VALUE: Texture

Erin Currie

Last night the class made drawings exploring additive and reductive techniques with the object of addressing texture and mood. Erin's drawing above is well proportioned to the paper and exhibits a strong sense of light. Her use of the erasers adds large open swaths of light as well as textural marks. In addition, the linear and tonal elements are very complementary both adding volume and texture again.

VALUE: Local Value

Margaux Fallon

Last night students made drawings addressing the local values of one dark object, one gray object and one white object. Although Margaux's drawing above could use fine tuning of the values and more attention to the background, the foundation for the drawing is very strong. Even at this early stage of the drawing there is a strong sense of light and great clarity in the values. The important areas to develop would be 1. Expand on the shading in the background to surround the objects more 2. apply gradations to the shadows 3 increase the categories of light for greater volume.

VALUE: Local Value

Emily Taylor

Megan Korsak

Last night students made drawings addressing the local values and categories of light observed in two white objects. Emily has taken a more realistic approach to rendering the forms by not including lines. The planes of the objects (mostly the cube) are expressed by juxtaposing light values against darker values. The value gradations of the bottle are smooth and gradual by comparison.
Megan has used a more subjective and stylized technique. The objects and the space appear to glow with light. The arcing space adds a sense of whimsy and surrealism. The values are rich and intense. The multiple shadows reveal the artificial lighting conditions of the studio.

VALUE: Subjective Use of Value

Meghann Lyon

Last night began with a discussion of the various uses of Value (the gradations between light and dark). Value may be used to address light, volume, mood and dramatic effect. The project last night was to use value subjectively. In other words, students were not bound to the local values of the objects. Instead, aesthetic decisions were based on the demands of the design for establishing value patterns and balance. Meghann's drawing exhibits a low key value range suggestive a nocturnal scenario. She has established rhythms of similarity of values and shapes as well. Notice the placement of the teeth in the skulls as well as those floating in the upper right hand corner.

PROPORTIONS: Identifying the Ideal Solids within Ordinary Objects

Jazmin Villalobos

Meghann Lyon

Last night students made a series of roughly (10) drawings addressing the structure and proportions of bottles, pitchers, teapots, etc. The objective was to draw the forms starting with the most basic shapes (rectangles, triangles and circles), next adding volume by rendering the ideal solids and lastly addressing the light and negative space. Jazmin has skillfully rendered the value patterns and negative space with the mass technique. Notice how the darkest areas establish a diagonal across the composition balanced by lighter tonalities. Meghann's drawing reveals the structural lines visualized underneath the surface of the object.  Jazmin's drawing is about light and mass whereas Meghann's drawing is about structure and space.

LINEAR PERSPECTIVE: Objects in Space

Lari Duff

Last night students were introduced to One and Two-Point Linear Perspective. The objective of last night's drawing was to use perspective, visual angle comparisons and "sighting" to establish and maintain a consistent "eye level". Lari's drawing above has done this very effectively. Furthermore, her handling of the materials has created a texturally as well as psychologically rich and powerful image. She has addressed the entire surface of the paper with course textures, smooth textures and a strong sense of atmosphere and light.

DISTAL CUES: Ideal Solids

Erin Deacon

Last night the class made a series of quick, gestural composition studies using the five Ideal Solid forms (cone, sphere, cylinders and cube). After completing the quick studies, the class made one large scale drawing on hand-toned paper. The objective was to employ the distal cues and to try and touch 3 to 4 edges of the paper. Erin's drawing above is well balanced and effectively employs the concepts behind the distal cues. In addition, she has skillfully used additive and reductive techniques to create textural as well as volumetric forms.