Art 101 Basic Drawing
M W 8:30AM to 11:00 AM
ROOM 2149
INSTRUCTOR: BEREL LUTSKY
Drawing
involves both special awareness and specific directed responses. We will
develop both of these skills in the course of the semester with exercises,
research, and discussion. As you progress we will focus both on the nature
of the initial response to a careful observation (drawing) and on the compositional/design
possibilities that might result from this initial response. We will also
explore the use of various drawing media and the mark making possibilities
they afford the responsive drawer. I have designed this course to include
both class-to-class assignments as well as some longer projects. Plan to
spend on average a minimum of two hours/week on class work in addition
to class time. You are required to attend all class meetings, and hand in
all assignments on time. Excessive unexcused absences will affect your grade
and your ability to keep up with the class. Excused absences are defined
as illness or family emergencies. If you are absent: Any work due on the
day of your absence is due on the day you return. It will be your responsibility
to contact a classmate or myself re: work missed and new assignments. There
will also be some library work for this class. Next week you will be assigned
an artist to research; from now until Feb. 27 you will look at this artist's
work in books and/or periodicals available here, (or elsewhere if you choose)
and pick out 4 or 5 of their works for further discussion. On Feb.27 you
will receive a research assignment dealing with your artist. The project
will involve a short (3 pages maximum) paper and a drawing.
Your semester grade will be determined
by the following:
An "A" will be given to work that
addresses and goes beyond the assigned problem and has been well crafted.
A "B" will be given to work that
addresses the assigned problem and has been well crafted.
A "C" will be given to work that
addresses the assigned problem and is not well crafted.
A "D" will be given to work that
fails to address the assigned problem and is not well crafted.
An "F" will be recorded for work
that is not handed in.
A further note re: grades. You will not be competing with anyone for
your grade. I don't grade on a curve or compare your work to anybody else's.
Despite the varying levels of experience and ability, I expect to see individual
progress over the course of the semester and I will reward it.
MATERIALS:
1. Bond Paper 18"x 24" pad (or
"tree saver" recycled paper pad)
2. 4 sticks of 1/2" (jumbo) Willow
Charcoal- Soft
3. 6b Graphite stick
4. Kneaded eraser-large
5. Drawing Pencils: 2h, 6b and Ebony
6. Wooden pencil holder/extender
(optional)
7. "Sharpie" marker-black-fine point
8. A 10"x 12" piece of mat or illustration
board (may be a scrap-check at art supply store for cut-offs or the middle
of mats.
9. Pencil Sharpener and/or sand
paper block and/or single-edge razor blades,and/or a sharp pocketknife etc.
10. Several pieces of clean flannel
rag at least 4"x4"
11. Some (at least 4) push pins
12 A portfolio
13. A drawing board & spring
clips to accommodate 20"x26" paper
14. A sketchbook, the largest that
you can carry easily
15. A "Mars" plastic eraser in stick
form
16. An Art Gum or other soft eraser
17. Matte finish, workable, spray
fixative
18. Something to transport and store
all this stuff. (A shopping bag is not recommended)
19. A yardstick
I will
make a point of announcing what materials will be needed well in advance
of the class period in which they will be used. A package is available from
the bookstore and I will mention other possibilities for suppliers in class.
Budget about $30 to $40 for materials. Showing up without the materials
you need is a sure way to waste your time and mine. You may be able
to borrow what you need from a classmate, but believe me this will become
annoying on a regular basis. Wear comfortable shoes, as we will be spending
a lot of time standing. Wear clothing that can get dirty, or a smock.
The following books will be on reserve
in the library: The Natural Way to Draw, by Kimon Nicolaides and
The Art of Responsive Drawing, by Nathan Goldstein. Short readings will
be recommended from time to time. If you have the money, and are so inclined,
both of these books are worth owning.
A few thoughts for beginning drawers
borrowed from Nicolaides:
"As you begin, try to develop the
capacity of thinking of only one thing at one time. ...Don't worry if for
the first three months your studies do not look like anything else called
a drawing that you have ever seen. You should not care what your work looks
like as long as you spend your time trying.... too much emphasis is
placed upon the paintings and drawings that are made in Art schools. ...There
is a vast difference between drawing and making drawings. The things you
will do - over and over again- are but practice, they should represent to
you only the result of an effort to study...Your progress is charted not
on paper but in the increased knowledge with which you look at the world
around you. ...most students seem to be dreadfully afraid of making technical
mistakes. ...these mistakes are unavoidable ... "
...these
mistakes are unavoidable ... To add my own encouragement to those of Nikolaides:
"mistakes " are not only unavoidable they in fact provide the opportunities
for learning. Risks must be taken in order to move ahead. The only serious
mistake you can make in learning to draw is that of not trying. How you draw,
in the end, is a personal statement. Taking this drawing class is a commitment,
on your part, to inform your drawing and perhaps change some of the ways
you look at the world.