Blending with Coloured Pencils

                                 
Creating beautiful works is easy with careful practice using this medium. By learning to gently layer colour(s), you too can learn to create naturalistic renderings of scenery, architecture, animals, or people. If you missed the demonstration in class, be sure to visit the wwweb to see expertise in action!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG36Ne7P1c0

Or...if you are REALLY ambitious, you can try rendering the most challenging material: glass...(this also has great information about transparencies :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxZ0vZDEuQg

*Please note in the second video the way that the artist moves her pencil to create even tones.

Discovering the MOMA + Pixar's Ralph Eggleston

Visit the following website at MOMA to learn about Pixar’s process of designing animated film.

http://www.moma.org/interactives/redstudio/interviews/behind/flash.html

Visit the ”Ralph Eggleston” interview, look at the “featured work” and “know more” sections  about the “Pixar Process” to answer the questions on the handout presented in class.

12E: Communication Model

Today we were introduced to a basic model of communication. This model works to understand any kind of communication: written, visual, digital, musical, theatrical, graphic, extraterrestrial, mass-,  or any other kind of transmitted message!

Be sure you transfer this (or a similar) diagram to your notes to complement the ideas we shared today--and connect this information to VISUAL ARTS and DESIGN!

Gr. 12E Intro to Typography

Today we were introduced to TYPOGRAPHY. Understanding and applying typographic knowledge is important in any design project that aims to convey messages that involve words. Our handout identifies some important concepts:

• What IS Typography?
• The two main categories of Serif and Sans-serif typefaces, (and the way they came to be)
• The visual indicators of modern and contemporary type styles versus traditional styles
• Leading (meaning the space between lines) and how it came to be termed "leading"
• Kerning (meaning the careful arrangement of letters and negative space between letters)
• Em-widths and X-heights
• Ascenders and descenders, graphemes and typographic ligatures
• How to use guidelines
• The world's most common typestyles (and WHY they are most common)
• The importance of choosing legible typestyles
• The use of serifs in body copy, and why serifs are the preferred kind of type for this application
• The substrates used in historical and contemporary settings.

Be sure that you are able to demonstrate understanding of these concepts so that you can apply the information to future projects, in art--and beyond! To illustrate your knowledge, you can complete the following three items:

1. text rendering exercise, 
2. illustrate 5 examples of expressive text from magazine ads, and 
3. render your name on your portfolio cover!

Gr.9 Value Intro

     

This week we are continuing to explore the elements of art by looking at value. Value is involved in every work of art, in every work of architecture, in every fashion design, every interior, every sculpture, and even every performance...Value is one of the most important elements of art!!! But what is value in visual arts? It is not referring to how much something is worth...or how much something costs, or even our personal values...like honesty, or integrity...So, then, WHAT IS VALUE????

Quite simply put, value is lightness or darkness. Value is integral to how we see the world. We know the leather boots are leather because of value, we know the teapot is shiny because of value. We can tell the table is cracked because of value, even the shape of our nose is perceived because of value!

Many people think these details are related to line or colour, but NO!! It is value that tells us about surface textures, or changes in elevation. Because value has to do with how light is reflected from any surface...and how shadows are cast.  It is value that tells us the windows on a building are set deep in the walls, or protruding from the surface. It is value that tells us the texture of anything we look at, or that the sidewalk is cracked, or smooth, or that the tennis ball is fuzzy while the golf ball is dimpled. By looking at value shifts, we easily perceive forms--like the moon being spherical, or a dinner plate being flatter, a square versus a cube, or even a set of stairs. In this blog you will see some examples for you consider how light and dark helps you to "know" what you are looking at!

Gr 9: Real vs. Implied, Geometric vs. Organic

Today we discussed the element of line in terms of its relationship to the element of shape, and developed an understanding of the difference between real and implied lines. Further to our lesson was an appreciation of what constitutes geometric (lines and shapes), and organic (lines and shapes).

BLOG: Be sure to make notes (written and visual where appropriate) in your blog about the following:
a) What do we mean by elements in art? Explain.
b)  How line and shape are related;
c) How shape and form are related;
d) Define and provide visual examples of real and implied lines;
e) Define and provide visual examples of geometric and organic lines/shapes, including the idea that organic shapes are typically found in nature (with some exceptions), and geometric shapes are typically human made (with some exceptions). Be sure to cite a couple of examples of the exceptions!!

Grade 9 Kinds/Varieties of LINE (Handout)

In case you are away, or lose your original, you can access a copy of the LINE handout here. Be sure to use a RULER when you are completing this handout--!