blind contour, continuous-line contour

During the first full day of class (Tuesday, September 14) we drew from our seashells. The shells will serve as objects from which to work for homework assignments, especially since it is difficult to impossible to arrange life drawing models for homework. Shells make great Life Drawing subject matter: they are bone-like in their hardness and texture and in their concave/convex movements in space. They are also muscle-like in their spiral natures and fluidity. They are easy to hold and move around in one's hand while drawing, as to get a more three-dimensional view of the object.

We started the class with Blind Contour drawings--making drawings looking only at the object, not at the paper. The objective here is to learn how to ignore or subordinate the outcome of the drawing in order to concentrate on the object's form, to learn how to focus intently on the object as your eyes move across it and your arm and hand follow your eye's movement. The goal is not to reproduce a likeness of the shell, although if one observes the shell carefully and draws the contours slowly, there will be a sense of a shell, or a shell-like image on the page, even if it is not proportional or "realistic."

blind contour drawing of shell (30 minutes)

The second drawing we worked on was a Continuous-line Drawing of the shell. This time we could look at the paper as we were drawing, but still tried to maintain the careful focus of the blind contour drawing. The rule for this drawing is that we were to keep the feel of a single line moving across the shell and the page. We were to keep our drawing tool in contact with the paper at all times (or putting it back exactly at the point from which we removed it if our arms needed a break). The idea here is that you want to trace the shell's form constantly with your eyes and hand, not skipping over difficult or "boring" parts, but moving along every part of the shell, seeing the ins and outs of the form, and revealing that careful path in the drawing.

continuous-line contour drawing of shell (30 minutes)

Students met in small groups after completing these drawings to discuss the qualities and attributes of line in the drawings, and how line was functioning on the picture plane. They described such line characteristics as: value, thickness, angularity, curve, speed, precision, layering, etc. For each drawing, they also had to address the question: how carefully observed was this shell? and what gives that impression?

Getting Back to the Phantom Skill

drawing by James McMullan

A New York Times article:

• Getting Back to the Phantom Skill (opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com)

part of a series of articles on learning how to draw, Line by Line

line variation and sensitivity

click here to access "Line Variation and Sensitivity," pp. 52 - 65 from Chapter 1: "Essential Skills and Information: What Every Student Should Know About Drawing."

Drawing Essentials: A Guide to Drawing from Observation

Oxford University Press, New York, 2009

by Deborah Rockman

assignment for tuesday, october 7 (part two)

this assignment is for the 301-002 (11:15 - 2:20) class

post images of
1) one 10-minute pose from thursday, oct. 2 and
2) the 50-minute pose from thursday, oct. 2.

with the 10-minute pose, include the three points you noticed that were different between your drawing and my 10-minute drawing. (i'll post this here as soon as i get to a camera--you can copy it to your blog if you'd wish)

also, for the 10-minute drawing and the 50-minute drawing, write a minimum of 200 words for each drawing addressing the following issues/questions:

structure
can you see long axis lines and cross contour lines in the drawing? do they function to show the length and direction of each of the main forms of the figure? if you have outlines in the drawing, are the outlines somewhat open and varied in value and character? or too similar in value, weight? are there outlines in the drawing that create a flat, coloring-book feel?

anatomy
can you see an egg-like form indicating the rib cage? are there cross-contour lines indicating pelvic landmarks? does the drawing have anatomical landmarks we've studied so far? (for the 10-minute pose write about skeletal landmarks, for the 50-minute pose also include muscles--spinal erectors, external obliques, and rectus abs).

line
is there line variation in the drawing? variation of value? character? thickness/thinness? for the 50-minute pose write about how line functions to create atmospheric perspective.

composition
for each drawing describe the relationship between the drawing of the figure and ground. how does the figure fit within the picture plane? is there enough space around the figure to make it feel like it's not too crowded? is the whole figure (10-minute pose) or whole torso (50-minute pose) included? is the figure cropped? if so, how and why? what is the scale of the figure in relation to the picture plane? is it a tiny figure in the middle of a large page? does the drawing of the figure take full advantage of the space of the page?

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.