Art student appreciation week. For this last week of remote Zoom classes you have a choice of anything that you like to draw or paint. Some ideas…your favorite Singer, Athlete, Video Game Character, Actor, Cartoon Character, Book Character, Flower, Landscape, Vacation Spot, Dessert, Saint, Bible Verse….you choose and have some fun with it! I appreciate all the effort you put into your work this year, and especially this last Quarter when we have had the challenge of working on-line. Maybe I will see you next week when you come to pick up your things or at the graduation this week. All the best and have a creative and fun Summer!
For your last project for this Semester I would like you to choose an animal that you like and use it as inspiration to create a whimsical piece filled with bright colors and patterns from your imagination. Please use a format like a square or rectangle and fill up the background and the image.
Have fun and take your time to make a piece that you are really proud of !
For this week I would like you to draw the corner of a room from real life. Show me what you know about perspective. Take your time and make a drawing you are proud of and please make the drawing at least in a format 5”X5”
Here are a few videos that cover using perspective to help you with the theory, however the real key is to look carefully and draw exactly what you see.
For this week, by request, I would like you to choose a Movie Poster to inspire you to make a new piece that you are proud of. You could choose one of the originals or explore some of the creative alternative posters that others have designed, or even create your very own new design for a favorite movie. Graphic artists use strong design principles like strong colors and simplified images to make an impactful poster that symbolizes the movie at a glance. Please use the vertical rectangular format and have fun. The possibilities are really endless.
Here is a video with a graphic designer giving some tips and ideas about strong poster design:
Here the same designer explores posters for the Marvel action movies :
Here is one more video that explores poster design ideas:
Here is a short video that you can view in 360 degrees to experience a hot air balloon:
As a contrast to the Value portrait drawings from last week I wanted to open up the possibilities of imagination and color using Hot Air Balloons as the subject. For this week I would like you to use a rectangular or square format, and then choose perhaps one of the postcard inspired landscapes or cityscapes above, or create your own, and bright colors and patterns to depict one or more Hot Air Balloons in a playful composition that you are proud of. Think about what you have learned about warm and cool colors as well as complementary color schemes. You can use whatever color materials that you want or have around, mixed media, collage. Have fun and let your creativity be your guide!
Here is a link to an interactive Color Wheel it covers color theory and lets you choose different color combinations based on a chosen palette:
For today I would like you to try drawing a favorite cartoon character in black and white using a pencil to create a range of values from light to dark.
This is a value scale from darkest to lightest:
Here is a video showing you how to draw a cute Bugs Bunny:
For this week I would like you to choose an interesting face from a black and white photo to draw. Use what you have learned about using a full range of Values from light to dark and a pencil to create a portrait that you are proud of. Any human face that you want to try will work, for this first try you might want to choose a face that you are not too invested in like a celebrity so you don’t worry too much about making a perfect likeness. I’m most interested in you exploring the forms and features to create the illusion of volume by looking at the lights and shadows.
Here is a video we will watch in class on Tuesday about the basic proportions of the facial features for a man or a woman. There are links during the video that go further into detailed tutorials on drawing eyes or the nose if you want to explore those.
Here are some examples of B&W photos that would be good for this project.
It would be good to create a format that matches your photo in order to see the negative spaces. The drawing should be at least around 6″ on the longest side. Have fun and try your best! Be ready to show me the finished drawing next Monday.
I hope you all have been able to find your way to my art class blog by now. I will post projects here each week that you can try at home during our art class time or just for fun.
This week I thought we would have some fun with drawing shadows. If it is a sunny day you can do these outside. If it is too cloudy or you are stuck inside you can use a lamp or even the flashlight on a smart phone. Try choosing some of your favorite toys and trace the outline of the shadows. After that you could shade them in with your pencil or use colors to imagine any kind of landscape, background, or environment you want. Take your time and have some fun!
Here are some more hand shadows that you can practice and have fun with. Don’t forget to get outside and get some fresh air and exercise,and remember to be kind!
Here is a link to 8 great art museums you can tour virtually with your family on line:
For today I would like you to make a drawing based on Bluebonnets. You can use these images for inspiration or find your own on-line. If you have colors at home you are welcome to use those. Have Fun!
For this second week of remote art classes I thought we would explore some techniques for describing some basic forms with value and shading. For your assignment this week you will only need a pencil, white paper, and perhaps an eraser if you have one. When you are drawing or painting, you can make your work have the illusion of volume and depth by mastering the concept of using Value, which is defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color. It is an important tool for the designer/artist, in the way that it defines form and creates spatial illusions. Contrast of value separates objects in space, while gradation of value suggests mass and contour of a surface.
Here is an example of a Value scale from dark to light:
I’m including a few videos that we will watch in class that go over the basics of drawing with a pencil and then using shading and value to describe some simple forms.
For your project this week I would like you to choose a coffee cup to draw using what you have learned about Value and shading. It would be best to draw one from real life if you have one around your house. You can light it from one side perhaps by using a lamp or even the flashlight from your cell phone. If you don’t have a coffee cup you surely find an image online or use one of these examples. Take your time and be ready to show me your finished drawing next Monday. Have fun and do your best!
Here is another video that covers drawing a coffee cup:
Welcome to our first week of remote learning for art classes. By now I’m sure almost all of you have accessed your class dashboard on the LMS system. I have set up a recurring Zoom meeting that you will navigate to in the normal order that you have had your art class scheduled on Mondays and Tuesdays throughout the year. As you know the classes are now 30 minutes long, so it is important for you to join the Zoom meeting as soon as possible at your appointed time. For now I think we will take a break from the weekly Homework assignments that you have been finding posted here, and instead we will be working on a project each week or perhaps even over more than a week, depending on how things unfold. I will introduce you to the new project in the Zoom meeting, giving you a presentation of the assignment, with background information and examples. To make things easy to access and follow, I will begin with this class blog page to start each week. Then you will work on the project during the rest of the class time ,and or, during the rest of the week if you choose to spend more time at your own pace. We are scheduled for an hour of class time each week in two Zoom sessions. When we are at Holy Trinity in the art room the class time is normally 80 minutes a week. If you have to miss a class for what ever reason, you will be able to navigate here to see the assignment and due date. Your grades for this last quarter will be based on the Project assignments, and I expect that you will be able to show me what you have done on your device screen on the following Monday, or the due date listed in the Post title each week. If I see that you all know how to access and follow the assignments on your art class dashboard I will also post them there along with a link back to this page. I will go over all of this in our first Zoom meeting on Monday 3/30.
Mandala Project:
Above you see some examples of student Mandala creations. A Mandala, which is Sanskrit for “circle” is a geometric design that holds a great deal of symbolism in Hindu, Buddhist, and other cultures. Mandalas are believed to represent different aspects of the universe and are used as instruments of meditation and symbols of prayer most notably in China, Japan, and Tibet. I chose this as the first project for the 4th quarter because I understand that some of you may be worried or nervous about the current situation in the world that has made it necessary for us to work and learn from home. The Mandala, or circular design, is also reminiscent of stained glass Rose Window designs that you might see in western churches and cathedrals. A beautiful light filled design that also serves as a focal point for prayer and meditation.
Here is an image of the famous Rose Window at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris which miraculously survived the devastating fire that happened there a little over a year ago last April.
Some of you may have made a Mandala or Rose Window project with me before, but this is a new time that I believe calls for a calming, meditative, project to begin our remote learning adventure together.
Here is a short video of Tibetan Monks working on a Mandala here in Dallas at the Trammel Crow Center of Asian Art:
To begin your new project I would like you to find a blank piece of white paper, like printer paper, or perhaps your sketchbook, if you brought it home with you. Then, choose a plate or saucer to trace a circle onto the page. You can then use coins, or smaller cups, bottle caps, jar lids, or really any shapes that you have around the house to create pleasing designs to fill in your Mandala compositions. You can make your design Symmetrical or Asymmetrical, with abstract geometric shapes or with any kind of images that are interesting or meaningful. to you. After you layout the design, if you have colors like markers, colored pencils, watercolors, or even a combination you can then spend your time completing the design with your own color choices. You can use Warm and Cool colors, Complementary colors, a Primary color scheme or just improvise. The main thing is to enjoy the process and let yourself get lost in the meditative quality of the design. Please make something that you are proud of and as always:Work Hard, Be Creative, and Have Fun.
If you happen to have a printer at home you could also choose and print out a more complicated design and use your colors to personalize and make it beautiful. Here is a link to a web-site that has lots of free Mandala designs that you can print.
