Feel free to take a closer look at the masterpiece we examined in class. It is a beautiful example of a painting in the early-Renaissance style of Naturalism. (Click on the photo to enlarge it.)
"The Annunciation" by Leonardo da Vinci and his mentor Andrea Verrocchio
If you'd like to learn a little more about this painting,
Here is the other drawing we examined in class. Take time to observe some of the characteristics we discussed in class, and then incorporate what you like into your own drawings. (Click to enlarge.)
"Study for an equestrian monument" by Leonardo da Vinci
Here is the "Mini-Biography of Leonardo da Vinci" we didn't have time to watch in class. Enjoy!
Home-work for the week of August 27 - September 3, 2015 Assignments Due: September 3, 2015 Remember, if you have any questions about these assignments, please contact Mrs. Z at mrsz@gmx.com. Don't wait until it's too late!
INSPIRATION
Read pages 19-25 in Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer. Be sure to highlight or copy down any quotes that resonate (click) with you, and be ready to share your insights in class.
VOCABULARY
The vocabulary lists are now on Quizlet. With your parents' permission, click here to add yourself to the class and use the flashcards to learn this week's terms (and review last week's as well).
You will have a quiz on these terms/concepts next week. You don't need to memorize the definitions, but you do need to understand what they mean and know how to identify each concept in a drawing. TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Videos to watch this week: TBA PROJECT #1: ART AS HISTORY
You should already be thinking about an event in history that you would like to study through art. Once you have your event, search for a painting or drawing depicting that event. Be sure to let me know your decision within the next couple of weeks. The sooner you choose your event, the better.
PRACTICE DRAWING Pay attention to the elements of art and space in each of your drawings this week. You should spend at least 30-45 minutes on each drawing.
DAY ONE: Go. Search. Find at least 5 items that interest you. Draw several items. Focus on the line quality (a.k.a. 'line variation') as you draw the edges of each object. Draw not only the outside edges, but also those you see within the outside edge. The more you draw, the more skill you will acquire. Remember to OBSERVE. DAY TWO: Draw a border 1/2 inches from the edges of the paper and then draw a picture filling the space of the page. The pencil lines at the border will help you become more aware of the whole space. Use da Vinci's method of redrawing lines, while leaving the first lines untouched. Erase incorrectly placed dark lines that become distracting.
DAY THREE: Find a photo of an animal or person. Set up the photo next to your drawing paper (use an artboard if you have one). Draw using hard pencils for light marks and soft pencils for dark marks.
DAY FOUR: Draw a face using a photograph as a reference. Draw lines lightly at first. With the 4H pencil, lightly place the outline on the page (these marks will not be erased). Draw over the lines with the HB pencil making corrections as you go. Change lines as needed to get closer to what you see. Only erase lines that distract. Add details with the 4B pencil. At this point, concentrate on specific areas of the drawing while adding the final touches. ** Remember to draw what you observe. Does your finished drawing include a variety of line qualities (line variation)?
One of the assignments this week is to draw a face. At this point in the class, you have not been instructed on technique, so please do not obsess about your drawing. This is just a FUN assignment to practice drawing with active and inactive space. However, if you've got a few minutes, and your interested in some very basic tips on proportions, feel free to watch this video. Remember to do your first lines with a harder lead so they are very light. Once you have your shape, you can use one of the softer leads to draw in the details. *** Don't spend too much time on this assignment. ***
The "bonus" art supplies have arrived!!! I will be out of town until late Sunday night, but if you would like to pick yours up prior to class on Thursday, please let me know! You have my contact information in the syllabus & the family directory.
Home-work for the week of August 20-26, 2015 Assignments Due: August 27, 2015 Remember, if you have any questions about these assignments, please contact Mrs. Z at mrsz@gmx.com. Don't wait until it's too late!
NEW!!!
Since we were unable to cover this in class as much as I had hoped, please take a few minutes BEFORE you start your homework assignments to PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO. This video is also by Matt Fussell (we watched his "Graphite" video in class today). In this video, Mr. Fussell addresses a similar topic with "Positive Space" and "Negative Space." Be sure to apply this knowledge when you do your drawings this week.
INSPIRATION
Read pages 13-19 in Art and the Bible by Francis Schaeffer. Be sure to highlight or copy down any quotes that resonate with you, and be ready to share your insights in class.
VOCABULARY
(We don't have much vocabulary this week...enjoy!)
Active Space
Inactive Space
Graphite Scale
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Videos to watch this week:
"How to Hold & Control Your Pencil" (8 minutes)
"How To Draw with Justin BUA - Pencils: Sharpening" (12 minutes)
* UNDER A PARENT'S SUPERVISION, feel free to sharpen a pencil like this. Don't start with one of your art pencils. Start with a regular pencil until you get the hang of it. Then sharpen one of your graphite pencils to a point leaving up to 3/4" exposed. The sandpaper pointer was delayed in shipping, but I will have them for you next week. If you wish, you could use a regular piece of sandpaper in the meantime.
"How To Critique" (7 minutes)
* We will be talking more about art criticism as we go through the semester, and we will spend a few minutes each week critiquing our work. This is a brief introduction to get us started in the process. :)
PRACTICE DRAWING Pay attention to the elements of art and space in each of your drawings this week. You should spend at least 30 minutes on each drawing.
DAY ONE: Assuming the weather is cooperative, head outside and draw a scene. Seek out a scene with active and inactive spaces. Clearly incorporate both types of space in your drawing. DAY TWO: Draw a face from a photograph, or look at your face in a mirror and draw what you see.
DAY THREE: Setup a group of simple objects and draw them paying close attention to how they fill the space of the page. Think about this BEFORE you begin drawing. For example, if the group of objects is tall, turn your paper vertically. Be sure to fill the page with your drawing, but make sure you leave inactive (or less active) spaces around active spaces to balance your drawing. * Use a mid-range pencil such as HB or 2H.
DAY FOUR: Read the following passage from "St. George and the Dragon." Then imagine one of the scenes described in the passage and draw it. Feel free to do some research on dragons or dragon-like creatures in order to get an idea how to draw the dragon. Or use your imagination. It's your drawing! such as lizards, snakes, or artist's drawings of dinosaurs in nature, magazines, story books, non-fiction books, encyclopedias, science text books, etc.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Excerpt
from “St. George and the Dragon” Retold
by J. Berg Esenwein and Marietta Stockard
“Lead the way, brave
Princess. Show me where this monster may be found.”
When
the Princess saw St. George’s flashing eyes and great, strong arm as he drew
forth his sword, she felt afraid no more. Turning, she led the way to a shining
pool.
“There’s
where he stays,” she whispered. “See, the water moves. He is waking.”
St.
George saw the head of the dragon lifted from the pool. Fold on fold he rose
from the water. When he saw St. George he gave a roar of rage and plunged
toward him. The smoke and flames flew from his nostrils, and he opened his
great jaws as if to swallow both the knight and his horse.
St.
George shouted, and waving his sword above his head, rode at the dragon. Quick
and hard came the blows from St. George’s sword. It was a terrible battle.
At
last the dragon was wounded. He roared with pain and plunged at St. George,
opening his great mouth close to the brave knight’s head.
St.
George looked carefully, then struck with all his strength straight down
through the dragon’s throat, and he fell at the horse’s feet—dead.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
And just so you've got it... here's the work of art we examined in class this week:
Young Knight in a Landscape by Vittore Carpaccio
Here's the Wikipedia article about this piece, if you're interested. ;)
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