Sketchbook Assignments Due Monday, November 15, 2010 1. CONTINUOUS LINE DRAWING - From observation, create a continuous line drawing of an object or person as you look at it. The line in the continuous line drawing is unbroken from beginning to end. The drawing tool stays on the paper through the entire drawing never lifting off the surface. The line can go across the object s surface to get to the other side. 2. NEGATIVE SPACE DRAWING - Draw an object by only drawing the negative spaces. Try to choose an object with interesting holes and spaces. Negative space may also be referred to as empty space or interspace. It is the space in between two positive spaces or the space around the objects in a still life. Negative space is important because without it all positive space would cease to exist. Positive space without negative space is one big endless, shapeless blob. Below: Progression from contour line to negative space.
3. COLOR WHEEL - Produce a highly inventive 12-sided color wheel using colored pencils. You must keep the colors in the correct order and use tints. Color classification "systems" have been devised to organize and identify color relationships. A most familiar one is the 12 hue "Color Wheel" introduced by Johannes Itten (1888-1967) which places the PRIMARY colors equidistant from each other. In between the primaries are the SECONDARY colors. In between the primary and secondary colors are the INTERMEDIATES (also called the TERTIARIES). Yellow, Red, Blue Orange, Violet, Green Yellow-Orange, Red-Orange, Red-Violet Blue-Violet, Blue-Green, Yellow-Green 4. CONTOUR LINE DRAWING Practice contour line drawing with a variety of mediums and numerous objects, i.e., shoes, boots, kitchen utensils, plants, your hands and feet. Contour means "outline", and presents exterior edges of objects. A plain contour has a clean, connected line, no shading and emphasizes an open "shell" of the subject. Pencil drawing, ball point pen and black markers are good practice tools. 5. FANTASY DRAWING Create a fantasy building and landscape. 6. CHOICE Each drawing one makes, each study one paints is a step forward. ~ Vincent van Gogh
Sketchbook Assignments Due Monday, February 7, 2011 1. LINE QUALITY DRAWING - Create a drawing that explores thick and thin line qualities. Try using both the tip and side of your medium (choices may include pencil lead, charcoal, or even one color of a crayon). Kicking Horse by Tyrus Wong Example of varying line weight and quality Van Gogh Ink Study Example of line weight and quality 2. VALUE DRAWING - Crumple up a blank sheet of white paper really well almost into a ball. Draw this from observation in your sketchbook (still thinking about creating an interesting composition). Then, go back and use shading to create a full range of value using the value scale below as reference. Use a pencil to shade the object with many light-valued grays for both the shadow on the object and the cast shadow on the surface of whatever it was resting upon.
3. COLOR SCHEMES - Use a pencil to lightly draw overlapping shapes on a piece of paper. You may trace common everyday objects. Divide the paper into six parts. Color each part using a different color scheme with markers. Use the following color schemes: Warm colors Yellow, Orange, Red Cool colors Green, Blue, Violet Monochromatic colors different values of one color using tints (adding white) and shades (adding black) Analogous colors colors that are closely related because they have one hue in common, ex. blue, blue-violet, and violet, next to each other on the color wheel Complementary colors colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel, ex. red and green, blue and orange, or violet and yellow Triadic colors three colors that are equidistant from each other on the color wheel, ex. yellow-orange, blue-violet, and blue-green 4. STILL LIFE - Arrange a still life and draw it with shading and gradations. A still life is an arrangement of nonmoving, nonliving objects, such as fruit, flowers or bottles. The items are often selected as symbols for knowledge. A still life is usually portrayed in an indoor setting. 5. SPIRALING SPHERES - Overlap circles (or other shapes) of graduated sizes, moving from smallest to largest (largest on top- draw it first) to create an illusion of movement toward you from the surface of the page. Fill the page with various sized trails. Shade one end of the spiral trail gradually darker, one end lighter to enhance the illusion of movement and depth. Your choice of colors. Create an interesting background; perhaps using analogous colors or monochromatic tints and shades to develop an ambiguous space. 6. CHOICE "Do not fail, as you go on, to draw something every day, for no matter how little it is, it will be well worthwhile, and it will do you a world of good." ~ Cennini
Sketchbook Assignments Due Monday, May 2, 2010 1. TEXTURE DRAWING Design and cut a 7 X10 plan into 6 different, adjacent segments. Arrange them in interesting movements on a 9"X12" drawing paper. Place shapes at angles, overlapped, reversed, etc., using them partially or totally. Apply the textures you created within and around the resulting spaces. Of course, "empty" spaces can be redesigned to relate to adjacent shapes as done here. Texture is the surface quality of an object. A rock may be rough and jagged. A piece of silk may be soft and smooth and your desk may feel hard and smooth. Texture also refers to the way a picture is made to look rough and smooth. 2. GESTURE DRAWING Using the media listed, create 4 different timed gesture drawings of a person, each on separate sketch papers. Use the following time schedules for your drawings writing down the times on the sketch for each gesture. 1st Gesture 10 seconds - pencil 2nd Gesture 30 seconds - black pen 3rd Gesture 2 minutes - crayon 4th Gesture 10 minutes - mixed media
Gesture drawing is many things: a way to "see", a technique of drawing, an exercise, a defined "scribble", and a finished style. Basically, it is a method of training hands to quickly sketch what the brain has already seen. Tips for Successful Gesture Drawing: FOCUS - constantly. The eye, a wonderful camera estimates proportions, contours, movement, and contrasts quickly. Determine contours first, then interior shapes and shadows. DRAW LIGHTLY - for the 1st "layer" as a rough draft; darker for the 2nd layer drawing corrections right over the 1st layer adding contrast; then, the darkest 3rd layer with deep shadows and final contours. DRAW QUICKLY - the entire image is viewed in a blink. Make the pencil follow content flashed to the brain. Keep the pencil/pen in constant circular and linear motion. Catch the form, not the details. CONSTANT MOVEMENT - is a necessity. Quick, light drawing makes for easy clarifications in succeeding layers. Move eyes with quick returns without moving the head. Accuracy takes patience, perseverance and lots of practice. NO ERASING - gesture drawing's purpose is to develop visual skills which will affect expertise. Erasing breaks focus and wastes time. 3. MAGAZINE REFLECTION Use facing pages in your sketchbook. Side by side if your book opens that way or up-down if your book opens that way. Find a full page magazine photo (not a magazine illustration) that you like. B/W or color, but B/W is easier on this. Cut the photo into 10 pieces that are about the same area. They don't have to be the same shape. Shapes can be regular or not. Try to cut through interesting areas of the photo (like the face!) Select alternating pieces, and paste them in their correct positions on the right side of the paper. Paste the remainders on the left, also in their correct positions. Choose one side and shade in the missing areas in pencil, using the opposite page of pieces as reference for what to draw. Try to recreate the values (lights and darks) of the original photo. 4. SHAPE DRAWING Draw an object, a person, or a landscape using only straight lines and geometric shapes. You may use rulers, compasses, and triangles to help you create shapes. Think about how the geometric shapes appear tense and rigid. Geometric shapes have straight edges such as squares, triangles, and rectangles and are often called rectilinear shapes. 5. ANIMAL DRAWING Draw an animal from life. 6. CHOICE "It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character." ~ Camille Pissarro