Perception of Color Drawing

I was entirely intimidated by this assignment because I've never drawn in color before. However, I'm really excited about it now because I'm learning a lot and I think it's going very well! The assignment is mainly focused on our perceptions of color, and really learning the difference between that and local color. Also, one-point perspective is applied in this drawing which is different than what we've done all semester. Nancy (my teacher) always tells us to draw what we see but this time we're skewing that a bit to make it appear more realistic. It's kind of an oxymoron, but our eyes play tricks on us!

We started by doing two rough sketches of the still life. My first sketch was awful. We could either start the sketch using one-point perspective, or just rough it out first, then correct it using one-point. I tried the latter first. It didn't work out well. But here is my second sketch, in which I applied one-point from the beginning. It turned out a lot better.

We then had to transfer our sketches to our toned 18"x24" Strathmore. Sorry about the low quality photograph, I took it quickly in the back of my car.

Then the next week I started adding color, and here's what I have so far:

I also fixed some of my lines on the right side of the drawing to better fit the one-point perspective. 

But so far, I'm having a lot of fun with this drawing. Although my back is seriously killing me by the end of class....and for a few days after that. Imagine sitting in a drawing horse for close to 5 hours at a time. I probably need to see a masseuse, or a chiropractor. Or both.

Anyway, this drawing won't be completed until about the middle of April, but I'll keep you updated!

Completed Soap Sculpture

So I did end up going with the Gnome idea, and I think it turned out pretty well. I worked on it for about three days, probably around 5 hours total. I used a pointed metal tool (I'm not exactly sure what it's originally for, but my boyfriend found it in his junk drawer) and it worked perfectly. I added some detail with an x-acto knife. You can't really see it in this picture, but he does have eyes and a mouth. And shoelaces!

You Don't Gnome Me
3/24/11

I didn't end up winning the contest, but it was a lot of fun learning about sculpting. For being the first thing I've ever sculpted, I think I did well. It could have been a little more refined, but for jumping right in, I'm pretty proud of myself. I wanted to make little mushrooms to go around him, but I could not figure out how to melt the soap shavings back together. I tried mircrowaving them, but they would just expand and resemble cauliflower. I also tried putting them in some foil and heating it slowly on the stove, but to no avail.

Contour Drawing

What I love about contour drawing is how well it gets you in the artistic mood. I used to hate it, but I've found that when I take my time with it, it really switches my brain over so I'm more prepared to draw. I used to think of drawing as a relaxing thing, but it requires full attention and concentration and can be a stressful thing. However, that being said, the reward I feel once I've completed a drawing is worth the "work." Here are some contour drawings I've done this semester.

Modified/Pure Contour of Shoe
(the modified is unfinished)

Modified Contour of May

Modified Contour of Brian

Modified Contour of Myself

Modified Contour of Myself
(2nd attempt)

James Turrell

I watched this Ted Talks podcast after class today, which inspired me to write about James Turrell, one of the artists that appeared in Rober Hughes American Visions: Age of Anxiety. The podcast was a presentation by lighting architect Rogier Van der Heide entitled "Why Light Needs Darkness." It was a really fascinating talk (and it can be watched for free through iTunes!). The point that Van der Heide makes is that one of the only reasons we as humans appreciate light is because of the presence of darkness. Because there is a contrast, we see the beauty in light. James Turrell really hones in on light in his artwork. What really caught my eye in the video we watched in class today was the Roden Crater in Arizona. From my knowledge, it isn't open, and from the research I've done, it sounds like it's under some strict supervision. Otherwise, I'd be planning a road-trip down to AZ to sneak into the Roden Crater because it sounds like a celestial experience. He transformed this crater into a gorgeous piece of art, focusing on light and observation of our skies. It looks truly beautiful and humbling. Here are some photos (from deputy-dog.com):

I want to go so badly! Anyway, we were given some questions to answer about the artist.

How does the artist utilize material/media/found object, in an art historical context, versus a contemporary context?

What's great about this piece is that he references history in the natural human desire to question our existence by looking to the skies. We often forget to look up, to gaze at stars, to appreciate the sun in our day-to-day lives. Humans have been building massive structures to do just that for hundreds of years. Look at Machu Picchu, look at the Great Pyramids; we just want to see the universe! Obviously, James Turrell is using products that were not available in previous times, but the message he's sending is universal across the life-span of homosapiens.

How do these materials inform the meaning of the piece?

The main "material" Turrell wants his visitors to focus on is the skies, and possibly the crater itself. The structure and what it's made of is not of focus, but the light and the view of the sky is. There is no painting, there is no work, and as was stated in the film we watched in class "the artwork takes place behind the viewer's eyes," which is such a beautiful concept.

What site was chosen for the artwork?

A volcanic crater in northern Arizona near Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. It is remote, and very difficult to find.

How does the site/place inform the meaning of the artwork?

Because it is so remote, it gives it a sense of being special and an extraordinary thing. The fact that it is in Arizona doesn't mean much, but this is the first time a volcanic crater has ever been transformed to this extent for any purpose, especially artistic. It sounds like it would be a heavenly experience to visit Roden Crater and I cannot wait to someday visit. He truly uses the form of the Earth to not only create meaning, but to intensify it. I'm really excited about this!

Soap or Spam

For our midterm we were given an assignment to create a sculpture out of soap or spam, adding nothing (including armature), and using solely the contents of the package. I thought about stepping outside my comfort zone a bit and choosing spam, but I just couldn't do it. The smell of the stuff makes me gag, let alone the texture of it. So I went with soap. I haven't done much carving or sculpting so this should be an interesting challenge for me. I Googled soap sculptures, and there's a lot out there. This was probably purposeful, but it's funny we're using Ivory soap because Ivory has a whole section on their website on soap sculpting. They give you instructions and tips! They also have some examples of soap carvings/sculptures others have done:

It's amazing the details one can achieve. I've thought a little about what I'm going to sculpt, and I think I'm going to make a gnome with mushrooms and entitle something silly like "You Don't Gnome Me." There's a contest, and the winner gets a prize. She said it was sponsored by Flying M. I won't be too concerned if I don't win, seeing as I work at a coffee shop. But I will give it my best!

Andy Goldsworthy

Andy Goldsworthy's philosophy is on his website and in summary, the man loves nature. With every place he goes he spends a lot of time getting to know the area, the materials, and everything about his environment. What's interesting about his work is that it is perishable. It doesn't keep it's form forever, but, like he mentions in his philosophy, that's his aim. When he makes a line of stones, years later, those stones will still be in a line, but moved shifted, and often, underneath more stones - so his mark is still there, just concealed within nature. Sometimes he works with materials like snow, which, obviously, will melt away and perish quite quickly as soon as the weather changes. He constantly has to work with what the environment throws at him. Here are some examples of his work. All the images are from here.

Images meant for coffee table books, but still quite beautiful and thought-provoking, Andy Goldsworthy records his work at the peak of their existence and then leaves it at the hands of nature and, subsequently, decay.

More head drawings!

For this drawing assignment we had to draw to small heads with graphite. One of a classmate using light/shadow shapes, and the other of yourself using hatching.

I think my lines may be a bit too harsh in the above drawing. I could have used just a little extra time.

After we were finished with the graphite drawings, we took a piece of matte drafting film and did ink drawings of the heads. The drafting film is clear, so we just lay it over the top and tape it down and use the graphite drawings as guides. For the first head we use a wash method, and for our self-portraits we use a drawing pen and ink (with optional addition of wash, if desired).

The wash part was kind of hard to get used to because the ink would really resist the drafting film, especially the lighter tones which had more water added. The pen was really easy and fun to work with. I got a variety of line density and application. I added a wash over the top of the hatching, especially in the hair.