Super Hero Assignment

Last weekend my family and I watched “Kick-Ass 2”. The idea that regular people can be super heroes resonates with everyone. I’m not sure I like the violent vigilante message, but the thought that everyone can be a “hero” and make a difference is a great message.

Assignment:

1.    CREATE A NEW SUPER-HERO THAT WOULD DEFEND AMERICAN FREEDOM. Try not to “rip off” an existing comic book hero. Be creative!

2.    Name your super hero.

3.    If you were a super hero, what powers would you have? How did you develop your powers?

4.    What would be your story? Your Origin? (i.e. Superman comes from the planet Krypton.)

5.    You may choose to use a female or male character.

6.    Use a template or “impress me and draw the character yourself.”

Playing Card Lino Cut

Create a fantasy version of a playing card.

• Cartoons work best for subject, remember that it’s a portrait.
• Trace your image and transfer it to the lino.
• The working area is 4x5 inches in size.
• Carve out the areas that you want to remain white.
• Be extremely careful when cutting your lino. Always cut away from your hand. Use a “benchhook” for for safety!
• Make an edition of 3 perfect black and white prints. (C grade)
• Improve your grade by printing on colored paper, making mult-colored prints and offsets.

"New" Animal Scratchboard

If you could be any animal in the world, which would it be - a horse, a monkey, maybe a bear?

• Make a lost of your three favorite animals.
• Collect photo references for each animal. (3)
• Create your composite animal by tracing. Start with the main body and add different parts. (ie. antlers)
• Draw in an environment.
• Draw contour lines on the animal to assist in shading.
• Scratch out the outline of the objects.
• Shade using the crosshatching technique (other techniques can be used).
• Be careful when using scratch tools, they are sharp.

Example of "Hatching"

Example of Cross Hatching

Camera Drawing

Our final drawing will use Oil Pastels and be rendered much larger.

Procedure:

• Do a quick blind contour of the camera.
• Draw a simple line drawing on white paper.
• Draw your final image on large "Bogus" paper. The bogus paper and a rough tooth that will allow the oil pastels to adhere to it.
• You can blend the pastels with your finger, paper towel or a s "stump".
• Pay particular attention to the highlighted areas on the camera. 

Can Drawing

Circles drawn in perspective are "ellipses". By stacking ellipses you can create cylindrical objects. For this drawing you will select an energy or soda can and draw it with a cast shadow.

Some considerations:

• Each can consists of 4 stacked ellipses.
• Maintain a consistent angle when drawing the can. 
• Text should curve as well.
• Use "Greeking" for very small text.
• The shadow is the darkest area.
• Shading should curve with the shape of the can.

Shoe Drawing

Everyday objects are perfect for practicing your drawing. Our first drawing will be of a shoe. You may pick from the collection or use your own shoe. You will need to wear that shoe for several days. You can not draw from memory. You must have the shoe in front of you!

Drawing 1 

Start by doing a blind contour drawing. This is a loosening up exercise that will help improve your observation. Use newsprint. Remember to only look at the shoe and not your paper. The objective is to see all the detail on the shoe. Don't worry if it looks good. Here is my example.

Blind Contour Drawing

Drawing 2

Using an 12x18" piece of white drawing paper. Draw the show as a line drawing. Include all the detail. Try to draw the show as realistically as possible, but don't shade it.

Drawing 3

Your final drawing should be your best. You've drawn it twice already and know it's detail and proportions. Use  Prismacolor to shade it. You are not coloring! Different colors can be "built up" by blending one color over the other. Remember that dark areas appear to recede.

Shading Detail

Extraterrestrial Homework

Are we alone in the universe or do creatures and beings live in the far reaches of the galaxy? What would these creatures look like? Would they have bodies like our own, or would they be reptilian or insectoid? How would they live? What type of character traits would they posses: evil, compassionate, hostile, or congenial? What would their home world be like? Would their culture be dominated by males or females of the species? Are there males and females? We can only guess and wait for visitors.

The Assignment

Draw what you think an extraterrestrial would look like. Use color markers, pencils or even crayon Consider physical characteristics, the habitat the being would live in and the culture it lives in. Write a paragraph describing each of the areas. (Minimum of three sentences.)

The inspiration for this assignment comes from Barlowe's Guide Extraterrestrials.

Mr. Boccini's Alien 2015

Equilonians

Physical Characteristics:
The Equilonians are a humanoid species that exhibit qualities of earth horses. They stand approximately 10 feet in size on strong legs supported by a large hoofs. Their bodies are covered in coarse brown hair. Males often have distinguishing white spots on their backs. Their tall alert ears warn them of danger. They take special pride in their long flowing manes. The males will spend hours preening their mane in order to attract eligible mates. Their long snouts encase large carnivorous teeth that allow them to quickly devour their prey.

Habitat:
Equilon is a planet in the Xenon Solar System. It's surface is covered in tall grasses that sustain the many small animals the Equilonians use for sustenance. Most life is centered around the huge plains near the planets equatorial region. Water is plentiful.

Culture:
The Equilonians are a nomadic people. They live in small herds that move across the vast plains following their food sources. They live in temporary huts made from thatching long grasses. Each "herd" is lead by a matriarch on whose council the herd depends. Small herds peacefully coexist and gather annually for the "Great Dividing" where young males are mated with females from other herds. This ensures genetic diversity and strong offspring.

Shoe Art

Shoe Art?

Create a unique shoe design that reflects your personality. Use colored pencil or marker. Consider the use of pattern and texture.

Pointillism

In this project we will look at he progression of artistic style from Neoclassicism, to Impressionism. There is a huge shift from the tight controlled work of Ingres, to the loose style of Claude Monet.

In Ingre's portrait of Madame Moitessier, we see the muted colors and realistic style that is typical of the neoclassic period. The severe and unemotional form is a reflection of ancient Greece and Rome.

Monet's Impression Sunrise shows the loose, almost abstract imagery, of the impressionist movement. They did away with the control which was the hallmark of the earlier work. Artists left their studios and painted "En Plein Air".

The Pointillist style is a combination of ideas whose roots are two completely different styles. Our paintings will be a hybrid of both Impressionist and Pointillist ideas. Here are some examples from last years classes.

General Instructions

We’ll use Q-tips as our brushes.

Our painting will be a hybrid of impressionist and pointillist brush strokes.

Horizontal strokes work well for water.

Your can change the size of a round brush stroke by using either side of the wooden Q-tips. (wood end makes small dots.)

Use cardboard pallets to mix paint.

Use paint sparingly.

We'll be using white acrilic paint, do not get it on your clothing.

Step by Step Procedure:

St

1. Choose a landscape, cityscape, or a seascape.
2. Choose a good reference image. This is critical to a successful project.
3. Don’t bite off more then you can chew! Sometimes less is more!
4. Roughly sketch out your image on grey "bogus" paper. Don't put in minor detail, just the basic shapes of objects.
5. Color Key the Image – Use light tints to show where the basic colors are located.
6. Start adding darker values.
7. Add Complimentary colors to give the image “pop” (simultaneous contrast)
8. Use darker colors in the foreground to create the illusion of depth. (atmospheric perspective)
9. Continue to add detail and layers of color.

This isn’t coloring, it’s painting! By developing layers of color we create depth in the image. 

Intensity Chart

Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a color (hue). We can't make a color brighter, but we can make it duller by adding it's compliment. If we add together equal amounts of complimentary colors we produce a neutral.

Making the Chart

1. Using your T-square, square up a 12x18" piece of white drawing paper. 
2. Find the center of a 12x18" piece of white drawing paper by drawing lines from opposing corners.
3. From the center measure up one inch and make a mark. Then measure down an inch and make a mark.
4. Draw horizontal lines at these marks. (using the t-square)
5. Measure out one inch to the left and right of the center mark. Draw a vertical line at these two lines. Vertical lines are drawn by resting the triangle on the t-square. Your first 1x2" box will now be centered on the paper.
6. Mark out and draw five boxes to the right and left.

Painting the Chart

1. Pick two complimentary colors. (ie. violet and yellow)
2. Paint the original color at each end of the chart.
3. Mix equal amounts of each color to get the "middle" neutral color.
4. Create 4 small piles of each color. Add small amount of the opposite color to create each intensity change. By mixing them simultaneously, you will be able to easily compare the changing intensity.

• Please mix small quantities of paint. Remember, you only need to fill a 1x2" area. 
• Mix the paint thoroughly!
• Paint neatly, presentation is part of your grade.

Color Harmony and Repetition

1. Develop several simple 3x3 inch designs. The designs must be asymmetrical and have areas to place at least 3 different colors.  Your design should touch the edges of the square on at least two sides. Many people choose to create an image out of their initials.
2. Using a T-square and triangle, divide a piece of white oak tag into 16 3x3" squares.
3. Trace your design on a piece of tracing paper. Trace the same image on the back and use it as carbon paper to transfer your design on each of the 16 squares. Rotate or position each group of 4 squares to create different and unusual patterns. Use the four examples below.

Paint each group of four squares in a different color harmony.

• complimentary
• split-complimentary
• analogous
• triadic

Carry one color throughout the whole project.

Value Homework

During the last project we were involved with creating different values by adding white or black to a color.

Practice your ability to create values by making  a value chart in pencil. Start by ruling our a rectangle that is 10 inches long and 2 inches wide. Divide the rectangle into 10 smaller rectangles. Each one should be 1x2" in size.

Using your pencil, shade in 10 different value gradations. Start as black as possible and slowly get lighter. Use the example above for reference.

Color Vocabulary

Color Terms

Primaries - Yellow, Red, Blue

Secondaries - Orange, Violet, Green

Tertiaries - Yellow-Orange, Red Orange, Red-Violet, Blue-Violet,Blue-Green, Yellow-Green.

Hue - Another word for color

Value - The lightness or darkness of a color.

Intensity - The brightness or dullness of a color.

Tint - A color that has been lightened by adding white.

Shade - A color that has been darkened by adding black.

Black - The absence of all color (light)

White - The sum total of all color.(light)

Gray/Brown - Gray is created by only a partial reflection of all color waves of the spectrum.

Neutrals - Black, White, Brown and Gray

Complimentary Colors - Colors that are directly opposite on the color wheel. Green and red are and example.

Analogous

Colors - Colors that are next to each other on the color wheel.

Split Complimentary - Start at a particular hue, blue for instance. Go directly accross the color wheel to it’s compliment which is orange. Then take the colors that are analogous to orange: yellow-orange and red-orange.

Triadic Harmony - A triadic color scheme involves three equally spaced hues on the color wheel. Blue, yellow, and red are and example.

Monochromatic - A color scheme using only tints and shades of a single color.

Cool Colors - Usually associated with Yellow-green, Green, Blue-Green, Blue, Blue-Violet and Violet.

Warm Colors - Yellow, Yellow-Orange, Orange, Red-Orange, Red, and Red-Violet.

Simultaneous Contrast - For any given color the eye simultaneously requires the complementary color and generates it spontaneously if it is not already present.

Value Explosion

Exploded Action Figures

Value project using Analogous Colors

The work of Joseph Albers and his series Homage to the Square utilizes size gradations and value changes to create an optical illusion. Our Action Figures will incorporate the same ideas.

Vocabulary

• Value - the lightness or darkness of a hue. (color)
• Tint - Adding white to a hue.
• Shade - Adding black to a hue.
• Gradation - The progressive change of color and or shape within a composition.

Process

1. Trace a photograph of an active sports figure or an equivalent action image.
2. Transfer the outline of the image to a 12x18 inch piece of white oak tag.
3. Draw lines around the figure that make the spaces get wider as they go toward the edges. (See example at the top of page.)
4. Constrict the shapes in some places to add interest and variety.
5. Paint the spaces with progressive value changes, starting with a light value and working toward black. A sensation of vibration should develop.
6. make sure that you have a piece of newspaper under your project as you work.
7. Take only the amount of paint you need, no more or less.  Mix colors slowly. Start by adding small amounts of the darker color to the white. Then add more as needed.  Make sure that you finish a complet color before the period is over. It will be difficult to mix th same color again.
8. Clean Up!! Cardboard pallets and newspaper go in the trash. I will wash the brushes for you, but you are responsible to sponge off your table.
9. Place your wet work on the drying rack. Dry work should be placed in your folder.

Considerations

You must have 10 different values!

Consider using two complimentary colors.

Use your original image in the center of the composition.

Color Wheel

Materials:

White Oak Tag 12x18”                        Newspapers under work

Tempera Paints                                    Pencils

Brushes                                                Compasses

Procedures

1. Find the center of the paper.
2. Open your compass to a radius of 5 inches and strike a 10 inch circle.
3.  Reduce the radius to 4.5 inches and strike a 9 inch circle.
4.  Reduce the radius to 4 inches and strike a 8 inch circle.
5.  Place the point of the compass on any outside edge and strike an arc from the center of the circles to the outside edge.
6. Go to where the arc has touched the edge of the outside circle and repeat. You should end up with 6 sections. Find the center of one of the sections and repeat, making 12 sections.
7. Each section will have a large area for the color, and two small areas for a tint and shade.
8.  Start by painting in the primary colors. Use Magenta for red, Turquoise for Blue and Yellow. Mix and paint a tint and shade for each primary color. ONLY the primary colors may be used!
9. Mix the secondary and tertiary colors between the primaries. It is easier to work on the three colors between two primaries at the same time.
10.  Make sure you reserve enough of each color to mix it with black or white to make your tint and shade.

Color Mixing

·         Mix your colors on a pallet of cardboard or on an old magazine. Throw away the cardboard pallet or rip the used pages from the magazine and place them in the trash.

·         Clean your brush and place it in the can bristles up! (Very important)

Tips

·         Use small amounts of paint!

·         Always add small amount of dark colors to light!

Place Wet Art Work on the Drying Rack in the back of the room.

Stippling Homework

Stippling is a shading technique that used dots to create different values.

In your sketchbook draw a 6x6 inch box. Divide it into nine (9) 2x2 inch squares. Using pencil or marker, create 8 values using stippling. Remember to keep your “dots” evenly spaced to create an even value. Do not place your dots in rows!

 

Surrealism

Objective:

• To put real objects in unreal situations.
• To take real objects and alter them in such a way as to distort or change their original purpose.
• To create unusual perspective-like environments

Materials:

• Mixed media
• 18x24" white oak tag
• Glue sticks
• X-acto knives
• Cutting boards

Procedure:

1. Collect images using “Automatic Suggestion”. Look for images in magazines, newspapers and then cut out the objects. Use parts or the whole image. 
2. Use one image as the basis for your project. Extend it’s perspective.
3. Add perspective. Think about the use of Relative Scale in your image.
4. Create some kind of 3-D shape and shade it using stippling.
5. Collage: Make creative use of magazine images. You may print our specific images from the web if needed.
6. Remember this is “Mixed Media”.  You should use different materials. (ie. Craypas, water color etc.) If you need something special, ask!

Non Objective Perspective Project

Objective:

• To use One and Two Point perspective to create a non-objective composition.
• To practice basic shading techniques.
• Understanding compositional balance.

Materials:

• 18x12 White Drawing Paper
• #2 Pencils
• Pink Pearl Erasers
• Drafting Brushes
• Eraser Shields
• Colored Pencils (optional)

Procedure:

1. Decide on a Vertical or Horizontal orientation for your paper.
2. Determine whether to work in one or two point perspective.
3. Draw a horizon line in the middle of the paper.
4. Add vanishing points.
5. Draw overlapping objects. 
6. Determine light source and shade each object independently. Do not concern yourself with the idea of cast shadows.
7. Additional color may be added to create an area of emphasis. Consider using a particular color scheme. (The example is a triadic color scheme using the three primary colors.)