HOMEWORK #4 "The Meal"

Frank Vallin

Nemea Laessig

On 18 x 24 in. drawing paper using graphite pencils make a drawing of a place setting for a meal. Your still life should illustrate the "before" or "after" of the meal. Your composition is of utmost importance. Most students start this drawing with very "poor" compositions. DO NOT draw a plate in the middle of your paper with silverware on either side. Note in the drawings above that the "viewer" is looking across the table and not straight down at a plate. Create an asymmetrical composition including: plates, glassware, silverware, etc. You may also include cereal boxes or condiment bottles and the like for a stronger "narrative."

Thurs. 10/4 Art7B "Larger Than Life"

Savannah Haveman

The students of Art 7B made drawings from small, hand-held objects. Savannah chose a metal spool. Her approach of drawing the form transparently, overlapping and changing size and orientation allowed for new shapes to develop in the process. She has effectively used value, shape, and texture to create rhythms and movement through similarity. More importantly, she has taken an ordinary object and turned into a slightly humorous but dynamic and engaging jumble of cartoonish forms. In other words, Savannah has done a great job of "making something out of nothing."

THURS. 10/4 Rendering Light

Isabel Martinez

Victor Torres

Isabel's drawing above illustrates the scribble technique. Her clear rendering of gradations and value in general brings a strong sense of light to the composition while maintaining the subtleties of volume. Furthermore, her use of cropping has engaged the negative areas very well, specifically the upper left and right corners and the play of light and dark on the table top.
Victor has employed a diagonal, parallel hatch technique for his drawing. He has also chosen to create a vignette of the composition allowing the perimeter of the still life to fade into the negative space surrounding it. His drawing too has a rich, full range of marks and values. What is particularly appealing are the little variations and blemishes within larger areas of value. This keeps the tonalities more visually interesting and less trapped, more amorphous.

WED. 10/3 Rendering Light

Mike Koonce

Alicia Orozco

After weeks of addressing value as a means to creating volume and three dimensionality, the M/W class addressed value emphasizing light. Students chose to work in one of two techniques. Mike's drawing at the top illustrates a single, directional hatch technique. Even though the straight, diagonal hatching contradicts the rounded volumes of many forms, the contrasting values and gradations exhibit very subtle volumes and depth of space. This asymmetrical composition employs a series of left to right diagonals beginning with the pyramid in the corner and ending with the "negative" triangle in the upper right corner.

Alicia's drawing illustrates the scribble technique. The swirling lines are alive with fluid rhythms and variation. This composition exhibits a right to left diagonal balancing a "negative" triangle in the upper left with the bell form in the lower right. Furthermore, this drawing exudes a strong sense of light with the gradation in the background complemented by contrasting cast shadows and accents.

TUES. 10/2 Value Reduction

Robert Lyons

Robert's drawing exhibits a strong clockwise movement. The white positive pathway encircles the large black shape on the right. The image is reminiscent of a landscape with cloud-like forms along the top and architectural forms occupying the bottom half of the composition.

MON. 10/1 Value Reduction

Patrick Burgess

M/W class made drawings in which all values were reduced to black or white. Considering a value scale of 1 through 10. If a value falls between 1 and 5 it remains white. If it falls between 6 and 10 it goes black. No grays. These drawings become very abstract and flattened due to the merging of shapes and their metamorphosis into a new shape. There are no linear divisions.  You must be willing to let go of the original form. The results reveal black and white pathways surrounding isolated black and white shapes.

ART 7A MIDTERM PORTFOLIO REVIEW

Come to class with portfolios prepared for review next week.

1. Contour (tools)
2. Gesture (any 3 examples)
3. Ideal Solids ( 2 drawings)
4. Proportions (organizing lines)
5. Subjective Value (abstract design or face)
6. Value Patterns (paper cut-outs)
7. Local Value
8. Value Reduction
9. Rendering Light

I will also review any homework at this time.