MIDTERM

Diana

Emily

Jennifer

All this week the class was working on their Midterm Drawings during portfolio review. The still life consisted of all white objects. The objective was to create a balanced composition addressing light and form. Diana's drawing is well balanced illustrating soft, even values of a high key range. The dark areas are very well balanced against the lighter areas adding support to central forms.
Emily has also employed a high key value range. The placement of the forms encloses the negative areas allowing the gradation in the background to support the still life.
Jen has managed to engage with all four sides of the picture plane. The values are rich, skillfully addressing the light and form. The full value range is complemented with energetic and dynamic mark-making.

MIDTERM

Georgia Bourdens

Luke Mello

Last Thursday, the class finished the midterm drawings. The two drawings above exhibit well balanced compositions, strong attention to light and form as well as the negative areas.
Georgia's drawing exhibits bold, contrasting values and surface variations that makes the image "pop." Whereas Luke's drawing exhibits a more uniform approach to rendering the light patterns and atmosphere which creates a "cooler," more calming light. Of particular note is the difference in drawing the background and the way the negative space has been addressed.
Luke has invented a textural background with a negative area that emphasizes the still life moving upward. Georgia has focused on the table edge and ground plane moving downward.

MIDTERM

This week the class is working on midterm drawings while portfolio reviews take place. Here are some pix from previous semesters in the meantime.

MIDTERM

All this week students will be working on their midterm drawings as well as reviewing portfolios one on one with me. Below are examples of midterm drawings from previous semesters.

MIDTERM DRAWINGS

Erin Currie

Erin Deacon

Kayla Brown

Meghann Lyon

Above are four excellent examples of the Midterm Drawing Exam. Each composition is well balanced with strong attention to the negative and positive relationships. Notice how each composition has engaged with the edges of the paper. The objects are well proportioned and rendered with attention to the volumes and light. When contour lines are present, they are complementary to the values strengthening the structure, texture and character of the objects and space. In addition, each student has successfully achieved a strong and individual mood in their use of value ranging from the calm to the dramatic.

MIDTERM DRAWINGS

Here are just a few examples of the Midterm drawing exam. The objectives were to address: 1. Composition 2. Distal Cues 3. Value 4. The Categories of Light. All of theses drawings exhibit well balanced compositions with a full range of values and strong attention to the categories of light.

Jane Collier

Kate Donovan

Stevie Young

Gianna Davy

MIDTERM DRAWING EXAMS

All this week students will be working on midterm drawings and participating in portfolio reviews. Here are some examples from previous semesters. The objective of the midterm drawings is for students to display their understanding of the concepts pertaining to line, value, positive and negative shape and composition.

THURS. 10/20 MIDTERM DRAWING EXAM

Cullen Houser

Abigail Sanchez

Oscar Mendoza

For the midterm drawing, students had to address the concepts covered to date: composition, line quality, value and proportions. Here are three examples of the many excellent drawings.
With his use of line and tone, Cullen has beautifully captured the light and shadow patterns as well as the fragility of the broken ceramics. Also take note of the balance between positive and negative areas.
Abigail has taken a beautifully minimal approach to the still life.  Note her use of value patterns in the shadows to establish rhythm. The key to the success of her vignetted composition lies within the centered placement with plenty of negative area allowing the eye to breath and encircle the still life.
Oscar's drawing also has a strong sense of design and rhythm.  Note the similarity in the wavy pattern on the mug (left) and the reflections in the lid (right). The criss-crossing triangles on the paper perfectly contrast the curvilinear nature of the ceramic forms.

Mar. 17 MIDTERM DRAWINGS

Students finished midterm drawings and then we critiqued them. Mariah Clarks drawing (above) is a great example of the imaginative elements students added to the still life.  The tiles are from Mariah's imagination. This drawing exhibits a strong directional pull starting from the bottom right corner up to the center, left and then changing direction to the upper right due to the angle of the tiles.

Hernan Esquivel's drawing makes strong use of the categories of light most notably in the way his cast shadows ground the objects to the table top. Notice the way the background creates tension as if it were a large blade coming down on the still life.  Beautifully rendered values in the positive and negative areas.

Michelle Phillips drawing also exhibits keen observational skills of the categories of light.  Her placement of the still life does a good job of cropping and activating the negative areas.  The wood grain, although a little heavy handed, is a very good textural rendering and adds to the overall design.

REMEMBER: After Spring Break we will begin with India Ink studies.  Bring ink, pen and nibs, brushes, sticks & twigs, as well as found objects that look like they would make interesting marks by stamping, etc.  Some suggestions would be cork from a wine bottle, an old sponge, or piece of heavy fabric.

10/13 Midterm Critique

Students finished midterm drawings and then we critiqued their work. The drawing above by Jeanne Buckens is an excellent example of the work that was created during the midterm assignment.  Elements to take note of are the asymmetrical composition and the division of the negative space in the background and the beautiful rendering of the categories of light as well as the other gradations from light to dark located throughout the drawing.  And lastly, the overall working of the entire surface.  By selectively leaving small areas white, Jeanne is able to develop a warm and thorough rendering of the local values found on the various surfaces and objects.

Next week we begin with Ink Drawings.