blog expectations & requirements

toothpaste for dinner

Life Drawing I students,

I went over the objectives and expectations for the blogs during the first week of class. This post is a reminder of where you can find that information again.

You can access it throughout the semester at the top of the blog on the Pages Tab titled, "blogs."

The link is here. Please read it over again. I have updated the requirements for commenting and the dates on which that begins.

It would also be a good idea to go over in your mind the reasons I'm asking you to create a blog for this course, which will give you an idea of how to approach your posting and commenting each week.

assignment (ongoing)

beginning today (october 16)

• you need to respond to each of your blog group members at least two times per week:
  some examples of how to do this: respond to drawings or maniken images they have posted, go back through their blogs and respond to earlier posts, ask them meaningful questions, start a discussion about what you are experiencing with class that they could help you with, take something they are doing and connect it to what you are doing (what are they doing that you can learn from? tell them about that.) give them ideas--other artists they might be interested in, for example.

• you need to create at least one blog post per week that is not assigned in class:
  post something that is related to your professional life as an artist--for ideas, think about good books about art and artists, what else in your life relates to art, projects for other classes that you're working on, exhibits you've seen or would like to see, etc. use these posts to record what is important to you and also as a way to show or teach others something they might not know.

better blogging

some notes of the in-class discussions on blog writing/responding, image quality, text appearance, etc. (from class on thursday, october 9):

the overall ideas of the discussions were to treat your blog as an artwork itself, or as a presentation. this means it should look clean and thoughtfully designed. images should be clear, free of distractions. writing should be specific and useful for others, not vague and nondescript.

use the blog to present yourself in your best artistic and professional light.

your blog is also a place to interact with your blog group members: to give thoughtful feedback, record summaries of your group interaction in class, and to help each other solve problems.



writing/responding:

1. use specific language (most good writing takes time. this is especially true when it comes to writing about visual objects. slow down to find the necessary specificity you need to describe something.)
2. tell us (your audience) something we don't know already; make a new observation.
   
3. add to what has already been said by the artist or other people who comment; don't just re-iterate what has already been said.
4. resist the urge to sum up your writing with a happy ending sentence--it will be better if you just leave off with your last observational statement of fact.
5. use noticing to write about others' work. it makes you look more carefully and will give the artist useful feedback on how his/her piece comes across to viewers.
6. write thoughtfully rather than quickly. as you write, ask yourself what kind of feedback would you like to receive about your work (once you received that all-important "your work is awesome!" after you've heard that, then what else do you still want to know?)

images:

1. pay attention to how you are photographing and/or editing your photographs so that they come across clearly.
2. photograph your manikens against a plain, black or white background (matte board, for example) or edit the image in photoshop and give it a plain background.

text

1. think like a graphic designer. text should be easy to read, separated by enough space when appropriate. people like to read shorter rather than longer paragraphs, so if you have a long piece of text, break into paragraphs, give it some space, some breaks to make it easier to look at and read.

check out...

... the updates to the syllabus post. the complete, official version is now on the blog! you'll want to read the whole thing. let me know if you have any questions about it.

quick link here

art 301 (oo1 & oo2) syllabus

life drawing one • syllabus

"the true artist is after the problem. the false artist wants it solved (by somebody else)."

--jeannette winterson
art objects

*save all your drawings from the semester.


pre•requisites
students must have completed drawing one (art 100) and drawing two (art 200) before participating in life drawing one (art 301)

course•objectives
through participation in life drawing one, you will:

• 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

• 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

• practice gesture drawing and contour drawing separately, in order to, ultimately, achieve a synthesis of the two

• become aware of your own kinesthetic sense and its ability to teach yourself about the body and about drawing

• refine your line quality and mark-making skills

• be responsible to yourself and the other students in the class for having meaningful class discussions and becoming better artists through those discussions

• 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

evaluations & expectations:
• i expect you to complete:

➢ in-class drawings

➢ 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.

➢ homework drawings. homework will be graded on the quality of the drawing and the demonstrated understanding of the topics covered in that particular assignment.

➢ blog assignments: posting images, writing, and responding to your small group members’ blogs.

we will meet during the following final exam times:

art 3o1-oo2 (t/th 11:15 – 2:20): wed, dec 17, 2:00 - 3:50 pm

art 3o1-oo1 (t/th 2:30 – 5:35): thurs, dec 18, 2:00 - 3:50 pm



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.


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 gesture drawings, long-pose drawings, maniken work, and blog summaries.

• 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).


texts
atlas of human musculature in clay (volumes 1 – 5), jon zahourek, ed. kenneth morgareidge, zahourek systems, inc., 1994.

in addition to the texts, you will check out a half-maniken for your 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., you will be responsible for replacing it.


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: in-class drawing of whole portrait
• 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.