YHS Art Blog

From now until the end of the semester, approximately every other week you will be posting an INCREDIBLY AMAZING photograph to your blog and explaining, using art vocabulary, why you chose to post your image.

This should be done with a digital camera. If you do not have access to a digital camera, come and see me AHEAD OF TIME, to make arrangements to do this.

Your first photo of the week is due on Thursday, November 8th. Shoot in black & white if possible, otherwise we will change to color afterward.

Sketchbook assignment due November 2
A careful drawing, in which you:
• Find the correct proportions of objects
• Find the relationship between objects
• Find the objects’ relative positions in space
• Use a variety of marks to define the forms

You will use three (3) objects:
• A regular sized Styrofoam coffee cup or similar standard cup
• A lemon, lime, egg, apple, or pear
• An easily recognizable standard size milk or juice container (quart or half gallon)

You should:
• Draw as close to life size as your page will allow.
• Orient your page vertically
• Stand the bottle and cup up. Do NOT lay them on their sides.
• Position the three objects so that they OVERLAP each other
• As you begin your drawing, mark location points to help you figure out proportions and placement of objects on the page.
• Use line variation (light/dark, thin/thick) to indicate the light source, the structure, and detail.
• Define the shapes of your objects by shading (NOT SMUDGING), using marks to achieve a wide range of values in your drawing. Look back in your sketchbook for inspiration from the work of van Gogh or other artists. See what strategies they used to create values.

EXTRA CHALLENGE:
Include a second cup lying on its side, with the open end towards you.

Film Due:
Monday, October 29 – p3
Tuesday, October 30 – p4 & P5

Perspective is the Element of Design in which you are almost entirely in control of when you are photographing. The word “perspective” literally and figuratively means point of view. Where you are standing in relation to your subject is the literal interpretation and how you “feel” about your subject (the mood, feeling of the photograph) is the figurative interpretation.

Your Goal:
To photograph a variety of subjects that “describe” and “communicate” unusual perspectives.

Helpful Hints:
Photograph each subject from at least three different perspectives.

Think about photographing in the early morning or late afternoon to add variety and interest to your photographs.

What mood, feeling are you trying to portray? What point of view is the most effective in communicating this?

Homework due: Thursday, October 25

Please look at the work of the following artists online:
Francisco Goya
Kathe Kollwitz
Honoré Daumier
George Bellows
George Seurat
Dewitt Hardy

Choose two artists, and find for each one a work of art that is a really strong example of the use of a wide range of values. (Values are those steps between white and black or between light and dark that you have been using in your still life collages.)

Print copies of the two images you have chosen, trim the excess paper from them, and glue them into your sketchbook. Be sure to include the title, artist, and date of the works chosen. (You can do this manually or in a Word document.)
Pick one of these images, and copy it, using similar marks and range of value.

Due: Monday, October 22nd
Purpose:To demonstrate your knowledge of Depth of Field by Photographing 3 different strategies to communicate depth of field:

1. Shallow (1.8 – 4.5, large lens opening) Depth of Field
(subject in clear focus, background blurry)
2. Deep (16 – 32, small lens opening) Depth of Field
(subject in clear focus from foreground to background)
3. Selective Focus (foreground blurring, focus on middle ground, your choice of d.o.f. for background)

Record shutter speeds and f-stops for each exposure.

You may photograph anything you choose, as long as you demonstrate your ability to vary your depth of field.

Remember to continue to think about elements of design:
line, form, texture, motion, perspective and light

and compositional strategies:
s-curve, radial, triangular, repetition of elements, diagonal, vertical, horizontal, framing, rule of thirds, leading/implied lines

Especially, concentrate on varying your depth of field.
Use depth of field appropriately,
to enhance or add impact to your images.

Continue to Pay Attention to your LIGHT METER

**Make deliberate and intentional choices**

Visit this link on my 2007-2008 homepage to complete the exercise.

Sketchbook assignment due October 15
Assignment:
A careful contour line drawing, in which you:
• Find the correct proportions of objects
• Find the relationship between objects
• Find the objects’ relative positions in space
You will use three (3) objects:
• A regular sized Styrofoam coffee cup or similar standard cup
• A lemon, lime, egg, apple, or pear
• An easily recognizable standard size milk or juice container (quart or half gallon)
You should:
• Draw as close to life size as your page will allow.
• Orient your page vertically
• Stand the bottle and cup up. Do NOT lay them on their sides.
• Position the three objects so that they OVERLAP each other
• As you begin your drawing, mark location points to help you figure out proportions and placement of objects on the page.
• Use line variation (light/dark, thin/thick) to indicate the light source, the structure, and detail.

Shaded lines go from thick to thin and create a subtle illusion of space. Thin areas recede while thicker sections advance. (From Design Language by Tim McCreight)

Materials:
Sketchbook
Pencil, eraser
Three objects

EXTRA CHALLENGE:
Include a second Styrofoam cup lying on its side, with the open end towards you.