Spokewheeling

"Spokewheeling" is a cool strategy for creating visual interest and directing the viewers gaze. It's outlined by James Gurney on his blog and in his terrific book Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn't Exist.

Gurney Journey is absolutely a regular must-read blog for anyone interested in visual art, design and painting.

Check it out.

Informal Compositions

Recently I've been enjoying thinking about strategies for arranging stuff in visual art again and I've been playing with Andrew Loomis's system for creating cool compelling informal compositions. This particular technique comes from the book Creative Illustration which Amazon.com declares Loomis's magnum opus, "aimed primarily at the professional-level illustrator. Divided into seven sections: Line, Tone, Color, Telling the Story, Creating Ideas, Fields of Illustration, and Experimenting and Studies, this book is filled with instructions, tips, insider experiences, and incredible illustrations." 

This classic text and other important Loomis books can be downloaded for free online.

If you've played with Zentangles before, then this approach will seem familiar. Here instead of working towards designs of lines and patterns, your aim is to build toward actual illustrative content. It's simple. It works and it's so dang easy to create a structure to build a successful composition upon. 

The Loomis Technique for Creating Amazing Informal Compositions

Step 1.

 Draw a perpendicular (vertical) line. Place it off center, asymmetrically dividing the picture plane.

Then draw a diagonal from one corner to another.

Now draw a horizontal line at the intersection of the first two lines.

Step 2.

Now draw a single horizontal line through any RECTANGLE produced in Step 1.

Step 3.

Now draw new horizontal lines at any intersection. Now draw new perpendicular (vertical) lines at any intersection.

Step 4.

Continue creating informal subdivisions in this way.

Now build in your subject using the structural lines you've created as a compositional guide.

Make Great Art!

Investigative Work Blogs

In the past we've had great success using Wordpress to create online visual journals and portfolios.  However Wordpress is currently not getting along with the new school filters, so this year I'm asking students to create their professional artist websites for posting artwork, recording process and art related observations using the Blogger platform. 

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Post two new entries to the website/blog each week. I usually check them on Saturday. 

Student blogs are an opportunity to reflect and demonstrate:

Professionalism  A professional character, attitude, methods, practice and portfolio of current work.

Artwork analysis and vocabulary Respond to and analyze critically and contextually the function, meaning and artistic qualities of past, present and emerging art, using the specialist vocabulary of visual arts.

Cultural Analysis Analyze and compare art from different cultures and times, and consider it thoughtfully for its function and significance and relationship to your own research.

Depth and breadth of research Develop and present independent ideas. Demonstrate coherent, focused and individual investigative strategies into visual qualities, ideas and their contexts. Develop different approaches towards their study, and fresh connections between them.

Creative art making process Explore and develop ideas and techniques for studio work through integrated contextual study and first-hand observations. Produce personally relevant works of art that reveal evidence of exploration of ideas that reflect cultural and historical awareness. Present the work effectively and creatively and demonstrates critical observation, reflection and discrimination.

Integration between studio and investigations. Develop and maintain a close relationship between investigation and a purposeful, creative process in studio work.

Technique Demonstrate the development of an appropriate range of skills, techniques and processes when making and analyzing images and artifacts. Develop and demonstrate technical competence and artistic qualities that challenge and extend personal boundaries and technical competence and self-direction.