So They Cancelled Class For A Power Outage...

The crazy thing is, the power came back on at 8:45! We totally could have had class, and there actually were a few people who showed up. Oh well. Leave it to MCA to cancel class when there's no need to cancel class.

SO, even though we didn't have class, that doesn't change anything about the homework. The assignment still stands, and it is still due on Tuesday. Click HERE to see the post about the homework.

You need to use an actual sitter. So, find someone who likes you enough to patiently sit for you. We are NOT using photographs here. You need to employ your binocular vision in order to perceive depth and volume. A camera has ONE eye and creates a flat image. So, if you use a photograph, your planar breakdown will be guesswork at best and completely faked at worst.

Approach this portrait in the exact same way as you would if you were drawing the still life in class. Don't panic because the subject is a human. And don't get so worried about whether or not the finished drawing "looks like" the subject. What is most important, and the goal of the assignment, is that you are trusting your eyes to give you the information that you need so that your brain can then analyze and break that face down into planes that accurately define space, volume, weight, and mass.

DON'T FORGET YOUR LINE VARIATION!!!! AND USE IT FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES RATHER THAN JUST ARBITRARILY!!!!!

USE YOUR RULER!!!! You may feel free to draw a LIGHT free-hand guide drawing first, but then get your ruler out in order to do your "ruler drawing".

THIS DRAWING IS TO BE DONE IN CHARCOAL PENCIL AND ON 22"X30" GOOD-QUALITY WHITE PAPER!!! NOT 18"X24" BOND!!!!

ALSO, REMEMBER THAT YOU NEED TO HAVE 22"X30" PAPER AND YOUR CHARCOAL PENCILS FOR CLASS NEXT WEEK AS WELL. We'll be working on one drawing which we will start on Tuesday and finish on Thursday.

See you Tuesday.

Another Cezanne

Here's another Cezanne painting I came across that I though you might enjoy analyzing as well.

Planar Analysis Artist: Luca Cambiaso

Luca Cambiaso was a the 16th-century Renaissance painter of works like this one:

But look at how he often chose to analyze his compositions on paper before executing the paintings themselves:

This is an extreme example of planar analysis. Cambiaso here is breaking down his subjects into VERY simplified planes that allow him to see how the subjects will spatially relate.

Homework Due October 5

Ruler Drawing: Portrait

Head in planes

Work from observation of a sitter (NOT A PHOTOGRAPH)

Reduce the head to a series of planes which clearly define the volume of the head as well as major features such as eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, etc.

Include surrounding space

Line only

Materials

* Charcoal pencil, yardstick, hard eraser, good-quality white paper (22"x30")

Planar Analysis

Examples of planar analysis from past Drawing 1 classes:

Videos To Help You With Intuitive Perspective

To help get you ready for drawing in free-hand (intuitive) perspective, here are a couple of useful videos I came across in my searches:

The first video outlines some tips to keep the objects in your composition in proper in proportion and to establish guidelines to keep the composition organized well on the page. Notice how the instructor here holds the pencil correctly up until the very end. I groaned when I saw him switch how he was holding it.

In this video, the instructor is using a finished drawing to point out all the considerations he put into its construction. Everything he mentions, with the exception of value (which we just don't deal with in this class) applies to everything you will be doing in this class.

Remember, however, that--unlike the instructor in these videos--you will continue to use your ruler for a while, even now that we're moving into intuitive perspective. I hope by now that you've come to see that the ruler isn't the constricting, limiting thing you originally thought it would be and that you have, instead, discovered just how loose and free this tool can allow you to be.

Examples Of 2-Point Perspective Still Life Drawings

To give you a reminder of how 2-point perspective works while you're drawing in your sketchbooks, here are some examples done in past classes.

NO HOMEWORK DUE SEPTEMBER 14

Due to my unfortunate inability to make it to class this morning, I do not expect you to do the homework that WOULD have been assigned in class today. Instead, just continue to work on 2-point perspective in your sketchbooks in order to keep yourself refreshed. When you return to class on Tuesday, I will discuss the changes we'll make in the schedule in order to make things work out. It will mean having to double-up on the homework, but I'll give you more time to complete it. Enjoy a homework-free weekend for now, however. See you Tuesday.

Student Blog Entries

Ok...so very, VERY few of you actually put the post on your blog that was asked of you with the last homework assignment. Now, you are all adults, so I can't stand there over your shoulder and shake a finger and force you to do your work. I can only remind you that the blog makes up 5% of your final grade. If that 5% is a complete goose-egg, that's enough to drop you a plus or minus OR even a full letter grade depending on how well you're doing with everything else. Just keep that in mind.

Another Of My "Art Heros": Raymond Pettibon

This is an episode of Art:21 featuring Raymond Pettibon. You can certainly feel free to watch the entire show (it is interesting) but you can also jump ahead to about the 15:00 mark for Pettibon's interview.

Homework Due September 14

Outside Assignment:
o Interior (same as last homework): two-point perspective/Consider different point of view
o Line only
o Materials
• Pencils, yardstick, bond paper (18”x24”)

Art Happenings This Week

The River Beneath Us

Hamlett Dobbins

Opening Reception: September 10, 6:00-8:00PM

This show will feature twenty new works by local Memphis artist Hamlett Dobbins.

David Lusk Gallery
4540 Poplar Avenue
Memphis, TN

Midnight Robbers: The Artists of Notting Hill Carnival

Opening Reception: September 10, 5:00-7:30PM

Come see the exhibition, as well as a live performance--students from the Dance Program have choreographed a short performance with the Africa costume, designed by Ali Pretty, which will be accompanied by steel drums played by faculty and students from the Percussion Program.
The "Midnight Robbers" exhibition features photographs, a wire sculpture and costume, video and interactive information. Together these elements capture the sights and sounds of London’s Notting Hill Carnival. Through highlighting the work of four specific carnival artists artists, "Midnight Robbers" provides insight to the deeply rooted political meanings and cultural history of Caribbean carnival.

Also on display:
"Sogo Bo: The Animals Come Forth"
"Africa: Visual Arts of a Continent - Art in the Land of Sundiata",
and the IEAA collection of Egyptian Antiquities

In Caseworks: Kevin Mitchell, "Man. Enough"

The exhibits "Midnight Robbers", and "Sogo Bo: The Animals Come Forth" have been extended, and will now be on view until September 25th, 2010.

Art Museum University of Memphis
3750 Norriswood Ave -- CFA Building 142

Horn Island 26

Exhibition open to the public now through the end of September.

Opening Reception: September 11, 6:00-9:30 PM.

Come see all the great work from this year's MCA Horn Island trip. The show has a great selection of work from both students, teachers and and long-term Horn Islanders. Much of the work is for sale, and its all great!

The exhibition will also premier Eric Huber's Horn Island documentary.
There will be H.I. themed snacks. Drinks will be served.

Memphis College of Art

1930 Poplar Ave.

Memphis, TN

Duality

Helen Phillips & Pam Hassler

September 1-28

Opening Reception: September 10, 6:00-8:00PM

L Ross Gallery
5040 Sanderlin Ave
Memphis, TN

How To Behave At A Gallery

Here's a little something I found that I thought everyone might find funny.

How To Behave At a Gallery on Howcast

Your Pencils May Be Worth More Than You Thought

Since you guys are spending so much time with your pencils lately, I thought this article might appeal to you.

Homework Due September 7

Interior: One-Point Perspective

Choose an interior space from which to draw. Make sure that you are comfortable in this space because you will be using it for the next two homework assignments as well.

Working from observation, but using the interior mostly as a guide, draw the interior in one-point perspective. Remember with each object you draw to begin with a flat, geometric shape with no foreshortening and THEN recede your orthogonals (please forgive my mispronunciation of that word in class) to the vanishing point. For this assignment, I don't need to see your orthogonals receding all the way to the vanishing point like we did in class. You can erase any lines that do not define the object you are drawing.

Here's a good online tutorial to practice drawing interiors in one-point perspective: http://www.olejarz.com/arted/perspective/start.html (Just ignore the suggestion to not use soft pencils. That's what we're using here, folks!)

LINE ONLY

Materials: Drawing pencils (2B, 4B, 6B), yardstick, bond paper (18"x24")

Blog: Search the Internet for artists' images demonstrating 1-, 2-, and 3-point perspective. Post good examples to your blog and label them.

If you don't know how to download an image, here are some steps: (I'm assuming everyone is a Mac user) Place the pointer on the image you want to download and right-click (or press "control" on the keyboard and click if the right-click doesn't work). Scroll down to "Save Image to Downloads" and click. The image is now in your "downloads" folder.

Click HERE for directions on how to upload images to your blog. When you click on the "browse" button to locate your images, remember that they are in the "downloads" folder.

E-mail me or submit a comment to this post if you have any difficulties.

Sketchbook Examples

Here are some good examples from the sketchbooks of past Drawing 1 students. Notice how I have all of them opened to 2-page spreads. This is so you can see how each student decided to design their layouts from page to page.

Just For The Hell Of It: The Kentucky Headhunters!

If you just want a good chuckle, here's a 1993 video from The Kentucky Headhunters. I'm sure you'll see, almost immediately, that these guys were just having fun. They certainly weren't taking things too seriously. And WOW, the sheer amount of hair between the five of them is mind-boggling! Have fun...

And here, almost 20 years later, is Fred Young, drummer of the Kentucky Headhunters, showing us that he's still got it...

A Twitter Interview With David Hockney

Below is a video interview with David Hockney. Along with the video, I've posted images of the two works of art that are mentioned in the video. Both are very influential and historically important pieces.