Mehretu / Kandinsky / Feininger / Saul Steinberg : LINE

(1) Julie Mehretu

(2) Wassily Kandinsky

(3) Lyonel Feininger

(4) Saul Steinberg

Paul Klee "Taking a line for a walk"

Images (from top to bottom): Tightrope Walker (1923), Terrible Dream (1919), Abstract Trio (1923)

PAUL KLEE: PEDAGOGICAL SKETCHBOOKS

Paul Klee produced a number of "Pedagogical Sketchbooks" during his tenure as faculty at the Bauhaus school. In them, he explores some of the basic principles of design as we are in this course. Looking for instance at how he explores the character of line would be useful for the current project.

You can view a PDF of a book of his notation here:

http://ing.univaq.it/continenza/Corso%20di%20Disegno%20dell'Architettura%202/TESTI%20D'AUTORE/Paul-klee-Pedagogical-Sketchbook.pdf

SAUL BASS FILM TITLE SEQUENCES

"My initial thoughts about what a title can do was to set mood and the prime underlying core of the film's story, to express the story in some metaphorical way. I saw the title as a way of conditioning the audience, so that when the film actually began, viewers would already have an emotional resonance with it."

"Design is thinking made visual."

Saul Bass (1920 - 1996) was an American designer who was best known for his opening credit sequences for films. He worked with directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese.

For our purposes, I wish to take a look at six particular credit sequences that demonstrate Bass' use of line. These sequences are deceptively simple as Bass uses a minimum of means to convey the psychological content of the films they precede. By using lines that redefine space in a series of shifting compositions, Bass will stress emotional or psychological content not only by how the lines interact with one another, but also the type of line that is employed. In most cases, the lines in the examples provided below are mechanical in nature, either straight or curved (as in the case of Vertigo) with precision. However calculated they may be, Bass uses them in a highly expressive manner, as they slice and divide the space within the frame to conjure states of disorientation. What you will see are lines with a vertical, horizontal or diagonal emphasis. Lines in isolation, or in clusters/groupings.

Please pay attention to not only the speed of the animated motion, but also to the changing density of the lines, or how many fill the screen, in relation to the music on the soundtrack. When exploring the expressive structuring of line in your own projects, it might not be a bad idea to listen to your lines. Do they suggest a tranquil or an agitated composition? Are they lines in motion, or lines at rest? Do they appear rational or irrational? Tight or loose? Harmonious or dissonant?  One last note: if there is a tendency in this course to show you films or film fragments in relation to preparing you for your projects, it is in the hope of urging you to think of the medium you are working with as something that, although static in nature, can capture the suggestion of motion and rhythm. Although such elements of composition will be the subject of a more in-depth discussion down the road, I hope to to plant the seed of implied dynamism from the start.

The sequences of note are those from The Man with the Golden Arm (1955; directed by Otto Preminger), Vertigo (1958; directed by Alfred Hitchcock), North By Northwest (1959; directed by Alfred Hitchcock), Psycho (1960; directed by Alfred Hitchcock), The Age of Innocence (1993; directed by Martin Scorsese) and Casino (1995; directed by Martin Scorsese).

Bruce Conner Line Meditations

IMAGES (from top to bottom): 1. Untitled (34 Carl Street, San Francisco)- 1966; 2. Untitled (September 1, 1966); 3. Bookpage (September 29, 1966); 4. Bookpages- 1966.

PROJECT 2: LINE

From the point to the line.

As demonstrated, the point is a means of indicating a starting position and an ending position. In order to connect the two, to chart the movement between points, we establish line. But there is more than one type of line to indicate our movement from one point to another. Just as we travel down different paths when we walk throughout the day, there are straight lines and curved lines. There are slow curves and hard angles that we make. Sometimes we walk with a slowness or laziness in our stride, and we meander or wander, and sometimes we walk with a greater sense of purpose, with a precision, aiming for a specific location. Such is the approach we will take with line as a visual element.

A few examples of the meaning we may associate with linear movements: vertical lines suggest power and authority; horizontal lines suggest peace and tranquility; diagonal lines suggest tension and movement; curved lines suggest grace and fluidity. In Design I, we will begin our exploration of line with the use of two types that I will identify as mechanical and organic. For our purposes, such distinctions will be used to associate the difference between a mechanical structure and an organic structure.


The mechanical line is a line that is fairly regulated. That is, it is a mark without any change in width within itself, and is used primarily to define structure with precision. Often, a mechanical line is created with the aid of drafting tools, such as a template of some sort, straightedge, compass, or for that matter even a french curve. Although the mechanical line can be curved and can express fluidity, it is a harder line in itself without tonal gradation of fluctuation of width. It's character is more severe than that of the organic line.

The organic line is a line that does reflect changes in the tendencies of the hand. It is a line that can possess more emotion or character within itself, meaning that it's width and density can change-- it can fatten or slim with a kind of internal ebb and flow. It can be softer that the mechanical line. The organic line is not a line created with the aid of hard-edged drawing aids such as those mentioned above for use with mechanical line. The organic line is far more unpredictable than the mechanical line.


For your project, you will explore the contrasts between these two line types, within a single composition. You can do this in a number of ways: by weaving the mechanical and the organic between one-another, by creating "partitions" of contrasts, or by composing an "abstract comic strip" in which a grid of squares contains miniature compositions of the organic and the mechanical that may convey a sequence of transformation.

1) on your gridded paper, in pencil, you will work out three thumbnail sketches to plan your image. Consider the organizing principles of design. 

2) on a sheet 8.5 x 11 paper, you will work out one of the three designs that is the most successful, in graphite. Remember, for the mechanical "zones" use the tools you need to make it mechanical. Here are some examples of previous student efforts dealing with the mechanical line alone:





When dealing with the organic, you can roughly map out these "zones" in light pencil, and then intuitively fill them in with organic lines using your ink pens. Here are some examples of stand-alone organic line projects by previous students:







3) I will make a xerox copy of your drawing. On the back of the drawing, you will rub a piece of graphite, lightly covering it.

4) Place the graphite-covered side down, centered, onto your linoleum block. Tape in place. Using a ballpoint pen, you are to trace your drawing onto the linoleum block. Remove the xeroxed drawing. Using a sharpie, ink your transferred image.

5) Using your lino-cutter tool, you will then proceed to carve away the areas of the composition that you do not wish to print (I will demonstrate this in class). 

6) Lastly, you will create a small edition of prints from your linoleum block. You will need to purchase some sheets of printmaking paper for this (I will discuss types and sizes) I will show you how to measure it and tear it down, and will give a full demonstration of how to ink your block and print it (please do not use the printing press without my supervision).

ONE PRINT DUE for critique on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9. 

Here are two examples of mechanical/organic line works by two 20th century American artists.

The first, is a work by Sol Lewitt (1928 - 2007). Mr. Lewitt often approached the act of drawing from a highly rigorous and conceptual starting point. There would be a set of rules to be defined, and then a drawing would be executed by following those rules. The final visual outcome, although determined by the rules, would not be fully known until the work was completed. An example of this would be something like: "In sixteen squares, each two by two inches, draw a series of 20 lines that would alternate in direction from square to square. Repeat this in the opposite direction." The result could be something similar to the line drawing shown below:


The second work, by Bruce Conner (1933 - 2008), although also employing a few "rules," is much more a reaction to a stream of consciousness state of mind. The drawing below is one of many such works in which Mr. Conner would define "working zones" on a sheet of paper, such as a series of lightly drawn circles or squares. Taking a black pen, he would proceed to sit and "fill in" the zones with line work until the pen would run out. He would then take up another pen and continue. The creation of these mandala-like images would be a form of meditation for the artist in which a kind of trance state could be induced.

Images: 1. - 2. student archive images of Mechanical + Organic Line projects. 3. - 6. student archive images of Mechanical Line projects; 7. - 12. student archive images of Organic Line projects; 13. Sol Lewitt: Drawing Series III/2314/A & B, 1969, ink and pencil on paper, 12 x 24", collection of The Museum of Modern Art; 14. Bruce Conner: 23 Kenwood Avenue, 1963, ink on paper, 26 x 20", collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

The Rules of Abstraction with Matthew Collings

A 2014 British documentary in which painter and critic Matthew Collings charts the rise of abstract art over the last 100 years, whilst trying to answer a set of basic questions that many people have about this often-baffling art form. How do we respond to abstract art when we see it? Is it supposed to be hard or easy? When abstract artists chuck paint about with abandon, what does it mean? Does abstract art stand for something or is it supposed to be understood as just itself?

These might be thought of as unanswerable questions, but by looking at key historical figures and exploring the private world of abstract artists today, Collings shows that there are, in fact, answers.

Living artists in the programme create art in front of the camera using techniques that seem outrageously free, but through his friendly-yet-probing interview style Collings immediately establishes that the work always has a firm rationale. When Collings visits 92-year-old Bert Irvin in his studio in Stepney, east London he finds that the colourful works continue experiments in perceptual ideas about colour and space first established by abstract art pioneers such as Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky in the 1910s.

Other historic artists featured in the programme include the notorious Jackson Pollock, the maker of drip paintings, and Mark Rothko, whose abstractions often consist of nothing but large expanses of red. Collings explains the inner structure of such works. It turns out there are hidden rules to abstraction that viewers of this intriguing, groundbreaking programme may never have expected.

PROJECT 1: POINT

When I say that a point is both conceptual and visual, this is what I mean:

As a concept, a point can be a location in time or in space. A position that is not a physical object, or something with length or breadth-- it is not a form that you can literally see or touch in space or time. In other words, someone might ask you what your favorite moment in a film or a concert was. You would reply by identifying a scene or a song. In your mind, that scene or song occurred at a point in time, meaning such-and-such amount of time into a film or a concert. It is a point of reference. Someone might ask you: "At what point in your life did you become aware of death?" You might recall an instance in your life, a moment in time. You would not answer that question by describing the shape, size, texture or color of an object. That would be visual, rather than conceptual.

As a visual conceit, a point is the beginning and ending of a visual element: line. But taken on it's own, isolated, by itself, it does not occupy nor describe a space, until it is joined by another point, or several points, from which lines and shapes may be born. It is therefore, strictly speaking, not a visual element, but is a basic first step in getting to a visual element. It should be noted that a point is not a dot. It is not a speck or a circle or a ball. Those things are shapes. A point is not a shape. Once again, it merely indicates a position or a location.

For your first project, you will be dealing with the point in the terms I've discussed here. Using a sheet of bristol board, measuring at least 10 x 10 inches (it could be larger), you are to think of the surface as an empty space that you will fill with points. Rather than trying to make a recognizable image with these points, I want you to use the classroom exercise as a way of thinking about space as an expression of time. Your points can be close together and spread apart. They can be large and they can be small. If you think in terms of energy, how would you use points that express slowness versus fastness? How close or how far apart are they? How about density-- heaviness versus lightness? A tight pattern versus a loose pattern. I want you to think about the relativity of contrasts in this project. 

Before you begin working on your image, you are required to work out at least three thumbnail compositions on your gridded paper. This is something that you will be required to do for all of your projects. Sketch out in pencil, in boxes that are at least two inches by two inches, three different possibilities for how you will organize or compose your image made of points. Once you settle on a composition that satisfies you, you may then realize it on your bristol board by first laying the general composition out in pencil, very lightly, and then adding your points in ink. Draw your points, do not just use the quick stipple technique. They need to be clean and round with space between each point. They should not be shaped like a quick jab produced by the tip of your pen. Once you finish making your point, erase any and all graphite layout lines that may be seen, using your white plastic eraser.

Due Date: January 26 at the beginning of class

You will be required to turn in your sheet of "thumbnail" sketches as well as your finished piece on bristol board. Sign your name with the project number and the date, on the back, lower right hand side. This will be the way in which you will turn all of your projects in to me.

Above are a selection of student examples for this project. 

NORMAN MCLAREN / "DOTS" / 1940

SYLLABUS (for your reference)

OAKLAND UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF ART AND ART HISTORY

SA102 FOUNDATIONS OF STUDIO ART: 2D (4 credits)

WINTER 2017 / Section 005: TH. 8 – 11:20am

Wilson Hall 109

Instructor: Ryan Standfest

Office: Wilson Hall Room 314

Email:ryanstandfest@oakland.edu

Course Blog (for posting of assignments and images): https://oudesign2.blogspot.com/

Office Hours: 11:20 am to noon, Thursdays (or by appointment)

                                                      

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Foundations of Studio Art: 2D is a hands-on course that explores the fundamental aspects of  2-dimensional art forms. The application of essential design elements such as line, shape, texture, value, color and space are a primary focus.

PREREQUISITE

No prerequisite. This is a required course for all Graphic Design, K-12, and Studio Art majors and minors specializing in drawing, new media, painting, or photography.

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COURSE OVERVIEW

This course acquaints students with various working materials, techniques, formal principles, terminology, and concepts associated with 2-dimensional art forms. It does not stress a single specific creative approach or mannerism, but rather a broad introduction to 2-dimensional form.

This course is augmented by discussions and critiques; instructor demonstrations, lectures, and presentations; library and Internet research; and visiting artist events that require full attention and participation. Vigorous determined attempts to refine projects are a condition of success, and indifference will not be tolerated. Students are expected to be curious, patient, and responsive.

REQUIRED TEXT / SUPPLEMENTARY READING ASSIGNMENTS

REQUIRED: Design Language by Tim McReight, Brynmorgen Press, ISBN: 0-9615984-6-8 approximately $12.00 online or from OU’s bookstore. Students must bring textbook to each class.

SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS: Philosophy: Henri, Robert, The Art Spirit; Design: Wong, Wucius, Principles of Two-Dimensional Design; Color: Pentak, Stephen and Roth, Richard, Color Basics, Albers, Josef, Interaction of Color, Itten, Johannes, The Art of Color

Course Work

·       Exercises are assigned throughout the semester to build fundamental awareness for materials, techniques, and concepts. In-class and take-home exercises develop a deeper understanding of subject matter. Materials are discussed in advance or provided by the instructor. See calendar for deadlines and critique dates.

·       Projects assigned throughout the semester reflect the fundamental concepts and principles of

2-dimensional visual arrangements. Projects assess student understanding of subject matter and strengthen applied-knowledge base. Materials are discussed in advance or provided by the instructor. See calendar for deadlines and critique dates.

·       Group discussions and critiques correspond to finished work and work in progress. Students are expected to initiate and engage in critical dialogue concerning the visual evaluation and analysis of their projects and the projects of their peers. Join the discussion, participating in class shows that you are interested in the subject matter. Frequently reviewing keywords and concepts will improve one’s ability to construct informed observations and critical responses to artwork. See calendar for project deadlines and critique dates.

·       Regularly attending art-related events is conducive to creative practice. The department requires students to attend (2) events during the semester. Artist’s talks, scholarly lectures, dedicated museum and gallery visits, and theatrical performances qualify. Your event attendance must be documented with a typed, one-page critical summary of your overall event experience. See calendar for summary deadline.

·       Personal work reviews aim to improve student awareness of presentation, technique, and concept of individual projects, or progress between projects. Scheduled meetings with your instructor are highly encouraged.

·       Reading assignments introduce students to the fundamental language, terminology, concepts, and principles related to 2-dimensional form. Reviewing information frequently improves one’s ability to construct informed observations and critical responses to artwork.

·       Quizzes challenge and assess student understanding of keywords & concepts related to

2-dimensional form.

Student Learning Objectives

·       Establish fundamental art vocabulary.

·       Demonstrate how materials and techniques are interconnected.

·       Demonstrate how imagination and ideation are integral to the creative process.

·       Develop thoughtful creative solutions.

·       Explore the visual, physical, and social aspects of 2-dimensional form.

·       Construct informed observations and critical responses to artwork.

·       Engage in critical dialogue concerning the qualities and intentions of artwork.

·       Strengthen self-awareness within the context of personal aesthetics and social influence.

GRADING, GRADE SCALE, METHODS of EVALUATION

Grades are recorded and tabulated in MOODLE; login periodically to view your personal progress and participation record. Matters concerning grades should be discussed privately with the instructor. Late projects are accepted within 1 week of the stated project deadline; late projects are subject to a 20% grade reduction.

Projects = 60% of your final grade. (5) projects evaluated on: technique, presentation, and conceptual development. Finished projects must include the following information: student name, title, date, medium, and statement.

Grade Equivalent			Quality/Technique	Effort/Presentation	Creativity/Comprehension
A+ A A-	4.0 - 3.6	100 - 90	Complete concern for material and technique. Skillful and competent execution.	Complete regard for size, orientation, and display within the context of the project.	Complete exploration of project parameters. Personal intent is clear and completely relevant within the context of the project.
B+ B B-	3.5 - 3.0	89 - 80	Informed concern for material and technique. Above average execution.	Informed regard for size, orientation, and display within the context of the project.	Informed exploration of project parameters. Personal intent is present and on-topic within the context of the project.
C+ C C-	2.9 - 2.0	79 - 70	Limited concern for material and technique. Average execution.	Limited regard for size, orientation, and display within the context of the project.	Limited exploration of project parameters. Personal intent is vague or ambiguous within the context of the project.
D+ D D-	1.9 - 1.0	69 - 60	Minimal concern for material and technique. Weak and inconsistent execution.	Minimal regard for size, orientation and display within the context of the project.	Minimal exploration of project parameters. Personal intent is irrelevant within the context of the project.
F	0.0	59	No concern for material and technique. Unpracticed execution.	No regard for size, orientation, or display.	No exploration. No evidence of intent.

Class Participation = 25% of your final grade. Participation is cumulative. 2 possible points per class; 14 class meetings. Participation is evaluated on: attitude - expressed way of thinking or feeling about something reflected in classroom behavior; discussion - directed toward exploration of a specific subject, concept, or creative solution; and initiative - the ability to assess and take action independently or within a group.

Points	Participation
2	Complete engagement and dialogue. Complete initiative.
1	Limited engagement and dialogue. Limited initiative.
0	No engagement or dialogue. No initiative.

Quizzes = 10% of your final grade. (4) ‘surprise’ quizzes. At the end of each class, the instructor will assign specific keywords from the textbook; record and study these terms; you may be quizzed on them during the next class period.

Art-related Event Summary = 5% of your final grade. You must attend (2) events during the semester. Your event attendance must be documented with a typed, one-page critical summary of your overall event experience. The instructor will provide examples.

Policies, Procedures, Considerations

Academic Misconduct: The University’s regulations that relate to academic misconduct will be fully enforced. Any student suspected of cheating and/or plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Students and, thereafter, to the Academic Conduct Committee for adjudication. The full policy on academic misconduct can be found in the General Information section of the Undergraduate Catalog.

Attendance / Participation: Class begins promptly. Withdrawing from course activity is equivalent to being absent. Students are required to bring materials and tools to class and properly prepare for critiques and discussions by reviewing keywords & concepts beforehand.

Cellular Phones / Laptops / Tablets: Using personal media devices during class seriously limits your ability to fully participate. Refrain from all media use unless given permission to do research-related activity (Internet searches, documenting your process, photographing finished projects, etc.) during class.

E-mail: Use e-mail as a tool to set up one-on-one meetings and not to obtain information missed as a result of an absence. Refrain from sending messages about traffic jams, family/personal issues, grades, hospital visits, and the like. Plan to meet in person for important matters or assistance with projects. Use the subject line “Meeting Request,” and follow standard letter writing etiquette.

Excused Absences: University excused absences applies to participation as an athlete, manager or student trainer in NCAA intercollegiate competitions, or participation as a representative of Oakland University at academic events and artistic performances approved by the Provost or designee. For the excused absence policy, see http://www.oakland.edu/?id=6850&sid=175.

Facilities Access: Classrooms, media labs, and studios are open weekdays and weekends whenever classes are not in session. Class schedules are posted outside the door. Your grizzly ID provides access to rooms via electronic door swipes. The exterior doors of Wilson Hall are locked between 10:00PM and 8:00AM; contact the OU Police Department at (248) 370-3331 if you need to enter the building during that time. PSS Building hours TBA.

Health & Safety: Hazardous materials and chemicals are not allowed in the building. University approved items must be properly labeled and kept in a flammables cabinet. Dust masks and safety glasses are required for projects that require the removal of material through drilling, grinding, sanding, etc. For health purposes, students cannot share dust masks, and therefore, must purchase their own.

Identity / Name: If you do not identify with the name that is listed with the Registrar's Office, please notify me (the instructor) so that I may appropriately amend my records. In addition, if you prefer to go by a different pronoun, please inform the instructor.

Storage: Projects and materials are the responsibility of the student. Unattended projects and materials must be kept in lockers or on shelves and never in hallways, classrooms, studios, or labs.

Special Considerations: A student with a documented learning or physical disability must contact the Office of Disability and Support Services, 121 North Foundation Hall, (248) 370-3266, and inform the professor of special needs during first week of classes. For more information, visit http://www.oakland.edu/dss.

SCHEDULE AND TOPICAL OUTLINE

This schedule may be subject to change with advance notice provided

Week 1: Introduction	1/5	-Introduction- Syllabus / Materials / Questionnaire / Lecture 1: What Is Design? Homework: Purchase Supplies
Week 2: SPACE	1/12	-Lecture 2: Materials + Models / Viewing Distance -Video: Powers of Ten by Charles + Ray Eames -Exercise: Flipbook animation with points (TIME) -Project 1: B&W Composition of Points in contrast of scale and spatial relationships (DUE 1/26)
Week 3: SPACE	1/19	Studio: Work Session Homework: Complete Project 1 for Presentation and Critique
Week 4: LINE	1/26	-Project 1 Critique -Exercise: Linear Character -Lecture 3: Paul Klee, excerpts from Pedagogical Notebooks / Line and Movement -Video: Credit Sequences by Saul Bass -Project 2: B&W Lines in contrast- organic + mechanical / linoblock print (PLACE: interior/exterior) (DUE 2/9)
Week 5: LINE	2/2	Studio: Work Session Homework: Complete Project 2 for Presentation and Critique
Week 6: SHAPE	2/9	-Project 2 Critique -Exercise: Practicing spatial direction of shapes - Lecture 4: Wasily Kandinsky / Music and Graphic Notation: Cornelius Cardew, Tom Phillips, Brian Eno -Project 3: Shape index and graphic score (SOUND) (DUE 3/2)
Week 7: SHAPE	2/16	Studio: Work Session Homework: Complete Project 3 for Presentation and Critique
Week 8: WINTER RECESS	2/23	NO CLASS
Week 9: TEXTURE	3/2	-Project 3 Critique -Exercise: Blind examination and written descriptions of natural objects / Texture Index Booklet -Lecture 5: Tactile Texture vs. Optical Texture -Project 3: Composition with interpretation/abstraction of contrasting found (OBJECT: natural/unnatural) (DUE 3/16)
Week 10: TEXTURE	3/9	Studio: Work Session Homework: Complete Project 4 for Presentation and Critique:
Week 11: VALUE	3/16	-Project 4 Critique -Exercise: Ten-Step Greyscale -Project 5: Value Analysis of Old Master Painting from Postcard/Printed Reproduction
Week 12: VALUE	3/23	Studio: Work Session Homework: Complete Project 5 for Presentation and Critique
Week 13: COLOR	3/30	-Project 5 Critique -Lecture 7- Color: Theories/Systems/Emotional Characteristics -Lecture 8- Abstraction: Doesberg’s Cows, Moore’s Elephant Skulls and Sequential Abstraction -Project 6 (final): Abstraction Sequence (three panels / three different color contrasts with drawn source study from a natural object) (DUE 4/20) Homework: Complete contour line drawn study for presentation on 4/6
Week 14: COLOR	4/6	Studio: Work Session: plan and begin painting three panels Homework: Work on Project 6
Week 15: COLOR	4/13	Studio: Work Session Homework: Complete Project 6 for Presentation and Critique on 4/20
Week 16: FINAL	4/20	FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATION and CRITIQUE: Time is TBD

ESSENTIAL TERMINOLOGY

Become familiar with the term sets below; they are not merely words to describe what is perceived, rather, possibilities to explore in your work. Additional terms are introduced as the semester progresses.

Visual Elements - the perceivable visual components of a composition

Space - unoccupied area within, between, or surrounding visual elements

Line - actual or implied connection between points ( ––––––   or  ..  . . …..)

Shape/Plane - area of contrasting color or texture; result of intersecting or repeating elements

Texture - actual or implied characteristics of surface (visual or physical perception)

Value - relative degree of light and dark contrast

Color - the visible spectrum of light reflected off a surface onto the eye

Visual Aspects – the perceivable qualities of individual or collective visual elements; responsible for the psychological effect of the overall composition

Type - the properties of individual or collective elements (color, shape, and texture)

Size  - the size of individual or collective elements (small to large relative to context)

Direction  - the orientation of individual or collective elements (vertical, diagonal, etc.)

Location ­- the position of individual or collective elements (upper left, lower right, top, middle, etc.)

Medium - materials, tools and technology used to produce imagery

Quantity  - the number of individual or collective elements (1, 2, 3, etc.)

Visual Principles- the psychological effect of the overall composition

Balance - visual balance known as symmetry, asymmetry or dissymmetry

Emphasis           - similarity & contrast / continuity & discontinuity

Harmony            - often perceived as increased continuity between visual elements

Dissonance         - often perceived as decreased continuity between visual elements

Motion              - actual and implied movement / directional force

Proportion         - parts to the whole; range of representation (familiar to abstract)

REQUIRED MATERIALS / SUPPLIES

Note: These are the minimum amounts and types of supplies you will need. All of the materials are required for successfully completing this course and you must acquire them. No substitutions, please. 


-Tool box for supplies

-Portfolio (12 x 16 inches or larger—minimum size for each project)

-Bristol Board (pad), 11 x 14” 100lb. (smooth)

-Hot Press Illustration Board (Nielsen Bainbridge, 80lb), 15 x 20”: 2 sheets

-Sketchbook at least 9” x 12” (gridded)

-Cork-backed 18-inch metal ruler (cork does not degrade or leave marks like rubber)

-Compass

-Pencils: HB (basic drawing pencils)

-Pitt India Ink Pens (Bold, Medium, Fine) or Micron Archival Ink Pens or Black Copic Markers

-Small X-Acto knife with replacement blades

-Retractable utility knife with replacement blades

-Rubber Cement & Pick-up Pad to clean up cement

-White Vinyl Eraser (do not use pink erasers: they are abrasive and leave marks)

-Brushes: Synthetic Sable (Sablette) 1” or ½” flat – I really prefer the 1” if you can afford it, small round #2 or #4 (Note: you may specialize your brushes to suit your needs)

-Brush holder/carry case (to preserve the condition of the bristles)

-Paper palette pad

-Palette Knife – Plastic - watch size, you don’t need a huge knife.

-Tape: Scotch brand Painter’s Tape – 3M Safe Release Tape is a suggestion; ½” x 60 yards (note: do not use artist’s tape or any tape with high-tack; must be low-tack and removable)

-Paint: Acrylic, Liquitex; Don’t purchase anything with the word “HUE” on the label. If you buy the wrong paint, most stores will NOT take it back, and I will ask you to repurchase the correct paint

Hansa Yellow Light (PY3)

Cadmium Yellow Light (PY35)

Acra Magenta (PR122) or Quinacridrone Magenta (PR122)

Cadmium Red Light (PR108)

Cerulean Blue (PB36)

Ultramarine Blue (PB29)

Titanium White (PW6) Large Tube

Ivory Black (PBK9) Large Tube

-Mounted Linoleum Block (9 x 12”)—Speedball or Blick Brand

-Water Soluble Block Printing Ink—Black (small tube)

-Printmaking Paper for Relief Print (12 x 18” sheet size; you will need at least six sheets): Compare for lowest price

-Speedball Lino Carving Set No. 1

SUPPLIERS: BLICK Art Supplies (in Royal Oak), Du-All Art + Drafting Supply (Madison Heights)