Today in class we discussed in groups questions regarding drawing.  We talked about what drawing has been used for in history as well as what drawing is used for today.  We listed some reasons for drawing in the past (communication, decoration, maps, language, etc.) and then decided that drawing is still used for many of these tasks but that the means to draw have changed.  We mentioned that drawing might have been more crucial for living and survival in the past then it is today. 

 We then talked about how we experience drawing as viewers and as makers of art.  We spoke about inspiration, research, entertainment.  When talking about when drawing had been inspirational to us we said that when drawing becomes part of a larger installation or larger idea, we also spoke about children's drawings and the intent of the artist.  When it came to deciding what drawing should be or the function of drawing we left that extremely open because we didn't feel like there could be a limit to this.  

The discussion today was not overly inspiring or engaging.  I had a hard time feel connected to the questions or conversation as a whole.  I understand what drawing can be used for in a contemporary art setting, while I understand the function of drawing in other settings.  I am looking forward to exploring different artist that use a drawing language for their work, and having more specific and critical conversations concerning drawing.   (image is wallpaper by Nedko Solakov)

On Tuesday we spoke in groups of the definition of drawing and what makes a drawing successful. We also discussed our "found drawings." While doing this we came up with this definition: Drawing is: a visual way of communicating an idea. A way to express, show understanding and reflect. The means of drawing are broad, by using various mediums and techniques. We felt that for a drawing to be successful it would communicate your idea successfully to your audience and show and understanding of your chosen materials and/or technique. We also spoke about intent and the importance of this in drawing and in any art format. The group agreed that the definition of drawing should be fairly open and broad because drawing could be practically anything, a lot of this falls on an artist's intent.

"found drawings"

couch textile

neon green duct tape

pink embroidery floss against wall

Complete found drawing collection

Life drawing one gave me a lot of new knowledge. I am pretty surprised by how much I have improved at drawing.
Before I started this class I felt like I utilized line variation in most of my drawings but I think that by taking this class I've learned a lot about how much it really does improve a drawing. By using line variation I've found that it can describe poses and feelings simply by changing the characteristics of the line you use.
I've also learned how to better figure proportions. I've always struggled with that but I think that I've improved a lot when it comes to that and understanding how forms of the body relate to other forms. Life drawing also taught me a little more about how to draw with some confidence, I've noticed that by not being afraid to put a mark down and always moving, a successful drawing can come of it. We were also taught a lot about the body, the muscles, and bone structures. In other drawing classes we are told to draw what we see, life drawing has taught me that it is important to have a greater knowledge of what you're drawing and understanding what it is you can't see. Understanding bones and muscles helps me to understand what is it that I do see.


Throughout the semester we built muscles. This is the one section of the class that I think I learned from but did not utilize as much as I should have. It was a struggle for me to understand the muscles and how to translate the muscles from the book onto my 3d model. In the end, I really should have spent more time on it and slowed down in the building of the muscles. I wish I could have found some enjoyment in the building of muscles but instead it became a chore. I also struggled with understanding what I'm missing. I ran into some problems where I had to remove muscles, and without a great knowledge of the muscles I found I was lost in trying to find out what I was missing. If there is one thing I could still improve on it would be perfecting the understanding of muscles, and building them in 3d.

In past classes self portraits are something I would dread. Life drawing gave me a lot of confidence when it came to tackling drawing myself. Even thought my features are a little off, I think I did a good job making certain lines describe the shape of my face and making it look less flat. Overall, I think my self portrait is fairly successful. The top of the ear is a little awkward, we didn't learn the ear in class so I found myself making up the drawing of it. It really showed me how important the demos in class are and how much it helped me to draw eyes, nose, and mouth. I would have liked to see more structure in the face because I think at some points in the cheeks get flat.

I believe this is old news but Damien Hirst has designed a line for Levi's.  

I haven't yet decided how I really feel about Damien Hirst, but I know I like the way that JayZ likes Damien Hirst.  And I know I don't like those spin painting jeans.  I'd like to meet the people that have purchased a pair and I hope one of those people is JayZ.  

Art Shanty Projects 2009

   A group of us plan to submit a proposal to the art shanty project.  Art shanty project's mission is that it is an artist driven temporary community exploring the ways in which the relatively unregulated public space of the frozen lake can be used as a new and challenging artistic environment to expand notions of what art can be.  The project proves a unique opportunity for artists to interact with their audience, and vice versa, in an un-intimidating, non-gallery like environment.  Artists can choose to work in a way that directly engages the audience.  This project runs for five weeks on Medicine Lake in Plymouth, Minnesota.  Submissions are due by December 1st, 2008, so it is coming up quickly, however, I would encourage people to submit proposals for some sort of art shanty.  It sounds like it is a popular and fun alternative exhibition.   

 

  

Pose one I found to be a more successful drawing than others because of it's line variation, some anatomical description, and foreshortening.  I  used line fairly well in this drawing even though the drawing got kind of dark throughout the torso causing more of an outline in the figure than I was hoping to create.  I had problems placing the rib cage because it should have been more exaggerated.  However, I used lighter valued lines in the legs because the model was sitting and the weight was off her feet.  I included anatomical landmarks such as the ribcage and the pelvis and attempted to use contour lines to give the figure some volume.  I also felt that I showed foreshortening of the legs fairly quite successfully.  I think I need some work on learning how to place the rib cage and the pelvis, I at times have a hard time visualizing these in the body and in certain poses, especially when they are tilted.  I could also work on exaggerating the pose so that the drawing has more life and is more believable.  

Pose two is not exactly the most successful of the three drawings, I find it to be quite elongated, however, I felt I was somewhat successful in placing the ribcage and the pelvis.  This was a shorter drawing so I didn't have a lot of time to revise and perfect the drawing and it was left fairly minimal.  There is good line variation, but it could have been used more successfully to describe the pose, weight and depth.  Pose three is not the most successful anatomically, I worked to place the pelvis and ribcage correctly, however, there is an awkwardness about each of those areas as some of the planes stick out further than they should.  However, in some areas the proportions seem correct, and the spinal column appears to be right and is exaggerated to capture the feeling of the pose and emphasize the weight she is holding in her back.  Again, the torso is somewhat elongated and that could have been corrected.  I again used somewhat successful line variation but it could have been used a little more successfully.  I think this drawing got a little heavy in the outlines of the anatomical landmarks.  Life drawing has been a great challenge and it has taught me a lot in how to see.  It's frustrating at times to be able to see something but it doesn't always translate into the drawing, I'd like to improve on this as well as better line variation for the sake of describing something rather than for the sake of line variation.  I'd also like to improve on exaggerating the poses.  I have a large room for improvement but from seeing where I began,  I think in the time left in the semester it is possible to improve more.