FA 3a Introduction to Drawing. Fall 2014
Tues/Friday 1:30-3:20
Prof. Susan Lichtman:
Albrecht Durer 1493, Pen and ink, 8”x11”
From Wikipedia:
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional (surface.) Instruments used include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, various kinds of erasers, markers, styluses, and various metals (such as silverpoint). An artist who practices or works in drawing may be called a draftsman or draughtsman.
Drawing is often exploratory, with considerable emphasis on observation, problem-solving and composition.
The influential artist and art criticJohn Ruskinemphasized the importance perception in the drawing process in his book The Elements of Drawing. (1857).He stated that "For I am nearly convinced, that once we see keenly enough, there is very little difficulty in drawing what we see".
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FA 3 is an experiential learning studio art course for students who have little or no previous drawing experience. This studio class will introduce a range of drawing materials and methods through specific assignments. We will draw from direct observation of still life, landscape, and the human figure. Drawing media may include graphite, charcoal and ink. The drawings of great artists throughout history and the contemporary world will be studied as they provide examples of what is possible within this broad and expressive visual language.
Because this is an experiential learning class, attendance is mandatory and
missed classes cannot be made up. Please do not be late - arrive by 1:30 ready to work. Only two unexcused absences will be permitted without penalty. (An excused absence comes from a Dean or Coach.) Please e-mail on days when you miss class.
Most homework assignments are given every other week, usually due on Friday, and are put up on the wall for class discussion. At least 6 hrs should be spent on each assignment. A beginning version, (rough draft,) of homework may be brought in earlier for feedback. Homework will be evaluated in discussions, but not graded. Homework may be re-worked : As in any research, time and effort are the main ingredients for a strong, successful drawing. As one artist has said, “Don’t work hard, work long.” Occasionally short homework assignments- such as the first- are given and are due the next class.
There will be one special project done in collaboration with the students of Music 143, Chamber Music. This will most likely involve making stop-action animations of drawings made in response to a piece of music. In your animations will photograph a mixed-media drawing at periodic intervals, as it gets developed, elaborated, simplified, (and possibly destroyed.) We will meet with the musicians to discuss ways that form carries meaning and conveys ideas in both visual art and music.
All class-work and homework must be saved in a portfolio. Final grades are based on your attendance record and on the quality of your drawings. Your work should display effort, an understanding of concepts introduced, creativity and growth. All work must be made by your own hand and for this class only. Participation in class critiques is required. Private final critiques take place at the end of the session and any time during the semester by request. Students with disabilities should request the kind of assistance they need to perform well in this class. Office hours are before class, (t/f12:30-1:30) and other times by appointment.
FA 3a Lichtman
CLASS MATERIALS
You will be given most of the supplies you need for the semester of drawing This includes paper, drawing media such as pencils, ink, paper and a cardboard portfolio.
In class you may use the drawing boards provided. For homework, you might want to purchase in your own drawing board, (from Utrecht or Dick Blick),large enough for an 18x24 sheet of paper. (about $10).You can also borrow drawing board from former drawing students who own them.
You might need to augment provided supplies with pens, ( ball point, felt tip, rollerball, metal nib or quill dip pens for ink), colored pencils, pastel, watercolors.)
You will need a desk lamp with a neck that can be directed in a particular direction. You will need this to illuminate the things you draw – ie objects or your head - for homework assignments
WHERE TO WORK: Homework can be done at home or in the studio. After 5:00 and during weekends GS is locked and has a monitor on duty for hours posted. If monitor is not on duty campus police can be called to let you in. You will only be permitted to be in the building if you are not alone – someone else must be in one of the other studios.
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HW #1. Due Tuesday 9/2.
Window Drawing, with record of decisions.
On an 8x11 inch sheet of computer paper, make a 4x6 inch rectangular drawing
of a window. Make the 4 x 6 rectangle in the center of the page and draw inside it. Work from direct observation of a real window. Use graphite pencil.
As you begin your drawing, on the paper around the 4x6 inch rectangle write down ANY questions you have about the drawing process or what is possible and permissible.
No question is too basic or irrelevant. Answer your question the way you wish, and
proceed with the drawing. For example, “Should the rectangle of my drawing be vertical or horizontal?” Decide which orientation is best for your image, and continue.
You should have a minimum of 16 questions. But try for more - It might be possible to have as many as 50. As you draw, you will have to make more and more decisions -
write them down as they occur to you. There are no wrong answers or bad
decisions, as long as you have considered a range of possibilities.
Neither way is better
Both ways are necessary
It is also necessary
To make a choice between them.
-TS Eliot
It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.
-J.K. Rowling.