Sunday, June 3, 2012

Welcome to ART1010: Beginning Drawing

ART 1010- Drawing I
An introduction to the techniques, materials, and principles of drawing.

3 Credit Hours / 552C Studio / CRN# 51645
Instructor: Stan Anderson, Associate Professor
Summer Semester 2011 (June 04-July 20th)
MWF 12:30-4:30pm
Office: 362 (Office Hours by appointment)
Phone: 404-413-5234
Email: stananderson@gsu.edu
Blogsite for Course: www.summerdrawing1010.blogspot.com/

Objective:
Drawing is certainly the cornerstone for everything else to follow in your art career, regardless of whatever discipline you might be pursuing. Drawing I is designed to provide information about drawing techniques, the function of drawing, and all the concepts associated with drawing including how “to see” what you are drawing. Through drawing we express our ideas, create a visual language, a narrative, and use critical thinking skills in addition to our intuition and conceptual abilities. We will discuss the following basic drawing terms, exercising each for a full understanding: foreground, middle ground, background, contour line, chiaroscuro, content, subject matter, linear perspective, cropping, cross-hatching, eye/worm/bird’s eye view, figure/ground relationship, fixed viewpoint, form vs. shape, formal vs. conceptual, format and composition, highlight, horizon line, mass, negative shape, non-objective, picture plane, proportion, shade, space, tactility, value, and volume.

In-Class Work:
We will work primarily in black dry media such as charcoal, pencil, conte and mixed media on paper. No computers! The freedom you will earn as you get into more advanced classes is not as evident in Drawing I, as many of the drawings we will do are geared for a particular learning experience. Your focus, attitude and participation are critical to your success in this class. We will generally work on projects that can and should be completed within the designated class periods.

The Sketchbook:
Each Wednesday the entire class will have the chance to take a look at your sketchbook with the sketches you are doing outside of class. The work in the sketchbook should focus around what we are currently working on in class. For instance if we are working on Value Drawings in class that week then the sketchbooks should be about Value as well. Each student is required to complete 10+ sketch pages per week. The sketchbook will count 20% of your final grade. It is imperative to stay current with your sketchbook work and not get behind. The sketchbook is a designated place where students can feel free to experiment and create and grow during their own private time. Your sketchbook should be treated with respect as it has always been an integral part of any artist history in formulating their work. Historically, some of the best work that a student will do will be found in their sketchbooks. Honor your time and work that you put into those sketches. It will tell your story as an artist, struggle and success and all.

Your sketchbook drawings that you will be working on outside of class will follow along with what you are doing in class regarding the type of drawing. For instance, if we are working on VALUE drawings during the week then you should be doing VALUE drawings in your sketchbook as well. Practice does indeed make you a better artist.

The Class Absences:
Class is only 7 weeks in length so you cannot miss more than 3 class absences per student during the summer semester.
At the time of your 3rd absence, the Instructor will notify the student via email as well as verbally. Further absences from that time forward could result with the Instructor dropping your final semester average a complete letter grade for each absence or drop you from the course. Pay attention to the “WF” and “W” calendar dates as listed on the gsu.edu website.

Tardiness and Leaving Early:
Arrive on time and be set up and ready to start drawing at 12:45 each day. Tardiness will not be tolerated. A lot of information is given to the class at the very beginning of each class so don’t be late. Each student should be ready to start at the scheduled time for the course to begin. Habitual tardiness can also result in being dropped from the course but not before being notified via email. If a student misses or is late to any scheduled critique, the student will receive an “F” on the project. Do not be late to any critique. Period. “Late” means anytime after the critique has began.
These are very important days, in which you will get direct feedback, not only from me, but also from your fellow students.
Learn to take criticism without being defensive. Learn to talk about your work and others. “I like it” is not permitted without some type of reason why “you like it.” Drawing is not what you might expect it to be so be open to new ideas and ways of drawing. Experimentation is key.

The Photography and the Blogsite:
Throughout the summer course I will photographing the work you do in class and at critiques and will be posting those images on the blog so you can have copies of your work (drag to your own desktops) as well as demonstrating how your work looks once you are away from the studio. It’s amazing what a photograph on a website can do to a drawing that you worked on during the class period. It’s also a great way to access your work and to show others what you are doing in the drawing class. It creates great conversation and is also a record of your work. I might also post candid photos of you working on the drawings as well. If you or your work do not wish to be photographed please let me know and I will oblige without question.

The Grading:
Your grade for the semester will be figured from the seven main portfolio assignments as well as the cumulative sketchbook grade. Although grading in art classes is somewhat subjective, you will be working with specific drawing concepts and your grade will be largely determined by your understanding and progress with each idea. The main portfolios are: Negative space, Value, Line, Texture, Color, Ink Wash and Combination Drawings.

*All students will submit a minimum of one drawing for each critique which should be done on a better quality paper (other than newsprint paper.) This teaches students to think in a more finished and competitive and archival manner with regards to their drawings. The critique drawings are seen as an example of the weeks worth of drawing and should be a more thoughtful and complete drawing…although experimentation is greatly encouraged.
If there are more than one drawing due at the critique the Instructor will let students know what is expected.

A=Significant work being completed; experimentation and outstanding work
B=Lots of effort being demonstrated by student
C= Average work, making the work but with little effort or inspiration
D=Below average (not meeting the requirements adequately)

Attendance, participation in critiques, and self-improvement will all contribute to your final grade.

Assignment One: Negative Space Critique Project 10%


Assignment Two: Value Critique Project 10%


Assignment Three: Line Critique Project 10%


Assignment Four: Texture Critique Project 10%


Assignment Five: Limited Color Critique Project 10%


Assignment Six: Combination/Ink Critique Project 10%


Class Participation/Critiques 10%


In Class Drawings: The Egg Drawing 5% and the Value Drawing 5%


Sketchbook Assignments: 20%

An important point of this class is that you become a more confident artist.
Talk is cheap and doing the work is usually hard and needs to be nurtured especially if you are creating a new way of seeing which is what all creativity has in common. Do the good work, become inspired by your own work while acknowledging the accomplishments of previous artist. At any time during the semester, feel free to email me with any questions or stop by my office for an update on grades, an individual critique, or anything else you might need. Only in cases of emergencies will I allow an assignment or portfolio turned in late. Please make every effort to let me know in advance of these situations. Drawing I is an experience-based studio class. You will learn from me and from your colleagues as you watch them draw. For this reason, it is very important to be in class. Please let me know what is going on regarding any necessary absences—email if you are sick, or have to go out of town or have an emergency of some kind. I am much more open to working with you if I know what is going on. Communicate with me as I am here to assist you in any way I can.

Withdrawal from Class:
Students desiring to withdraw from class must follow the procedure appropriate for the period of time in the semester. Official notification for withdrawal by a student must be made to the Office of the Registrar according to the guidelines listed in the current Schedule of Classes bulletin. During the published registration period for each semester, students can revise their schedule. After the last day to registrar for course credit students should withdraw from a class through the Tempo Web system. Failure to follow this procedure may result in the awarding of a grade of “WF” instead of a “W”. The necessary actions should be taken as soon as possible.
A student who withdraws after the midpoint of the semester is assigned a grade of “WF” except in those cases in which hardship will be determined by the Dean of Students office.


The Proposed Studio Schedule:

Assignment One: NEGATIVE & POSITIVE SPACE DRAWINGS:
Cones, Spheres, and Rectangles (1+ Drawing due at Critique)
Monday June 04th: Meet and Greet and go over materials and Show and tell/materials.
Drawing in the studio on Wednesday June 06th and Friday June 08th
Critique on Monday June 11th @ 1pm

Negative Space/Positive Space/Spatial Illusion/Figure Ground Relationships/Baseline/Horizon Line/Ground Plane/
Negative space describes the space surrounding the positive forms. It is always relative to positive form and thus helps us see proportion and spatial relationships more accurately. In real life we are conditioned to search out positive shapes, but as we train ourselves to be more sensitive to the negative space as well as the positive forms, our drawing intuition will grow tremendously. As we progress, the notion of positive and negative space will be manipulated. We will be working in B/W dry media only. Turn in Drawing.


Assignment Two: VALUE DRAWINGS:
Still Life in the Studio: Paper bags and Bed Drawings (2+ Drawings due at Critique)
Drawing in the studio on Wednesday June 13th, Friday June 15th, and Monday June 18th
Critique on Wednesday June 20 @ 1pm

Divisions of Light: light on dark, light on light, dark on light, and dark on dark.
Chiaroscuro/Planar/Wet and Dry media/Crosshatching/Rubbed and Erased/Pen and Ink Wash
Value has the most emotive and expressive potentiality of all the elements. Simply defined, it is the gradation from light to dark across a form, and is determined by both the lightness of the object and by its natural color, its local value, and the degree of light that strikes it, its conditional value. For our study of value, we will deconstruct the local and conditional values of an object to understand how light and colors affect the overall value changes. During our drawings, we will use the eraser just as boldly as we will use the charcoal. Planes will be formed by one value next to another. We will focus on volume and shape with much more internal structure than we did with negative shape. We will try to eliminate the use of line in these drawings, and focus more on the planar shifts. We will be working in B/W dry media only. Turn in Drawings.


Assignment Three: LINE DRAWINGS
Still Life in the Studio: The Box &The Bottle (2+ Drawings due at Critique)
Drawing in the studio on Friday June 22th and Monday June 25th
Critique on and Wednesday June 27th @ 1pm

Contour/Blind Contour/Continuous Line/Rhythmic Line/Outline/Gesture/Cross Contour/Expressive Line/ Calligraphic Line/Implied Line/ Line is the most elemental and purest form of drawing. It is the element most associated with the graphic arts and is valued both for its simple reductive power and for its expansive potentiality for embellishment. Of all the elements it is the most adaptable. It can be an economical indicator of space and it is a key element in establishing the relationship between the surface of the paper and the emerging or dissolving images on it. We will separate the study of line into three parts: contour, cross- contour and gesture. Contour lines involve an inspection of the parts as the make up the whole. Contour, unlike outline, is spatially descriptive. It is plastic, emphasizing the three dimensionality of a form. The process of contour drawing involves a very slow and accurate observation of the subject. Cross- contour describes an object’s horizontal contours rather than vertical edges. Gesture drawing can be thought of as a continuous experience of seeing. The hand duplicates the motion of the eye making a movement that quickly defines the characteristics of the subject: placement, shape, proportion, relationship between the pars, a definition of planes and volumes as well as their arrangements space. Turn in Drawings.

*****UNIVERSITY HOLIDAY: MIDTERM POINT IS JULY 1ST AND THERE IS NO CLASS ON WEDNESDAY JULY 4TH

Assignment Four: TEXTURE DRAWINGS
Still Life in the Studio and in Nature (1+ Drawing due at Critique)
Drawing in the studio on Friday June 29th and Monday July 02nd
Critique on Friday July 06th @ 1pm

Texture in its most literal meaning refers strictly to the sense of touch. For the artist, however, the visual appearance of a work, its surface quality, or texture, is most important. While this type of texture may have only a subtle tactile quality, it has a visual quality that contributes to the textual character of work. Even though both representational (realistic) and nonrepresentational (abstract) drawings have textual character, we will focus our attention towards nonrepresentational works and draw more from our imaginations and begin to explore abstraction.


Assignment Five: LIMITED COLOR DRAWINGS (Dry and Wet)
Combination Negative Space, Value, Texture and Line in Drawing, etc.
Still Life in the Studio: Fruits, Veggies, Flowers, Baskets, Bottles, Plants, Reflective surfaces/Patterns
Drawing in the studio on Monday July 09th and Wednesday July 11th
Critique on Friday July 13th @ 1pm

By using the techniques and experiences from the previous weeks in class, we will begin to employ how these techniques work successfully and creatively together to form drawings that are rich in form and composition with emphasis on spatial qualities that appear in both the 3D and 2D environment. You will discover what color drawing can encompass. It’s strengths to your subject. You will discover just how all the black and white drawings you’ve created up to this point will assist you in using selected color. Wet media may be used along with dry at this point.

Week Six: The Final Drawing:
Camping in the Woods: A Formal Still life as Subject (1+ Drawings due at Critique)
Drawing in the Studio on Monday July 16th , Wednesday July 18th
Final Critique on Friday July 30th @ 1pm


ART1010: Required Drawing I Materials:
(Students usually get a 10% discount at just about any Art Supply Store. Sam Flax Art Store has always honored thatand can actually save you some cash. You can also find a variety of art supplies at Walmart, Office Depot, Sam Flax, Binders, Utrecht, Dick Blick, Hobby Lobby, GSU Bookstore, etc.)

I have already bought you the 18” x 24” Newsprint Paper and the Sketch Paper you’ll need in class.
I have also bought you a Pink Pearl Eraser and several sticks of charcoal to get started with. These supplies were bought with your Lab Fee money.

Sketchbooks:
Bound Black Classic “Cachet” Sketchbook that is 8.5” x 11”(11.74)
*Please only use graphite and pencil and dry brush/ink wash in this book.
No Charcoal unless you spray it so it won’t smear.

Graphite Pencils:
Ebony Black Graphite Pencil (several) (.64 each)
Woodless Black Graphite Pencil (several) ($1.97 each)
#2 Graphite Pencil like the one’s you use in school (several) soft graphite
Carpenters Pencil (large flat graphite pencil)

Small Box of Prismacolor Pencils (all colors)
China Marker Pencil (Black and White) (.77 each)
Crayola Small Crayon Box (Walmart or Dollar Store)

Conte:
Black conte crayons (2pack for $3.62)
White conte crayons

Pastels:
Nu Pastels (Black and White) ($1.09 each)

Charcoal Pencils and Sticks:
Black Charcoal sticks
Black Charcoal cubes
Black Charcoal vine
Black Alphacolor 12 Pak CharKole ($8.95)
White Generals Charcoal 4 Pak ($3.49) or $1.15 each

Erasers:
Art Gum (.59 each)
Magic Rub (.75 each)
Jumbo White Pencil Eraser ($2.00)
Pink Pearl

Ink & Brushes:
Black India ink
Brushes (variety—2 to 3 different widths (soft brushes) (Value pack of 6=$11.99)

Black conte crayons (2pack for $ 3.62)
White conte crayons (2pack for $3.62)

Paper:
Single Sheets/ Strathmore Drawing Paper
Fabriano, Strathmore, Arches, cold press/hot press, etc.
Charcoal Paper in various colors
Printmaking cotton paper

Cotton Tshirt/Rag ( for blending with charcoal/graphite)
Masking/Drafting tape (Small roll)
Shoe box or some type of container to carry drawing tools/ materials
Cardboard Portfolio (18x24 or larger for care of yourdrawings)
Drawing board to use in class (minimum size18 x 24)

Books that Inspire: (both of these books I have read numerous times and they still inspire me)
The Artist Way, Julia Cameron
The Art Spirit, Robert Henri

Artist that Should Inspire You:
Leonardo DaVinci
Michaelangelo Kathe Kolowitz Picasso Vija Clemins
George Serat Chuck Close Andy Warhol Honore Daumier
David Hockney Matisse Rotko Marsden Hartley
Phillip Pearlstein George Bellows Robert Rauschenberg Giacometti
Bonnard Cezanne John Singer Sargent Charles Sheeler

No comments:

Post a Comment