Chapter 4 In the Studio Activity Prompt

Line

This project is an exploration of line character. It will help you understand how different media can produce lines with varying personalities. Begin by dividing a large piece of paper into 16 equal parts. Using a pencil, sketch out a balanced and unified composition structured around one continuous line that goes through all of the 16 boxes or areas. The result should be an organic shape or design. Go over your line using at least two types of media (e.g., a brush and paint, a B lead pencil, a pen and ink, charcoal, or a marker) and add different types of line (e.g., horizontal or vertical lines drawn using a ruler, dotted or dashed lines, curved lines, or implied line). Use only black and/or gray media, and try to be inventive with your use of line (figs. 4.27, 4.28, 4.29).

There is an approximate heart shape outline made up of trees, circles, a thick line, and the text decay. There are a pair of scissors and a thin dog bone shape. There are curved lines. There is a thick curved line among small dots.
Figure 4.27 Student Work: Sarah Navin, Line Character Collections, 2016.
Navin uses script and reversing the traditional black line on white background in here study of line character.
Meyers square drawing consists of four rows of four squares each. The squares have shapes such as coffee stains, a toothbrush, broken eggshells, a bar code, a carrot with leaves, flowers, leaves, a honeycomb, cream biscuits, a bottle head, and a water drop.
Figure 4.28 Student Work: Jessica Meyers, Line Character Collections, 2016.
Meyers uses a black square with a white line to create a focal point. She also uses coffee cup stains in the upper left portion of her design as a unique line element.
Julies drawing shows four rows of four squares each. The shapes in the squares are bead chain, curves of different thicknesses, parallel horizontal lines, parallel vertical lines, and other dotted curves.
Figure 4.29 Student Work: Julie Crowe, Line Character Collections, 2016.
Crowe reverses her line color from black to white is several boxes within the composition. She develops a rhythmic design that uses the entire page effectively.


Assignments



In The Studio: Critique a Sample Student Work

Critique one of the student examples in the textbook and answer the following questions:

  • What form(s) of perspective is/are utilized in the image (linear, isometric, atmospheric, isometric, amplified)?
  • How are the samples utilizing visual hierarchy and use of space to help define the most important elements of their “map”? Do specific elements within the image overlap and create visual interactions with one another? Are these objects symbolic in meaning or literal in depiction?
  • How does the selection of medium inform the aesthetic choices of the student samples? Are the samples utilizing materials which reinforce the specific intention of the work and address the issue of space?

Your instructor will subsequently provide comments on your critique and evaluate you using the rubric attached to the exercise.



In The Studio: Submit Your Work

Submit your In the Studio piece to your instructor. Your instructor will advise you on their preferred submission method.



In The Studio: Presentation and Group Critique

In this assignment, you will both present your In the Studio assignment and critique your classmates' work.

Your instructor will organize groups in advance, and you will coordinate when you will meet.

When you present your work, be sure to answer the following questions:

  • What specific elements did you include in your “map”? How literal or symbolic was the imagery you selected? What was the primary focal point for the composition?
  • How did you consider the use of illusionistic space in your image to depict the actual space of your campus? What type of space (cubist, psychological, decorative) is utilized in your composition? If multiple types of space are utilized, how do each type of space relate to the specific imagery selected?
  • What sort of perspective (linear, isometric, atmospheric, isometric, amplified) did you utilize in the composition? How did the type of perspective utilized tie conceptually into your imagery?
  • How and why did you select specific components to describe your campus? How do the different elements interact with each other to create a consistent, unified image? Did you consider relative size and proximity of particular elements to give more or less emphasis in the composition?

When critiquing your classmates' work, be sure to address the following questions:

  • How did the student recontextualize the traditional connotation of a “map” through a varied use of space and perspective? How does the image still function as a “map” (as a way to provide specific details of a location)?
  • Do the various elements in the map utilize overlapping or transparent layers to interact with each other? How does the proximity of the components in the space of the final composition allude to the intent of the artist?

Your instructor will subsequently provide comments on your critique and evaluate you using a rubric affiliated with the exercise.

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