fourth assignment

Bring two 3X3' drawings of a small object (pebble, coin, button, piece of wood) that uses a variety of mark making as a way to depict the textures.

Make sure that the object is blown up occupying the majority of the picture plane

_Remember COMPOSITION

• how does the negative space activate the object you are drawing
• how does the placement of the object makes for an interesting usage of the negative space

_Think about value/tone

REMEMBER THE MORE DRAWINGS, THE MORE YOU EXPERIMENT, THE MORE YOU LEARN, THE BETTER YOUR DRAWINGS GET

third assignment

Draw another 18x24 still life. This time draw it with a light pencil and fill in the negative spaces with compressed charcoal.


Use the still life to create a drawing of an interesting composition with negative space.


No value, just line. Negative Space filled in with compressed charcoal

second assignment

Draw a 18x24 still life using pencil, vine charcoal and any other materials from the supply list
  
Think about composition 

_ how does the viewer's eye move around the picture plane  
_ where does the eye enter and how does it travel around inside the picture plane 
_ what is the negative space doing

Think about how to use your materials to depict different textures and tone

_ shiny versus matte, organic versus man made
_ figure out which accidents are better left and which need to be controlled
_ what is your darkest black, middle gray and lightest white
_ where's the light source coming from

Think about scale
 
_ how big are the objects in relation to the size of the paper
_ how big are the objects in relation to one another  
_ use scale to create some drama

Think about the meaning of the chosen objects

_ why did you choose these objects
_ do they hold a specific meaning to you
_ does their placement/choice carry some symbolism

Think about what a still life looks like in 2011


_ does it look like it was done in the 1800's, 1900's
_ what does it say about our present day


Look at Caravaggio's still lives, Giorgio Morandi and Jonas Wood

first assignment

Do a number of blind contour drawings of a sneaker with laces and bring your best 5 to be in the critique next week.

. woodless graphite pencil
. 11x14

Buy your supplies listed in the syllabus and bring it to class

syllabus

Descriptive Drawing                                                                                     
GDES*221                                                                                          
Three Credits                                                                             

Fall 2011                                                                                                                      



Instructor: 
Rubens Ghenov 
rghenov@uarts.edu   


Office Hours: 
By appointment: 
GD Office: 
215.717.6225 


Course Description

Drawing is visual thought, research, invention, problem solving, political and prophetic. In this course we will focus on a rigorous and intensive practice of drawing from observation to analyze and examine perceptual conditions and give form to abstract concepts. An emphasis on the importance of drawing and utilizing hand manipulated media as a tool for ideas, research and experimentation related to the design working  process.Through a variety of exercises and projects students will learn to utilize eye and hand coordination to draw what they see and learn to bring abstract ideas to light via an understanding of the elements of visual language such as mark, gesture, line, value, volume and composition.

Academic Program

Descriptive Drawing GDES 221 is a required course for GD majors in the sophomore year. This course is designed to contribute to an understanding of graphic design processes at the sophomore level. Priority enrollment to Graphic Design majors; or with permission of the instructor or Graphic Design chairperson.

Class Format

This is 6 hours studio course consisting of lectures, critiques and class work time. Students are expected to work rigorously and verbally participate in critiques during class. Additionally students are expected to work on home assignments outside of class for at least 3 to 5 hours each week.

Course Outcomes

• To develop a keen sense of eye and hand coordination in order to disarm symbolic gestures and draw what is actually seen in form and space.
• To be able to verbally articulate ideas
• To develop a practice in drawing which fosters visual thinking
• To develop a certain resourcefulness of materials via an ongoing experimentational practice in drawing
• To understand the necessary and unnecessary elements in a finished project
• To tangibly comprehend the elements of visual language via a consistent and focused studio practice

Required Texts

There are no required texts at this point but certain readings will be assigned in relation to certain projects and student’s specific interests. needs and research.

Assessment

Assessment is made on weekly evaluations of class work, home assignments, critiques and effort made in and outside of class.
Grades for the course will consider the following:

• Class attendance
• Productive and intensive effort in and out of class (exercises, projects)
• Rigorous execution of assignments
• Verbal and active participation in critiques and discussions
• Projects done on time
• Consistent and evidence of growth as seen through a student’s process
• Presentation of work
• Mastery of the course outcomes
• Final presentation of course work at the end of semester before a jury of faculty

Attendance and Absences

Attendance is mandatory. Three unexcused absences will result in failure of the course. Lateness and leaving early will result in a ½ day’s absence thusly, 6 late arrivals or early leaves or combinations thereof equal 3 unexcused absences, which again may result in failure for the course.
Being promptly in class also means having your materials, if you do not have them you will be counted as late.
Cumulative absences, excused or unexcused exceeding 25% of the course will also result in failure.
If you are going to be late or miss a class, contact me via email and the Graphic Design office (215.717.6225) before class starts. If you miss a class or a critique you are to find out from me and/or your classmates what took place, complete the assignment and bring it the next week.

Technology

Students are to keep a blog where they will weekly post drawings that they have done, notes they have taken and/or ideas they are researching. This is meant to instill the importance of having an online presence as well as be able to see their growth in a virtual portfolio.

Grading

Students must receive a grade of “C” or better in all PCAD major course require-
ments and any required courses in other departments, including a discipline history.
Students must repeat any of these courses in which they receive a grade of “C–” or
lower. The degree requirement for that student will be increased by the number of
credits that must be repeated.

The University Grading Policy may be found in the UArts Catalog (catalog.uarts.edu).

The University grading system is as follows:

A                         Excellent                  4.00
A–                                                        3.67
B+                                                        3.33
B                         Good                        3.00                     
B–                                                        2.67                                                    
C+                                                        2.33
C                        Satisfactory               3.33
C–     Student must repeat course   1.67                                                   
D+                                                        1.33
D                        Poor                          1.00                                                 
F                        Failure                        0.00

Academic Integrity Policy

Plagiarism by no means is acceptable. All work submitted/presented by the student must be originally her/his own and specifically made for the course it has been submitted to.
Works from other courses may be looked at in tandem with the ones you make for this course but a specific project is not to be submitted in multiple classes.

University policy on Academic Integrity may be found in the UArts catalog (http://catalog.uarts.edu/)


How to be successful in this class

• Arrive on time with materials to class
• Rigorously work throughout the entirety of the class
• Thoroughly execute your home assignments exercising a bunch of ideas prior to committing them to your final piece
• Verbally participate in class during crits and discussions
• Keep ipods, earphones, phones and laptops away from your work area
• Do not eat in class. Breaks will be given at my discretion. No additional smoking breaks.
• Your work area must be cleaned up after usage

Contact
email: rghenov@uarts.edu
You can contact me via the above email to ask questions or to set up a meeting before class on tuesdays between 12 and 1pm.


Disabilities Services
Any student eligible for and requesting academic accommodations due to a disability should provide an Accommodation Form from Disability Services within the first two weeks of the semester.
Students with disabilities who request accommodations should present an Accommodation Form to the teacher of this course within the first two weeks of class.

Disability Services:
Neil Douglas, Director of Disability Services
Gershman Building, Room 309C
Mondays through Thursdays, 9pm - 5pm
215.717.6616
email: ndouglas@uarts.edu


SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE


Course Calendar Section 1 - Tuesday


week 1  Line   9/6

Intro
Questionnaire
Syllabus
In class drawing

Home Assignment: Bring your 5 best blind contour drawings of a sneaker with laces


week 2   Line 2  9/13

CRITIQUE OF HOME ASSIGNMENT
Still Life in Class 
Home Assignment: Draw a still life that involves round, square and organic objects which depict its differences


week 3   Line 3    9/20

CRITIQUE OF HOME ASSIGNMENT
Layer Drawing
Control vs. Accident
Home Assignment: Draw the same object five times on the same piece of paper, smearing it off every interval

week 4   Mark   9/27

CRITIQUE OF HOME ASSIGNMENT
Large scale drawings of small objects                               
Home Assignment: Two 3x3’’ Large scale drawings of a small object
                               1 in graphite (Line)2 in



week 5   Mark 2   10/4

CRITIQUE OF HOME ASSIGNMENT
Library of marks using different media (ink, vine, pencil)
Rittenhouse Square Movement Project

Home Assignment: TBA


week 6  Mark 3  10/11

watch the film Woman in the Dunes
Film Discussion (Movements)

Homework: 3x10’ drawing of the discussed movements/periods of the film made by marks and gestures drawn from observation.


week 7  Volume    10/18

CRITIQUE OF HOME ASSIGNMENT
Figure Drawing
Line, Tone, Layer
Remix drawing

Homework: Study the volume of an object via the three different drawing exercises


week 8 Volume 2   10/25
CRITIQUE OF HOME ASSIGNMENT
cross contour

Home Assignment: TBA



week 9   Value   11/1

CRITIQUE OF HOME ASSIGNMENT
Still Life in vine and compressed charcoal

1. middle gray - vine
2. highlights (middle gray to lightest) - eraser
3. middle dark to darkest - compressed

Home Assignment: Narrative/Still Life/Self Portrait of the artist in 2011
What are the objects that you surround yourself with and how do you present them in a way that coincides with the present moment in a visually interesting way


week 10 MIDTERM 11/8

CRITIQUE OF ALL THE WORK UP TO DATE


week 11 PERSPECTIVE  11/15

Linear perspective
Visionary Architecture
Archigram, Buckminster Fuller, Superstudios, Yugoslavia abandoned architecture

Home Assignment - 3 week project: Create an abstract and visionary-like architecture from observational drawings of 1 and 2 point perspective. Overlap 1 and 2 point perspective drawings using tracing paper to create your own  visionary architectural city.
see Archigram, Buckminster Fuller, Superstudios, Yugoslavia abandoned buildings


week 12 PERSPECTIVE 2   11/22

CRITIQUE OF 1 AND 2 POINT PERSPECTIVES (VISIONARY ARCHITECTURE PROJECT)
Work in class (tracing paper, drawings of 1 + 2 point perspective)

Home Assignment: Finish VISIONARY ARCHITECTURE PROJECT


week 13  PERSPECTIVE 3  11/29

CRITIQUE OF VISIONARY ARCHITECTURE PROJECT
Poetry interpretation Lecture
Fit a poem of your choice into the architecture you created using the architecture to create a typography
Poem does not need to be legible

Home Assignment FINAL PROJECT: Continue poetry/architecture project at home.
Final crits to be decided by lottery. Final project due by week 14



week 14

FINAL CRITIQUE 1st group


week 15

FINAL CRITIQUE 2nd group



Supplies


paper


. 23x26’’ drawing board or 18x24’’ hollow (if required by Design Systems class)
. 18x24’’ Strathmore Drawing Medium pad, 80#, 24 sheets
. 18x24’’ Sketch paper pad, #50 paper
. 18 inch roll of tracing paper, 50 yards
. 1 36’’ roll of Strathmore drawing paper
. 18x36’’ Graphite Transfer paper


drawing tools

. Drawing pencils: 8B, 6B, 4B (3 of each) 2B, HB, 2H (2 of each)
. 2 6B Woodless graphite pencils
. 3 Charcoal Pencils (1 Medium, 2 Soft)
. 1 box square compressed charcoal (soft)
. 1 box soft vine charcoal
. 2 sticks of white pastel
. 1 black conte crayon
. 1 Staedtler Mars White Plastic Eraser - Large
. 1 large kneaded eraser
. Pack of clear push pins
. Pencil sharpener
. 1’’ masking tape
. 1 Workable Fixatif


storage


. Cachet Black Portfolio w/ties 20x26 or Classic Red Rope Portfolio with Duratote Handle 23 x 31 x 2
. 36’’ cardboard tube


sketchbook


. Moleskin  8.5x11.75 FOLIO notebook