In my beginning drawing course at Westminster, the first half of the semester focused on fundamentals of drawing: composition, perspective, value, and texture. The last half of the semester focused on two final projects, which allowed the students to implement and further develop techniques they’d learned in the earlier assignments. I often had a mix of majors and non-majors, which provided a challenge from a teaching perspective, but which seemed to be inspirational for non-majors as they tended to rise to the level of what their art major counterparts produced. 

composition

My first assignment used collage as a means to quickly explore the fundamentals of composition: positive/negative space, symmetry/asymmetry, visual weight, focal point, depth, scale, visual rhythm, and contrast. We also spent the first half hour of each class during the first half of the semester on a daily collage, as a way to get the creative juices flowing, and as an opportunity to reemphasize the principles of composition discussed in the first assignment.

perspective

After going over the basics of 1- and 2-point perspective, students were invited to sketch the interior and exterior (depending on the weather) of buildings around campus. After doing a 1-point and a 2-point sketch, I worked with them to select one of their sketches to recreate as a final drawing. Students were limited to using line (no value), and were encouraged to consider composition in making the selection for their final drawing.

value

The value assignment was a traditional still life drawing. I discussed how the principles of perspective that we applied to drawing hallways and buildings also apply to drawing a still life. I had the students do several thumbnail sketches to experiment with composition before settling on a final vantage point for their drawing. They toned their paper with charcoal and worked reductively to bring out the lighter values, and then built up the darks with charcoal. They were encouraged to have a full range of values in their drawing.

texture

For the texture assignment, students could select one of four Ansel Adams landscapes. They were assigned to recreate the image by exploring a variety of techniques for approximating the various textures they saw in the photos. The goal was less to create a photorealistic copy of the original, and more to explore a variety of techniques for creating textures that express the tactility of the objects represented in the photos.  Students were encouraged to include a full range of values in their work.

final project 1: collage drawing

This was one of two final projects for the semester. I worked with the students to select one of the collages they’d done over the course of the semester that would lend itself well to this assignment. They used a grid to translate the collage into a drawing on a full sheet of paper (22”x30”). This assignment focused on careful observation, and faithful recreation of the composition, textures, and values (and, in cases where it was deemed an essential part of the piece, color) of the original collage. Each collage presented its own challenges, and I enjoyed helping the students work through those creative challenges to produce their drawings.

final project 2: abstraction

The last project involved selecting one of four master paintings, and abstracting it in some way. While originating from another artwork, the final product did not need to resemble the original in any recognizable way. This assignment provided different problems from the collage drawing. In the collage drawing, students were to faithfully recreate something they could see. In the abstraction, students had to take something they could see and translate it into an original artwork. Students were able to determine for themselves the level of abstraction, and worked to address formal issues of composition, value, texture, etc. as they completed their drawings.