Perspective Room with Figure Concept Sketches

Today’s essential question: How can I create a drawing of a room with a figure that tells an interesting story?

Here are some concept sketches that are well on their way:

Tina, Grade 9

Aquan, Grade 9

Caeline, Grade 9

Brandon, Grade 9

Today we will finalize our concept sketches. Once you think you are done, show Ms. Lawson and she will let you know whether you are ready to start on good paper.

Brainstorming Concepts for 1 Point Perspective Room with Figure

Here are some finished examples of our next project: one point perspective interior space with a figure:

Lily, 9th Grade

Darla, 9th Grade

Today’s Essential Question: How can I create a drawing of a room that tells an interesting story?

Today we will brainstorm concepts for our 1 point perspective interior space project.

Sample Room Concept Blog Post

I would like to start with an empty room warehouse-inspired room similar to this:

I like these furniture pieces and accessories:
 

For my figure, I will include a woman in a ball gown:

How to Start your Room Concept Sketch

1. Draw an X across the paper. The center of the X is your vanishing point.
   
2. Draw a box around the X. Keep the vanishing point, but erase the rest of the X inside the box.
   
3. Begin adding furniture, windows, and doors by connecting each room detail to your vanishing point.
   
   

Today we will:

• practice more figure drawing with live models
• Brainstorm concepts for our room
• Post reference photos to blog, including:
  • examples of room style
  • examples of interesting architectural details or furniture
  • reference photo of figure or figures
• Create a concept sketch for our project

Beyond the Border Concept Sketch

Today we will create our concept sketch for the Beyond the Border animal project. In this project, we will continue to develop our drawing skills, introduce pen and ink techniques, and introduce colored pencil technique. Here are some examples of finished projects:

  

Lily, Grade 9

Angel, Grade 9

Project Objective: Create a 2D mixed media art piece with colored pencil and black ink pen. The main subject matter (animal or insect of your choice) should extend past the inner rectangle, branching into  the border around it. The main subject should remain in color, but everything else turns black & white outside the main rectangle.

Today we will:

1.  Upload your reference photos to your blog. If you have not done so already, you should upload at least one photo of your chosen animal, and 2-3 photos of objects or scenes you may wish to use in your background and border design.
2. Create a concept sketch on practice paper. It must follow these guidelines:
   1. Main subject is an animal, insect, or mythical creature
   2. Focal point follows Rule of Thirds
   3. Animal goes “beyond the border” by extending outside inner rectangle on at least 3 sides
   4. Design adequately fills the paper
3. If you have not done so already, finish the zentangle design packet.

 

Beyond the Border Project Intro

Today we will start a new project. In this project, we will continue to develop our drawing skills, introduce pen and ink techniques, and introduce colored pencil technique. Here are some examples of finished projects:

  

Lily, Grade 9

Angel, Grade 9

Objective: Create a 2D mixed media art piece with colored pencil and black ink pen. The main subject matter (animal or insect of your choice) should extend past the inner rectangle, branching into  the border around it.
The main subject should remain in color, but everything else turns black & white outside the main rectangle.

Project requirements:

• Design fills a 12×16 piece of paper
• Main subject is an animal or insect. Mythical creatures (ie. dragon, phoenix, sphinx, griffin, unicorn) are also acceptable.
• Design contains an inner rectangle. The main subject should “go beyond the border” by extending outside this inner rectangle on at least 3 sides.
• Coloring:
  • anything within the rectangle will be colored with colored pencil
  • anything outside the rectangle will be shaded with black ink pen
  • the main subject (animal or insect) will be colored with colored pencil entirely (regardless of whether it is inside or outside the border)
• Design shows an understanding of contrast, movement, and emphasis

Here is an example of an “A” level project:

Today we will:

1. Complete the See the Shapes sketchbook exercise packet.
   1. Part 1: Simplify each animal into basic shapes, and draw the basic shapes over the image of the animal
   2. Part 2: Pick one animal from the packet and create a full page, realistic drawing of that animal. Start by sketching out the basic shapes that the animal is made of, and then add more detail.
2.  Upload your reference photos to your blog. You should upload at least one photo of your chosen animal, and 1-3 photos of objects or scenes you may wish to use in your background and border design.

 

Pencil Shading to Create Texture

Today’s essential question: How can I create realistic texture with pencil shading?

Here is an example of an incomplete drawing. Notice how the lack of shading makes it appear flat and unrealistic:

Here are two examples of finished pencil drawings.
Notice how the artists have created realistic texture with pencil shading:

Kiera, 9th Grade

Francheska, 9th Grade

Reference Photos: Using Pencil Shading to Create Texture

Here are some reference photos that will help you create realistic shading in your city drawing.

Bricks

Clouds
   

Doors and Windows

Grass
  

Water

Today we will continue working on our city drawings, shading to create realistic texture.

Foreshortening

Today’s Essential Question: What is foreshortening? How does foreshortening apply to portrait drawing?

Foreshortening is a method of rendering a specific object or figure in a picture in depth. The artist records, in varying degrees, the distortion that is seen by the eye when an object or figure is viewed at a distance or at an unusual angle.

How are features distorted in the pictures below? Do any of these camera angles match your selfie?

Today we will continue drawing our self portraits. We will draw what we really see (ie. distorted, foreshortened features) instead of what we think we see.

Chuck Close and the Grid

Today’s Essential Question: How can using a grid help you create a more realistic drawing?

Artist Chuck Close has used a grid to create large scale portraits since the 1970s.
His portraits have become more abstract over the years. Here are some examples of his work:

In this video, Chuck Close explains why he uses a grid.

Today we will:

• Examine how Chuck Close uses a grid to realistically enlarge photographs.
• View a demonstration on how to use the grid method to enlarge our self-portraits.
• Create a 3″ grid on our 18×24″ project paper.
• Create a 1.25″ grid on our reference photo. Use colored pencil if it is difficult to see regular pencil.
• Begin drawing our large scale self-portraits using the grid method
  • Starting with one of the middle squares, use the viewfinders to isolate and draw one square at a time.
  • Lightly shade some basic value, but do not heavily darken anything just yet.
  • Once you have lightly sketched in one square, move the viewfinders to an adjacent square (a square that touches the square you just drew).

Try squinting your eyes to see the basic values in each square of your grid:

At this point in the project, you should use lighter pencils (4H or 2H).
Stay away from anything in the B range – we will use B pencils later in the project to intensify our shadows.

Selecting & Editing Our Self-Portrait Reference Photos

Today’s Essential Question: How can I create an interesting, expressive self-portrait?

Here are some completed student self portraits. How have the artists made them interesting and expressive?

  

Why are the student self-portraits more interesting than the example below?

Today we will:

• Select a reference photo to use for our self portrait (or take one in class).
• Edit the reference photo in Photoshop according to the instructions in this handout.
• Post our edited reference photo to our blog. Ms. Lawson will print the photos tonight.
  If you do not post a reference photo by the end of today’s class, you will have nothing to work from tomorrow!
• Finish the face shading and value shading worksheets and place the completed worksheets in your new folder.
• Complete the mystery grid drawing packet.

Setting Up Our Class Blogs and School Gmail Accounts

Today we will set up our Google Drives and blogs. By the end of this class you should:

• set up your class blog
• email Ms. Lawson the link to your class blog from your school Gmail account
• publish your first blog post

Part 1: Setting up a WordPress account

1. Click here to set up a WordPress account. (This will be your Foundations 1 class blog.) You may choose any free template you like, but keep in mind that you will need to post both text and images, so you should pick a template that supports both of these requirements well. Use your real email address – you will have to verify your email in order to publish blog posts.
2. Log into your email account, open the email from WordPress, and click on the link to verify your email address.

Part 2: Logging into your district Gmail account

1. Click here to log into your district Gmail account. Your username will be your student ID # @rcsd121.org.) Ex. 8123456@rcsd121.org, and your password is your district computer password. (Your district gmail account has unlimited storage space and will give you access to DropBox, which is a great free way to back up your files.)
2. Email Ms. Lawson (2013045 at rcsd121.org) from your district Gmail account. You will not receive credit if you email me from another email client. Your email should include:
   1. Your first and last name
   2. A link to your WordPress blog. For example, “Stephanie Lawson – My blog URL is SOTAfoundations1.wordpress.com.”

Part 3: Publishing your first blog post

Publish your first post by clicking on this icon at the top of your WordPress screen
Include the following:

1. Post an image by following these steps:
   1. Go to images.google.com
   2. type in what you are looking for (ex. “cutest kitten in the world”)
   3. click on the image you want to download
   4. control +click -> save images as
   5. save the image to your desktop
   6. Click on the “add media” button
   7. Click on “upload files”
   8. Click on “select file”
   9. Select the image you want to insert
2. Write a paragraph with the answers to the following questions:
   1. Describe your previous experience with computer art.
   2. What are 5 of your current favorite songs that could be played in class?
   3. Whose is responsible if the computer crashes and your project disappears? What will happen?
   4. How will you back up your work?
   5. When is food allowed in the classroom?
   6. List the circumstance under which I may refuse to offer you extra help:
   7. List some easy ways to gain participation points:
   8. List some easy ways to lose participation points:
3. Click “publish” at the bottom of the screen to publish your post.

If you have time, set up the “About” page on your blog.

Need help? Please follow the following process:

1. Check the blog
2. Ask two classmates
3. Still stuck? Raise your hand and Ms. Lawson will help you as soon as she is available.

If you finish early, help your classmates set up their blogs or finish the social media handout.

Welcome again! We are going to have so much fun.

Project Idea: Bleach Pen T-Shirts

Stuck for project ideas? Have an old t-shirt you’d like to upcycle? Consider making a bleach pen t-shirt for your final project: