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.