Design FINAL assignment for seniors (week of May 26-29)

For seniors this will be the final assignment and it is in place of a final project. This will take some thought but you will not have to put many hours in.  
First, I wanted to tell you that I am sorry your senior year unfolded this way but I am happy that you are moving upward and onward to bigger and better things!!  

For the rest of us at Frontier we are likely to continue with remote learning, at least in some way and for some of the 2020-21 school year.  I am asking for a minimum of one full typed (12 point type) page double spaced reflection.  

Discuss the following of your experience:

What were the most effective aspects of remote learning for you?  Why?
What would you suggest to improve the process if you had to continue forward with remote learning?

You can approach this by focusing on your overall experience and/or specific classes as I am certain that they varied for you in different ways.

Please share this with me by the end of next week.

ALL Middle School Exploratory (week of May 26-29)

This week practice your observational drawing skills by drawing an outdoor scene.  This could be outside of your home or anyplace outside that you feel safe drawing for a half hour.  Remember to always use our drawing technique beginning with basic shapes, constructions lines, center line etc...
Have fun and email me the image by Monday June 1

Foundations and Foundations 2 watercolor exercise (week of May 26-29)

Now that you are familiar with the four basic watercolor techniques from last week, we are going to practice them.

If you have watercolors at home:
Divide a sheet of paper into four different sections and attempt to demonstrate each of the four techniques (one per square)  using a single color:
wet on dry
dry on dry 
dry on wet
wet on wet

Each one should be distinctively different but on your first attempt it is possible that may not happen.
Repeat the process a second time and compare the first attempt to the second.

Please email me a picture of both by Monday June 1

If you do NOT have watercolor at home:

Explore soft and hard edges with a pencil and paper
sharp edges are defined edges that are often made with a straight edge.
soft edges are often soft and faded and can blend into a surface

Divide a sheet of paper into four sections and attempt to demonstrate the four techniques by using pencil to emulate them:
wet on dry
dry on dry 
dry on wet
wet on wet

Each one should be distinctively different but on your first attempt it is possible that may not happen.
Repeat the process a second time and compare the first attempt to the second.

Review last week's links if you need to refresh your memory on the differences between the techniques.

Please email me a picture of both by Monday June 1

Ceramics- Gargoyles/Knights (week of May 26-29)

After sending me your four photo references for texture we can move on to creating the sketch for your knight or gargoyle.  Use the same drawing process as always utilizing basic shapes and construction lines.  For this week, draw ONLY basic shapes, and center line and construction lines for your design. If you chose to draw a knight and are using chainmail as a texture, look at how you can organize that design with rows and oval shapes.  NO shading or values yet, we will do that next week.  Take your time and focus on structure, think about the pose and maybe even include a little environment.  Envision the piece as one that will stand upright , not flat.  Consider ways to help the figure stand if you were to actually build it.  As an example, maybe the gargoyle has long wings that touch the ground and act as a brace to help it stand. Again, keep in mind that you should put in about two hours on his week's first part of the sketch.  Make all of your shapes as accurate as you can and have fun with it!
Please email me an image of your sketch by Monday June 1

Ceramics- Gargoyles/Knights (week of May 18-22)

For this next project we are going to focus on texture which is the degree of roughness or smoothness of an object.  You are going to research your choice of either knights or gargoyles and create a sketch that demonstrates at least 4 different textures.  Find photographs of at least 4 different surfaces that have different textures that you can incorporate into your piece.  For example if you choose knights, find photo reference of chain mail (not a drawing or painting).  You can find strong references for knights online and specifically at museum websites.  Gargoyles are trickier since they do not really exist so you can have more flexibility with them but you still need photo reference for the four textures.  So for example, maybe you find photo reference of bat wings to create texture for the gargoyle wings.  The gargoyle could be sitting on rough jagged rocks, so find photo references of that.  Email me the 4 photo references that you intend to use for your sketch by Tuesday the 26th.  Make sure each texture is different and have fun!

Design- complete FLW (week of May 18-22)

Take this week to complete your architecture piece and make sure to go back and refer to images of FLW interior spaces to get ideas.  None of the spaces should be plain/ordinary and they should all reflect his trademark design elements.

frank lloyd wright interior spaces

Foundations watercolor mixing and blending (week of May 18-22)

This week we are going to look at watercolors and different approaches about how to control them and not necessarily painting any specific subject.  Some of you have watercolor at home and some do not.  If you have them, I strongly recommend trying them out and if not, carefully watch the videos and see what you can learn from these.  If this appeals to you maybe you can buy some watercolors and paper experiment and play around with them.

The second video is my friend, Yong Chen, who is a master watercolor artist and has an amazing Youtube channel if you are interested.  He does beautiful portraits and makes them look effortless but he has put in endless hours of practice.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeFzJMAtIAmfg7kP5fMUVw

The four basic watercolor techniques are:

wet on dry  this is what most of you have experienced in school where you apply paint with a wet brush to a dry surface

dry on dry is also referred to as scumbling in which you can create a rough texture or create very delicate layers in a staccato manner.

dry on wet is when you put clean water on the painting surface and dry your brush with just enough water to pick up some paint.  When you apply the brush to the page you will get some bleeding but can still see the stroke that you make.

wet on wet gives you the least amount of control but also some amazing effects.  Begin by putting clean water on the painting surface and then wet your brush, grab some paint and apply it to the areas that you wet on your surface.  The paint will bleed within the wet area and depending on how much paint and water you used, will bleed with different intensities.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJPQLd6UYz8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uvsLGU2qF8&feature=em-subs_digest

ALL Middle School Exploratory (week of May 18-22)

I know after talking with you this semester that some of you like going to the movies, sporting events and concerts.  What are those live events going to look like in the fall and winter with social distancing restrictions in place?  Draw what you think one of those events will look like in an arena.  Keep in mind human nature.  If you assign seats 6 feet apart at a basketball game are people in the nosebleed seats going to respect the rules and stay there or sneak down to closer open seats.  How will venues organize to allow for groups to safely gather?  Use your imagination and have fun!

NATIONAL DRAWING DAY- SATURDAY MAY 16

Share a drawing in the comments for National Drawing Day 2020!  Here is Mandalorian piece I drew!

ALL Middle School Exploratory (week of May 11-15)

This week let's use our imaginations and project towards the next school year.  Create a drawing depicting what you think the next school year will look like at Frontier.  Think about all of the changes in our lives since the pandemic started.  What do you think might change about going back to school?  New rules? New ideas?  New ways of presenting and receiving information?  Be creative and let's see what you think about the fall of 2020.

MC Escher Tessellations

This week we are going to continue exploring MC Escher's work by creating a tessellation.  You need a piece of white paper, a pencil, tape, a straight edge and scissors.  Please follow these four steps which I think is a simplified version of what we looked at last week.  Once you have completed this four step process and have your shape create a series of five that are inter-connected.  

After you have the five tracings of this shape create a transition of shapes/designs/drawings on the first one with organic lines and on the last one with geometric lines (make sure to use your straight edge).  Do your best to create a gradual transition using the remaining three shapes in between.  

Please go back and refresh your memory for ideas by looking at Escher's work before you begin.  

Have fun and please email with questions.  Email me images of where you are at my Monday the 18th.

DESIGN (week of May 11-15) Architectural design- re-design the art rooms part 2

Please continue developing your work based on the feedback you received from last week's work.  Really think about how the art rooms could be the best possible design to work in both in terms of comfort/creativity and incorporating as much of FLW's ideology as possible.  Do not do random or traditional design, refer to FLW's work to find elements that you could incorporate that you see repeating in his structures.  Lots of opportunities to be creative.  Keep in mind that he custom designed most of the furniture in his projects and if you don't like the stools and tables that are currently in the rooms, here is the opportunity to enhance them!  Have fun!  Email me your work by Monday the 18th and lets see if we need another week beyond this or if we get to a point where we are satisfied this week.  Please email with questions.

Foundations and Foundations 2 (week of May 11-15) Draw a house in two point perspective part 2

We will continue developing this project this week.  You should have emailed me your work and received feedback about how best to move forward in developing this piece.  Please take the constructive criticism you received and develop this into a finished piece.  Email me the finished work by Monday the 18th.  Please email with any questions so I can help.

Ceramics 2 Augustin Preault Part 2 (week of May 11-15)

After emailing me your work from last week you should have received feedback.  Please continue developing your finished work this week based on that feedback and email your finished work to me by Monday the 18th.

Ceramics Portrait Part 2 (week of May 11-15)

After emailing me the image for last week's work you should have received feedback on how to continue developing the work.  Please take that advice and continue developing the finished work.  If you did not fit the entire head in the piece try to find a way to resolve that.  If you have not added values, make sure to do that this week.  If you proportions are inaccurate, work to make them more accurate.  Please email me the finished image by Monday the 18th.  Have fun!

Advanced Art MC Escher morphing (week of 5/4-5/8)

Last week we began to investigate MC Escher's, I hope the links were useful.  Before I give you the assignment where we will create a string of tessellations next week, let's focus on transition.  Think about taking two elements that you can find common shapes in.  As an example, please look at a piece called Day and Night.

https://mapdesign.icaci.org/2014/09/mapcarte-268365-day-and-night-by-m-c-escher-1938/

In this piece, not only does the bird form transform, but there is a transition from the bird shape to the patches of grass in the field below.

Choose two elements (not the same as this piece) and create a 5 step transition to morph one object into the other.  Please email me your work by Monday the 11th and email if you have any questions.  Have fun with this!

Ceramics 2 Augustin Preault (week of May 4-8)

Antoine-Augustin Préault was a significant 19th century sculptor from the Romantic movement.  His subjects included figures and fabric as well as decorative borders.

Please read and view the following links and get familiar with Preault's work.  

Your assignment is to find or create references for each element and create a sketch that to the best of your ability depicts a relief.
-a human figure (could just be a head and shoulders if you choose not to do a full figure.)

-fabric around the figure which could be in the form of a hood or anything you chosse to base on one of his specific works. (this needs to have form so it should not be flat)

-a decorative border containing the figure.  You can base it on any of Preault's work but do not copy it exactly, be creative.  

Take this week to find references for your elements and sketch out basic ideas.  Please email them to me by Monday 5/11 so I can advise you on how to proceed.  We will take next week to work on the finished sketch so put the time in this week to plan how your want your piece to look.


http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/sculpture/auguste-preault.htm

https://wikivisually.com/wiki/Antoine-Augustin_Pr%C3%A9ault

https://www.google.com/search?q=Medallion+depicting+Th%C3%A9odore+G%C3%A9ricault+Preault&rlz=1C1GCEU_enUS819US820&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-2dbas-vhAhWOr1kKHWTUBI0Q_AUIDigB&biw=1281&bih=602&safe=active&ssui=on

Relief- A relief sculpture is any work which projects from but which belongs to the wall, or other type of background surface, on which it is carved. Reliefs are traditionally classified according to how high the figures project from the background. Also known as relievo, relief sculpture is a combination of the two-dimensional pictorial arts and the three-dimensional sculptural arts. Thus a relief, like a picture, is dependent on a background surface and its composition must be extended in a plane in order to be visible. Yet at the same time a relief also has a degree of real three-dimensionality, just like a proper sculpture.
Reliefs tend to be more common than freestanding sculpture for a number of reasons. First, a relief sculpture can portray a far wider range of subjects than a statue because of its economy of resources. For instance, a battle scene, that, if sculpted in the round, would require a huge amount of space and material, can be rendered much more easily in relief. Second, because a relief is attached to its background surface, problems of weight and physical balance do not arise - unlike in statues and other freestanding sculptures where weight and balance can be critical. Third, because reliefs are carved directly onto walls, portals, ceilings, floors and other flat surfaces, they are ideally suited to architectural projects - typically the greatest source of sculptural commissions - for which they can provide both decorative and narrative functions.

Ceramics- Portrait (week of 5/4-5/8)

For this project we will choose a public figure to create a portrait of. This could be of an athlete, musician, politician, actor or anyone who is famous on some level and easy to find good references of. Portraits are challenging because in order for them to look accurate you must focus on all of the unique features and avoid making the face look generic.  We will not be building this project with clay but simply focus on the part we can do from home which is the investigation of our subject.
Begin by finding AT LEAST 2 photo references of your subject from two different points of view and both show their entire head and are well lit. (front view and profile are ideal)  Begin the process the same way as always by doing a sketch of your subject on blank paper.  Develop this drawing to as finished a state as possible as it will help familirize you with their features.  
Of course, there are many other ways to approach portraits so I have included links to a tutorial from a friend of mine, Long Chen who is an amazing watercolor artist and creates stunning portraits.  See if there are any bits of advise you could incorporate into your process.As always, you should be working for about two hours a week and we can take two weeks to complete these for a total of 4 hours of drawing.  Use the same method as always and email a progress shot of this week's work to me by Monday May 11th so I can give you feedback to move towards completing the work next week.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36_AwMmPWxs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f1-z88qQ5k

Foundations and Foundations 2 (week of May the 4th be with you -May 8) Draw a house in two point perspective

This week we are going to use what we have learned about perspective and apply it to drawing a house in 2 point perspective.  Please carefully watch the two videos below and see examples of ways you could approach this.  Keep in mind we are going to take two weeks to work on this and you should be putting in two hours per week as in previous projects with remote learning.

Begin by finding a photo reference of a house.  You DO NOT need to replicate it, this is just to refer to so that you do not have to invent all of the details.  Your house must have at least 4 windows and everything needs to be drawing in perspective.  Remember, you can draw vertical lines freely but ALL other lines must come from the two vanishing points.

Start your drawing and email me progress shots of the first two hours by Monday 5/11 so I can look at them and respond to your work.  



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ0IgP25sV8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3H4APnHa9Es

DESIGN (week of May 4-8) Architectural design- re-design the art rooms

I hope that the videos you watched last week were helpful in beginning to understand Frank Lloyd Wright's style.  If you did not watch them, make sure you do not skip it, go back and leave a comment.
Let's think about the time we are currently living in with social distancing and incorporate that into this assignment.  
You are asked to develop a plan to redesign the two art rooms at Frontier.  You have no budget restrictions and you have to incorporate as many elements of FLW's design philosophy as possible.  In addition to these considerations, think about how you could design these spaces with social distancing in mind.  We all have to share and touch supplies but are there ways that we could control some of that traffic and maximize safety?
Think about the general space we have with the two art rooms and the space they currently reside in.  You could take a crane and demolish what is there are start fresh or you could simply adjust what already exists.   
Create a general sketch of your ideas for both the interior and exterior of the space.  When you draw the interior think about where you would enter the rooms from the hall, lighting, color (if you can) and the logistics of safety and the reality of the teacher needing to be able to be nearby for assistance and safety.
Please email me a picture of your sketches by Monday May 11 so I can look at them and respond to you so that we can move to the next step of the assignment for next Tuesday.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Frank+Lloyd+Wright+floor+plan+drawings&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq9d-Joa7UAhUENj4KHSfYCaEQ_AUICigB&biw=1279&bih=608&safe=active&ssui=on

https://www.google.com/search?q=Frank+Lloyd+Wright+floor+plan+drawings&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiq9d-Joa7UAhUENj4KHSfYCaEQ_AUICigB&biw=1279&bih=608&safe=active&ssui=on#safe=active&tbm=isch&q=Frank+Lloyd+Wright+exterior+house+renderings&imgrc=vbMWSCtjkpMTCM:

ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL EXPLORATORIES (week of May the 4th be with you-May 8)

Below are the elements are art which are basic terms that we have used and need to know.  This week our challenge is to create a simple drawing that demonstrates your knowledge of these 7 elements.  If you have questions please be brave and leave them in the comments below (sign in first) so that everyone can benefit as if you have a question, someone else probably does too.  Have fun and be creative!

Value- the degree of lightness or darkness of an object

Line- the path of a moving point through space

Shape- 2d area that is either organic or geometric.  Has height and width but no depth

Form- objects that have three dimensions

Color- derived from reflected light.  Has three properties:  Hue- names of the colors, Value- lightness or darkness  Intensity- purity of the hue or chrome

Texture- degree of roughness or smoothness of an object, can be tactile or visual

Space- referring to the emptiness or area between, around or within objects