Assignment 6 - Vast

For my final assignment I wanted to draw something very plain, recognizable, and without a lot of inherent meaning and create interest in the object through a process of abstraction. I settled on drawing an apple because of how common they are and how they are often represented in art in still life drawings. To abstract the drawing I divided to paper into 2” x 2” squares, cut them out, and then randomly organized them into a grid. The squares present in the final drawing also have random orientations and do not adhere to the layout of the original piece. 

The question I wanted to answer for myself in this work was if whether an image is still recognizable after a fairly extreme level of abstraction. I knew this wouldn’t be possible with just the apple alone due to the small size of the squares, so I decided to include the sticker on the apple to add written hints to what the drawing may be of after it was cut up, and see if that would elude enough to an apple. 

I named to piece Gala because that is the most prominent word present in the final drawing. 

Assignment planning and math for cutting the grid. The drawing lost some of it’s size when I created the grid because the paper I purchases had uneven edges where it was cut in store that needed to be straightened up for the grid to work. The initial drawing was 42” x 36” and the final drawing is 40” x 34”. 

Apple drawing in charcoal

Drawing carefully divided into a 2” x 2” grid

Cutting process

Entire drawing cut up

Glueing the squares onto another sheet of paper to add a stable base to the drawing.

Final Drawing:

Gala

40” x 34” 

Charcoal and cutting

Assignment 5 - Outside the Lines

    For this assignment I have been exploring a different idea/approach with each one of my images with an overarching theme of choice present in each drawing. So far I have been inspired by activity books I had as a kid, and am attempting to merge the simplicity of these books with a more artistic take on the activities. I also want to make the drawings interesting and inspiring to act for individuals of any age.  

Drawing 1 - Overlayed images to colour

Challenges the participant into deciphering the image and allows for choice in whether the fish are in the foreground/background and how these overlayed ares should be addressed.

Drawing 2 - Abstract connect the dots

Connect the dots without numbers (besides a start and finish) so the participant can map their own path. 

Drawing 3 - Fill in the frames

Urges the participant to act by creating drawings inside the frames. The option to colour the frames is also available. How to approach this is completely up to the participant. 

Drawing 4 - Colour association

For this drawing and the next I want to prompt the participant to form their own (often abstract or physically intangible) colour associations based on lines of writing. 

Drawing 5 - Colour association (reworked)

I wasn’t fond of the black background I used for my first attempt at executing this idea since it limits the participant in what they can do. This one is far more open with more interesting shapes.

Drawing 6 - Complete the drawing

A drawing of plants. The one in the front is completed to help the participant act by giving an example of what they can do, but the rest are incomplete.

Drawing 7 - Complete the drawing (body)

A body that can be completed in any way. I hinted at the body in a minimal way that was able to still get across a figure and leave most of the drawing for someone else to complete.

Drawing 8 - Artist crossword

A crossword of different artists. Typical crossword format is used, and answers are included at the bottom. Artists range from historical to contemporary. 

Drawing 9 - connect the dots (abstracted further)

This drawing is another approach to my abstracted connect the dots, but the ‘start’ and ‘finish’ prompt are removed to leave more up to the person filling it out. Because of the absence of the prompts it is possible to interpret this activity sheet in a completely different way.

Drawing 10 - Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portait - a colouring sheet

For this project I wanted to create a typical colouring sheet simply for the fun of it. I decided to adapt a classical work of art to fit the theme of ‘artists book’.

Drawing 11 - Decorate the dollhouse

An empty dollhouse that the participant can decorate and colour. Spaces are left in the floor plans for furniture.

Drawing 12 - Colour crossword

A crossword for painters - the hints are different colours of paint. 

Drawing 13 - Art movements/art history crossword