Beyond the Border Project Intro

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

        

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.

You must complete the following mini lessons before you will receive the final project paper:

1. 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.
2. Colored pencil practice coloring page. Color a celebrity coloring page of your choice with colored pencil.
   Do not use the black or white colored pencil. Practice creating custom colors by blending 2-3 colors, create highlights with lighter pencil pressure, and create shadows by mixing in darker colors such as blues, browns, and purples.
3. Pen and ink sketchbook practice. In your sketchbook, practice each of the following pen and ink techniques.
   Star any techniques that you may wish to use in your project and note where you would like to use them:
   
4. Project planning sketch. In your sketchbook, sketch your idea for your project.
   Place your focal point in the Rule of Thirds. Start with the outside border, then draw an interior rectangle.
   Creatively & selectively expand part of your design onto to the outside border.
   

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:

Instructions for creating your drawing on good paper:

1. Begin LIGHTLY drawing your interior rectangle by measuring 2 1/2” in from each side.
2. Draw your main subject matter in lightly.
3. Add your back ground extending ONLY PART of it to the edges of the paper. I recommend 3 sides.
4. Color your main subject with colored pencil. Do not use the black colored pencil!
5. Apply black ink to the subject matter (outline & add details) and to the area beyond the border using the pen and ink techniques we have studied.

New Project: The Figure & Foreshortening

Essential Question: How will I create an aesthetically appealing drawing that includes a realistic human figure?

In our next project, we will create an 18×24 realistic drawing of the human figure.
It should show an understanding of foreshortening and include at least 50% of one human figure.
The rest is up to you!

Here are some examples  that would meet the project requirements.
Use these for inspiration, but by no means limit your ideas:

  

  

  

Robert in 10th grade recently created a great example of a figure drawing with foreshortening:

Important note: This is a figure drawing, not portraiture, project. You are welcome to draw the face of your subject, if you so choose, but by no means are you required to do so. If you are nervous about drawing the face, feel free to come up with a creative solution to avoid doing so (ie. subject wears a mask, face is in the shadows, subject is turned away from the viewer in such a way that the face is hidden).

Project requirements:

• fills 18 x 24 paper
• realistic shading
• includes at least 50% of one human figure
• shows an understanding of foreshortening

Sketchbook requirements for unit:

• 3 detailed figure sketches from the reference packet (Each sketch should include detailed clothing and shading, and should take about 15-20 minutes to complete.)
  
• 3 drawings of hands from the reference packet.
• 3 drawings of feet from the reference packet. (Include different views, such as front, side, and back, and different footwear (sneakers, sandals, high heels, barefoot)

Creating a Digital Sketch of the Project Concept

Before you start drawing your project on good paper, you will create a digital “sketch” in Photoshop. We will then print this photo and you will use it as a reference. Make sure your digital concept sketch meets the requirements listed below.

How to Create your digital sketch

1. Open the images you plan to combine in Photoshop. (You must combine at least two images to ensure that you have an original concept and are not just copying someone else’s work). I will start with the images below:   
2. Drag your figure image into the background:
3. Use the eraser to erase most of the space around the figure. (Or if the background is solid and contrasts with the figure, you may be able to use the magic wand.) It does not have to be perfect, but you do want to see most of the background behind the figure:
4. If necessary (many people can skip these steps):
   1. Scale the figure so it fits appropriately in the scene. (Edit->Transform->Scale).
   2. Rotate the figure so it fits appropriately in the scene. (Edit->Transform->Rotate).
   3. Flip the direction the figure is facing so it fits appropriately in the scene. (Edit->Transform->Flip Horizontal).
5. Select the move tool from the toolbar on the left side of the screen.  Move the figure into the appropriate spot in the scene.
6. Select the crop tool from the toolbar on the left side of the screen. Set the dimensions at the top of the screen to 7.5 inches by 10 inches (or 10 inches by 7.5 inches).
7. Crop the image by pressing “Enter.”
   
8. Create a new blog post with a PNG or JPG of your digital sketch and a paragraph describing your project idea.

Today we will:

• Create a digital sketch of our project concept
• Create a new blog post with a PNG or JPG of your digital sketch and a paragraph describing your project idea.
• Draw three human figures of your choice FROM THE REFERENCE PACKET. Include shading.
• If you have not already done so, finish the 3 hands and 3 feet sketchbook assignment.

Human Gesture Drawings

Today’s essential question: How can I create a realistic drawing of the human figure?

Today we will begin our figure drawing unit. We will begin by making gesture drawings from live models to gain an understanding of proportion. By the end of today’s class, we will shift our focus and turn some of our gesture drawings into more realistic drawings of the human figure.

We will start by drawing a few basic lines to mark the direction of the pose and the limbs. Notice how simple these drawings are. These drawings should only take about 60-90 seconds:
  

For the next part of the class, we will once again start with basic line drawings, but will add basic geometric shape to begin to develop a sense of volume. These drawings will take approximately 3-5 minutes, so they will still be very simple:
  

During this portion of the class, you may also wish to experiment with a looser style of gesture drawing such as the example below:

Finally, we will spend the second half of class using what we have learned about action lines and proportion to create 3 well-developed drawings of the human figure. You will use the figure packets as a reference and draw any 3 figures of your choice. Each drawing should take up a full sketchbook page.

Today we will:

• create a series of gesture drawings from live models
• create 3 well-developed figure drawings from the reference packet

 

Foreshortening

Today’s Essential Question: 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:

The Big Self Portrait, 1968

Mark, 1978-1979

Emma, 2002

Kara Walker, 2008

Self Portrait, 2011

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.
• Lightly draw a 3″ grid on a piece of 18×24″ drawing paper. If you are heavy-handed, use a lighter pencil such as a 2H or 4H.

Previewing what our designs will look like on an actual t-shirt

Today we will preview what our designs will look like on a t-shirt.

Here are some print-resolution t-shirt images to start with. You must use one of these images, both because our actual t-shirt color options are limited to black or white, and because they are large enough that they will print at a high resolution.

Follow these steps to get your design on a t-shirt:

1. Open your t-shirt design in Adobe Illustrator.
2. Delete the layer with your original sketch.
   (Click on the layer with the sketch, then press the trash icon  at the bottom of the layers palette.)
3. Unlock all remaining layers.
   (Click on any lock icons  in the layers palette. When the lock icon disappears, it means you have unlocked the layer.)
4. Select the black arrow tool from the top of the toolbar.
5. Click and drag the arrow across the entire design area. This should select all the pieces of your design.
6. Copy your design by pressing control + c.
7. Download the t-shirt image of your choice from this post.
   (Click on the image to view it full size, then right click -> save image as and save it to your student number.)
8. Open Adobe Photoshop.
9. Open the t-shirt file you have downloaded from this post.
10. Paste your design onto the t-shirt be pressing control + v. Several options will pop up. Select “paste as SmartObject.”
11. Scale your design to the correct size by holding down shift AND scaling from the corner.
    (If you don’t do both of these things together, you may distort your design.)
    
12. When you are happy with your design, press the “enter” key.
    Here is an example of what a design might look like on a t-shirt:
    
13. Save your design as both a photoshop file and a jpg.
14. Upload the following two files to your blog:
    1. a PDF of your final t-shirt design (this is what we will print on the t-shirt)
    2. a jpg of your design on a t-shirt

Today we will:

1. create a mock up of what our designs might actually look like on a t-shirt in Adobe Photoshop
2. finish vectorizing our t-shirt designs in Adobe Illustrator
3. create a blog post with
   1. a PDF of your final t-shirt design (this is what we will print on the t-shirt)
   2. a jpg of your design on a t-shirt

More Banksy Antics

Today’s essential question: Who or what determines how much an artwork is worth?

Last fall, Banksy hired an elderly man to sell some of his artwork in Central Park for $40 a piece.
Only three people bought anything, one of whom negotiated a 50% discount!

Today we will:

• continue working on our t-shirt designs
• post a PDF of our progress to our blogs

Creating Our Vector T-shirt Designs in Illustrator

Today’s essential question: How will we turn our paper sketch into a scalable vector design on the computer?

Today we will begin tracing over our t-shirt design sketches in Adobe Illustrator. We will view a demo at the Smart Board and then follow these steps:

1. Open Adobe Illustrator.
2. Select “New Print Document” from the pop up screen.
3. Create a new file in Adobe Illustrator with the following guidelines:
   
4. Place the photo you took last class the file you just created. (File -> place) (DO NOT try to open your photo in Illustrator! This will cause strange things to happen.)
5. Create a new layer by clicking on the “new layer” button at the bottom of the layers palette on the right side of the screen.
6. Go to the toolbar on the left size of the screen and select the pen tool.
7. Trace over your first shape. (You may need to decrease the opacity of this layer so you can see what you are tracing. You can do this by clicking on the transparency icon on the right side of the screen and decreasing the opacity so it is below 100. )
8. Bring the opacity back 100% and adjust the color if necessary.
9. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you are happy with your vector illustration.
10. Save your Illustrator file, and then save a version as a .pdf
11. Create a new blog post with the PDF of your progress. I do not expect you to finish your design, but I do expect you to post what you worked on today.

Appropriation and copyright infringement

Today’s essential question: What is the difference between appropriating or being inspired by someone’s artwork and committing copyright infringement? Does monetary compensation affect your answer?

Consider the case of Shepard Fairey, who faced legal charges when he modeled his vector drawing of President Obama after a photo he didn’t have permission to use:

Did you know Shepard Fairey has a clothing line? Several of his designs fulfill the requirements for our t-shirt design project (one color ink on a contrasting color t-shirt):

Today we will:

• create a black and white sketch of our t-shirt design, coloring in the positive space with a Sharpie. Here is an example of what I am looking for (created by 12th grader Lauryl):
  
• Photograph our t-shirt design sketch
• Create a new blog post with the following:
  •  The photograph of our sketch. Examples from the other class:
    

    created by Brian 

    

    Created by Ler

    A few sentences explaining why your design is your original work and does not violate any copyright laws.

If you are planning on purchasing a t-shirt with your design on it, mention this in today’s blog post.
A white men’s t-shirt with any one ink color will be $10, and a black men’s t-shirt with any one ink color will be $16. If anyone is interested in women’s fitted t-shirts, I can research the pricing on those.