This blog is for the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA, more specifically the Illustration class on Monday/Wednesday taught by Rendez Padgett. The class will be using this blog to chronicle their work, their growth, and comment/critique their fellow classmate's work to help each other achieve their potential. Posts can be sketches, color studies, and final illustrations (as long as they pertain to the class assignments). I encourage all my students to actively offer feedback to your fellow students, however, the same rules apply as they do in the classroom. No vulgarity! Provide helpful, honest, feedback and constructive criticism. Rude or degrading comments meant to humiliate another student will not be tolerated. Be receptive and open-minded when being critiqued. I expect you to defend your work, but you are not expected to be combative or disrespectful to others offering advice.
So, with that said, here's the first post: It is a full color digital still-life assignment using Adobe Photoshop and a tablet. The objects were drawn from life, not a photograph. Not every student in this class has a background in digital drawing, so this assignment was designed to get each student acclimated to drawing on the computer. As the instructor, I am far more concerned with individual growth than I am with an end-product.
Aisling F.
Alex R.
Anicia C.
Courtney C.
Deonte B.
Gabrielle H.
Kendall E.
Morgan W.
Sarah D.
Tyler L.
Virginia S.
Don't wait for my lead everybody, let the comments and postings begin!!
I'm glad you guys took this assignment seriously. I know some of you are a little more comfortable working digitally than others, and so for those of you who are not as advanced...don't worry I'm more concerned with your ideas, drawing ability, and willingness to get better. Sometimes that means doing what you think are "bad" drawings, but they are failures with a purpose, you've 'learned something'. As an artist that is a great thing!
ReplyDeleteCriticism time: I wish everyone would have pushed their compositions beyond the middle of the picture plane. I know some of your objects weren't the most inspiring thing for you to work with, but you could have used unusual cropping, view angles, color, and values to add interest to your pieces. Not every still-life has to put the object at center stage, sometimes it's nice to use a still-life as an excuse to push your working knowledge of the principles of design.
I think it's interesting to see the different methods people used to go about creating their still-lifes, such as a more painterly-approach like mine or Kendall's, or the cell-shading like Alex and Tyler.
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention the composition I'd have to agree that most of these are rather centralized, and it would be a good thing to re-consider for the next assignment.
The center has it's place in picture making, I don't want all of you to think you should avoid it at all costs. You just have to be aware of what it is doing to the picture in terms of abstract design; It tends to make things stagnant, because all the information we need is right there on display in balanced symmetry. It doesn't allow our (the viewer's) eye to explore the entire composition. We see it, there it is...and we move on. Now, if this had been an assignment of product design, dead center is where you want your object because that is what it is all about...the object. Also, a lot of religious iconography, sacred geometry, and meditative images usually purposely place things dead-center or use a lot of symmetry because it allows the viewer to "center" their mind when viewing it. It offers a sense of visual balance.
ReplyDelete