bugs, seashells, skulls

This semester the majority of the students use a variety of Micro-pens. Note the line work in this assignment, some indicates structure while some indicates texture.

The subject matter is a natural and complex form. Students used to draw only shells. A few years ago I brought in bugs. This semester, thanks to the PC biology department, we have small animal skulls. The composition is to include 2-3 objects and students must balance out positive space with negative space.

While I would like each student to include 1 of each (bug, shell and skull) in their composition, I let them pick and choose. I’m not surprised some students don’t like the bugs. I’m very surprised others don’t care for the skulls. And I understand why most of them love the variety in the seashells.

Santan focuses on a star fish.

Drawing students learn the skill of observation. Using a magnifying lens, they look closely at the form and surface of their complex object. Marker (no eraser) forces them to work slow and careful. They learn to focus. They learn patience, commitment and discipline. During critique we talk about how these traits show up in the work.

The assignment goes well. Here are a few of the studies.

Santana’s What Am I Looking at?

Angel, She Sells

Luis’s Land and Sea

Seb’s Sirens Song

Leo’s Hopper Goes to the Beach

Grace’s SeaShells

Pedro’s Dinner Time

Ilse’s Monsters

Aine’s She Sells Sea Shells

Eman’s Food Chain

Luka’s Linear Evolution

Luka’s Speleothems

Fernando’s Skulls Overboard

Early in the semester, students tell me about Inktober. In general, I think the idea behind this is one ink drawing a day throughout the month of October. This study takes at least 4 days for the majority of the class. But it’s still a fine drawing for the month!  #inktober2019

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The post includes only a few of the drawings. You can see all of the work on Thursday, November 7th, when Phoenix College (main campus) celebrates National STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) day.  Free and open to the public. You’re invited!
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observation

Ruskin believed that everyone had visual as well as verbal capacities that needed to be developed in order to become a complete human being, and that the apprehension of truth depended on the power of observation. – Robert Hewison

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 John Ruskin was an art critic of the Victorian era. He was an art patron, a draftsman, and a prominent social thinker of his time. I use this quote because we had an interesting conversation about observation, the truth and the illusion of truth. A lesson in drawing sometimes becomes a lesson in life.

I want to tell you we begin with line but more accurately what we begin is a practice in observation. I teach drawing students how to see, and I direct them to put down what they see. I acknowledge the challenge in this exercise considering it is their first long assignment and it is also complex subject matter. The group took on the challenge with no resistance and overall did a great job.

We discuss quality and variety of line. We talk about developing patience. A number of students share they didn’t know they could draw a complicated object like a pine cone. I see the satisfaction in their faces as they share process and result.

One student brings up the idea of a true line and a not so true (stylized) line. The discussion is a good one considering this is only the beginning. We are off to a fine start.

Here are a few examples of the completed studies.

Close Withering by Alfredo

Citrus by Alejandra

Complex pinecones by Ryan

Step 1, Pinecone by Kiria

Cracked by Daniela

Observation: Pinecone by Casey

Chili Pepper by Mat

Red Onion Vertical Bisect, Casey

Susan ↓ is an advanced student. Her work includes contour study (the assignment) she also uses other elements of design.

The Water Sun by Susan

about the line – inner and outer contour study

New semester. New group.  After the first day of drawing, one student notes the work is like meditating. It is, I respond. I organize my drawing class like I might organize a Yoga class, it’s an excellent observation.

I really, really want to get this, another student tells me. You will, have patience. But I want to get it now! I have to smile – You’re ambitious, I say.

A returning student tells me quietly, I am so glad to be back in your class. Life is so busy, I just want to slow down. Welcome back, you know you’re in the right place then Cassidy.

It takes this group 2 days (6 hours) to complete this first assignments in careful and slow observation of a complex – natural object. They are nervous to start working with marker As they get going, they do just fine.

Below are some examples of their completed drawing. A few of these students have never drawn before and a few are experienced. I won’t say who is who. I suspect it will be a very good semester.

Drawing 1↓

Heather’s Pinecone

Terry’s Bell Pepper

Cory’s Citrus

Julio’s Onion

Andrea’s Citrus

Drawing 2 ↓

Robert’s Pinecone

 

Cassidy’s detail drawing of a Magnolia Seed Pod

Charles’ Stem and Seeds

 

we begin – with line

We don’t need shading or even perspective and we can understand the image. It’s all in the placement of the lines of the work; the pressure and direction of the line.
Rick Rotante

Adriana: I never thought of drawing a pine cone. 
Me: Did you enjoy it?
Adriana: Yeah, I did. 
Me: Do you like the end result?
Adriana: I’m really proud of it. I didn’t know I could do that.

In-class subject-matter: Pinecone
Focus: Inner and Outer contour – which basically means they are working with the design element of line. A fluid, simple line is arrived by careful observation and careful putting down what one sees.
Out of class: complex natural object of their choosing.

I Got The Pinecone Blues by Adriana

Bell Pepper and Onion by Adriana

Tilted by Alyssa

Jalapeno by Alexssa

Pinecone by Kyle

Curvy Cone by Katie

InnerCone by Jesus

Orange by Lela

Below: Drawing 2 students.
They have to stay connected to line. But they get to pick their subject-matter and drawing medium. I’m pleasantly surprised when they each choose to work with charcoal and pastel. All of them have studied with me before, basically they pick up where they left off.

Artichoke Flower by Alejandra

Gone With The Wind, by Manny

Is the drawing believable? Carefully observed? Do lines flow? Does your eye move through the composition?
We take a 15 minute break mid-class and usually the class goes out to the courtyard. This time I notice many return to the drawings and take a closer look at each others work. Already their understanding has expanded.

…. clearly we are off to a good start … 

in all fairness, no two lines are exactly the same

“Life can’t be fair. If it were, then everybody would have the same clothes, the same furniture, the same houses, same color eyes and hair. Some people would like it, some people wouldn’t. I prefer life NOT be fair. I don’t want everybody to be the same. Because then if somebody is famous, everybody would be famous. So Bob Dylan would be like ‘hey, I’m Bob Dylan… ‘ and the other people would be like ‘hey, we’re Bob Dylan, too!'”  Sam Hart – 6 years old

This quote by Sam (my friend Evon’s son) makes me laugh. There is something he’s picking up in his young thinking process. Maybe it has nothing to do with fairness and everything to do with recognizing the extraordinary. If one could dance gracefully across a canvas and drip paint in fluid, rhythmic line, in all that is fair and true, there would still only be one Jackson Pollock.

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Fall 2011.  New Drawing classes, new students.  We’re looking at line. A line is an element of art which refers to the continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point. There are at least 8 types of lines.  The focus in this assignment is the contour line, both inner and outer contour. Contour means outline, and presents exterior edges of objects. A plain contour has a clean, connected line, no shading and emphasizes an open shell of the subject. More complex contours can imply shading values through interior outlines, may have line textures or be contrasted with mixed media. We use black marker, one student uses Conté and Charcoal.

The subject matter varies for a few of the advanced students but most of the class draws a pine-cone.  No two pine-cones are exactly the same despite their seeming to be. Each is a one-of-a-kind natural object. That’s what looking closely and drawing carefully teaches the beginning drawing student. Every object in nature is unique. Drawing students learn to look closely at what they perceive as something ordinary, and slowly they learn it’s in fact quite extraordinary….like 6-year-old Sam already seems to understands about Bob Dylan (wow).

Here are the first completed drawings of this semester.  I’ll show you drawings with the cleanest, smoothest contour lines, that vary in thickness.

Kim in progress.

Kim's Pinecone

Ivon has sets up rhythm in her composition.

Yera in progress.

Yera's complete pine-cone includes some texture.

Art in progress.

Erica in progress.

Erica's completed dry flower.

Julieta in progress.

Julieta's Artichoke Flower

Excellent start!  On with the show…and discovering the extraordinary.

the first bit, more pieces to come

Today I offer the first glimpse of a creative collaboration that I am excited to be writing about. Involved are three other artists. Here begins the first formulations of what will be a future art exhibition.

The group of four has come together for specific reasons, most important is that we want to work together. Working together is a bit more involved than merely showing together in an art exhibit. It includes a systematic series of actions directed to some end. What is the end? Simply put, it’s the creative experience itself.

Certain criteria underlies the procedure of coming together. The artists are mature in their work, with a certain level of ambition still very palpable in their art. Not one  of us can call ourselves an “emerging” artist anymore. There’s experience present, singularly and collectively. And though there hasn’t been a “merging” within every arena wanted, everyone’s on it, in their own way, be sure of this.  Each has an MFA. With this footing, a level of tenacity and self-awareness is implied. Each person can draw, though each of us handles the ability in a very different manner. Everyone relates to the education process as a student, and as a teacher. And each person’s sensibility stands out as unique and precise. You see the individuals hand in the individuals works. There’s unmistakable presence of time, be it fast and quick or slow and steady. And evolution is a constant.

The evening’s conversation bounces around, as we share a meal. Discussion involves how we proceed in making art.  Process will be a part of the exhibition so this discussion is important.  How does one begin a work of  art? Is end result in mind? I listen to each response, there’s overlap in conversation, excitement, agreement, curiosity. I hear how different everyone is, in some external sort of way.  I do note a more internal form of connection as well.

Conversation continues. What do you listen to while in studio? This one element is important to everyone, so much so we discuss it at various points in the evening. Someone asks if the impetus to create is retinal or cerebral? Interesting choice of descriptive words. It’s retinal, they’re in agreement. I pause to consider. I can’t answer easily. Intuition, instinct, a strong understanding of the elements of design, confidence in the process, materials, adventures, age, personal interests…we’re talking about all of it. One spouse contributes a comment that gets our attention. It appears to me, you all solve problems. One person voices appreciation.  We all agree with the observation.

Here it is, in a nutshell. We’re working together, yes. There are four of us. We may have a venue and a general time line.  The whole picture isn’t clear…yet….but we do see it happening. It’s retinal. What do we call the exhibition? It’s important that we get this. It’ll determine various specifics.

This evening we’ve each brought along something. Some thing we work with; tool, material, a bit of process stuff. The symbol is a jumping point to help formulate a working title. I enjoy the discovery, the sharing. We throw words around. Out comes Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary , and I begin to read.

Process – operation.  PROCESS. PROCEDURE. PROCEEDING.   Apply to something that goes on or takes place.
A PROCESS is a series of progressive and interdependent steps by which an end is attained.
PROCEDURE usually implies a formal or set order of doing a thing, a method of conducting affairs.
PROCEEDING applies to what goes on or takes place…

“That’s it! I like that!”  One person calls out. Though I’ve not finished reading the whole thing, with similar excitement, everyone agrees. The working title of our project becomes What Goes On and What Takes Place.

Here, you have the Why. I’ll fill you in on the Who these other artists are and the Where, and When the exhibition will take place, and a few other important details.  Bit by bit, time will reveal.  After all, the creative experience, is what it’s all about. This collaboration is a building of trust in the process, as we each continue to make art.

Stay tuned, more to come!

P.S. this is way better than any reality show.
Hmmmm…..now what if….