EXTRA CREDIT

Now that you have your midterm grade sheets, you can get a good idea of where you currently stand. The four midterm drawings were worth 400 possible points, and you have completed 5 homework assignments. Add the midterm grades and the four best of the five homework grades, then divide by 500... Voila! Your current average.

If you are concerned that your grade is too low, you can do extra work to help strengthen your grade. This extra credit work is due by Thursday, June 4. You may do them multiple times to build up points. Here are the options:

1) GALLERY/MUSEUM VISIT

Choose a gallery or museum to visit on your own time and write about your experience. You might write about works of art that you love or works that you don’t like at all. Give me an honest response. Let me know why you chose to go to that gallery/museum, and give me specifics on what’s there so I’ll know that you really did go. And/or bring a brochure that proves that you were there. Your response should be typed, 12 pt font, single spaced, minimum of one page, with no grammatical errors.

*Worth up to 25 points, same as a homework grade

_______________________________________________________________________

2) ART MOVIE REVIEW

Watch a movie about art and/or artists or designers. Have fun with the format -- pretend that you are a film critic working for the L.A. Times. Write a complete and thorough response to the film, and tell me whether I should see it or not. Give it a critic’s rating (Like thumbs up, 3 stars, or whatever method of rating that you come up with.) Your review should be typed, 12 pt font, single spaced, with no grammatical errors.

Some suggestions (but there are plenty more out there):

FRIDA                                     CRUMB

BASQUIAT                              ARTEMESIA          

VINCENT & THEO                     GOYA EN BORDEAUX

SURVIVING PICASSO                BEAUTY IS EMBARASSING

POLLOCK                                FUR

I SHOT ANDY WARHOL             EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

*Worth up to 25 points, same as a homework grade

_______________________________________________________________________

3) FIND A DRAWER (Drawer = someone who draws. Not the thing you put socks in.)

Look in art magazines (print or online) and find a contemporary artist who DRAWS. Research that artist and find multiple examples of their work. Then write about how YOU respond to their work. Do not write a biography of the artist – it doesn’t matter when they were born or where they went to school. Just look at their drawings and write what YOU think about them, purely opinion. Include a list of sources, where you went to see the images. If you quote any facts, you must use proper endnote/footnote citation. But you shouldn’t quote facts. Because this is your opinion. Your response should be typed, 12 pt font, single spaced, minimum of one page, with no grammatical errors.

*Worth up to 25 points, same as a homework grade

HOMEWORK 9: HANDS

This is your LAST homework assignment! YEAH!

Spend about 30 minutes drawing one of your own hands. Draw from live observation, not from a photo. Proportions should be accurate, and you should have time within 30 minutes to add some shading in your choice of style. Your hand should be in a dynamic, interesting position, not flat and spread out. Oh, and your hand gesture should be rated PG. Don't throw a gang sign, don't give me the middle finger.  :)

Tip: Use the knuckles and fingertips to look for drop lines and cross lines to maintain accurate proportions.

Here are some examples. Note that these are not photorealistic -- they look like they were drawn rather quickly, but the proportions are accurate.

HOMEWORK 8: Reflections

In graphite pencil, copy this photograph of a glass of water as realistically as possible. Include the cast shadow. Be sure to make the ellipse (rim) perfectly symmetrical, and notice that the bottom edge of the glass and the water line both follow the same curve as the bottom half of the ellipse.

Due Wednesday, March 4.

HOMEWORK 7: DRAPERY

In graphite pencil, try to emulate this photograph of silk. Your goal is to create smooth, seamless transitions between dark and light. You can blend if you want, or just use your pencil lead to blend. Make it look photorealistic, not sketchy.

Due Wednesday, Feb. 25

OUT-OF-CLASS OPTION FOR FINAL PORTFOLIO

Your Final Portfolio of four drawings is due on Wednesday, March 11. If you are unhappy with the work you are doing in class, you may do this assignment to be submitted for a grade in lieu of one that we work on in class.

Below is a classical statue of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a Roman general and architect. Do a faithful and accurate drawing of the statue using either charcoal or graphite. You may choose to tone the paper or not... there is no right or wrong way to approach this drawing, but if you choose to do it you will be graded on:

1) Composition (don't crop! Fit the whole figure on the page)
2) Value (no dark outlines, use only value to define the shapes and edges)
3) Proportions (your figure should be as accurate as possible, including all minor details)
4) Presentation (cleanliness of paper, condition of paper)

And for inspiration, here are some examples of a similar project from Thomas More College:

NEED EXTRA CREDIT?

Students,

Here are some options for you to do extra credit work to boost your course grade. Extra credit is due by 5pm the very last day we meet on March 16 (exam week).

1) GALLERY/MUSEUM VISIT

Choose a gallery or museum to visit on your own time and write about your experience. You might write about works of art that you love or works that you don’t like at all. Give me an honest response. Let me know why you chose to go to that gallery/museum, and give me specifics on what’s there so I’ll know that you really did go. And/or bring a brochure that proves that you were there. Your response should be typed, 12 pt font, single spaced, minimum of one page, with no grammatical errors.

*Up to 40 points for final average

2) ART MOVIE REVIEW

Watch a movie about art and/or artists or designers. Have fun with the format -- pretend that you are a film critic working for the L.A. Times. Write a complete and thorough response to the film, and tell me whether I should see it or not. Give it a critic’s rating (Like thumbs up, 3 stars, or whatever method of rating that you come up with.) Your review should be typed, 12 pt font, single spaced, with no grammatical errors.

Some suggestions (but there are plenty more out there):

FRIDA                                     

BASQUIAT                                          

VINCENT & THEO                     

SURVIVING PICASSO                

POLLOCK                                

I SHOT ANDY WARHOL            
CRUMB

ARTEMESIA

GOYA EN BORDEAUX

BEAUTY IS EMBARASSING

FUR

EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP

HELVETICA

*Up to 40 points for final average

3) FIND A DRAWER (Drawer = someone who draws. Not the thing you put socks in.)

Look in art magazines (print or online) and find a contemporary artist who DRAWS. Research that artist and find multiple examples of their work. Then write about how YOU respond to their work. Do not write a biography of the artist – it doesn’t matter when they were born or where they went to school. Just look at their drawings and write what YOU think about them, purely opinion. Include a list of sources, where you went to see the images. If you quote any facts, you must use proper endnote/footnote citation. But you shouldn’t quote facts. Because this is your opinion. Your response should be typed, 12 pt font, single spaced, minimum of one page, with no grammatical errors.

*Up to 40 points for final average

HOMEWORK 6: GESTURE

Look at the following sketches of animals:

These are examples of quick sketches called "gesture drawings". Gesture drawings are created by making fast, loose, searching lines. The objective is to capture the essential information of the subject quickly and efficiently, and they typically show motion, like a snapshot of an instant in time. The examples above all capture the animals during action, not when they are lying still. Notice how most of them start with circles or ovals for the main body shape? That's a good way to start, then you add the legs, arms, and head. Draw with loose, fluid lines. A gesture drawing can be completed in as little as a few seconds, or it can be sustained for longer periods of time. Many artists do gesture drawings as preliminary sketches to help plan out major works of art. Some artists do gesture drawings as warm-ups for longer drawing sessions, much like an athlete stretches or warms-up before working out. Even though gestures are drawn quickly, try your best to maintain proper proportions -- don't let the size or shapes get wildly out of hand. Draw what you see, and draw it fast.

Your task is to do gesture drawings of the following five animals. Do THREE gestures of each animal. Yes, that means draw the same animal multiple times. Each time you draw should take about two minutes, no more. So your homework should be completed in about 30 minutes or less.

5 animals, 3 times each, 2 minutes each time.

Due Wednesday Feb. 18

HOMEWORK 5: SHAPES IN SPACE

How can you show the illusion of depth on a flat surface? One way is through shading. But angles can also create the illusion of depth. For your next homework assignment, do a contour line drawing of this chess board photograph. You do not need to add any shading. Use a pencil so you can erase, and try to keep your lines straight (use a ruler or straight edge to make long straight lines). Due Wednesday February 11.

Optional Midterm Out-of-Class Drawing

Hi Students!

At this point, if you have attended all classes, you should have at least one of each of the following drawings we worked on in class:

Boxes
Complex contour
Curved still life
Paper Airplanes (in class Feb. 2 & 4)

On Monday, February 9, I will take up FOUR drawings to grade. The four drawings you submit are your choice from the ones above. The grading criteria:

25% proportions (accuracy of height/width/length)
25% line quality and/or shading (lines should be elegant and fluid; shading should be gradual with a range of light and dark values)
25% composition (size and placement on the page)
25% presentation (condition of the paper, cleanliness, professionalism)

If you don't have four drawings that you are happy with, you may do this optional assignment to substitute for one of the above.

OPTIONAL OUT-OF-CLASS ASSIGNMENT:
Look at this Leonardo da Vinci drawing of drapery. On your good drawing paper, in either charcoal or graphite, make a realistic copy of that drawing. Your drawing should have accurate proportions and the shading should match the photo -- this is NOT a contour line drawing, so no heavy outlines. Yes, this will be challenging, so budget your time and go slowly.

HOMEWORK 4: SHADING

So far this quarter we have focused on contour line drawings, and it's finally time to start SHADING! One of the most challenging things to do in drawing is make subtle changes in value from light to dark that are believable, that make the object look round. There is a fancy word for this subtle shading: chiaroscuro.

The "chiaroscuro sphere" is a quintessential lesson in most basic drawing classes. You start with a perfect circle, then slowly add value to that circle until the flat circle looks like a round ball. That's your homework for next week... look at the chiaroscuro ball below and copy it as closely as possible. Start by tracing something round that fills up most of your sketchbook page (a big cup? a saucer?) Use your graphite pencils for this -- play with them on a scrap piece of paper to figure out the difference between 2B, HB, 4H, etc. Then apply the graphite to the page very carefully. You can blend with your finger or a smudger if you need to, but try to do most of the blending with the pencil only. You can also erase into the graphite to add highlights. Include the dark cast shadow -- that helps make it look three-dimensional. And notice how the lower edge of the ball next to the dark cast shadow is light... that's called "reflected light", which bounces up from the light colored surface onto the ball. Look very carefully for all those subtle shifts in value, and don't rush.

You should probably spend 30 minutes to an hour on this. Make it look like a photograph! There are lots of YouTube videos on shading with graphite, so if you don't know where to start, do some research.

Due February 4. 

HOMEWORK 3: CELTIC KNOT

This one will be FUN! Watch this short video tutorial and follow the instructions to make a celtic knot in your sketchbook. The overall size should be about 5"x5" minimum. Please note that the video starts out with a marker -- do NOT use marker, just use a regular graphite pencil. And if your lines aren't correct, erase them and redraw. Your finished product should look neat and clean with smooth curves (yours should actually look neater and more precise than the one in the video since you'll be using pencil). Add shading in your own style to make it look three-dimensional.

Why the celtic knot? It will help you with eye/hand coordination, and it should help you become more comfortable drawing curves. Plus they look cool!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzYtOG-1wug

Due January 28.

HOMEWORK 2: CONTOUR

Statistically, when people draw from observation, most people naturally look at their drawing 90% of the time, and spend only 10% of their time looking at the object they're drawing. If you're drawing a bowl of fruit, you need to look at the bowl of fruit, and look at it a lot. Otherwise, your drawing won't be an exact likeness of the bowl of fruit.

In an effort to try to restructure the tendency toward looking at our own drawing paper too dang much (and not enough time studying our object), we are going to do an exercise called "blind contour" drawing...

Look at these three drawings: a chair, a face, a hand.

They're pretty awful, right? Well, not for blind contours. See, the artists didn't look at their own drawings AT ALL. They just looked at the objects the entire time. This exercise forces you to slow down and really study the object, without concern for what the final product looks like. The end result will look silly, but it's all for the greater purpose of training yourself to focus on truly seeing the object.

Your homework:

In your sketchbook, in PEN, draw 5 blind contour drawings, one each of the following: 
1) your own hand
2) a chair
3) a lamp
4) keys on a key ring
5) a bottle of your favorite beverage

The rules:

- Spend about 5 to 10 minutes on each one.
- Go SLOWLY.
- Try to draw surface details like bumps and dips and creases.
- It's easiest if you don't lift your pen (if you do, just put it back down without looking and keep drawing).
- pen = can't erase! yikes!
- Don't look at your drawing until you're finished!

Due Wednesday, January 21.