Gesture Drawing

Intro and Advanced Drawing and Painting

Gesture drawings are sometimes used as a warm up exercise.  Before you sit down to do an elaborate painting/drawing it is good practice to get your mind engaged in the process of creating art by making quick studies of an object/person/landscape.   Changing the line quality of your drawings can help emphasize certain characteristics of the subject.   The exciting thing about gesture drawings is they are never stagnant.  You should purposefully make quick movements with your hand or your whole arm.  Capture the essence of what you are drawing without details.  Action drawing, could describe some types of gesture drawings.  Action drawing involves representing the movement of the subject, for instance a person running, stretching, jumping.  The lines you draw will emphasize the "action" of the figure.

I like the way artist Jill Saur writes about Gesture drawing below.

“Gesture drawings are quick, loose drawings. You don't stop the motion of your hand while doing it. Also, you don't take your pen off of the surface to move it to another point, you just drag it over…
…the gesture drawing focuses more on the inference of the figure, not an exact replica of what you see.  Practicing quick gesture drawings will train your eye-brain-hand co-ordination to pick up on lines and see where they are in relation to other lines.  Before you begin a fine drawing or painting, gesture it first to get a 'feel' for what you are going to do.”  

  Jill Saurr  http://dailyartclass.blogspot.com/2010/11/gesture-drawing-definition.html

In class we will be drawing several quick sketches of objects and people.  In the beginning we will only be concerned about trying to get proportions correct and capturing the essence of the object on paper. We will be looking for lines that define the movement and the proportions of the subject matter.  

Sketchbook Assignment:  

You are required to do a dozen gesture drawings in your sketchbook.  Draw your dog, parents, friends, hands...anything you like, as long as there is variety.  The gesture drawings should be times. Try 30 seconds to 2 minutes.  Make sure you are timing yourself and stop when the time is up.  

Creative Examples of using LINE in drawing

Clipping Mask

Yearbook

To learn how to create text using a photograph for the fill using Adobe Photoshop, simply create a Clipping Mask.  You can do this by placing a photograph over the text you would like to use in the layers panel.  Then go to Layer>create clipping mask and you are all set.  Add f/x to the text and you have an exciting graphic. Create your own clipping mask in Photoshop, add an effect to the text then save in the Yearbook 2015-2016 folder in shared drive in the Photoshop folder. Make sure you save it as your last name so I know that it has been completed. 

View Clipping Mask Tutorial

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Over the semester I will post links to artists that I stumble upon. This artist and teacher has a creative blog, with inspirational lessons, plus he seems like an overall interesting being with lots to share. 

Todd Stahl

ART CLUB

Art Club will be meeting September 10th in C16!!!  2:30-3:30

Come check out what is going on in the ART WING!

Abstract Line Design

Intro to Drawing and Painting

Here is an interesting example of using line in an abstract way.  Does this work evoke any emotions?

Link to more art by Karna Mustaqim

Another Link

Selection tools in Photoshop

When you create the yearbook you will need to create cut-outs using Photoshop. In the picture below a student was cut out and added to the group shot. 

 Today you will become familiar with Photoshop and how to do the same. It takes patience.  Put your finished cut-out into the Photoshop folder labeled as your last name ie.  Kaisercutout.  Save it as a png.   This format will allow transparency for the background instead of a white background. 

LINE

The first element of design we will be exploring is LINE. 

Lines can be emotional and expressive. Lines can create deep dark shadows or light whimsical clouds.  Lines can be abstract or realistic. Lines can create very sophisticated drawings like the ones seen below created by German artist, Albrecht Dürer  of the Renaissance period, (1471–1528).

             

Today I would like to practice creating value changes using lines.  In your sketchbook go from a light to a dark value using different to kinds of lines.  Try to create at least 5 different variations of types of lines to create your value changes.  Begin with hatching and cross-hatching first, then 3 more creative examples. 

By the end of the period we will check the progress and talk about the challenges of create value changes using lines. 

Calliope! Boo!

 Calliope, our amazing student literary magazine, is in need of some CREEPY or seasonal art (for those that don't feel like being creepy or spooky).  Create a work of art out of any medium and submit photos of your work to Mr Matthiessen.   I will be happy to take photographs of your artwork if I receive it by September 29th.

All of my classes will get extra-credit for any quality artwork that is created for submission.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS September 29th

SKETCHBOOKS BY WEDNESDAY!

Painting and Drawing students don't forget to bring in your sketchbooks by Wednesday!

Alice in Wonderland and Salvador Dali

What a great collaboration!  Artist Salvador Dali illustrates Alice in Wonderland in gouache. 

What a treat to see the artist's take on the classic book. 

50 years ago, Lewis Carroll published “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” — commonly known as “Alice in Wonderland.” The book tells that story of a girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole and finds herself in a fantasy world surrounded by whimsical characters.

The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is home to a treasure trove of items relating to Caroll’s classic tale, among them a first edition copy of the book published in June of 1865 that was recalled because the illustrator disapproved of the print quality.

 One of the more unexpected findings in that collection is a limited edition book of 12 illustrations with original woodcuts and an original etching by the celebrated Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dalí that was published in 1969.  (excerpt for Yale news)

To view more pages of the book click picture below