Sunday, February 3, 2019
Recognizable Shapes
IN CLASS EXERCISE
Materials: ruler, strathmore paper pad, pencil, sharpie, fine or broad nib pen.
Shape: Choose a simple shape from a recognizable object that uses both curvy and straight lines.
Start by using your ruler and a pencil to map out a square that is 9x9 inches on a sheet of your strathmore paper. Divide your 9x9 square so that you have three vertical and three horizontal rows of 3 inch squares. You should have 9 total squares. Refer to grid below.
Left —> Right
Row1. A,B,C
Row2. D,E,F
Row3. G,H,I
Complete the grid following steps A - I. Only move onto the next square once the first is completed. Take your time and use your pencil to map out each drawing before you trace it in black ink.
Make your drawings as neat as possible. TIP: Before filing in your shape or negative space with sharpie, trace an extra layer of black ink with your fine pen to create a buffer to keep your lines crisp. This allows your sharpie to bleed without ruining the sharpness of your drawing.
A. Draw the silhouette of your object in the middle of your square with pencil. The outline/ silhouette will describe the object’s 2D shape. Trace the silhouette with your fine pen, erase pencil when ink is dry.
B. Repeat steps in “A”. When done, fill in the shape with sharpie so that the background is white and the shape is black. Your black shape should look like it is sitting on top of your paper, not integrating with the background. The shape is positive space and the background is negative space.
C. Repeat steps in “A”. When done, fill in the background with sharpie and leave the shape white. The background and shape should not be interacting. The shape of your object is still positive space and the background is still negative space.
IN CLASS EXERCISE
Materials: ruler, strathmore paper pad, pencil, sharpie, fine or broad nib pen.
Shape: Choose a simple shape from a recognizable object that uses both curvy and straight lines.
Start by using your ruler and a pencil to map out a square that is 9x9 inches on a sheet of your strathmore paper. Divide your 9x9 square so that you have three vertical and three horizontal rows of 3 inch squares. You should have 9 total squares. Refer to grid below.
Left —> Right
Row1. A,B,C
Row2. D,E,F
Row3. G,H,I
Complete the grid following steps A - I. Only move onto the next square once the first is completed. Take your time and use your pencil to map out each drawing before you trace it in black ink.
Make your drawings as neat as possible. TIP: Before filing in your shape or negative space with sharpie, trace an extra layer of black ink with your fine pen to create a buffer to keep your lines crisp. This allows your sharpie to bleed without ruining the sharpness of your drawing.
A. Draw the silhouette of your object in the middle of your square with pencil. The outline/ silhouette will describe the object’s 2D shape. Trace the silhouette with your fine pen, erase pencil when ink is dry.
B. Repeat steps in “A”. When done, fill in the shape with sharpie so that the background is white and the shape is black. Your black shape should look like it is sitting on top of your paper, not integrating with the background. The shape is positive space and the background is negative space.
C. Repeat steps in “A”. When done, fill in the background with sharpie and leave the shape white. The background and shape should not be interacting. The shape of your object is still positive space and the background is still negative space.
D. Draw the silhouette of your object (in pencil) so that it is not at the center of your square and has a different orientation than your previous drawings. Trace the silhouette with fine pen. Fill shape in with sharpie, erase pencil when dry.
EVALUATE: Which drawing of your shape stands out the most? While B and C have 50/50 contrast, D is more surprising in it’s orientation and will keep the viewer looking longer.
E. Draw three of the same shape in pencil where two of them overlap each other and one is cropped out of the picture plane. Trace the total outline of your shapes, and remember, when two shapes overlap they become one shape in this positive and negative exercise. When tracing your overlapping shape, think of it now as one shape that looks different than the original. Make background black with sharpie.
F. Draw a total of 7 shapes in pencil. Have them overlap with each other and the border in some areas. At least 3 shapes should be exaggerated in size, either very large or very small. Map out the new shapes made from the overlapping ones to determine what silhouettes are in your square. Trace silhouettes of shapes in pen and fill background in with sharpie. Erase pencil when ink is dry.
G. Draw 3 diagonal lines using your ruler and a pencil starting from the top left corner to the bottom right. They should be equally spaced apart and your square should now be divided into 4 parts. Make a drawing on top of your diagonal lines following the rules of “F” but do not consider the lines when making your composition. Pretend they are not there. When done label in pencil each row’s background alternating from black to white. For example, first diagonal will be B for black, second W for white, third B for black, fourth W for white. Now trace the shapes in each section so they are opposite of the background you assigned to them. Do one row at a time so you do not get confused. This will split some shapes down the middle so trace carefully and go from one diagonal section to the other. Your shapes will now not be only determined by how they overlap, but also how the background assignment changes. You will have even more unique shapes than the previous drawing.
H. Draw 3 vertical but curvy lines that make unique waves in pencil. This will divide your square into 4 parts. Make a drawing on top of your lines from prompt “F” and follow steps in step G to complete.
I. Now make a drawing that evokes the feeling of your shape. Use what you know about line variation to articulate your feeling. The feeling is more important than the recognizable shape, so use it only to reinforce the feeling made by other drawing elements. Remember your recognizable shape is a dominate symbol. It can get your viewer to look but feeling is needed in order to get them to stay.
EVALUATE: Which drawings of yours are the most dynamic in their visual elements? What elements in your drawings create a complex composition? Which drawings are the least?
E. Draw three of the same shape in pencil where two of them overlap each other and one is cropped out of the picture plane. Trace the total outline of your shapes, and remember, when two shapes overlap they become one shape in this positive and negative exercise. When tracing your overlapping shape, think of it now as one shape that looks different than the original. Make background black with sharpie.
F. Draw a total of 7 shapes in pencil. Have them overlap with each other and the border in some areas. At least 3 shapes should be exaggerated in size, either very large or very small. Map out the new shapes made from the overlapping ones to determine what silhouettes are in your square. Trace silhouettes of shapes in pen and fill background in with sharpie. Erase pencil when ink is dry.
G. Draw 3 diagonal lines using your ruler and a pencil starting from the top left corner to the bottom right. They should be equally spaced apart and your square should now be divided into 4 parts. Make a drawing on top of your diagonal lines following the rules of “F” but do not consider the lines when making your composition. Pretend they are not there. When done label in pencil each row’s background alternating from black to white. For example, first diagonal will be B for black, second W for white, third B for black, fourth W for white. Now trace the shapes in each section so they are opposite of the background you assigned to them. Do one row at a time so you do not get confused. This will split some shapes down the middle so trace carefully and go from one diagonal section to the other. Your shapes will now not be only determined by how they overlap, but also how the background assignment changes. You will have even more unique shapes than the previous drawing.
H. Draw 3 vertical but curvy lines that make unique waves in pencil. This will divide your square into 4 parts. Make a drawing on top of your lines from prompt “F” and follow steps in step G to complete.
I. Now make a drawing that evokes the feeling of your shape. Use what you know about line variation to articulate your feeling. The feeling is more important than the recognizable shape, so use it only to reinforce the feeling made by other drawing elements. Remember your recognizable shape is a dominate symbol. It can get your viewer to look but feeling is needed in order to get them to stay.
EVALUATE: Which drawings of yours are the most dynamic in their visual elements? What elements in your drawings create a complex composition? Which drawings are the least?
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