Facial Proportion with Romare Bearden

Discussion

Facial Proportion

Colors

warm and cool colors

complementary colors

neutral colors

Shape

collage

artist, Romare Bearden

His piece Mother and Child, 1968

on display at the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA

ARTIST: Romare Bearden, (1911-1988)

American, Collage 

• Born in Charlotte, North Carolina, and died in New York City at the age of 76. 

• His life and art are marked by exceptional talent, encompassing a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature and world art. 

• Bearden was also a celebrated humanist, as demonstrated by his lifelong support of young, emerging artists.

• Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century

• He experimented with many different mediums and artistic styles, but is best known for his richly textured collages, two of which appeared on the covers of Fortune and Time magazines, in 1968. 

• An innovative artist with diverse interests, Bearden also designed costumes and sets for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and programs, sets and designs for Nanette Bearden's Contemporary Dance Theatre.

Facial Proportion: The face extends from the top of the head to your chin

This puts your eyes right in the Center of your face

The bottom of your nose falls in the Center of your eyes and chin

Your mouth is in the Center between your bottom of the nose and your chin

Let’s try this with newspaper

Step1: cut out a circle roughly the size of your hand from newspaper

Step2: fold your circle in half and cut out two ovals (eyes)

Step 3: fold your “chin” to your eye fold

Step 4: cut out a small triangle or circle

Step5: fold your “chin” to your nose fold

Step6: cut out a long oval for a mouth shape

Project: 

Step1: glue down your newspaper face to the card stock on the top and slightly right

Step2: Cut out a strip of newspaper and glue it along the bottom of your page

Step3: using yellow add some hair. This could be thickly applied

Step4: using your first complementary color add shape somewhere on your page

Step5: using the second complementary color fill in the background

• first: go around the shape
• second: paint over the newspaper strip but make sure you can see some of the newspaper through the paint
• third: fill the page with the color

Step6: mix your two complementary colors on your plate

Step7: somewhere on your painting add a neutral shape

Materials: 

paint in complementary colors

newspaper

glue sticks

Scissors

paper plates or trays for paint

paint brushes

water 

Imagination "Outrigger" Paintings with Robert Hudson

Robert Hudson's

Outrigger is on display at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, CA

Discussion: Find this sculpture in the museum and sit for discussion

What do you see here?

Is it an animal

How is it different from the painting we have seen?

Do you think the other side is painted or is it blank?

How many animals do you see?

What two different items are on top?

Why antlers? What is the artist trying to say? (NO WRONG ANSWERS)

How does the artist use color? Value?

ARTIST: Robert Hudson (born 1938) is an American artist who was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and grew up in Richland, Washington. He received a B.F.A in 1961 and an M.F.A. in 1963, both from the San Francisco Art Institute.

Hudson is best known for his funk art assemblages, of the late 1950s and 1960s. He has also produced non-objective paintings, ceramics and large steel and bronze sculptures.

Project: inspired painting of or inspired by this piece of art

Step1: draw the most important two things that you saw in the sculpture

Step2: draw two things that you would add to the sculpture, if it was yours, to improve it.

Step3: Draw two shapes, one organic, one geometric into the painting 

Step5: balance one shape on two sides

Step6: add a base

Step7: add one additional item of your choice, hat?

Step 8: using primary and secondary colors, paint your version of “outrigger”

MATERIALS: 

Paint

Paper

imagination

Line Mammals with Victor Vasarely

(because we are beginning a new school year I included my first day introductions)

Introduction: 

I am Mrs Mollie

Let’s talk about art

what is art?

where do we see it?

what should we talk about when we look at it?

color, shape, line, texture, value, hear, see, smell, 

Is Art right and wrong?

mistakes in art: good or bad?

One Rule: do not comment on your neighbors artwork.  

Discussion:

Line: what is a line?

Where do we see lines

what do lines do in art?

How many line scan you name  and where might we see them in life:

zig zag, swirl, straight, thin, thick diagonal, curves, wavy

Shapes: name a shape

how do lines make shapes?

Mammals: you have been talking about mammals in class

what are mammals

where do we see them?

might we see them in art?

show artwork of tangled black and white zebras. 

Victor Vasarely, (vah-zah-RAY-lee)

1906-1997

born Hungarian:

French artist: sculpture, painter printmaker 

He lead the development of the op art movement

Op-Art: an artistic style that uses geometric abstraction

Began painting in 1943

Style is characterized by BRIGHT VIBRANT COLORS geometric forms and suggestive movement

Style influeneced by KANDINSKY and KLEE

Zebra, created by Vasarely in the 1930s, is considered by some to be one of the earliest examples of Op-art. 

Vasarely died in Paris in 1997

PROJECT: Draw a mammal using shapes fill in with lines

Step1: Pick a mammal in your head and think about what shapes you could use to draw him

Step2: using a pencil, begin to draw your shape mammal

Step3: once completed fill in your shape mammal with spiral lines

Step4: Fill in your background using straight or zig zag lines

Materials:

card stock

sharpies

pencils

Line and shape overlap portfolios with Miro

Discussion: shapes

name a shape

how do we use line to make a shape

how did we use shapes to get to school today?

                        what do we eat in the shape of a triangle or square  

Overlapping 

what does it mean to overlap?

                        when you sit on your mom's lap are you overlapping your mom?

can shapes overlap

Show a piece of Miro's artwork:

Do you see shapes in Miro's artwork?

What colors did he use?

Are Miro's shapes overlapping?

Artist:Joan MIRO  (1893-1983)

Spanish painter, sculpture

Would not commit to a certain art style

Associated with the surrealists

Born to the families of a goldsmith and watchmaker, 

young Miró was drawn towards the arts community that was gathering in Montparnasse 

1920 moved to Paris, France. He was influenced by the poets and writers, 

He developed his unique style: organic forms and flattened picture planes drawn with a sharp line. 

He would dream about his paintings

He would see the shapes on the ceiling

Project: create a miro inspired shape overlap on portfolios

step1: draw a shape

step2: draw another shape and have them touch corners

Step3: draw a third shape and have that shape touch both of the other shapes

Step4: add lines in black squiggling around the shapes more then one is great

Step5: using markers, fill in some of the shapes here and there Try very hard to stay inside the lines

MATERIALS:

card stock

sharpie markers

magic markers

Printmaking Geometric Animals with Roberto Montenegro

PREPARATION: as students arrive for class ask them to brayer one color onto the paper
we used grey for this project

Take a look at: 

Jaguar and the Moon

Oil on canvas, circa 1950s. 

By Roberto Montenegro Crocker Art Museum

DISCUSSION: 

what do you see here?

Is it flat?

Does it appear to be made from paper?

What about the colors the artist chose?

How many colors?

What is the purple shape?

Why did the artist chose purple for the moon?

Why is the jaguars head Black and the rest of it’s body yellow?

What about the shapes and dots around the Jaguar?

ARTIST: Roberto Montenegro Nervo (1885-1968) 

he was a Mexican painter, illustrator, and stage designer.

In 1903, Roberto Montenegro began studying painting in Guadalajara under Felix Bernardelli, a Brazilian-Mexican artist

He lived in Mexico City, and in 1904 began studying architecture. 

It wasn't long after he abandoned it to study at the Academia de San Carlos under many talented artists

Some of his fellow students were Diego Rivera and Francisco Goitia.

An influential promoter of popular arts, Montenegro organized events like the first popular arts festival which was held in 1921. he also published "Pintura Mexicana del Periodo 1800-1860" in the 1930

PROJECT: printmaking animals

Step1: Encourage students to see any animal as a series of shapes. ex: cat: two triangles for ears, circle for a face, oval for a body, rectangles for legs. add pieces of sticky foam to create the shape of any animal

Step2: For the cat: cut out two triangles and place them on the top of the card board piece

Step3: continue adding shapes to your cardboard until you have your whole animal created.

Step4: On a small piece of cardboard create a shape to be added around your animal like a moon or stars

For printing: LIMIT COLOR CHOICES FOR THE STUDENTS. we were able to choose form three red, yellow or blue.

Step3: Print your animal on your prepared paper using one color for the animal and one for the shape

Step5: using a q-tip add dots in and around your animal

Step6: using forks, wine corks and any additional items, add pattern in your background

Materials,

Paper in white black or grey or all three

Paint

Sticky foam rectangles

cardboard base

q-tips

scissors

cork

forks

Symmetry and Asymmetry with Tino Rodriguez

Look at: Xochipilli's Estatic Universe

Oil on panel, 2004 by Tino Rodriguez;  Crocker Art Museum

Discussion: 

What do you see first in this piece of art?

Is this a photograph? 

Could this really happen OR is it more like a dream?

What parts are the MOST dreamlike?

What about this piece is the same on two sides? Symmetrical

If we cut it in half, both sides would be the same: the bird, the butterfly, the face

Let’s name more things that are the same on two sides

What about this piece is Asymmetrical?

ARTIST: Tino Rodriguez

Tino Rodríguez is a Mexican-American painter. 

Born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, Rodriguez was influenced by the symbolism and themes evident in the Catholic churches of his youth. His work was also influenced by his absorption of fairy tales.

His work incorporates fantastical imagery combining animal and human forms, as well as dream-like backgrounds and settings.

His work has been exhibited at numerous venues in San Francisco.

Rodriguez studied at the Sorbonne in 1990. 

He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the San Francisco Art Institute and his Master of Fine Arts from the University of New Mexico.

Project: Balance (symmetrical) Butterflies vs Asymmetrical background

Step1: Fold a piece of large paper once about the 1/3 mark

Step2: On one half of the folded page draw half a butterfly in oil pastel

Step3: Fold the paper and rub until the butterfly transfers to the other half

Step4: draw in the lines so the two sides match 

Step5: using oil pastel draw in details on the wings, line on the body any ideas to make your Butterfly unique. Remember every detail you add to one wing must be added to the 

  opposite wing

Step6: using a pencil draw the background around your butterfly. Add some dreamlike ideas into your environment, remember this is your asymmetrical opportunity.

Step7: Using paint, paint additional symmetrical details on your butterfly

Step8: paint your background asymmetrical

MATERIALS: 

Paper

Oil pastels

paint

water cups

brushes

Organic and geometric Repetition Animals with Maija Peeples-Bright

 3 Day Project

Day 1

Take a look at the work: Woodpecker Wimea with Weightlifters

Oil on canvas 1982 by Maija Peeples-Bright

Discussion:

What do you see in this piece

What is repetition

Do you see texture

How many different colors are used

Are the birds always painted the same?

If you can forget for a  moment that they are birds what does the painting look like?

do you see any shapes? what shapes do you see?

What is a shape? Name some

What is an organic shape? Can you name some of those? Where do we see them?

Artist: Maija Peeples-Bright  (1942-)

Maija was born in Riga, Latvia in 1942.  Maija and her parents then moved to Northern California when she was 8

She is known for paintings, prints and ceramic sculptures of zany lovable animals and bright flowers.

She was well into completing her math degree at UC Davis in 1963 when her counselor advised her to take an art class to fulfill general education requirements. 

On her first day in the class, she unknowingly stepped right into the middle of what's known today as the California Funk movement. 

Eventually she ended up palling around with such notables as Robert Arneson, William T. Wiley, Peter VandenBerge, David Gilhooly and Roy DeForest. 

"I was so lucky that Davis was just this hotbed of art at the time that I was there," says Peeples-Bright,    

In 1967, Maija lived in San Francisco in a house she helped paint every color that Dutch Boy produced and called her work "The Rainbow House."  

"I do art in just about everything—my shirts, crochet my blankets. 

Maija studied under Wayne Thiebaud, William T. Wiley and Robert Arneson to gain her Master's in only one year at the University of  Davis.  Maija prefers to isolate herself from the art world and work in her garage studio in Eldorado Hills, California.

Project: over several days and steps create a work inspired by the work of Maija Peoples-Bright

Step1: Blue Tape 1/2 inch border around a large piece of thick paper, tape to a board

Step2: Draw three large geometric shapes the same or different

Step2: Draw three large organic shapes within and around the geometric shapes

Step3: fill in any blank spots with shapes both Geo and organic

Step4: using tempura paints, Paint shapes both organic and geometric of different colors

Materials: 

Thick paper 12x18

tempura paint

pencil

Day 2: 

Discussion: revisit all discussion topics from day 1

Focus on repetition 

Tint: adding white to colors

Value: what is value 

what happens when you add white to colors?

Make Paint: 

Give each student a bowl of different color paint and a brush

add a portion of white to each bowl and have the student create the new colors

Project: 

Step1: using a pencil, choose one shape and fill it in with at least 2 of the same animal

Step2: in another shape, fill it with at least 2 of another animal

Step3: continue on until all shapes are full, some shapes could be filled with only one animal

Step4: put the new paint colors one on each table in the studio.  Have the students move about to the studio to each table to add the new paint colors to the animals

Day 3

revisit the previous two days discussions

Oil Pastels: what are they?

How do we use them?

When and how were they created?

Value: Shade

What happens when you add Black to a color?

Make Paint: 

Give each student a bowl of different color paint and a brush

add a small portion of black to each bowl and have the student create the new colors

Project: 

Step1: using oil pastels add details to your animals

             eyes, scales, contour lines, etc.
Step2: put the new paint colors one on each table in the studio.  Have the students move about to the studio to each new color
Step3: using a q-tip add dots around each original shape


Materials:
Oil pastels
Q-tips
Paint Brushes
Black paint
White Paint
pencils
bowls