| FIGURE DRAWING UNIT | FIGURE DRAWING → MIXED MEDIA Observation first. Interpretation second. This assignment begins with one hour of drawing from life and ends with a mixed-media artwork that represents at least four hours of focused creative work. The goal is not simply to make the original drawing look “better.” Your job is to preserve what you observed, then use materials, experimentation, and intentional choices to transform that observation into something more personal and meaningful. PART 1 — ONE HOUR FROM LIFE You will work on 11 × 14-inch high-quality watercolor paper. Because the format is relatively small, every part of the picture plane is important. Before you become concerned with details, establish the entire composition. Think first about:
At the end of the hour, STOP. Photograph your drawing clearly before doing anything else to it. This photograph is your checkpoint and must be submitted. It documents what you accomplished through direct observation during our studio session. PART 2 — TRANSFORM THE DRAWING Take the original drawing home. Over the next two weeks, spend a minimum of three additional hours developing it into a finished mixed-media artwork. You must incorporate at least three different media. Possible materials include graphite, charcoal, Conté, colored pencil, ink, ballpoint pen, watercolor, gouache, acrylic, oil pastel, soft pastel, paint markers, collage, magazine imagery, newspaper, book pages, maps, photographs, photocopies, image transfers, typography, handwriting, stitching, thread, fabric, tape, tissue paper, cardboard, stamps, stencils, coffee or tea staining, graphite or charcoal powder, found-object printing, and digitally altered imagery that is printed and physically incorporated back into the artwork. BUT THREE MEDIA DOES NOT MEAN THREE DECORATIONS. Do not add materials simply because the assignment requires them. Ask yourself: What does this material DO for the artwork? A material might communicate, emphasize, conceal, reveal, connect, disrupt, repeat, contrast, unify, or transform. Charcoal might intensify movement. Transparent watercolor might establish atmosphere without destroying the drawing underneath. Photography could introduce another point of view. Collage might create fragmentation. Text could suggest memory or internal thought. Stitching could physically connect separate parts of the composition. THE ORIGINAL DRAWING MUST SURVIVE Your one-hour observational drawing is the foundation of the final artwork. Do not simply cover it up. You may alter it, draw back into it, partially obscure areas, integrate other imagery, extend it, crop it visually, contrast against it, or allow portions to disappear beneath translucent layers, but the original observational drawing should remain an important and recognizable part of the finished work. Think of it as the structural skeleton of everything that follows. LOOK BEYOND THE SURFACE Once observation is established, ask what else the figure might communicate. What does the pose suggest? What could the figure become? What might exist around it? Could you explore identity, memory, pressure, isolation, movement, technology, environment, emotion, time, repetition, vulnerability, strength, humor, contradiction, or something completely unexpected? There is no single correct answer. There is, however, a difference between a random decision and an intentional one. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF ART 3 THINKING You are entering a level of the DRHSART program where simply demonstrating technical skill is no longer enough. We are beginning to think about the habits that eventually become central to AP-level artmaking: Observation · Investigation · Experimentation · Risk-Taking · Revision · Material Exploration · Visual Communication · Intention · Personal Voice You are not expected to already know exactly what your finished artwork will look like. Observe carefully. Build a strong foundation. Experiment intelligently. Take risks. Respond to what happens. Revise when necessary. Make every material earn its place. The first hour demonstrates how well you can see. The next three hours begin to demonstrate what you can do with what you saw. |
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