Sketchbook Assignment: (scroll to the bottom to make sure you do all assignments)
You will not improve at drawing until you learn to pay attention to the shape, size, and angle of lines.
If I told you to draw a flower, you would probably just draw your idea of a flower that you learned as a young child. An artist would find a real flower or photo of a flower and draw each curve, line, and dot, not "petal, stem, and leaf."
A classic drawing challenge is to copy an image while looking at it upside down. This prevents your brain from saying the name of the object you're drawing, like "foot," and accesses the part of your brain that simply draws what you see and not what you THINK you see. All art is composed of lines, curves, and dots.
EXERCISE 1 In your sketchbook, copy the upside down picture below, capturing each detail. There is a print of it in your sketchbook. Turn it around when you finish to see how you did!
EXERCISE 2
Set up 3 objects in a still life, like a book, cup, and banana. With your small sharpie (no erasing), draw a continuous line drawing, trying not to lift your pencil off the paper. Let your eyes slowly follow the edge of each object as your hand moves at the same time. The goal is not accuracy, it is teaching your eye to see the edge of an object. Try not to think about the object you're drawing, like "banana" but to just see curves, lines, and dots. Here is an example:
Art Appreciation Assignment: FOUND OBJECT ART
After watching the video, answer these questions on the lined paper in your sketchbook:
If you could collect an abundance of small objects in order to create artistic masterpieces, what might you collect? Where would you hunt for these objects? How would you use or display your creations? Would you have a creative name for your art?