Saturday, May 23, 2009

Welcome to Drawing 1010-Summer 2009

This is your official course blogsite where I will post information for the course weekly, if not daily. You are responsible for checking in to view the information. Also I will be taking photos during the course and posting those to this site as well. In the past it has proven to be an incredible resource for everyone as the in-class drawings improve from week to week. It will be images of your work and not images of you. Sometimes I will post images of the still life setups from the class so you might be able to work at home on them and use the photographs for assistance. BTW: Drawing from photographs isn't always a great idea. Photographs of a 3D environment or object suddenly become 2D and flat. It's always best to draw from nature.


Courtesy Matisse




*Courtesy Michelangelo


*Courtesy Hockney


*Courtesy Warhol


*Courtesy Ellsworth Kelly


*Courtesty Celantano


*Courtesy Paul Cadmus


*Courtesy Thomas Hart Benton



Welcome to Drawing 1 (ART 1010)
Seven intensive weeks of learning how to "see" and how to draw.

Remember that drawing comes from drawing.
Drawing comes from seeing and learning eye to hand coordination and developing a dialogue with yourself.

You don't just learn to draw just by looking or reading or studying drawing only.
Also drawing doesn't happen by just coming to class everyday and drawing during your prescribed studio hours...it also comes from drawing outside of class.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
Learn to celebrate your achievements in this course.
You will only be graded from where you start to where you end up at the end of the semester. It's your race, your movie, your success or failure. It is up to each of you to perform with a sense of creativity, awareness and experimentation.

Drawing should allow you time to investigate and experiment with the tools and media in your own time. There are no mistakes in this class because you learning to build a vocabulary of drawing.

Inspiration can come from the old masters of drawing throughout history or it might just come from being inspired from watching someone else in class.

Inspire yourself and others by letting go of all your preconceived ideas of what makes a "good drawing" and just draw.

Never apologize for what you love doing.
Love it and it will love you back.
ART 1010- Drawing I
Introduction to the techniques, materials, and principles of drawing.
aka Markmaking

Course Blogsite: www.1010drawing.blogspot.com

3 Credit Hours / 552C Studio / CRN# 51997
Instructor: Stan Anderson, Associate Professor
Summer Semester 2009- June 08-August 01
MWF 12:30-4:30pm
Office: 362 (Office Hours by appointment)
Phone: 404-413-5234
Email: stananderson@gsu.edu

"There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom. If one could but recall his vision by some sort of sign. it was in this hope that the arts were invented. Sign posts on the way to what may be. Sign-posts toward greater knowledge."
-Robert Henri

Purpose:
Drawing is certainly the cornerstone for everything else to follow in your art career, regardless of whatever discipline you might be pursuing. Drawing I is designed to provide information about drawing techniques, the function of drawing, and all the concepts associated with drawing including how “to see” what you are drawing. Through drawing we express our ideas, create a visual language, a narrative, and use critical thinking skills in addition to our intuition and conceptual abilities. We will discuss the following basic drawing terms, exercising each for a full understanding: foreground, middle ground, background, contour line, chiaroscuro, content, subject matter, linear perspective, cropping, cross-hatching, eye/worm/bird’s eye view, figure/ground relationship, fixed viewpoint, form vs. shape, formal vs. conceptual, format and composition, highlight, horizon line, mass, negative shape, non-objective, picture plane, proportion, shade, space, tactility, value, and volume.

In-Class Work:
This class will work primarily in black dry media such as charcoal, pencil, conte on paper. No computers! The freedom you will earn as you get into more advanced classes is not as evident in Drawing I, as many of the drawings we will do are geared for a particular learning experience. Your focus, attitude and participation are critical to your success in this class. We will generally work on projects that can and should be completed within the designated class periods.

SKETCHBOOKS:
There will be a sketchbook/journal—that will be reviewed each week. Sometimes your sketchbooks will be reviewed by the entire class. This sketchbook/journal should be composed of a combination of drawings, sketches, observations, ephemera, and ideas. Think of this as a part of your practice as an artist, a think pad, a place to work out drawing problems and a place to experiment. Carry it around with you. Personalize it. Use it every day. It should always be with you (it’s better than a cell phone.)

We will be working in and out of the studio area. Some days we might meet in the other areas of the campus as well
as the surrounding areas of Atlanta for inspiration for this course.

Students are expected to turn in at announced critiques at least one drawing that is completed on better quality paper than newsprint. Sometime the critique will include both newsprint and more expensive paper. TBD.


The Sketchbook:
Each week (Wednesdays) the entire class will take a viewing at your sketches based on the weeks assignments in class. Each student is required to complete 20+ sketch pages per week. The sketchbook will count 20% of your final grade. It is imperative to stay current with your sketchbook work and not get behind. The sketchbook is a designated place where students can feel free to experiment and create and grow during their own private time. Your sketchbook should be treated with great respect as it has always been an integral part of any artist history in formulating their work. Historically, some of the best work that a student will do will be found in their sketchbooks. Honor your time and work that you put into those sketches. It will tell your story as an artist, struggle and success and all.

Class Absences:
Class is 7 weeks long. No more than 3 class absences per student during the summer semester.
At the time of your 3rd absence, the Instructor will notify the student via email as well as verbally. Further absences from that time forward could result with the Instructor dropping your final semester average a complete letter grade for each absence. Pay attention to the “WF” and “W” calendar dates as listed on the gsu.edu website.



Tardiness and Leaving Early:
Arrive on time and be set up and ready to start drawing at 12:30 each day. Tardiness will not be tolerated. Each student should be ready to start at the scheduled time for the course to begin. Habitual tardiness can also result in being dropped from the course but not before being notified via email. If a student misses or is late to any scheduled critique, the student will receive an “F” on the project. Do not be late to any critique. Period. “Late” means anytime after the critique has began.
These are very important days, in which you will get direct feedback, not only from me, but also from your fellow students.
Learn to take criticism without being defensive. Learn to talk about your work and others. “I like it” is not permitted without some type of reason why “you like it.” Drawing is not what you might expect it to be so be open to new ideas and ways of drawing. Experimentation is key.

Grading:
Your grade for the semester will be figured from the six main portfolios as well as the cumulative sketchbook grade. Although grading in art classes is somewhat subjective, you will be working with specific drawing concepts, and your grade will be largely determined by your understanding and progress with each idea. The main portfolios are: Negative space,
Value, Line, Texture, Color, and Combination Drawings.

*Students will submit a minimum of one drawing for each critique which should be done on a better quality paper (other than newsprint paper.) This teaches students to think in a more finished and competitive and archival manner.

A=Significant work being completed; experimentation and outstanding work in all projects
B=Lots of effort being demonstrated by student and willingness to experiment with materials
C= Average work, making the work but with little effort or inspiration being demonstrated
D=Below average (not meeting the requirements adequately)

Attendance, participation in critiques, and self-improvement will all contribute to your final grade.
Week One: Positive/Negative Space Critique Project 10%
Week Two: Value Critique Project 10%
Week Three: Line Critique Project 10%
Week Four: Texture Critique Project 10%
Week Five: Limited Color Critique Project 10%
Week Six: Combination Critique Project 1 10%
Week Seven Final Critique 10%
Class Participation/Critiques 10%
Sketchbook Assignments 20%

An important point of this class is that you become a more confident artist.

An important point of this class is that you become a more confident artist. Don’t procrastinate…draw.
Talk is cheap and doing the work is usually hard and needs to be nurtured especially if you are creating a new way of seeing which is what all creativity has in common. Do the good work, become inspired by your own work while acknowledging the accomplishments of previous artist. At any time during the semester, feel free to email me with any questions or stop by my office for an update on grades, an individual critique, or anything else you might need. Only in cases of emergencies will I allow an assignment or portfolio turned in late. Please make every effort to let me know in advance of these situations. Drawing I is an experience-based studio class. You will learn from me and from your colleagues as you watch them draw. For this reason, it is very important to be in class. Please let me know what is going on regarding any necessary absences—email if you are sick, or have to go out of town or have an emergency of some kind. I am much more open to working with you if I know what is going on. Communicate with me as I am here to assist you in any way I can.

Withdrawal from Class:
Students desiring to withdraw from class must follow the procedure appropriate for the period of time in the semester. Official notification for withdrawal by a student must be made to the Office of the Registrar according to the guidelines listed in the current Schedule of Classes bulletin. During the published registration period for each semester, students can revise their schedule. After the last day to registrar for course credit students should withdraw from a class through the Tempo Web system. Failure to follow this procedure may result in the awarding of a grade of “WF” instead of a “W”. The necessary actions should be taken as soon as possible. A student who withdraws after the midpoint of the semester is assigned a grade of “WF” except in those cases in which hardship will be determined by the Office of the Dean of Students.

The Proposed Schedule:
(subject to change at discretion of Instructor)

Week One:
NEGATIVE & POSITIVE SPACE DRAWINGS:
Cones, Spheres, and Rectangles with graphite/charcoal
Monday June 08th: Meet and Greet and go over materials and Show and tell
Wednesday June 10th, Friday June 12th
Critique on Monday June 15th @ 12:30pm
Must turn in 1 finished drawing on archival paper from 2 days of drawing in class.

Negative Space/Positive Space/Spatial Illusion/Figure Ground Relationships/Baseline/Horizon Line/Ground Plane/
Negative space describes the space surrounding the positive forms. It is always relative to positive form and thus helps us see proportion and spatial relationships more accurately. In real life we are conditioned to search out positive shapes, but as we train ourselves to be more sensitive to the negative space as well as the positive forms, our drawing intuition will grow tremendously. As we progress, the notion of positive and negative space will be manipulated. We will be working in B/W dry media only.

SKETCHBOOK DRAWINGS: 20 drawings that experiment with positive and negative spatial elements.
Think about composition when you are drawing in your sketchbooks.


Week Two:
VALUE DRAWINGS:
Still Life in the Studio: Paper bags and Bed Drawings with graphite/charcoal
Wednesday June 17th, Friday June 19th, Monday June 22nd
Critique on Wednesday June 24th @ 12:30pm
Must turn in 2 finished drawings on archival paper from 3 days of drawing in class.

Divisions of Light: light on dark, light on light, dark on light, and dark on dark.
Chiaroscuro/Planar/Wet and Dry media/Crosshatching/Rubbed and Erased/Pen and Ink Wash
Value has the most emotive and expressive potentiality of all the elements. Simply defined, it is the gradation from light to dark across a form, and is determined by both the lightness of the object and by its natural color, its local value, and the degree of light that strikes it, its conditional value. For our study of value, we will deconstruct the local and conditional values of an object to understand how light and colors affect the overall value changes. During our drawings, we will use the eraser just as boldly as we will use the charcoal. Planes will be formed by one value next to another. We will focus on volume and shape with much more internal structure than we did with negative shape. We will try to eliminate the use of line in these drawings, and focus more on the planar shifts. We will be working in B/W dry media only.
SKETCHBOOK DRAWINGS: 20 drawings that examine the range of values in drawing. Preferably setting up your own still life or objects to draw and study the values from light to dark (wide range.)


Week Three:
LINE DRAWINGS
Still Life in the Studio: The Box & the Bottle using graphite/charcoal
Friday June 26th and Monday June 29th, Wednesday July 1st
Critique on Friday July 3rd @ 12:30pm
Must turn in 1 finished drawings on archival paper from 3 days drawing in class

Contour/Blind Contour/Continuous Line/Rhythmic Line/Outline/Gesture/Cross Contour/Expressive Line/ Calligraphic Line/Implied Line/ Line is the most elemental and purest form of drawing. It is the element most associated with the graphic arts and is valued both for its simple reductive power and for its expansive potentiality for embellishment. Of all the elements it is the most adaptable. It can be an economical indicator of space and it is a key element in establishing the relationship between the surface of the paper and the emerging or dissolving images on it. We will separate the study of line into three parts: contour, cross- contour and gesture. Contour lines involve an inspection of the parts as the make up the whole. Contour, unlike outline, is spatially descriptive. It is plastic, emphasizing the three dimensionality of a form. The process of contour drawing involves a very slow and accurate observation of the subject. Cross- contour describes an object’s horizontal contours rather than vertical edges. Gesture drawing can be thought of as a continuous experience of seeing. The hand duplicates the motion of the eye making a movement that quickly defines the characteristics of the subject: placement, shape, proportion, relationship between the pars, a definition of planes and volumes as well as their arrangements space.
SKETCHBOOK DRAWINGS: 20 drawings that examine the dynamic versatility of line drawings. Experiment with different dry media and how to let the tools you choose affect your drawings. Must have drawings from nature, figurative, and still life.


Week Four:
TEXTURE DRAWINGS
Still Life in the Studio and in Nature: The Bird Nest Drawings using charcoal/graphite
Moving towards abstraction in nature
Wednesday July 8th, July Friday July 10th, Monday July 13th,
Critique on Wednesday July 15th @ 2:30pm from 3 days of drawing in class

Texture in its most literal meaning refers strictly to the sense of touch. For the artist, however, the visual appearance of a work, its surface quality, or texture, is most important. While this type of texture may have only a subtle tactile quality, it has a visual quality that contributes to the textual character of work. Even though both representational (realistic) and nonrepresentational (abstract) drawings have textual character, we will focus our attention towards nonrepresentational works and draw more from our imaginations and begin to explore abstraction.
SKETCHBOOK DRAWINGS: 20 drawings that center around the idea of mixing texture and line and inclusion of value in areas. You should choose subjects that relate directly to this assignment. Stippling, pointillism, transitional line and value, vanishing point, perspective, etc.

Week Five: LIMITED COLOR DRAWINGS (Dry and Wet)
Combination Negative Space, Value, Texture and Line in Drawing, etc.
Still Life in the Studio: Fruits, Veggies, Flowers, Baskets, Bottles, Plants, Reflective surfaces/Patterns
Friday July 17th and Monday July 20th
Critique Wednesday July 22nd @ 2:30pm from 2.5 days of drawing in class

By using the techniques and experiences from the previous weeks in class, we will begin to employ how these techniques
work successfully and creatively together to form drawings that are rich in form and composition with emphasis on
spatial qualities that appear in both the 3D and 2D environment. You will discover what color drawing can encompass. It’s strengths to your subject. You will discover just how all the black and white drawings you’ve created up to this point will assist you in using selected color. Wet media may be used along with dry at this point.
SKETCHBOOK DRAWINGS: Begin limited use of color in this assignment. Try b/w with one color, and then move onto b/w with 2-3 colors. Limit your color and remember the values in color or by mixing black and white with your color creating shadows in color as well as varying line strength and weight and technique. Begin to use wet media (India ink or even water that will break down the graphite or charcoal and create images that are rich in the variation of the media you choose. Composition is key as well as selection of the images you wish to depict.

Final Exam Drawing:
Still Life in the Studio: Native American Patterns/ The Formal Still life as Subject/Theme
Friday July 24th
Final Critique: Monday July 27rd @ 2:30pm from 1.5 days of drawing in class
Each student should complete a drawing in 2 hours with a final critique to follow at 2:30pm.
All sketchbooks are due at this point. A portfolio of each student’s best drawings will also be turned in for final grade consideration in a portfolio of some kind. Make sure you names are on the portfolio.
SKETCHBOOK DRAWINGS: 20 drawings that examine what you have learned from throughout the semester with regards to the techniques and compositions in drawing. Let each drawing become its on composition while also concentrating on
the past 6 weeks of experimenting with the different medias.


Drawing I Materials Required:
(you can get these materials at Sam Flax, Binders Art Supply, Utrecht, Dick Blick, GSU Bookstore, etc.)
My prices listed are not exact, but approximate prices I found at Sam Flax on Northside Drive, Atlanta, GA

Student Lab Fees: I will be using your student lab fees for this class to introduce you to new types of paper and media throughout the seven week course in drawing. Everyone will have the same type of supplies using this lab fee money.

Graphite Pencils: A variety (3B-6B, Ebony, graphite squares)( $1.00 each) (buy 3-5)
Charcoal (stick, cube and vine) (You’ll use a lot of these)(vine=3pack for $2.50; cube=jumbo pack for $2.39)
Black India ink (1 jar)
Black conte crayons (you’ll go through these quickly-buy enough)(2pack for $ 3.62)
White conte crayons(2pack for $3.62)
Brushes (variety—2 to 3 different width)(Value pack of 6=$11.99)
Newsprint pad (18 x 24) (we use this everyday) (50sheets=$3.95/100sheets=$4.95)
White (Strathmore)Bond pad of white drawing paper (18 x 24)(30sheets=$9.00)
Anything that will make a mark on paper…I’m serious

Single Sheets/ Drawing Paper (TBD: Fabriano, Arches, cold press/hot press, etc.)
* This is the archival paper to be turned in for critiques
Erasers (kneaded and gum and Pink Pearl)($.50/each)
Pencil sharpener ($.50-$1.00)
Chamois cloth (or old T-shirt cotton material)
Scissors, Xacto or Utility knife or other cutting instrument($5.00-$8.00)
Masking tape($1.50)
Metal Ruler (18 inches minimum-optional but useful)($6.25)
Tool box or compartment to carry drawing tools and materials($5.00)
Soap & container for liquids
Portfolio case for care of drawings and drawing papers($10.00-up)
Drawing board (minimum size18 x 24)($12.00 up or improvise)
Alligator clips (you’ll need several)($1.00)
Wooden sticks, branches, dowels for drawing

Books that Inspire: (both of these books I have read numerous times and they still inspire me)
The Artist Way, Julia Cameron
The Art Spirit, Robert Henri

Some of the artist that should inspire you:
Leonardo DaVinci
Michaelangelo
Kathe Kolowitz
Picasso
Vija Clemins
George Serat
Chuck Close
Andy Warhol
Honore Daumier
David Hockney
Matisse
Rotko
Marsden Hartley
Phillip Pearlstein
George Bellows
Robert Rauschenberg
Giacometti
Bonnard
Cezanne
John Singer Sargent
Charles Sheeler