Week Five: Space and Abstract Drawings

Last week was a busy one for all of our brains!

Everyone started the week by combining what you've learned about lines, shapes, patterns, and textures to create an abstract drawings. Many of you spent several hours on this project. Some of you used a lot of high contrast between white and black. Others blended gray tones or used geometric shapes to make intricate designs. There was one thing all of you enjoyed doing with this drawing challenge: letting your imaginations run wild! Here's the abstract challenge for reference: Click

Then, on Friday, all of you experimented with shifting from the left side of the brain (analytical, verbal) to the right side (emotional, visual). Drawing the negative space around the rocking chair forced your brain to shift from left mode to right mode. Then, to take the left/right modal shift a little further, you drew the positive form of the chair--with the picture of the chair upside down! These exercises made a lot of you a little crazy. But I was really impressed to see everyone work through the challenges of drawing positive and negative space. It will be valuable knowledge for the remaining weeks ahead. Which side of your brain do you think was used when creating your abstract drawing?

Ready for this week's challenge?
Draw the background elements around the 3D cube. Then draw the cube itself. Compare your drawing to the reference picture to make sure the angles of the planes of the cube are correct. Blend the shading to show the shadows from the light source. If you'd like, use color to show the cube. Remember to start with light guidelines before adding darker lines and details. Here's the link to the reference picture: Click

or

Draw the puppy! Show the background texture (negative space) around the form of the puppy's head. Don't forget to start with light guidelines for the basic shapes of the puppy. Add lines and tones to show the texture of the dog's coat of hair. Here's the link to the reference picture: Click

Draw on, SLV Sketchers! --Rob

Shaylah

Excellent combination of patterns. You took a lot of time blending the dark areas to make them into even, smooth tones. Great contrast of white and black. The spiral is a strong visual element, making for an interesting composition

Very good job at showing the negative space around the rocking chair. Check some of the angles of the chair in the positive space exercise.

Jaime

I really like how you balanced your composition with strong patterns in the background. Your visual elements give the eye lots to look at. Are you telling a story?

Excellent job drawing the negative space around the chair. Taking the time to add gray tone to your positive space exercise was a great touch.

Elvis

You've done a wonderful job of combining angled lines and contrasting white and black areas to create patterns. You've done an excellent job of adding various elements and patterns to create an interesting composition.

I know this exercise was a challenge, but you did a very good job of drawing the negative space and got a great start at drawing the positive form of the chair.

Leif

Wow, you really got abstract! You put together two amazing drawings. You did an excellent job of adding a bunch of different patterns. The gray tones you added to the backgrounds really make your compositions interesting to look at.

Leif's comments on positive/negative drawing: This project was entirely different from any other thing I have ever attempted. At first my brain could not perceive that we were drawing the negative space, not the positive. And drawing it upside down was also very difficult because I'm not used to looking at stuff upside down.

Michael

Excellent abstract composition. I really like how you chose circular shapes as a theme and tied your picture together with vertical and horizontal lines in the background. The angled strokes of the gray tones adds a lot of interest to the composition. The triangles make the viewer stop and ask questions about the picture.

Michael's comments: Art was awesome today.

Craig

Excellent composition made with overlapping circles! Cool how you balanced the picture with the gray tones. The overlapping at the center of the picture gives the illusion of depth of space.

Craig's comments about the positive/negative exercise: Hard!

Jared

Excellent combination of gray tones and color. I really like the pattern of angled lines behind the colored organic shape.

Jared's comments: This class project was very interesting. I have never drawn the negative space. I enjoyed our time together this week. We should draw with colors sometime.

Ricky

Very interesting combination of patterns and shapes! It looks like you might be telling a story with various shapes. I really like the concentric circular shapes that give a strong focal point of your composition.

Ricky's comments: I can not draw a rocking chair at all. I can get the basic shape but can't get the real details. Too much noise... too much table shaking... can't concentrate enough. I messed up where everything comes together. The chair just didn't come together because of all the different shapes and curves and everything I didn't do.

Gage

Way cool composition! Excellent use of angled and curved lines to form patterns. The spiraling lines make your picture very interesting to look at. By adding dimensional shapes and cool visual elements you've started in the direction of surrealism.

Great start with the positive/negative drawing. Check the angles of the seat of the chair.

Our Teachers!

Patty

Whoah!!!!! Wonderful surrealistic abstract composition!

Hilda

Excellent! Abstract! Compositions!

Excellent job of drawing the negative and positive space.