11/29 Division of Field: Large Comps.

Students began work on large scale drawings referencing the sketches made last week.  Again, students focused on the nine compositional strategies discussed in class. The drawing above is an example of a diagonal movement -lower right to upper left- with the trash can working as the positive to the negative of the room.  Further inspection reveals the stairs as a focal point drawing the "eye" back in the space while creating a sense of the "possibilities" that await through the doorway.

11/23 No Class

Wednesday was a non-student day. 

11/22 Division of Field

Students made a series of sketches addressing various locations within the Art Building.  The compositions were based on nine strategies for dividing the picture plane or "field".

HOMEWORK #10: Atmospheric Perspective

Make a drawing exhibiting the qualities of Atmospheric Perspective.  Your subject may be anything from a room or outdoor space to the surface arrangement of objects on a table.  Furthermore, your drawing may be imagined, observed or even better a combination of the two.  You may use any media on 18 x 24 in. drawing paper. The two student drawings above are excellent examples of the potential uses of atmospheric perspective.  In the medical box drawing, note how the clarity and intensity fades moving towards the upper right corner.  In the wheels and pipes drawing, the student observed the objects in reality but rearranged and multiplied them to create a design of stacked objects moving back in space.

11/17 Atmospheric Perspective and Developing Space

Wednesday we revisited the concept of Atmospheric Perspective.  Previously, we had applied the concept to the still life.  Wednesday we addressed its application to create a sense of space.  If you remember, the basic qualities of atmospheric perspective are the separation of foreground, middle ground and background.  Values, textures and colors are rich, sharp and detailed in the foreground and progressively diminishing as you move towards the background.  The assignment was to draw the hallways of Analy Hall but rather than merely illustrate linear perspective, the students were instructed to be more subjective with the space and lighting conditions.  Tyler Martinez's drawing above exhibits a deep sense of space while his use of concave, contour lines evokes a more animated and surreal hallway rather than the sterile, bathroom like environment that exists in reality.

HOMEWORK #9 Self Portrait

Draw a self portrait using any medium on 18 x 24 in. paper.  You may choose to take a humorous or objective approach to rendering your portrait. The two student drawings above illustrate a more subjective rendering of their portraits.  The tree with landscape is clearly a more humorous approach while suggesting a connectedness the artist feels with the world around him.  The second drawing with its reflection in the mirror supported by the braced hand makes a poignant commentary on the passing of time as well as some of the hardships one experiences with aging.

11/15 Self Portraits

Students made self portraits Monday night.  Kyle Colby's drawing reveals keen observations of the skull structure as well as the value patterns of the face.  This is especially evident in the exaggeration of the brow and the recession of the eye sockets.  Furthermore, the hair is fluid and dimensional without being overly drawn.

11/10 Portraits

Wednesday night the class starting working on portraits.  Students made drawings of a skull and then drew classmates portraits over the skull. Chantel Carter's drawing has captured the gaze of Jeremy's eyes.  Although there are some distortions and exaggerations, this only adds to the character and presence of the sitter.  Furthermore, some of the underlying proportional and structural lines are still present revealing the thought process of the artist.

11/8 Color: Large Scale Comps

Monday night students completed the large scale compositions. Autumn La Rue's drawing above is a good example of the striking use of color as well as humorous narratives that many students explored with their drawings.  Autumn's handling of the pencils is very painterly in her application.  The layering of colors and accenting creates a very luminous and textured surface.  The intense colors complement the urgency of the situation evoking a scene from Jurassic Park or a Los Angeles billboard for a dinosaur theme park.

HOMEWORK #8 Color

Choose three small objects and make a drawing using a color scheme that complements the subjects in mood and/or function. Pay attention to compositional balance, positive and negative relationships and eye level. Remember when dealing with color to consider the value as well as hue.  Furthermore, you will get a richer and more luminous drawing when you layer colors rather than just filling in (ex. using orange to render an orange (fruit) would be somewhat dull and flat whereas layering in some red, yellow, white and possibly blue or green would be striking and more volumetric). In the drawing above note the use of blues and greens within the shadows of the yellow bottle and the combining of primary colors within the metal snips.

11/3 Color (Large Scale)

Students began large scale color drawings.  The assignment is to create a drawing in color consisting of three or more objects or one complex object like a skull.  These drawings are in progress; students will complete the drawings Monday night before we move on to Portraits.  The drawing above is by Travis Gilbert.

11/1 Color

Monday evening the class made drawings using colored pencils on black paper.  We discussed color schemes and their potential to complement and enhance the content or mood of a drawing before choosing our subjects.  Each student worked from a single item, mostly skulls and antlers, some bones.  Trevor Finley's drawing (top) is loosely based on a primary triad color scheme whereas Leah Erickson's drawing below illustrates the strong emotive quality of using a single hue for a monochromatic color scheme.