Still Life Drawing Deadlines

In class critiques will be held for your first two class assignments on the following dates:

9/20 In class Observation drawing in Conte
9/27 Still Life from photo

Still Life Homework Assignment

 

 

The still-life as a resource and subject matter for artists has been an essential tool in art for at least two thousand years. It offers a stable subject from which artists can explore the relationships of FORM & SPACE while also providing enormous opportunities to study light, value and texture. Our ultimate goal in this unit is to utilize these elements of Art in building a strong, cohesive COMPOSITION.

You will be building your still-life model at home and photographing your model for use in class next week. When building your model keep the following factors in mind:

1.       Point-of-View:

You want an interesting and intriguing point-of-view to your subject that engages the viewer and provides a dynamic sense to your composition.

2.       Spatial Relationships:

Insure that you are aware of how the objects in your composition relate to each other on both the 2-dimensional plane, and in their illusion of 3-dimensions. Keep the principles of Variety and Unity in mind when you create your composition.

3.       Lighting:

Light can play a major role in your composition so take advantage f windows or other strong light sources when setting up your composition.

4.       Objects:

Choose objects that one might not normally consider in a traditional still-life. For example kitchen utensils, power tools, bathroom supplies. Etc.

 

 

 

Labor Day Homework Assignment

One of the most important facets of drawing is the MARK itself - the "mark" of the pencil, charcoal, etc. on the paper. Over the weekend find one drawing by an established master (i.e. Rembrandt, van Gogh, Picasso, etc.) and study the marks that artist used in your chosen artwork. Devote at least one page of your sketchbook to replicating and improvising on the marks you find within the work in order to present your own interpretation and execution of those marks. DO NOT copy the drawing you choose - instead utilize the marks you find and create your own composition. This can be representationol or abstract. The main goal here is to study and utilize a wide variety of marks in your own artwork. Be sure to bring along a copy of your chosen work along with your sketchbook on Tuesday, 9/4. Note the variety of marks used by Cy Twombly in the two works shown below.

Concentration Deadlines and Critiques

AP Studio Concentration Deadlines

Friday, November 12 Concentration #1
Friday, December 3 Concentration #2
Friday, December 17 Concentration #3
Friday, January 7 Concentration #4
Friday, January 21 Concentration #5
Friday, February 4 Concentration #6
Friday, February 25 Concentration #7
Friday, March 4 Concentration #8
Friday, March 18 Concentration #9
Friday, April 1 Concentration #10
Friday, April 22 Concentration #11
Friday, April 29 Concentration #12

Draw What You Hear

Sketchbook Homework Assignment
Draw What You Hear

Using your sketchbooks, complete a series of 6 drawings based on what you hear, rather than on what you see. Take note of the suggestions above:
DON”T draw the object making the sound!!
Use lines, shapes and forms.
Use color!
The idea is to visualize sound and interpret what you hear as a resource for visual imagery.
Sketchbook checks will be made:
• Tuesday, October 12 (2 sketches)
• Friday, October 15 (4 total sketches)
• Tuesday, October 19 (6 total sketches)

Landscape Homework Assignment

In working toward developing our Conceptual Landscape, each student should gather as much research information as possible on subject matter. In addition to our in-class studies, each student will be required to complete a series of observational sketches of their own backyard. These sketches should focus on elements of texture, shape, color, value and form and should also look toward the principles of correct proportion and unity of elements when studying the relationships between various objects in the landscape. These sketches should amount to approximately 2.5 hours of outside class time and the resulting drawings should be commensurate with that time allotment. Sketches may vary from detailed observations of a specific object to compositional studies of broader vistas.

Deadline: Friday 9/24

Homework Assignment #1: The Glass Still Life

Your first at home drawing for the Breadth Portfolio section is due on Friday, Sept. 17. The drawing must conform to the following criteria:

1. No smaller than 14" x 17"
2. The drawing should extend to all 4 sides of the paper or canvas.
3. The drawing is in black & White, but media is left to student choice (pencil, charcoal, conte, etc.)

Subject for the drawing is a glass still life. This can entail any collection of 3 or more glass objects in a compositional arrangement. This may include common items such as water glasses (full or empty or half-full, etc.), vases, crystal figurines, etc., but thespecific glass object will be left to the student's own resources.

Remember the following in planning and executing your drawing:
1. Focus on what the glass is reflecting—not the glass itself.
2. Focus on your light sources.
3. Tone and value are very, very important when drawing glass
4. ALL transparent objects are comprised of dark and light patterns in varying degrees of value.
5. You don’t always have to draw the exact reflection—sometimes you can just indicate the reflection as a diffused image (draw just the patterns and not the picture).
6. VERY important in drawing glass—Highlights, midtones, darks---work the darks first, then the highlights and then fill in the midtones.


Critique will take place in class on Friday, Sept. 17.