A sketchbook is a journey, not a destination!!!
Sketchbooks are an amazing opportunity to draw, visualize, write, thumbnail, or fill countless hours doodling and relaxing. Part of the problem with sketchbooks is that artists see them as the enemy. They are white pages that command a perfect image. Consider using your sketchbook as an extension of your personality as well as continuing to improve your artistic skills. Remember your sketchbook is a tool to better yourself and not viewed solely as a grade.
Week 1:
Experimental Techniques Directions: Using the list below prepare pages in your sketchbook using your own individual flare. You will be graded on the completed steps, your inventiveness, and craftsmanship. Each page can now be “used” and hopefully the white page syndrome of the sketchbook will fall by the wayside. Remember you are not creating finished works, but creating interesting surfaces to draw onto later.
1. Create a two color wash on the page.
2. Collage text on the page and wash over the page to subdue the texture.
3. Scribble on the page with pencil; blend with a paper towel to create a value.
4. Create a one color wash on the page.
5. Cut squares in the page.
6. Draw a childlike drawing on the page and paint over it.
7. Create a repetitive pattern on the page using a geometric shape.
8. Find a simple object and cover the page with simple contour drawings of it.
9. Using muted colors paint a page.
10. Create a texture on the page with paint by lifting paint with a towel.
11. Create a negative space painting with a wash.
12. Cover the page with writing about your first day and summer.
13. Collage random pieces on the page.
14. Cut strips of colored paper and glue to the surface.
15. Doodle on the page with a pen.
16. Trade books and have another student treat the surface of a page
17. Tear a page out and re-collage onto another page.
18. Find a leaf outside. Represent the leaf in some way on the page.
19. Other media exploration.
20. Prep 5 other pages any way that you would like.
Remember that the pages should not be overwhelming. Be neat, use good craftsmanship, and beware of pages sticking together.
Week 2:
Design a simple landscape that features one tree or bush that has a personality. Show us the branches and the root system. Make it interesting--show us the bulges, the swirly textures, the way the forms twist and turn. OUR EMPHASIS IS ON LEARNING TO SHADE THINGS AND MAKE THEM LOOK THREE DIMENSIONAL. Nothing in the drawing should look flat. Use a wide range of values--light and dark tones. Position your form in the foreground and show us what is in the background. Do not position your focal point in the center of the page.
Week 3:
Find a magazine or newspaper photograph of a person looking full forward. The photo should be at least 5" x 8". Cut the photo down the middle. Glue one side down to your sketchbook page. Draw the other side using pencil and full shading.
Week 4:
If you had a candy bar named after you, what would it look like and what would it be called. Show great detail in the creation of the logo and the label of your bar.
Must be completed in full color!
Week 5:
"Whoever wants to know something about me (as an artist, the only notable thing) ought to look carefully at my pictures and try and see in them what I am and what I want to do." - Gustav Klimt
Think carefully about your belongings, however meaningful or trivial they may seem at a quick glance, and consider what they say about you, your personality, and your life. Set up a still life consisting of similar objects that will communicate some personal component of who you are.
Things to Consider:
-a light source. Dramatic lighting can enhance contrast and mood within an artwork (consider using a flashlight, table lamp, spotlight, candle, clip lamp, etc.)
-COMPOSITION! Always, always, always consider how you will arrange your composition and create a sense of VISUAL MOVEMENT throughout your artwork
-Repetition of similar objects or shapes to help move your eye around the work
-a wide range of value, from the darkest darks to the lightest lights
-Background! What is in your background? Consider using fabric, different heights for your objects, etc. A drawing with no background is not a complete drawing, but rather objects floating in nothingness.
-a sense of space (foreground, middle ground, background)
Examples on the next page:
week 6
Make a work of art that is composed only of writing. You may use some meaningful statements, poetry, quotations or ideas for work. Your idea should be both visually complete and work with the text.
Week 7:
a) Develop a color palette for a new brand of chewing gum that will be targeted at 12 - 15 year old girls. The name of the product is “Sweet.” Use color swatches to show what the package color palette will be. Describe the color scheme that you have chosen. Explain how and why these colors are appropriate for the audience.
b) Develop a color palette for a new brand of chewing gum that will be targeted at 12 – 15 year old boys. The name of the product is “Rad.” Use color swatches to show what the package color palette will be. Describe the color scheme that you have chosen. Explain how and why these colors are appropriate for the audience.
This assignment should be a full color page layout with the explanations written directly on the page.
Week 8:
Create a work of art based on things that you are afraid of. Use color, line and shapes to emphasize those fears.
