Welcome to Drawing I

Welcome to Basic Drawing, everyone. Here's a list of some of what I expect from you in the next week and a half or so (the schedule is a little odd due to Martin Luther King Day). If you have any questions, please email me.

By Wednesday, January 21st you should have...

...gathered the supplies listed in the syllabus and textbook.
...created your blog and emailed the address to me.
...practiced gesture drawing in your sketchbook. You may also want to research
gesture drawing online.
...read chapters one and two in your textbook.

Your First Blog Entry
The first blog entry will be due on Friday, January 23rd by midnight. Make sure that you post it on time and answer all of the following below. Your photograph must be your own...copies of other people's work will be considered plagiarism. It also must be taken specifically for the assignment. Part of the purpose of a drawing class is to learn how to see your environment with artistic intention and to think critically, and your photographs will help you to do that. Spend at least a brief paragraph on each of the five points:

Blog Assignment for January 23: Take a picture of something expressive or someone being expressive.

1. Immediate Response – What is your initial reaction to the photograph? Give your
uncensored, irrational impressions of the photo. What do you notice first, what stand out
and how does it affect you?

2. Objective Description – Describe what is in front of you. Describe the photo as if you
are painting a mental picture for someone who cannot see it.

3. Formal Matters – Discuss the composition, line quality, color, placement in space.

4. The Story It Tells – Does the photo tell a story? Try naming the photo with one,
simple noun.

5. The Work in the World - How does the photo connect to Kathe Kollwitz’s
drawings? Compare and contrast. Be descriptive in the similarities and differences. (You
may need to look up images of this artist on the Internet to be able to make a thorough
comparison. She is also discussed in the first couple of chapters of the text.)