San Diego Jewish Academy Art Revisited Detailed Composite Drawing

E-Mail Doug at mrdoug@aznet.net or Melissa at mjmckinstry@earthlink.net

Top

This project allows students to revisit the detailed composite drawing they created for Phase 3 of the Special Place Tile project and to revise and edit their drawing.

Top

The goals for this project entail student growth and understanding in the areas of revision and editing, drawing techniques, and the relationship among care, effort, and success.

Top

Special Place Tile Project - five phases that work through the creative process to create a three-dimensional ceramic tile.

Demonstrations on:

• Composition - can be defined as a means of selecting appropriate elements and arranging them within the picture space to communicate the artist's ideas, and feelings effectively to the viewer.

  The 4 main elements of composition are:

  • Picture area: This is the surface within the four borders of your picture that is used for the drawing or painting. The picture area will help you determine placement of objects, and how big they should be.
  • Depth: This is the illusion of distance or a third dimension. Depth creates a three dimensional effect, making objects feel closer, or further away. The finished result will not appear flat on the paper or canvas if depth is created.
  • Line: The line or direction the viewer's eye takes to go through the picture. The objects or forms within the picture should lead the eye to the focal point. When art is viewed, most people will begin in the bottom left corner, and continue through the picture to the right. A good composition will not allow the viewer to keep going right, all the way off the page. The viewer should be lead back into the painting in a flowing motion.
  • Value: This is the lightness, or darkness of an area, or a shape within the picture. It is also used to create the over-all feel of the picture. http://www.valmoker.com/artistcorner-composition.html - Composition - Val Moker

Top

• Story telling within a composition

  Context - 1. the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect; You have misinterpreted my remark because you took it out of context. 2. the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc. (Webster's, 1998, p. 439)

  Bias - 2. a particular tendency or inclination, esp. one that prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question; prejudice

  Perspective - 5. the state of one's ideas, the facts known to one, etc., in having a meaningful interrelationship: You have to live here a few years to see local conditions in perspective. 6. the faculty of seeing all the relevant data in a meaningful relationship: your data is admirably detailed but it lacks perspective.

  Simplicity - Isolate your subject as much as possible.

  Establishing distance - You must zero in on the subject, but also keep the idea of what you are trying to say.

  Choosing an angle - As a general rule, drawings (photos) that are taken straight on are less pleasing to the eye than those with higher or lower views, mainly because straight-on views contain fewer diagonal lines that help make compositions more dynamic.

  Rule of thirds - Superimpose a tic-tac-toe- board in your composition and see what the subject or center of interest looks like when placed at one of the intersections. You will have a composition with higher impact if the subject is not centered exactly.

  Framing - Doorways, trees, windows, arches, shadows, and many other objects can provide a natural frame for your subject and tell more of the story of the picture.

  Leading lines - Look for lines that the eye can follow, especially from foreground to background. A fence, a road, blinds on a window, sunlight coming in and making patterns on the wall or floor are examples of leading lines. By the same token, be aware of objects in the background that might distract viewers.

  Peak of emotion - Too many artists create without waiting for just the right composition. Without thinking about what they want to say and how they want to say it in the most powerful, yet honest manner.

  See http://www.writedesignonline.com/resources/design/rules/layout.html

Top

• Depth -a sense of images in the
  • foreground - darker and more detail,
  • midrange -lighter, but clear, and
  • background - lighter still and less detail

  

Top

• Value and shading - to create volume and dimension by clearly showing areas of:
  • shadow - black and darker grays,
  • mid tones - lighter to darker grays, and
  • highlights - white and lighter grays.

  

Top

• Drawing techniques - to create texture, such as: cross hatch, circles, stipple, smudging, and or others.

Top

You are the artist.
You make the decisions about what to include, what to omit, how to interpret your composition.

Top

• Shows a direct relationship to a photograph or photographs (10 points)
• Chooses the appropriate media - you may use any medium or media you would like. Pencil, pen, marker, pastels, watercolor, etc. You may also combine media. (5 points)
• Creates a powerful composition with effective use of negative space; scale (the size and space relationship of one element to another); alignment of objects horizontally, vertically, or diagonally; etc. See http://www.writedesignonline.com/human/design.htm. (10 points)
• Shows depth within the composition, a sense of images in the
  • foreground - darker and more detail,
  • midrange -lighter, but clear, and
  • background - lighter still and less detail. (5 points)
• Uses value and shading to create volume and dimension by clearly showing areas of:
  • shadow - black and darker grays,
  • mid tones - lighter to darker grays, and
  • highlights - white and lighter grays. (5 points)
• Uses at least one of the various drawing techniques to create texture, such as: cross hatch, circles, stipple, smudging, and or others. (5 points)
• Shows care and effort - We have worked on many drawing techniques and when it comes down to the quality of your work, care and effort contribute the most to the final product. This project will not be assessed on your drawing ability, rather on your work ethic. (10 points)

Total (50 points)

Remember to enjoy the journey.

E-Mail Doug at mrdoug@aznet.net or Melissa at mjmckinstry@earthlink.net