Picasso!

Advanced Drawing and Painting


We will be looking at works of art by Pablo Picasso in the next couple of weeks.  I first fell in love with the work of Picasso when I was in Barcelona and visited the Picasso Museum.  Up until then I hadn't realized that as a teenager he was painting stunning realistic oil paintings, rendering fabric like Da Vinci.  I always thought of Cubism when I thought of Picasso, not realism. My limited exposure to Picasso didn't make me feel like he was an artist that I needed to discover more about...was I wrong.  His work was constantly evolving...his critics and the world loved him for that.

At the age of 76 Picasso said, "Everything I have done is just the first step on a long path. It is only a preliminary process, which must be developed much later on.  My works must therefore be considered each in relation to the others, always taking into account what I have done and what I am going to do."

Art Critique in 4 Steps

Advanced Drawing and Painting

The four steps to critique are describe, analyze, interpret, and judge. 

We will be critiquing our own artwork, as well as, some famous works of art as the semester continues. Artists' style evolve over time and can be influenced by the artwork of others.  Maybe the way you view art will evolve as we begin studying the works of Picasso, Matisse, and Chagall.  Complete the following Journal Entry to help you better understand the following paintings and the art of critique. 

In you sketchbook follow the steps to critique a painting by Marc Chagall.  First you must discover the name of the painting and the year it was painted.     

1.   DESCRIBE:  What do you see?  What are the most obvious elements of design? What is going on or what action is taking place?  Elements of Design:  line, texture, shape, color, space,  (there are more, but refer to these)

2.   ANALYZE:  How have the Elements been arranged into Principles? What are the principles doing?  Is there a storyline?  Principles:  Balance, contrast, emphasis, harmony, movement, rhythm, pattern (there are more but refer to these)

3.   INTERPRET:  What are the ideas, emotions or aesthetics being communicated to you? What do you think the meaning of the ART is, what is it trying to say to do or say to you?   Context of Art: Time and Place; Social/Economic/Political/Spiritual Setting; Mood or Emotion qualities; Life and expertise of the Artist.

4.   JUDGE:  Is the art work visually pleasing/aesthetic?Would you say the art achieved its goal for you or the artist?  Is the work well crafted?

(modified excerpts from,  “The Art of Seeing”)

Shape Tween

Designing for the Web

When you create a shape tween you morph one shape into another.  It is relatively easy and fun to make!  Follow the guidelines in the shape tween lesson and you will be on your way to designing in Flash.

Shape Tween Lesson

Created by Shoshanna L, 2011

Created by Jason P, 2011

Intro to Flash

Designing for the Web

Flash is used to create short animations and are used often to enhance a website.  This lesson will introduce you to Classic Tween, Motion Tween, and Motion Presets. It will also help you become familiar with the layout of the Flash program.

Intro to Flash Assignment

Stunning Self-Portaits

Advanced Drawing and Painting

A couple of students decided to create a self-portrait using watercolors.  They both handled the medium beautifully.  It is very difficult to create a painting that isn't overworked.  It takes a lot of patience and restraint.  Nice work.

Self-Portrait in progress by Clare H

A blow dryer is used here to help dry the paint before the next wash is added.  Painting in progress by Jane B.

Inspiration is Everywhere

Advanced Drawing and Painting 

At a recent teacher workshop I was given a hand-out that contained a lot of information.  As the speaker presented I was looking over the hand-out and spotted words that resonated with me.  I underlined these words, drew designs around them, and began to doodle pictures that came to mind.  My doodling helped me better understand what the speaker was trying to get across and I was inspired to create a collage.  I first ripped and cut the words out from the hand-out then I used mod-podge (acrylic gel medium) to glue them to Bristol board.  I then began to layer pastels, mixing them with mod-podge.  The piece was spontaneous, like a doodle. Try this for a sketchbook assignment-you can add photographs, use marker, pastel, ink...etc.  Over the next week think about words your hear or see…maybe you will be inspired by words in a song or during a lecture in school. 

A book I find inspirational is:
Unfurling, A Mixed-Media Workshop with Misty Mawn: Inspiration and Techniques for Self-Expression through Art. The collages below are examples of her work.  Her work is multi-faceted and so much fun to look at.  I especially enjoy the way she incorporates a still-life into this collage.

Collage by Mysty Mawn

Collage by Mysty Mawn