TextingTexting is a contemporary form of communication - we use text everyday, to decipher meaning, to guide us, to connect.... So, why shouldn't we use it in our artwork?There are many artists who have a text-based practice. Looking to Pop art in the 60's and 70's we find artists like Ed Ruscha and Roy Lichtenstein not only using text, but using imagery and process' from an emerging "popular culture."
Moving forward into the 80's, feminist artists like Barbara Kruger and The Guerrilla Girls paired relevant imagery with bold statements to convey their criticism of sexism and the circulation of power within cultures.
Contemporary artists have been using text in an interactive way, combining architecture and text. The artists are, in a way, narrating your experience of/in that space.
You can communicate in a different way using text in your art. First you must come up with a concept. What do you want to say? What imagery will accompany your text? Will the imagery support or oppose the imagery? How will your layout effect the message? Think about your concept and do some preparatory sketches. The finished piece with be an 18"x24" drawing on the heavyweight white drawing paper, using any of the materials we've used in class (graphite, charcoal, pen). Be prepared to discuss your concept and process in the critique.
Homework #11 (Assigned 3/18 - Due 3/23)
-Two-Point Perspective Interior
-Full sheet heavyweight white drawing paper
-Graphite
Homework #10 (Assigned 3/16 - Due 3/18)
-10 Two-Point Perspective Boxes
Two-Point Perspective
Instead of viewing a box straight on, as in one-point perspective, we are viewing it at an angle. Two-point perspective describes objects that are oblique, or turned at an angle to the picture plane. No planes of the cube or cube-like form are parallel to the picture plane.
In one-point perspective, the height and width of the object are parallel to the picture plane. In two-point perspective, the height only is parallel to the picture plane. Verticals all remain parallel to the vertical edges of the picture plane, but the two sides of the box lead to two vanishing points, one on the right and one on the left.
The vanishing point for one-point perspective is located in the picture plane because parallel edges in the subject are angling sharply away from the picture plane. The vanishing points for two-point perspective are often located some distance away from the drawing, out of the picture plane, to the left and right because the two sets of parallel edges in the subject are angling slightly away from the picture plane.
The location of the vanishing point left (VPL) or the vanishing point right (VPR) for any given set of parallel edges of the subject depends on two factors.
One, the angle between the edges in the subject and picture plane. The closer the edges are to being parallel to the picture plane, the farther away to the left or right the vanishing point (VP) for those edges will be. If the edges of the subject seem to be parallel to the picture plane and not converged in the drawing, it is because the VP for the edges is, in effect, an infinite distance away.
Two, the distance between the observer and the subject. The closer you are to the subject, the closer the VP's are going to be to the center of the subject in the drawing. The farther away you are from the subject, the farther away and the farther apart are its vanishing points in your drawing.
Homework #9 (Assigned 3/11 - Due 3/16)
-One-Point Perspective Interior
-Draw an interior (i.e. hallway, kitchen, bathroom, living room...) in 1pt linear perspective
-Full sheet of heavyweight white drawing paper
-Graphite
-Leave receding lines, horizon line, and vanishing point
Homework #8 (Assigned 3/9 - Due 3/11)
-10 One-Point Perspective Boxes
-5 stacked
-3 cylinders
-1 odd shape
Homework #7 (Assigned 3/4 - Due 3/9)
-Frankendrawing
-Combine 7 objects/items from home to create 1 seamless creature
-Invent/create and environment for it to exist in
-Full sheet of heavyweight white drawing paper
-Medium of your choice
Homework #6 (Assigned 2/25 - Due 3/2)
-1 Glass and 1 Spoon
-Arrange one glass glass and one metal spoon together
-Include the surface and background
-Full sheet of heavyweight white drawing paper
-Graphite
One-point Perspective
In one-point perspective, one "face" or plane or side of a cube or cube-like form is parallel to the picture plane, facing the observer directly. The left and right sides as well as the top and the bottom of the cube all converge on a single vanishing point located on the horizon line/eye level. Edges perpendicular to the picture plane converge on a single vanishing point, while all vertical edges are parallel to the picture plane and remain vertical with no evidence of convergence.
The easiest way to understand one-point perspective is to envision converging railroad tracks or a sidewalk retreating in the distance.
For one-point perspective to function correctly, the observer must do several things. Position yourself parallel to the subject (i.e. buildings or walls). Maintain your position/station point. Maintain your line of vision.
You must remain in a fixed position throughout the drawing because ever time you move your head, even just your eyes, up and down or side to side you change your point of view and the drawing loses consistency and therefore its credibility.
Perspective
Perspective drawing is a system for creating a two-dimensional illusion of a three-dimensional subject or space. Information, whether it's observed or imagined, is translated into a system that allows three-dimensional forms and space to be represented on a two-dimensional surface; creating the appearance of viewing real space on a page.
Perspective theory is often separated into two parts, linear perspective, and atmospheric perspective.
Linear perspective addresses how the shapes, edges and sizes of objects change in appearance when seen at different positions relative to the observer. The distance between the object and the observer, the rotation and elevation of the object, and the viewing angle of the observer are all important in linear perspective. The location of the horizon line, the eye level of the observer, the line of sight of the observer, the location of vanishing points, and the use of trace points and receding lines are key to this practice as well.
Atmospheric perspective is used to identify other characteristics that convey how near of far an object is from the observer. A veil of atmospheric haze usually reduces the visibility of far away objects. With distance, detail is obscured, contrast is reduced and color is less intense.
The basics of perspective have been known since ancient times; overlapping, diminishing size, and atmospheric perspective can be found in art well over 1,000 years old. It wasn't until the 14th century that perspective theory was analyzed in depth and its principles were developed to a high degree of sophistication. Filippo Brunelleschi, the Italian Renaissance architect, is credited with the invention of linear perspective, the system of translating three dimensions into two. Some say it was really an invention from the Dutch artists of the time and Dutch painters of the 15th and 16th centuries really brought the illusion to its peak.
All perspective drawings have two major characteristics that create a sense of space, depth, and volume. One is convergence; the apparent diminishing distance between parallel edges of an object as they move farther away from the observer. Parallel lines seem to come together in the distance, eventually meeting at the horizon. The other is foreshortening; the apparent diminishing size of the width or height of an object as it angles away from the observer. Sides and tops of objects seem to get shorter and flatter as they move away.
Homework #5 (Assigned 2/18 - Due 2/23)
-2 Kitchen Items
-Choose any two items in your kitchen and compose a drawing
-Include the surface and background
-Use a full range of value
-Full sheet of the heavyweight white drawing paper
-Graphite and charcoal
Homework #4 (Assigned 2/11 - Due 2/16)
-Local value collage
-Complete the collage started in class
Homework #3 (Assigned 2/4 - Due 2/9)
-10pt Value Scale
-Create a 10pt value scale for each of our 3 mediums (graphite, charcoal, pen)
-The white of the paper will be your first step and black will be your last step, with
shades of gray in between
-Create subtle, yet distinct shifts in value as you progress through the scale
-Use a half sheet of the heavyweight white drawing paper
Transparent and Reflective Surfaces
The look of glass, plastic, metallic or glazed surfaces can be achieved in a drawing through careful observation and meticulous recording.
Identify the different areas of value, their shape and location in relation to the perimeters of the object and each other, as well as the hardness or softness of their edges. Think about drawing a topographical map, recording each shift in terrain, the terrain being value. Lightly outline each area of value on the surface and then apply those values.
Try not to make your drawn object "look" like glass or chrome or any other transparent or reflective surface. Instead, focus on accurate form and careful observations and placement of information, and the materiality of your subject will come through.
