Sketchbook Assignment:
(scroll to the bottom to make sure you do all assignments)
You will not become good 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. Turn it around when you finish and see how you did!
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. Turn it around when you finish and 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:
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:
For the first 8 weeks of class, we will watch art history videos that take us through the different periods of art. These are creative and fun. I'll have a few questions for you to answer on the lined writing paper in your sketchbook. Label the first one "Week 1" and write your answers. There may also sometimes be a little drawing assignment that you can do on the same sheet of paper.
WEEK 1 QUESTIONS:
1. What made "the best Egyptian artist?"
2. How did Egyptian artists always paint the human figure?
3. Do a quick sketch of a human figure as an Egyptian artist would draw it.
Here is the LINK for the first video which focuses on ancient art.
WEEK 1 QUESTIONS:
1. What made "the best Egyptian artist?"
2. How did Egyptian artists always paint the human figure?
3. Do a quick sketch of a human figure as an Egyptian artist would draw it.
Here is the LINK for the first video which focuses on ancient art.