Drawing Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division

Untitled (Big Sea #1), Graphite on acrylic ground on paper. Vija Celmins, 1969 — Courtesy McKee Gallery, N.Y.

from http://time-blog.com/looking_around/2007/12/ Richard Lacayo's art blog

NOTE:

This course has been overhauled and the content below may be out-of-sequence. As of August '09 it is being organized as the course is taught. Please be patient.

Contour Examples

Blind contour from Drawing on the Right Side of the brain

Blind contour is very very easy to do - there is just one rule (that you should follow anyway no matter what style of drawing you use) - Never look at the paper when drawing

PLUS go VERY slow

Blind contour should be investigative, exploratory, and not concerned with representationalism - however it will be the technique you want to use when representationally drawing leaves and rocks in nature

Contour 3 skulls
Contour shoes
Cross contour

The blind contour takes 20 minutes (slow and don’t look at the paper). Look at your hand, don't look at the paper, draw interior AND exterior lines, pores, freckles, spots, hairs, wrinkles, etc etc. It should look like you painted an ant and let it crawl around on the paper

The half blind or modified can be done in 1/2 hour (slow, and look down every 30 secs but stop drawing when you do so) and should have that same contour line quality and reveal lines that go around and in and over and through...but the objects will look like themselves.

And the still life doesn't require shading this week (save time, work on proportions) and should be more like the example on pg 44 how to draw what you see. This could take an hour. Keep it loose but accurate - if you want to show light guidelines and sketch marks you can...

General Resources

previous Week 1 Resources

drawsketch.about.com
Charcoal still life examples

some of these are better than others, but it will give you ideas -Note how changing mediums will change the nature of the drawing - charcoal is good for laying down broad areas of value that would take much longer to do with hatching and shading with graphite -Key are reading pgs 126 - 134 and disregarding that they mention 'washes' - just look at the work, the forms, the use of values regardless of media

mod-contour profiles, examples from the web

Value Scale

Here is a value scale

If you look at the elements you are being graded on this week - the full range of values is one of them (as covered in your book)

Try lighting your still life, or using a little artistic license for wiser use of black, white, grey...and all the others in between

It adds drama, volume, contrast to your work - AND adds points to your grade!

Accompanying note for drawing students

• This course is about learning representational drawing and we have to adhere to that objective - but keep in mind that there are many other styles and techniques.
  This is an image by Basquiat that uses an abstract, expressive style that captures energy and intensity -basquiat.jpg
• Check out Damien Hirst's $100,000,000 bejeweled skull - He is a good artist to know about - did you see the Jennifer Lopez movie 'the Cell' ? Several elements (such as the horse) were right out of Damien's installations
  fortheloveofgod.jpg
• andrea_del_sartoweb.jpg
  A drawing done 400 years ago by Andrea Del Sarto, red chalk on handmade (of course) paper.
  Note the use of light line and gesture drawing to establish the form, then contour drawing to establish edges - and then the shading in both the positive AND negative space to build form and volume.
• Volume and depth: in this image awyeth_helga.jpg Wyeth creates 3d volume by adding value to the neck, and deepens the space by darkening the area behind the neck.

1

Blind Contour: Hand drawings

 

 

 

 

Modified Contour: Hand/object drawings

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes on mod-contour

A number of students struggle unnecessarily with mod-contour It is simple - look and draw, for as short as 3 seconds or as long as 30 seconds...then stop, and reposition the hand. think about it - if you are looking down at the paper and drawing, how can you be drawing the object you want to represent? So you HAVE to learn to draw without looking down - Below are a variety of examples, from loose to tight - but you can see the nature of the contour line is rather loose, varied, sensitive (thick and thin) and goes inside as well as outside

Contour I

Aaron Hansen*
Contour 3 skulls
Contour shoes
Cross contour

To draw something you need to study it - and that entails looking in greater and greater detail and sophistication - not drawing memorized symbols (: You are all welcome to try it again - I always look for re-dos when I enter grades - also - I wouldn't spend more than 45 minutes or an hour on this...I mean, you could, but you can whip out a nice mod-contour of a shoe easily in 45 minutes. Look for organic or complex objects to draw (no cubes) and stay away from shading! Those quick hatch lines that are made while looking down nullify the effect of the contour line -

Contour II

Hiyan
Celine Legasse
Chris MacLean
Elizabeth Palombaro
Scott Wilcox
contour group 
Caryn Fisher 
Leslie Feske
Aaron Hansen

Modified contour

Thomas Shoemaker
Mary-Lee James
Katrina Dickhaus
Kamra Conn
Mark Benjamin
Jamie weber
Hiyan Sisson
Chris MacLean
Jason Beneby
Cheryl Dant
Scott Wilcox
modcontour student group
Aaron Hansen*

2

Resources: Week 2

notes on sighting: If you haven't seen this streaming video tutorial on sighting - watch it now! sighting technique, still life. video 20"

bookshelves : how to

loose gesture, sketches stay loose! the great artists end up with very accurate works, but they work from very general light drawings to more and more specific line and shape

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Sighting Exercise

 

 

 

 

Nature Still Life, Graphite

examples from various sources

Student work

Andrea Farling
Ryan Richards

Nature Still Life, Charcoal

Andrea Farling

Previous Assignments

Prelim Still life Sketches

Wallter black
Chris maclean
Adam Meadows
Lora Morgan
Scott Wilcox

First Still life

Michael Macon
Aaron Hansen
Chris MacLean
Scott Wilcox
Yuko Yamane

note how we look down into the ellipse below the hl (candle), and up into the ellipse above the hl (lampshade). The lines of the rectangles (book, table) appear as if they will meet an inch or two above the table.

Still Life

student group
Pearl Corrales
Adam Meadows
Scott Wilcox
Aaron Hansen

Assignment: Still life with Value

Keith Nickas
Elizabeth Palombaro
Scott Wilcox
Aaron Hansen
student work, group 

 

Below, previous curriculum

Discussion Question

Choose one particular artist whose style you would like to emulate, post an image of his or her work, and explain their process and why you are attracted to it.

example of an answer thoughtful, well written, and accompanied by a supporting image. by Pamela Prussel

Graphite Still Life

Andrea Farling (Mr. Potato Head)

Visual Perspective

Andrea Farling

upside down drawing

original igor from Edward's Book: Opens in a new window - download and use if your book isn't in yet

student example

cubed objects

Walter Preston
Chris MacLean
Hiyan Sisson
Adam Meadows
Cheryl Dant
Elizabeth Palombaro
Scott Wilcox
Phillip Yang
Mark Gosnell

Complex still life

Michael Macon
Janice Doler
Chris MacLean
Hiyan Sisson
grouped student work
e meza
Caryn Fisher
Candice Zitewitz
Elizabeth Palombaro
Elaine Wong

3

Week 3 Resources

General portrait Notes

Note: these aren't necesarily profiles, but they may help in understanding the face, the nature of the assignment

Undergrad drawing Jeff Prentice 1984
Portraits from the collection Chuck Close's curated MOMA show
artyfactory.com Portrait tips
dannygregory.com time lapse video, d gregory drawing a portrait upside down

 

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Spheres

Egg Still Life

Drapery

Below, previous curriculum

Sighting Profiles

Examples from the web

Full face Portraits

Generic face example
Michael Macon
Self portrait group 
Portrait group II
Chris MacLean process shots
Hiyan Sisson
Aaron Hansen 
Elizabeth Palombaro
Scott Wilcox
Candice Zitzewitz
James Selander

4

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Texture

Student work from another course

Below, previous curriculum

DQs

Make sure you have discussed the technique of sighting and that each answer is at LEAST (for a C) two paragraphs in length

This is a 20 point question...I'd like to see at minimum (off the top of my head) 300 words, 3 paragraphs, a description of what sighting is, how YOU use it, where you start, and then a discussion of proportions, balance, using specifics...and even making a foray into how you turn a generic sketch into someone specific, or 'realistic' (tip: contour)

Charcoal (gesture) Portrait

Pamela Prussel
Denise Ortiz
Ryan Richards

Photo Portrait (none)

Week 4/archive

Note

posnegworks is a common exercise we do in drawing and design - drawing only the negative space around an object - in fact this exercise is in the Edward's book. Negative space is JUST as important as positive space.

Note 2:

Problems in an individual piece tend to fall within these five categories:

1. inconsistency of style, idea, or feeling
2. failure to determine basic structure
3. tendency to ignore negative space
4. inability to develop value range and transitions
5. failure to observe accurately

From Critical Assessment from Drawing, (4th Edition?) Betti/Sale

this is an EXCELLENT book BTW - if you ever see it for sale in a used bookstore or online, pick it up

Resources: Portraits

Undergrad drawing Jeff Prentice 1984
Portraits from the collection Chuck Close's curated MOMA show
artyfactory.com Portrait tips
dannygregory.com time lapse video, d gregory drawing a portrait upside down

Other

positive and negative space Student work from UNO
drawsketch.about.com notes on negative space

Objects in Perspective

having fun with invented perspective

misc student

cubes
Student examples of objects in perspective, but not in a still life

Francisco Rivero (student) see the second one from the top

Daniel Rivers
Elaine Wong

Assignment: Interior Drawing

Michael Macon
Kamra Conn
Celine Lagasse
Chris MacLean
Hiyan Sisson
Karla Xavier
Sangy Banks
Curtis Hood 
Jacob McCarthy
Elizabeth Palombardo
Elaine Wong
Aaron Hansen
student interiors, grouped
interior one point student and da vinci
interior/architectural study from the book Perspective by Vredeman de Vries 1500s

Assignment: Portraits I

Generic face example
Michael Macon
Self portrait group 
Portrait group II
Chris MacLean process shots
Hiyan Sisson
Aaron Hansen 
Elizabeth Palombaro
Scott Wilcox
Candice Zitzewitz
James Selander

5

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Below, previous curriculum

Resources

Excellent link for what we are exploring this week in terms of gesture and media

undergradfigurework

these are from Joe Podlesnik, an AIPO instructor

Gesture Figure Study

no student work

positive/negative figure drawing, prepared middle ground, live model

Andrea Farling

Week 5/archive

 

Assignment: Portraits II

Mary-lee JAmes

janice doler (week 4 and 5)
THomas Shoemaker

Jason Beneby
Albert Chen
Chris MacLean
Dylan Polniak
Hiyan Sisson
Jamie Weber
Jeremiah Bond
Adam Meadows 
Aaron Hansen
portrait group week 5

Assignment: Final roughs

Hiyan Sisson
Celine Legasse
Karla Xavier
Chris MacLean

"can i use photos for my final?"

6

week 6 Finals 2007 (old Curriculum)

Thomas Shoemaker
MAry-lee JAmes
Janice DOler
Geoffrey Graham
Michael Blackson
Kamra Conn
Hiyan Sisson
Jason Beneby
Keith Nickas
Ben Estaville - good combined genres
Aaron Hansen
Elizabeth Palombaro
Scott Wilcox
James Selander
Week 6 group
Sangy Bank
Caryn Fisher*

Other

Student answer to the question: Choose one particular artist whose style you would like to emulate, post an image of his or her work, and explain their process and why you are attracted to it.

Pamela Prussel 22 Feb 08 12:02 PM MST
Week 2: Assignment 1:

When I first read over this assignment I knew immediately whose work I would showcase, and why. Of course, I quickly second guessed my decision because, like many of you, it was hard to narrow my favorite artist down to only one once I really started to think about it.
I believe there are so many reasons we are attracted to particular works, and our life experiences often mimic our likes and dislikes. Due to the inevitable fact that our lives are constantly evolving, our tastes changing, what is attractive to us at one time in our life often changes as we learn and grow.

With that said I will tell you that my favorite artist at this moment, and for quite awhile has been Andy Warhol. Let me say though before my discussion of him, that I love and admire the work of Edgar Degas, who ran a close second in my mind. I know you are probably thinking to yourself, “ Can they be any more opposite?”
 I know! 

I just have to point out, especially since we have been focusing on sketching and shadowing, that Degas is a true master, in my mind, of capturing the essence of beauty in the human body, and it is reflected in his work. His use of color and shadows in both his paintings and sculptures amazes me every time. Whenever I visit The Metropolitan Museum in New York City, I head for his works first.

Okay,  with that off my chest, I can now discuss my ultimate fascination with Andy Warhol.

I struggled to pick just a few of Warhol’s works, and I chose only to include prints in order to make it easier for me to stay focused. Andy Warhol, as I believe many Pop Artists are, was somewhat misunderstood. Ironically I ‘m sure that was a compliment to him when he was alive. He started as a successful illustrator and moved onto a variety of mediums.  I admire this trait in him, as he never seemed to be boxed into a certain way of expressing himself, and used the world and objects around him, as his tools. I am attracted to his experimentation with sameness and his flirtation with the mass marketing movement. He almost mocks society, yet at the same time endears them to his work. I feel his pieces are timeless, and although not always what some would consider “beautiful”, they have thought behind them, and therefore often make us wonder, “What was he thinking, what was he trying to do with this?”

Warhol was a constant observer. According to The Artchive, he mastered the art of being an “uninvolved spectator.” Most of his print works involve color and contrast; to me they all make a statement, as well as aesthetically please the eye. I have included some of his more popular pieces, pieces that reflect his take on the world and the people in it. His life experiences no doubt influenced his view of society and in the process gave us some of the greatest works to come out of the Pop Art era. It is evident in most of his art that life’s simplest objects and ideas can amaze us if looked at in a different perspective.
I feel that if we could all sit back, especially in our hectic lives, and simply observe as Andy Warhol did, we can all become better artists.

Sources:
Artchive: artchive.com
The Andy Warhol warholfoundation.org/
The Andy Warhol warhol.org/

Image

Resources

Video Tutorials

formatting your work for online streaming flash video 7"
2 point perspective video 10 "
sighting technique, still life. video 20"
3 point perspective. 20" Error made early on - but fixed later - still worth viewing
shadows, cube and cylinder. 6"

Note:

Audio and video controllers are located below the screen. This is a progressive load, there may be delays depending on your connection. If the video hiccups, wait a little longer, take a short break, come back and it will be fully loaded.

Examples, links, tutorials

Stacking.html Stacking images onto one canvas, text.
vps in the real world
sighting
box multiple views
bad box
horizon/plane
2pt architecture
still life example
ellipses
Basic Photoshop screenshot

Some Invented Perspective Projects

http://drawingforce.com for $10 you get access to excellent videos of a drawing in process
how to draw hair
Use the negative spaces to define positive forms. If the negative spaces are drawn correctly, the positive forms will have correct proportions.
before and after using photoshop to adjust

1. used levels to adjust contrast
2. used the dodge tool to lighten those dark edges
3. used smart sharpen to alleviate the blur
4. sized down to 600 to make the blur less noticable

Free software downloads
pixelpaint.com  Great overview of one point perspective
dannygregory.com Here is a good time lapse video of danny gregory drawing a portrait, upside down. It isn't related to Perspective but it is worth viewing (:

How to scan an image larger than the scanner bed

1. Place a quadrant of the image in the scanner and scan...and continue doing this until you have scanned the entire image.

2. In photoshop - open all the scans.

3. Pick one of the images (or create a new, large canvas) and add a bunch of canvas for the other pieces to fit.
4. Drag the other pieces over and position them.
5. To position exactly - change the opacity of the image being moved to around 50%...it will show you the image underneath so you can line them up. When lined up change the opacity back to 100%.

Above - click to enlarge. 3 views of interiors, with overlays showing how parallel lines converge at vanishing points on a horizon line. To find the horizon line when drawing, just measure where the lines of a fence, building, table converge. Remember, in one and two point perspective there is always only one horizon line.

 

Above - click to enlarge. A view of an interiors, with overlays showing how parallel lines converge at vanishing points on a horizon line.

when you can draw well, what's next?

why we are learning this?

Student: One thing I still don't understand is why we are learning this if we plan to be digital graphic artists?

My Answer: All of the foundation courses can be viewed as grammar - we learned the ABCs and basic spelling in school in order to get to the point where we could express ourselves better in writing, and the same thing is true with drawing, perspective, 2d design - once we learn the rules of form, contrast, proportion (etc) and composition using a variety of media we can make more sophisticated work (improved grades and portfolio contents)  in courses later on in the program that use software instead of graphite. J

Time Management

Time is almost always going to be a factor for students - so work strategically -

Don't waste valuable time deviating from the assignment instructions

Practice drawings - This seems at odds with saving time, but working out the kinks and seeing improvements will be worth the few extra sketching minutes.

Don't be forced to repost because the drawing is formatted incorrectly or doesn't follow assignment parameters - do it right the first time by re-reading directions and carefully going through the announcements

Participation

More than a few students wait until day 7 to participate - sometimes ALL the crits and writing is done on day 7 within a few minutes.

How can that contribute to communication, participation, a conversation and learning experience?

It will cost you points - I highly recommend commenting a day or two after the assignment is due, and frequently during the week so the class dynamic is maintained and people can appreciate your input!

Still life setup and examples

 

This course teaches representational drawing. This image from the text is an example of the kind of forms developed in class where structure and perspective are stressed in still lifes, exercises.

to the left:

Student still life and value drawings
250K

Strategy and technique

Incorporating into a drawing what you have learned in a particular week would be strategic - As we get to the end, we want to see a comprehensive understanding of the material.

But aside from the course and grade, I can assure you as an artist working out of the academic environment that when when I draw anything (from still life and man made objects to trees, clouds, waves, and other natural elements) I use sighting, sketching, gesture and contour drawing techniques together to get correct proportions, line variety and sense of mass, and organic line.

Photoshop and Drawing

This isn't a Photoshop course, but you are expected to understand the basics like scanning, cropping, resizing, adjusting levels (contrast) and combining images. You also are required to have the software and hardware (as well as the texts). I have provided some video tutorials (listed for you in the announcements, on formatting, sighting etc) but if you feel like you need more info on Photoshop there is the learning center link when you log in.

There you will find threads where you post questions and contact tutors. The first week is a 'get to know you' week with some flexibility. But after week 1 incorrectly formatted work receives a 0. And presentation issues such as cropping scan lines, shadows and tints from poor photos - those cause loss of points as well. Being a good artist doesn't help you when people can't see your work correctly online. There are reasons for these standards for size and resolution.

also - please note again that .doc and pdf formats aren't accepted for this course. They take too long to download and slow things up. Post directly to the threads. Finally - grammar and spelling are part of the grading. Please run spell check and if you are a second language speaker or have writing issues, try writing and having someone (husband, parent, friend) check it for you

Frames and Borders

The way you reference the edge of the picture plane is called 'framal reference'. Is the comp a window on the world allowing elements to reference a space outside the frame? Or is it a contained world, like looking into a cigar box?
Too often in our creations it is the latter - and the designs and drawings end up not taking advantage of the possibilities of a larger, inferred space

Negative space

When drawing the negative space, it can be quite useful when confronted with a difficult subject and will contribute to a more accurate drawing - if you ever take a life drawing class try it - draw the shape between the arm ha ging down and the body - and the shape of the arm will emerge