COURSE OUTLINE

INTRO/SYLLABUS/WHAT IS GOOD DESIGN?/SAGEMEISTER TED TALK

 

LINE UNIT:

• Line exercise 1: Materials Exploration and Line Hunt

Look around the room, noticing how edges and objects create a wide variety of lines. Using your mark-making tools, "follow" these lines to create pages of exploratory linear elements. 

Instructor will demonstrate.

(Adjectives: What kinds of line are there? List 20 descriptors in your sketchbook.)

Supplies: Bristol Board, graphite, charcoal, Sharpie, spray fixative

 

• Line exercise 2: Line Inventory and 4 Lines, 4 Times (see handout)

Supplies: graphite, Sharpie

 

• Line exercise 3: Design Principles in Cut lines

This exercise uses linear elements cut from construction paper to experiment with picturing design principles.

Preparatory information: Powerpoint with student examples, class discussion, instructor demonstration

Supplies:

Black and white construction paper, scissors and x-acto knife, ruler, gluestick

 

LINE Project: Linear Abstraction

Using tracing paper, you will combine linear elements harvested from the "materials exploration" and "line hunt" exercises into at least 4 thumbnail compositions which demonstrate pairs of design principles.  After discussing and assessing these with your peers and the instructor, one of these compositions will be enlarged and rendered on Bristol Board.

Supplies:

graphite, charcoal, Sharpie, erasers, spray fixative

Bristol Board, tracing paper, sketchbook

Areas of Assessment:

4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total

• Composition/Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
• Use of Materials
• Work Ethic/Presentation

 

VALUE UNIT

• Value exercise: create a 6-part value scale in graphite. Template provided.

 

VALUE project: Value Portrait

In this project, you will re-create an image using black-and-white paper with text or pattern. The amount, size, and font of the text (or pattern type) will help create varying values. Try to match the values in your image with your source image as closely as possible. You may also add graphite or charcoal overlay on the papers. When complete, please mount the image to black mat board or foamcore.

Supplies:  

An image to work from:  a close-up photograph of a face (human or animal) with something in the background

NEWSPAPERS, magazines, Xeroxed paper (any black and white paper with writing or patterns)

Scissors, X-acto knife, glue stcks

Optional: drawing pencils (Ebony, 2B and 4B, or any soft graphite pencils—you may also use charcoal)

Bristol Board, posterboard

Areas of Assessment:

4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total

• Adherence to original value scale/Visual Interest
• Use of Materials
• Work Ethic/Presentation

 

SHAPE UNIT

• Shape Exercise 1: Expressive Shapes (based on Molly Bang)

You will create a series of shapes that express specific qualities. Handout/template provided.

 

• Shape Exercise 2: Storytelling Shapes

In response to Molly Bang's book "How Pictures Work", we will use simple shapes to tell a sequence in a story. 

Class discussion and demonstration

Supplies: Construction. scissors/x-acto, gluestick

 

SHAPE Project A: Text Becomes Image

Select a sentence or phrase from a poem, song or book (but keep it secret!)

(This must be written on the back of your posterboard at critique)

Using cut paper, create a collage utilizing geometric and organic shapes that is "inspired by" or illustrates your phrase. Part of your assessment will be how effectively your image conveys your idea.

Supplies:

Construction paper, scissors/x-acto, gluestick, Bristol Board, posterboard

Areas of Assessment:

4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total

• Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
• Design Communication
• Work Ethic/Presentation

 

SHAPE Project B: In the Cubist Style

This project addesses shape along with a discussion of space.

Cubism is one of the most influential art movements of the Twentieth Century. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who co-founded the movement, shocked many of their contemporaries by breaking visual conventions that many viewers took for granted.

For example: 

·       confusion between figure and ground

·       broken outlines and implied lines

·       multiple viewpoints

·       the use of collage and text

·       (Analytic Cubism) subdued color

We will use a still life image as our "starting point", which we will draw in class. You will work into the drawing with solid colored paper and collage elements, and perhaps charcoal as well.

Your image will emulate the qualities of Cubism as described above.

Supplies:

Construction paper, scissors and x-acto, gluestick, pencil, charcoal, eraser, Bristol board and posterboard

 

Areas of Assessment:

4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total

• Adherence to Cubist style
• Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
• Work Ethic/Presentation

 

TEXTURE AND PATTERN UNIT

• Texture exercise 1: Emulation

In this exercise, you will choose 3 photographs of textured surfaces and attempt to emulate them as precisely as possible. 

Supplies: pencil. charcoal, eraser

 

• Texture exercise 2: Frottage

You will create 5 or more pages of rubbings, utilizing textures found on campus and elsewhere. These pages will be used to complete your texture project.

Supplies: Tracing paper, graphite stick (provided) or black crayon

 

TEXTURE project: Still life with Texture

This image will be produced by making a contour drawing of a still life, and then filling the drawing in with texture obtained by rubbings.

Step one: contour drawing on bristol board

Step two: make rubbings on tracing paper of textures found on campus, filling full pages with textures

Step three: cut out the shapes to correspond to the contour drawing, and glue them in.

The goal is to create both an effective value scale and visual variety. Additionally, because texture is one the indicators of space, you will pay attention to this element as well.

Supplies:

tracing paper, graphite pencil or black crayon, scissors/x-acto, gluestick, tracing paper, Bristol Board, posterboard

Areas of Assessment:

4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total

• Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
• Use of textures/Sense of space
• Work Ethic/Presentation

 

• Pattern exercise: Pattern designs

Using the template provided, create 6 different patterns in colored pencil. Utilize the principles of design to make the patterns interesting. 

Class discussion and demonstration

 

PATTERN project: Inspired by Klimt

This project will be a contour drawing that is filled in with patterns. Your image will be chosen from the following:

• A “plein air” image
• A contour drawing of objects
• A contour drawing of a face (human or animal)

(The instructor will approve your image)

Your image may be traced (though I encourage you to draw your own image; discussion of copying and originality in class)

This image may utilize color.

For context, we will examine the work of Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

Supplies:

pencils, colored pencils or sharpies, Bristol Board, posterboard

Areas of Assessment:

4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total

• Use of Design Principles/Visual Interest
• Use of patterns/Originality
• Work Ethic/Presentation

 

COLOR UNIT

• Color Exercise: Color Wheel

The construction of a color wheel is meant to teach the basics of color theory, color mixing, the handling of acrylic paint, and the use and care of brushes

Supplies: Acrylic paint (provided), paintbrushes, Bristol Board

 

COLOR project: Pop of Color

This project, which is inspired by the work of Andy Warhol, will utilize an image of your choice, repeated four times, and rendered in four color schemes:

 

Color schemes to choose from:

Monochromatic: the use of only one hue. The hue can vary in value, and black or white may be added to create various shades or tints.

Analogous: the use of colors that are located adjacent on the color wheel.

Triad: the use of three colors spaced equally apart  (includes the primary colors: red, yellow, blue, the secondary colors: green, orange, violet, and the tertiary colors: blue-green, yellow-green, blue-red, orange-red, blue-violet, red-violet)

Complementary: the use of colors that are located opposite on the color wheel.

Split-complementary: utilizes one color and two others that are equally spaced from its complement.

Double-complementary: utilizes two sets of complementary colors

Neutral: includes brown, tan and gray, which are made by mixing complementary colors together.

Color Discord: Color discord schemes are created by using colors widely separated on the color wheel.

(Achromatic color schemes consist of gradations of black and white; but this is not an option for this project)

 

Areas of Assessment:

4= Excellent 3=Good 2=Average 1=Poor        12 points total

• Accuracy of the 4 chosen color schemes
• Use of materials
• Work Ethic/Presentation

 

 

CORE PROJECT

Project parameters and dates under separate cover

 

Visual Arts courses in the Creative Arts Core must give an assignment or project that covers the objectives of Communication, Critical Thinking, Teamwork, and Social Responsibility. Each of you will be part of a team made up of members from our course.  Together, your team will create a team term project that explores the relationship of art and social responsibility.