Drawing Faces

Intro to Drawing and Painting

People are the most challenging and exciting subjects.  To become familiar with the features draw a self-portrait for your next sketchbook assignment.  Make sure you are drawing the features in proportion and include value changes to help create the form.  Take a look at the pictures below for some initial guidelines. 

Gradients

Designing for the Web

Gradients are used everywhere on the Web.  Take a look and see!  You will be learning how to create custom gradients that will be utilized when we make
our websites.   

Gradient Assignment 

Who is Shepard Fairey?

Fairey "Andre, the Giant" 1989

Designing for the Web

When designing our digital images we need to be aware of copyright laws and what  "fair use" or "public domain" means.  Shepard Fairey reached millions of people when he designed the "Hope" poster using an image of President Obama.  There was a lot of controversy 
amongst artists when it came to how Fairey acquired the image he used for the poster.  Your assignment is to discover more about the controversy, Shepard Fairey, and copyrighting.   Complete the following assignment and be prepared to talk about your findings in class.

Shepard Fairey and Copyrighting Journal Entry

Fairey "Hope" 2008

Adding Text and Shapes in Photoshop

Designing for the Web

Designed by Tim O.  

In this lesson you will add a shape and then text to your color portraits. Pay attention to the negative space in your work to find a place where you can add these elements.   We are trying to create depth and interest in our piece. The "f/x" tool will help you design and personalize your text.  See the full description of the lesson below.

 Creative Text & Shape Lesson

Ellipses...

Intro to Drawing and Painting

Now that you are becoming more observant and have completed gesture drawings and contour drawings we will start creating three-dimensional images by adding values and thinking about perspective.   A good place to start is by drawing cylinder-like objects,  We will be focusing this week on creating representational drawings of cups and flower pots, paying close attention to where the light hits the objects and how highlights, core shadows,  reflected light, and cast shadows create depth on a two-dimensional surface.

Sketchbook Assignment:  Draw 3 objects that are elliptical.  Focus on the value changes that will help you make your drawing have depth.  

1st semester student work:

View the link below  to a wonderful tutorial on drawing ellipses:

http://sibleyfineart.com/tutorial--draw-ellipses.htm



Looking at Edges

Intro to Drawing

Last week in class we warmed up to drawing again by doing several gesture drawings.  The quick lines that we drew are quite the opposite of what we will be doing when we are creating contour drawings. We will look carefully at the edges of our subject and draw slowly.

Mona Brookes, author of Drawing for Older Children and Teens, writes:

"By following what appears to be the outline edges of an object, you can create an impression of it.  Contour Drawing is a style of realistic drawing, but it doesn't capture the kind of three-dimensionality that you can achieve with shading."

Below notice the way Pablo Picasso uses a line to represent most of the edges of the figure below.  He tried to keep the correct proportions and successfully portrays the physical characteristics of the model.  Learning how to create contour drawings is a fundamental skill that all artists should develop. Your in class assignment is to create several contour drawings of your hand. 

We will also try a couple Blind Contour drawings.  This is when you draw using one continous line and do not look at your paper. something without looking at your paper using

Class assignment:   Draw a contour drawing of the vase will flowers.  Try very hard to just draw a edges with a line. Do not shade in at all!  Think about the negative and positive space on your paper.  As yourself where you are going to place the bottom of the vase on your paper so you still have room for the top of the flower.  Think about proportions (the size relationships of the parts of the flower and the vase).

Sketchbook Assignment:  Do 1 contour drawing of your foot and two drawings of whatever you like:  Due 3/1





Contour Drawing



Outline







Upcoming Lessons

All Classes

I will be absent from school from 2/18 until 3/2. My right knee is causing me a lot of trouble and hopefully when I return it will be 100%!  In my absence Mrs.  Kantrow will be your teacher, luckily she was an art teacher at Branford High School before so she can help you with all assignments.  I have posted all your assignments and if you finish everything then you are amazing!!

Take your time and be thoughtful when doing all your work! I look forward to seeing what you have accomplished when I return.  

Ceramics Daily

Intro to Ceramics

For those of you that want to delve deeper into the process of creating with clay, check out Ceramics Daily.  It is a wonderful blog that will inspire you and assist you with questions you may have.  

Ceramics Daily Blog