an image within the picture frame, the artist may choose to occupy some areas with visual information and to leave some areas unoccupied. Those occupied areas can be referred to as POSITIVE SPACE, while those left unoccupied can be called NEGATIVE SPACE. In a harmonious composition the negative space is just as important as the positive space, for it helps to direct the eye and provides balance. This relationship can also be referred to as a FIGURE/GROUND RELATIONSHIP.

RHYTHM/REPETITION: Rhythm and Repetition can be used synonymously in this context. They both refer to the idea of repeating visual elements throughout the picture frame as a way to achieve movement and harmony. The repeated elements may come in the form of shape, color, line, etc. (or a combination of all of these elements). Rhythm/Repetition are one of the essential compositional elements found all throughout art.

COLLAGE EXERCISE: We will make a series of collages with various media (book, magazine, newspaper fragments, etc). that investigate both of these formal elements.

Each collage should be either 5”x 5” or 5”x 7”. Measure out your dimensions on a page of Strathmore. Make several spaces to work in, as you may find it helpful to work on several at once.

1. THREE NEGATIVE SPACE COLLAGES: Make three collages that really explore this notion of negative space. Try to make at least one of them as non-representational as possible.

2. THREE RHYTHM/REPETITION COLLAGES: Make three more collages;
this time tackling the idea of rhythm. Try to approach it from a different angle each time. For you final collage, try to combine both elements (i.e. both negative space and rhythm). You may naturally have done it already, but this time really try to think consciously about considering both.

Once finished, we will have a small critique in which we look at all of the images together and discuss.

UL VIAR 111: Line Quality

British Artist Frank Auerbach

click here to hear a BBC interview with the artist