Learning About Unity

Students in Art 1 and Art Appreciation learned first hand about Unity, which is a principle of art that artists employ to give their work a sense of togetherness, wholeness or completion. 

As a one-day exercise, each student at a table received a material/medium to work with that was different from the others at their table.  Some students received collage, some marker, some watercolors, some pencil, some colored pencils, and others ink. 

After discussing unity, each student had five minutes to work on a blank sheet of paper and make whatever they wanted to.  After five minutes, each student passed their work to the person to their right, and that person continued to work on the piece with their own medium. They added to it, but also tried to unify it at the same time.  The artwork was passed to at least 4 artists before it was complete.  The end goal was that the artwork would look like it was created by 1 artist instead of 4-5 people.  Each student needed to observe which elements and principles they might want to repeat or enhance that would tie the work together.  For example, color and shape were frequently used to create a sense of togetherness. 

 

This exercise is a lot of fun, and I believed the students enjoyed creating these collaborative works of art.

 

Compositions from Observation

Students in Art 1 and Art Appreciation learned about the art of creating a good composition by looking closely at objects in front of them. 

First, we discussed some basic rules for making a strong composition.  To make a good composition, one should make sure the subject matter (positive space) engages at least 3 edges of the frame.  They should also make sure that there are interesting negative space shapes created by how the subject is cropped.

Next, students used a viewfinder to frame and zoom in on the objects they were seeing.  They specifically focused their eyes on the negative space shapes they were seeing.  They recorded those negative space shapes as they looked through the viewfinder, and in doing so found the edges of the objects themselves. 

Next, students used the technique of contour line drawing, which they have already learned, to focus back on the positive space shapes and draw them in detail using lines. 

Finally, the students and I went over what Value means as an element of art, and we discussed the ways in which artists go about adding value to a composition or object in order to make it look three-dimensional.

The students were required to add value to at least one composition.  The rest could remain as line drawings or negative/positive space compositions.  They did an amazing job and made some very beautiful work from banal objects.

 

Gesture Drawing

        

Students in Art 1 learned a second way to approach a drawing problem, which is kind of the opposite of contour line drawing.  They learned about gesture drawing, which artists use to get a sense of the whole, or the essential qualities of the object or pose.  While gesture drawing, students used vine charcoal and tried to capture figure poses in less than 30 seconds.  They focused on the spine of the figure, basic shapes, and lines that would draw them from one feature to the next.  They also used the side of their charcoal to show mass and weight within the pose. 

 The gesture drawings were ephemeral and most of them were erased before the class ended.  Here are a few more in pencil that did not get erased. 


 

 

Students take turns posing for each other in class.

Contour Line Drawing

Students in Art 1 and Art Appreciation practiced a drawing fundamentals technique called Contour Line Drawing.   The goal with contour line is to look almost all the time at what you are drawing and very little at your paper.   You also want to use a continuous line (not pick your pen off the paper), and draw as slowly as possible so as to observe all of the ins and outs, all the details you see.



To practice this, students first created Blind Contour Line drawings, where they did not look down at their paper at all.  We all new the drawings would be silly and incorrectly proportioned, which took the pressure off making a great drawing and allowed students to focus on observing closely and recording like a scientist. Personally I think these drawings are quite captivating.

Blind Contour Line Drawing

Here are some contour line drawings, from observation. Students drew objects around the room, as well as their backpacks and shoes.

Drawing by Claire M.

Sketchbook Covers

Following the "Home Collages", students were asked to personalize their sketchbook cover using their choice of pencil, markers, collage or colored pencils.  
 Before beginning their sketchbook cover, the students were introduced to 
the elements and principles of art.  
The elements of art are the building blocks of each art piece, and the principles of art are the way that artists use those elements to create a beautiful and/or interesting work of art. 



After watching a slide show and discussing the elements and principles, students in Art 1 and Art Appreciation were required to choose 1 element and 1 principle of art to guide the design of their sketchbook cover. 

I did a mini-demo on using paint to cover up their sketchbook, as well as experimenting with ink. As long as they expressed an element and a principle, they could focus on any subject for their sketchbook cover and could chose their own materials.

 

The students did a fantastic job with this project. Their covers are unique and thoughtful, and I really enjoyed the diversity of the results.