Leonardo Da Vinci ART 97: PORTRAIT DRAWING 3 Portraits, 3 Techniques 9 WEEKS COURSE OBJECTIVES Yvette Deas, Lecturer To accurately depict the portrait. To understand and exploit the materiality of different mediums. To exploit your natural gesture, and allow your hand the freedom to discover. To use formal and conceptual analysis in the critique of artwork, as distinguished from the inner voice which labels work as good or bad. SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND STUDIO PROJECTS Outside projects listed at end of syllabus. SECOND QUARTER (REPEAT) STUDENTS (2nd Q) : See notes at end of each section, and highlighted areas. Note separate outside projects. WEEKS 1-3: OLD MASTERS, SELF PORTRAITS
Class 1 : Materials required: Pen, Sketchbook (to take notes). In class : Introductions, Overview of course and materials, studio tour. Discussion: how to take photos for the first drawing and subsequent drawings. Time permitting: begin photos together. Gestures. Intro soft pastels. Outside work: Gather all materials. Begin Project 1. Class 2: Materials required: Bring PRINTED SOURCE IMAGE, B & W, 3 different options. Regular typing paper is fine! Drawing board, paper: 18 x 24 white, with tooth. ALL charcoal supplies. Always bring your sketchbook. 2nd Q: all of the above plus soft pastels and pastel pencils and blue rags (see materials list). In class: Discussion of source photos. Light logic. Gestures: line and light/shadow. Demo reductive drawing. Begin work on Drawing 1. 2nd Q : Reductive work pastels beginning with monochrome. Build into analogous color palette portrait. DUE NEXT CLASS : Outside Project 1. Class 3 : Gestures: contour. Final work on Drawing1. DUE NEXT CLASS: Finished Drawing 1, Old Masters. WEEKS 4-5: EXPRESSIVE DRAWING. Both classes 4 and 5 will be experiential. Our subejcts will be ourselves, each other, and the people we meet. No photo sources. Possible guest lecturers. Class 4: Bring: Drawing 1, Project 1. BRING ALL SUPPLIES (except graphite). Paper bag, grocery-size, scissors. Find a twig and bring it in. If using new source image, bring 3 printed photos, B & W. Don t forget your sketchbook! 2nd Q : Bring oil pastels and palette knife. In class : Upon arrival: make a twig pen! Mini-critiques ( crits ): Drawing 1 and Project1. Demo sumi ink, brush, bamboo pen, twigs. High speed gestures, brush, pen/ twig. Drawing on paper bags and watercolor paper, using source images. Intro oil pastels. Round robin drawings, expressive distortion. 2nd Q: Complementary color palette work in oil pastels. Class 5 : MEET AT COHO. Bring sketchbook, all drawing materials. Drawings on-site, portraits in situ. Do NOT touch these after class. 2nd Q : Oil pastels, pen, any mixed media of your choice.
DUE NEXT CLASS : Drawing 2, completed, Project 2 (in sketchbook). WEEKS 6-8: PHOTOREALISM Class 6: Bring: Drawing 2, sketchbooks (with Project 2). Source image(s) for next drawing if new sources. All graphite materials. Smooth white paper, no tooth, drawing board. 2nd Q : Choice of soft or oil pastels, local (observed) color. In class : Mini-crits Drawing 2, Project 2. Discussion of source images. Demo graphite powder, cautions using graphite. Go lightly! Begin Drawing 3. Class 7 : Studio work, Drawing 3. Class 8 : Studio work, Drawing 3. WEEK 9: FINAL CRITIQUE Please bring ALL paintings and outside projects. Feel free to bring any other work you have done as well. Please let me know in advance if you need help with transportation of work. *Dates and schedule of topics may be changed. EVALUATION: For Students taking this class for a letter grade or Credit. Grades will be based on completion and quality of both in class and out of class assignments, individual progress, effort, and class participation/attendance. 25% Attendance. See below. 25% Effort and Improvement. To evaluate yourself, ask, Am I pushing myself beyond my comfort zone, or am I doing what comes easily? 25% In-class work. Come to class prepared and organized. Follow all instructions. Participate. Be focused and engaged. Ask questions when needed. 25% Outside work. Follow all instructions. Keep up with all assignments. If you require clarification, take the responsibility to find answers either from me (office hours, email) or from your fellow students. Plan to spend 8-10 hours per week on outside work. ATTENDANCE Attendance is crucial in this class. Students will be responsible for all information presented in class information will not be repeated. Students begin with an A, each absence reduces that grade-portion by a half-mark (e.g. from A to A Minus). Please come to class on time; being late two times will count as one absence. Any student who reaches the end of the quarter with perfect attendance (no lateness or absences) will receive an A Plus for that grade-portion. MATERIALS Cost of supplies is minimal for this course. $100 to $200. Provided: Charcoal and graphite powder. Bamboo brushes. Cups. Limited safety net of supplies for other materials. Note: some of you may require additional paper.
Drawing board, large enough for 18 x 24 paper.. Painter s tape (cheaper at Home Depot, best for paper is the one with blue on the tape). Charcoal pencils 2B, 4B, 6B, compressed charcoal sticks (NOT Generals, recommend AlphaColor or Derwent), white charcoal pencil, vine charcoal (big the biggest you can find -- and small as well, comes in packs). Graphite pencils 2B, 4B, 6B ( I recommend the wood-less ), and graphite stick (any size). Kneaded eraser, white eraser (no gum, no pink, and don t buy Factoid -- leaves a residue.). Chamois (Cheap and big in the automotive section of Home Depot) or old t-shirt, cut into 6 piece. Small sand-pad, matte/utility knife (big one). Pencil sharpener. Spray fixative or hairspray (recommend Aquanet). Scissors. Twig (any). Small (the smallest) ink: India, Sumi or Speedball ok. Bamboo pen. One Prismacolor pencil: red or magenta. Optional: bamboo brush (traditional Chinese brush) -- good ones are most useful, but I do have lots. Optional: full set of color pencils (see Project 1) -- any okay, but Prismacolor is wonderful. 2nd Q : One set of soft pastels (any ok), with one extra white pastel. One set of pastel pencils. Roll of blue paper towels (mechanic towels) for multiple chamois (Home Depot). One set of oil pastels (any). Palette knife ( eraser for the oil pastels). Paper: Sketchbook small enough to fit in backpack, no smaller than 9 x 12.. Three sheets of smooth (no tooth) good white paper 18 x 24. One or two sheets of good white charcoal paper, with tooth, 18 x 24. One to two sheets watercolor paper, 18 x 24 any ok. Paper bag, grocery version. One sheet of vellum, 9 x 12 (okay if you can only find larger -- can be cut in half). Sketchbook: minimum size: 9 x 12, preferably not top spiral-bound (side spiral ok). Be sure you feel comfortable holding your sketchbook. 2nd Q : 4 sheets of colored paper (middle or dark value, no black, any color that s not bright or neon), with slight tooth (texture). Recommend Canson Mi Teintes, Strathmore or similar paper. Portfolio to hold drawings, toolbox or other container for supplies. Art Supply Stores (Coupons and student discounts may be available for all, please ask): Accent Arts, NOTE NEW LOCATION IN PALO ALTO, see website. (More expensive) University Art, 2550 El Camino Real, Redwood City. (More expensive) Stanford Bookstore (basement) (more expensive, fewer supplies) Dick Blick. locations in San Francisco and Oakland. On-line supplies. Michael s. Coupons available online. Amazon Artist & Craftsman (stores in SF and Berkeley, and online). OUTSIDE PROJECTS Note: Advanced artists are encouraged to consult with me at the end of the first class. Project 1. Draw the skull, using regular 2B graphite pencil on a smooth sheet of white paper, life-size, face-front. Once you have finished your skull, tape a sheet of vellum to the top (so the
paper doesn t slide) and lightly draw the outlines of the muscles in graphite. Fill in the muscles using red or magenta Prismacolor pencil, paying close attention to the direction of striations. Optional: tape a third layer of vellum, and lightly draw in the features (using any source image). Once you draw in the eyes, it gets really strange Important tips for drawing the skull: make light marks for top and sides first, sighting and triangulating edges of eye sockets, nose, jaws. Measure the head against itself. Project 1, 2nd Q: Draw 5 each of: eyes (including brow and eye socket), nose (plus philtrum and shading of cheeks), mouth (including philtrum and muscle shading around mouth), ears, hands (including a bit of arm just above wrist). Paper: 4 sheets of colored paper (medium to dark value), with slight tooth (see materials). Source images: Old Masters paintings. Project 2. In your sketchbook, do 30 gestures of portraits, in PEN ONLY. You must choose 3 separate locations, doing 10 at each. Location 1: 10 x 30 seconds, pen only, continuous line, scribbles. Location 2: 10 x 1 minute, Vine charcoal only (small vine), shadows only. Location 3: no time limit (your subjects will limit the time for you), 10 portraits, begin with vine shadows, then build contour with charcoal pencils. Don t forget to get INSIDE the faces, wrapping your lines around contours within the face. Project 2, 2nd Q : Do a portrait with distortion, using oil pastels with or without mixed media. Distortion may include either: time lapse, extreme foreshortening, multiple image overlap. 18 x 24 paper (your choice of paper).. Project 3. Close observational rendering, photoreal, in graphite, of one part of the face, expanded large, to 18 x 24, on smooth white paper (no tooth), graphite or charcoal (your choice). Options: Ear (must include part of hairline above and part of zygomatic arch, Nose (must include philtrum, muscles to either side), Eye (must include eye socket on all sides, eyebrow/brow ridge), Mouth (must include philtrum and muscles all around). Project 3, 2nd Q : Two portraits together on one page, including at least part of torso, creating an implied narrative. Any medium, color only, any surface.