Week Nine - Overlay Technique

The term “overlay” in traditional media refers to the use of tracing paper over a series of studies to arrive at an end result.  In New Media “overlay” refers to combining different images, textural layers, color layers, blending, etc. to arrive at an end result.
When working with a client, it is good to be able to show all of the different design layers and different versions of your completed work.
You are to create an interior or exterior environment, either from your imagination or from direct observation, utilizing multiple-point perspective—i.e. draw your horizon line and create your environment in 1pt or 2pt perspective, and then have other objects at different angles with different vanishing points.

Step 1:  Compositional Studies
Begin with compositional thumbnails in your sketchbook, brainstorming ideas with a strong primary focal point and good use of space.
Potential ideas:

• Building or House setting
• Stylized Graphic Design Environment
• Object from observation in an environment or  3D space
• Recreate an Old Masters artwork.

Step 2:  Sketch Study
On Bristol Board, refine your sketch in Blue-Line Pencil, creating contour line detail.
Step 3:  Single Line Blow-up
Tape a piece of Tracing Paper along the top edge of your Bristol Board paper so that it overlays the Bristol Board cleanly and neatly.  Next, ink all of the contour line work, crisp and cleanly.
Step 4:  Tone and Shadow
Tape another Tracing Paper layer.  Using Marker, build up value scale from lightest to darkest.  Note:  You can break the value into even more additional layers of Tracing Papers.
Step 5:  Texture and Materials
Tape another Tracing Paper layer.  Use Mark-making to build up additional value and texture to the environment and objects through cross-hatching, stippling, etc.
Note:  Steps 3 through 5 are interchangeable in their order to achieve different effects, i.e. Single Line Blow-Up contour line can be put on top of Tone and Shadow andTexture to make the hard lines pop out more and be more crisp and clean; or you can make the design softer by having Tone and Shadow on top of Single Line Blow-Upand Texture.
Step 6:  Final Drawing
Put all of the Study Overlays together in the proper sequence to achieve the completed effect and design.

Study Examples:
Sketch Study & Single Line Blow-up


Tone and Shadow


Texture and Materials


Final Drawing




student example 1
student example 2

Homework due November 6th: Complete the Overlay Technique Assignment

Week Eight - Line as Movement

• Critique on Paper Bag Still-Life with Sharpie Marker .
  
• Introduction to Line as Graphic or Abstract Design Element.
• Introduction to Brush and Ink.

In-Class:  Paperbag still-life with 2 strong light sources that create high contrast and crossing shadows.  Do 3 compositional thumbnails and 1 final 11″ x 14″ drawing of the still-life on Bristol Paper, filling the entire page and using brush and ink for all of the value.  The entire page should have value– the only white paper that should show through should only be for brightest highlights.  Squint your eyes to reduce the detail and better show the full range of highlight, middle gray and dark value.  Pencil in all of your composition first.  Then, using dilution of ink, build up your lightest gray value up to your darkest shadow value.  There are 2 basic methods you could use here: 1.  Use the ink to fill in your contour line detail first, and then, using ink washes, add value on top of that.  2.  Using ink washes, fill in and build up all of your value first, and then add the black contour line detail on top of all of that.

Homework Assignment:  Line As Movement

Using black ink and brush, create a design on 11” x 14” Bristol paper that expresses
rhythm, movement, and emotion through variation in line. Listen to music, set the tip
of your brush down on the paper, and, without thinking about what to draw, let your
hands flow with the rhythm of the music with each stroke. This is more of an abstract and
conceptual exercise– Do not try and draw a specific picture or object.

 Incorporate the following design ideas:
1) Experiment with contour and cross-contour (lines perpendicular to contour lines)
creating rhythmical lines and shapes.
2) Create a sense of depth and space by having the line shapes overlap each other and by
changing the scale of the lines (larger, thicker lines up close in the foreground, smaller
and thinner lines receding into the background to create illusion of distance and space).
3) Increase the contrast between black and white by making it look like there are white
lines on a black background or black shapes.
In addition to black brush strokes, you may experiment with gray washes and lines
by diluting your ink with water in a separate cup, or simply dipping your inked
brush in water. You may also experiment with subtle color usage, so long as the
color itself does not dominate and become the focal point of the composition.
Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

Line as Movement Examples

Note:  For next week bring the additional supply of 11″ x 14″ Tracing Paper.

Week Seven - Mark-Making and Value Continued

• Critique on Mark-Making and Value assignments.
• Continue working with mark-making.

In-Class: Paper Bag Still-Life 1 with Sharpie Marker:
Draw at minimum 3 compositional thumbnails of still-life.  Do all preliminary notes and techniques on these thumbnails, and any other important info and decisions– think out the composition and techniques all in the thumbnails and/or rough drawings on any other scrap paper.  Once you begin the 11″ x 14″ final drawing on the Bristol Paper, all work must be done in Sharpie Marker and Pen– NO PENCIL.  Use cross-hatching, hatching, contour-hatching, scribbling, and stippling to build up all value.  THE ONLY WHITE AREAS SHOULD BE FOR THE BRIGHTEST HIGHLIGHTS.  Build up layers and density for the dark shadows, and look for shadows within shadows. PUSH YOURSELVES AND TAKE RISKS– GO DARK, PUSH CONTRAST.  If you make a mistake on this, don’t freak out– sharpie marker is an unforgiving medium, so just roll with it and keep going.  Use the mistake to your advantage.  I’d rather see a drawing that went too dark and messy rather than one that’s too light.  The challenge of this is to do enough pre-planning and preparation, and then to just dive in and lose hesitation and tentativeness.

Homework:  Finish Paper-Bag Still-Life.

Note:  Remember to bring Brush & Ink to class next week.

Week Six - Mark Making and Value

Basic Value Structure:

Ink Hatching:

Contour Hatching:

Cross-Hatching:

Stippling:

Scumbling (aka Scribbling):

Cross Hatching/Hatching Still-Life Examples:

Stippling Still-Life Example:

line sensitivity and mark making
still life mark making examples

lone wolf and cub

Value Scales:
Make 4 Value Scales going from value 1 (very light, almost white) to value 10 (very dark, almost black) using 4 Mark Making techniques:
1. Hatching
2. Cross Hatching
3. Stippling
4. Marker

Still Life:

Divide your 11″ x 14″ Bristol paper into 4 sections.  Each section will demonstrate a different mark-making technique for all of the value. 

Section (1): Cross-Hatching & Contour Hatching.

Section (2): Stippling. 

Section (3): Combo of Cross-Hatching & Stippling.

Section (4): Marker. 

Draw 3 or more compositional thumbnails of the still-life. Draw a full composition across the page first, and then divide the composition itself into the four different mark-making sections– divide evenly, or creatively in a way that aids the overall composition. Draw in your compositions first in contour line.  The cross-hatching and stippling can be done in graphite, pen, or marker, and you can vary the tool size to help vary the density of the value.  Build up the layers of cross-hatching and stippling, making them denser and closer together for the dark areas, more spread out or lighter marks for the lighter areas.  Map out where the highlights are and keep those the white of the paper, and build your layers through the middle gray to the dark.  For cross-hatching, rotate the layers to help build density.  When using the grayscale Markers for value, work from the lightest to the darkest value.  Make the white of the paper the brightest highlights, and then fill in the next lightest value, and work so forth all the way to the darkest.  When filling in a large area of value with the markers, fill in the value in a circular pattern with the marker to make it fill in more smoothly– straight lines create streaking that doesn’t blend easily. 

Homework: Draw a composition on 11″ x 14″ Bristol paper from direct observation of a still life and use a combination of cross-hatching, stippling, and markers for all of the value. As always, make the composition strong graphically, so it can be seen from across the room, and make sure to crop.

Week Five - Two-Point Perspective

ANM 105 Perspective 1  (Download PDF)
ANM 105 Perspective 2 (Download PDF)
ANM 105 2-point Interior Corner (Download PDF)

Two-Point Perspective – There are two vanishing points on the horizon line, usually when looking at an object from an angle.

Three-Point Perspective – There are three vanishing points, with the third usually off of the horizon line.

Multiple-Point Perspective – There are several objects at differing angles in the composition with multiple vanishing points both on and off the horizon line.

Atmospheric Perspective (also called Aerial Perspective) – How atmospheric conditions (the air) influence our perception of objects in the distance,  Objects in the distance appear lighter in tone and detail, while objects in the foreground appear strong and crisp.

In-Class: 
1. Draw an interior of a room with Two-Point Perspective in your sketchbooks, as demonstrated in "ANM 105 2-point Interior Corner" PDF.

2. From observation, draw boxes in Two-Point Perspective on Bristol. You may need to use newsprint or scrap paper to expend your horizon line outside the dimensions of your paper. Sight the angles of the boxes to find where the vanishing points are.

Homework: Due 9/9
From observation, draw an interior or exterior corner of a room or building on Bristol. Sight and use accurate Two-Point Perspective. Make sure to use newsprint or scrap paper if you need to extend your horizon line to fit your vanishing points.