Week of 9/28 (week 3)

Ha! I finally forced you to look at the blog!  I told you I would bend you to my will . . . mwah, mwah, mwaaaaah. *laughs while rubbing hands together in faux evil way*

But seriously, folks . . . your homework for this week is taking what we did in class (kind of) and bringing it home. Minus the paint. And the color. And the subject. But everything else is the same. Kind of.

You are to choose a plant or otherwise growing or recently growing plant (i.e. a houseplant, cut flower, outdoor bush, etc.). You are then to draw it emphasizing the negative space in the drawing using a B pencil. You do not have to fill in the negative space unless you want to. You must draw it in such a way as for the plant to go off the page on at least three sides (to force you to FILL the paper).

Since this is a drawing about negative space, you can ignore a lot of the detail that happens in the positive space. Don't be distracted by it! What matters most are the little holes in which you can see the background. Be sure that they are in the right places and the right shapes--don't be satisfied with a shape that's merely pretty close. Drawing that way is lazy! If you get the shape of the negative space right, then the positive will just fall into place. Trust that!

Good luck!

Week 2

This week you are to choose an interesting chair--a folding chair or a dining room chair or similar--and make an observational drawing of it.  You must fill a page of your sketchbook with your chair drawing, but you are NOT to crop the chair at all.  In other words it should not touch any of the edges of your paper, and you are not to change it in order to keep it on the page!

Focus on the shape of the negative (background) spaces throughout the chair, and trust that if you accurately get the shape of the negative space, then the positive space (the silhouette of the chair it itself) will automatically be the right shape.

Once you have an accurate silhouette shape, allow the positive space to remain the white of the paper, and fill in the negative space an even black with a soft pencil.  Make sure the edges where the positive meets the negative are nice and sharp!

Have fun and good luck!

Week 1

Like we did in class, you are to set up a composition of forms that is BALANCED!
Like the triangles, choose two recognizable forms (bicylces, elephants, superheroes, etc.), another recognizable form, and a made-up form--all of which might be at different scales--and arrange them in a composition that is balanced using pencil.  You are also to make each form a specific value and/or texture in such a way as to keep things balanced.  In addition to that, you are to choose a natural looking texture or pattern to put on the ground upon which the objects are placed .  Your composition should fill your paper to all four edges.
Remember, you are essentially repeating the exercise that we did in class, only with more complicated objects and textures.  Have fun and good luck.

As I said I would do in class, here is a link to the artisanal pencil sharpener--the internet's foremost expert on sharpening pencils.  https://vimeo.com/60718161

Note that there is some profanity in the video (three words), so if that is a problem don't watch it.   Also, here is a link to his website: http://www.artisanalpencilsharpening.com/index.html

IT'S A NEW SCHOOL YEAR!

Hi All,
This is a greeting post that will hopefully get everyone on the same page as it were as we start the school year.  Check this blog regularly for project info, updates, and anything else that I feel you all might need to know.

Note that tomorrow when we meet you'll need to have a sketchbook available.  I'll have everything else. . . See you soon!

Mr. Kyle Stevenson