BEGINNING ART CURRICULUM

( Condensed )

The concept that drives the curriculum is getting the students to understand the Illusion of Space on a two dimensional surface using pencil and charcoal/chalk. It begins at a basic understanding of space using line and progresses to a complete understanding of how light and shadow is portrayed through rendering using pencil and charcoal/chalk.

(Suggested curriculum)

1.  Basic depth concepts on a two dimensional plane

  1. Overlapping
  2. Placement on picture plane
  3. Size perspective
  4. Delineating foreground, middle-ground, and background

2.  Linear Perspective

  1. One point Perspective
  2. Two Point Perspective

3.  Understanding Contour lines/ Outlines of objects

4.  Value (shades of light and dark), Contrast (the difference between values)

  1. Value scale 12 boxes that go from black to white in succession with each box containing a flat value
  2. Look at difference between subtle contrast and dynamic contrast
  3. graded values with smooth transition from dark to light
  4. Good lesson is to have students create an abstract design made up of lines and circles, within the spaces created they use both flat and graded values creating dynamic and subtle contrast, students will also pick up to ten areas and use texture rubbings to create more interest in the design

6. Perspective, Proportion, Placement (The three P’s)

  1. Plumbing (sight measurement)
  2. Drawing basic objects individually such as cylinder, box, sphere, etc. using plumbing to achieve the correct proportion and perspective of each
  3. Fully render each object individually with extending shadow including the edge of the table that the object is on. The backgrounds must be rendered black so as to emphasize the contrast (goes back to value)
  4. Place the objects together in a still life
  5. Draw objects together, again reinforcing the three P’s

7. Local value

a.  Use charcoal/black conte and chalk/white pencil with gray charcoal paper

b.  Discuss middle ground same value as gray paper

c.  Must render both highlight and shadow (most effective rendering sphere)

d.  Fun lesson is to have students make the “perfect” sphere out of clay with no cracks, bumps, splitting, etc. and then draw and render their own sphere. Then the students make a silly head out of the clay maybe showing expression then draw and render the head they made. (Use charcoal and chalk)

8. Texture with local value

a.  Draw and render a cylindrical log showing the local value of the wood including the

texture of the wood through rendering

9. Negative space

a.  Draw object like a bicycle using negative space only to represent the object

10. Contour lines

a.  Blind contour line studies objects, student model, each others faces

b.  Sight continuous line contour drawings including same subjects as blind contour lines

11. Figure drawing

a.  Draw models in different positions quick gesture drawings accompanied by a final

detailed study

b.  This also may include the study of the human face portrait drawings students may draw each other.

12. Final proportionally enlarge a photographic reproduction drawing

a.  Students will apply all of the skills learned in class to reproduce an actual photograph

using pencil and paper in a fully rendered drawing. Use the grid method to proportionally enlarge the photograph to fit the drawing paper as close as it can. This project should encompass all aspects of what was learned in the class. This is the final.