Life Drawing I • Spring 2010
Applied Arts 303
Applied Arts 303
ART 301-001
Monday/Wednesday • 2:30 – 5:35 pm
ART 301-002
Tuesday/Thursday • 11:15 – 2:20 pm
Amy Fichter
Associate Professor
Applied Arts 306B
Office hours:
Fridays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm
& by appointment
ext. 5335
PreRequisites
Students must have completed Drawing I (ART 100) and Drawing II (ART 200) before participating in Life Drawing I (ART 301).
Course Objectives
Through participation in Life Drawing I, you will:
1) Understand and use a structural approach to drawing
- Perceive three-dimensional form and translate this form to the two-dimensional picture plane
- Comprehend a subject’s planar make-up and correctly prioritize primary and secondary planes
- Use a linear, as opposed to painterly, approach to drawing the figure, including value
2) Develop a working knowledge of artistic anatomy through lectures, drawings, and clay modeling
- Draw a structural representation of the human figure utilizing long axis, cross contour, and muscle attachment lines
- Demonstrate anatomical understanding through drawing anatomical landmarks
- Build a convincing and well-crafted clay model of the muscles important for drawing
3) Refine your mark-making skills and ability to make and understand how line creates a sense of space on the picture plane.
- Practice gesture drawing and contour drawing separately, in order to achieve a synthesis of the two
- Become aware of your own kinesthetic sense and its ability to teach yourself about the body and drawing
4) Communicate effectively about the drawing process via writing, blog posting, image sharing, class critiques, and one-on-one critiques with the instructor.
- Keep a class blog that will serve as space for posting images, text, responding to other students, and reflecting upon your learning in the course
- Be responsible to yourself and the other students in the class for having meaningful class discussions and becoming better artists through those discussions
Evaluations & Expectations
I expect you to complete:
- In-class drawings. (30%)
- Homework drawings (Shells). Homework will be graded on the quality of the drawing and the demonstrated understanding of the topics covered in that particular assignment. This includes the final homework assignment (self-portrait). (25%)
- Assigned clay building on your Maniken, both in-class and for homework. Maniken assignments will be graded on the quality of clay building, accuracy of form and attachments, and completeness of work. (25%)
- Blog assignments/weekly reflections. (20%)
Field Trip
There is a mandatory field trip for this class. The date is set for Wednesday, February 24. You must make arrangements with other professors and/or work obligations to be gone from 8:00 am - 5:30 pm on this day. Please email me the names and email addresses of other professors you have on that day and I will send a note for you. I can also give a hand-written note if necessary. I am planning a trip for us to visit the Bell Museum of National History on the University of Minnesota campus and the Walker Art Center. The only cost of the field trip for you will be food.
Attendance
It’s important that you are in class—for access to the model, to hear comments I make, and to experience drawing in a studio setting. The class happens because all of you are here working together.
Let me know via e-mail if you can’t make it to class.
Rely on your classmates to show you drawings and notes you may have missed.
After 3 absences, your grade may be lowered.
After 7 absences, you may fail the class.
Grading Policy
• Your grade will be based primarily on your final e-portfolio in which you showcase your learning over the semester and best examples from the class. This e-portfolio will include in-class drawings (gesture drawings and long-pose drawings), homework drawings, maniken work, and blog reflections. This portfolio will consist of a blog summary with a link to a flickr or photobucket account that includes a larger set of images (drawings, maniken photos) from the semester.
• A mid-term e-portfolio will be graded to give you an idea of your standing in the class at that point, but may be overridden by the quality of your final portfolio. In other words, the two grades will not be “averaged” for your final grade.
• Your grade will also be affected by such “subjective” qualities as these:
1. Are you present?
2. In mind as well as body?
3. Open to suggestions?
4. Helpful in class discussions?
5. Awake during lecture time?
It is part of my job—my responsibility—to give you a grade that lets you and other art “authorities” (other professors, employers, grad schools, gallery owners, etc.) know how your final portfolio and overall attitude during class measure up to given standards.
One useful way to think about grades is to consider them guides as to how other art professionals (besides me) would view your portfolio. How would a design firm see your work? A graduate school acceptance committee? Other professors in the Art & Design department? Gallery owners?
If I imagine I am an employer of designers, an A would mean you could start right away, a B would mean you might get hired if you get some more experience and refine your portfolio, a C would mean you are not ready for the job.
Likewise, if you are considering graduate school, an A would mean your work is of the quality that would get you accepted into a grad program, a B would indicate that you might get accepted if you worked on your portfolio some more, a C would mean you are not ready to apply for graduate studies (in Drawing/Life Drawing, anyway).
Save and document all your drawings from the semester.
Materials
Newsprint 18" x 24" or 24” x 36”
Canson "Biggie" white drawing paper (Biggie pad) 18” x 24” or larger
Drawing board
Clips
Charcoal
Charcoal pencils
Conte
Conte pencils
X-acto knife
Sandpaper
Pencil sharpener
White plastic eraser
Clic eraser (refillable)
Masking tape
Clay tools
For shell drawings, beginning Wednesday, February 17:
22” x 30” Stonehenge or similar high-quality drawing paper (minimum 4 sheets)
masking tape
ink (india ink, black, brown, sepia, red, etc.)
bamboo brush
varnish brush
cups for ink and water
Atlas of Human Musculature in Clay (volumes 1 – 5), Jon Zahourek, ed. Kenneth Morgareidge, Zahourek Systems, Inc., 1994.
In addition to the texts, each student will be checked out a half Maniken for his/her use during the semester. The Manikens are property of UW-Stout Instructional Resources Services. You are responsible for the Maniken checked out to you. If any part of the Maniken is missing, lost, damaged, etc., the student will be financially responsible to replace it through IRS.
Videos
World Famous Lectures on Artistic Anatomy & Figure Drawing
Robert Beverly Hale
Lecture 1 Rib Cage 78 Minutes
Lecture 2 Pelvis 81 minutes
Lecture 3 Leg 74 minutes
Lecture 4 Foot 72 minutes
Lecture 5 Shoulder Girdle I 77 minutes
Lecture 6 Shoulder Girdle ll 68 minutes
Lecture 7 Arm 76 minutes
Lecture 8 Hand 80 minutes
Lecture 9 Head/Skull 80 minutes
Lecture 10 Head and Features 97 minutes
These are available for checkout in the library.
Art Education Artifacts
The course objectives of this course meet:
• Wisconsin Standard 1: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches.
• UW Stout School of Education Domain 1a: Demonstrating knowledge of content and pedagogy.
• Wisconsin Standard 9: The teacher is a reflective practitioner.
Portfolio Artifact: best work as determined by student and professor
• Art education students will be required to reflect in writing on this artifact.
• Art education students will be required to upload papers and digital images of their studio works into their e-portfolios.
