Monday, December 05, 2011
Studio Talk: Learning to Draw, part 2
While drawing, don’t focus your attention on a single part of your subject at a time, but look at each part in relation to the whole. This helps avoid unwanted distortion.
If you can capture the character of the object in a convincing way, it is not important that it be realistically accurate. Drawing is not simply copying an object; it is expressing your own personal observations.
The three important characteristics to look for in every object are shape, value, and texture. Shape refers to the proportions: width in relation to height, the size of one part compared to another, and whether the surface is flat or curved. Value refers to the lightness or darkness of its surroundings. Texture refers to the appearance of the surface: is it rough, smooth, hard, soft, shiny, dull…?
All of these things can be learned by observing and drawing—continually and repeatedly. Skill does not come overnight, any more than you can learn to play a musical instrument masterfully in a day. But the results of practice and study are rewarding—to you and to those who see your work. Art is a creative venture, offering an artist’s insight to the world for the pleasure and inspiration of viewers.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Studio Talk: Learning to Draw, part 1
The old cliche—“I can’t even draw a straight line”—overlooks the fact that artists use rulers for this purpose. But great drawing seldom relies on straight lines, anyway. It combines free-flowing lines to weave magic tapestries, and is a skill that anyone can master.
The tools for drawing are simple ones: a pencil, pen, or a piece of charcoal make wonderful drawing mediums. And any paper you have available will do.
Learning to draw is a matter of learning to see. When you look at an object, are you really aware of it? Think about it. What is it made of? What does it do? Is it wider than it is tall? Is one part larger than another? A tree has a distinctive shape, but not all trees have the same shape. A tall pine is cone-shaped; a maple may be fat and rounded; an old apple tree in winter is gnarled and angular. Be alert to these descriptive differences.
Practice drawing what you see by making many sketches of objects around you. Sketch commonplace things: a chair, table, fire hydrant, your house. In all your sketching, try to find the expressive characteristics that make the object unique. In addition, try to make the function of the object clear to anyone looking at your drawing. Let’s say, for example, that you’re drawing a pencil sharpener. Notice the size of the handle in comparison to the overall size. Where does it attach to the back of the sharpener—near the bottom or near the top? When you’ve trained your eye to see proportions and construction in this way, you’ll draw convincingly.
Watch for Part 2 of this Studio Talk on learning to draw!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Murals by Diego Rivera reunited at MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art in New York is about to open an exhibition of five murals created by Diego Rivera in 1931, reuniting these panels for the first time in 80 years. This link to the exhibition includes a very informative multimedia tour, complete with audio, of the paintings as well as background information on Rivera’s legendary mural for Rockefeller Center.
Rivera actually worked on the murals in an empty gallery at the museum; he kept the heat off because he didn’t want the paint to dry too quickly. Five of the murals he created depict events in Mexican history; three more captured scenes of Depression-era New York. In the years since their creation, the murals have scattered to private collections and other museums; only one remained at MoMA. One of the New York scenes is very relevant to today’s world: its three tiers show, from top, a skyline of skyscrapers, a pier sheltering the unemployed, and a bank vault where the wealthy count their money. Its title: “Frozen Assets.”
Monday, October 31, 2011
Marianne and Skip—FAS students, 50 years apart
Skip Shelton (FAS alumnus of the 1950s) and Marianne Lenti (FAS current student) in front of Skip’s painting of WWII bombers. Lenti studied with Shelton, retired pilot and art instructor at the Arts Center of Greenwood (SC), who began his art career during WWII painting women on noses of bombers. (click image to enlarge)
We just got a letter from Marianne Lenti, who is currently enrolled in the FAS Oil & Watercolor Painting Course. She described the experience she’s having with the Course, and included a tale of a wonderful coincidence.
I am currently enrolled in the Oil & Watercolor Painting Course, and am enjoying each and every lesson. The feedback has been very fruitful, especially the personal letter, which is the next best thing to being right there with the teacher. Having recommendations, corrections, comments of the teacher in writing may well be BETTER than some “workshops” I have attended. The attention is much more personal than a class could ever be.
Here in South Carolina I study art with Luther (Skip) Shelton. He started his artwork painting bomber nose art on planes during WWII. He also took the Famous Artists School lessons IN THE FIFTIES. I just happened to choose the same school over 50 years later. He has spoken of this experience as “life changing.” He was a commercial pilot for many years, before becoming an art teacher/illustrator/muralist here in Greenwood, SC. I thought you’d like to know he was still recalling his lessons with you.
It’s always such fun to hear about our alumni, especially those who are passing on their knowledge and skills to a whole new generation of students. Thanks so much, Marianne and Skip!
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Satire at the MOMA
An exhibition currently up at the MOMA, Infinite Jest: Caricature and Satire from Leonardo to Levine, showcases the artists’ use of satire over the centuries. While the exhibition does include 20th century artists, it appears the majority of the works are older, some dating back to the 17th century. The writer of the NY Times review argues that satirical works do not hold up to history since the potency of the subject matter is diminished to the audience. What do you think, are the artworks still relevant in their own right or should they have curated a more contemporary show?
Friday, October 21, 2011
Exhibition of drawings provides a snapshot of Picasso’s career
The Frick Collection (look at their home page for a slide show of Picasso’s drawings) in New York is currently home to an exhibition titled “Picasso’s Drawings, 1890-1921: Reinventing Tradition.” Although exhibitions of Picasso’s works are not infrequent, this low-key offering takes a close look at one period—from youth to early middle age; and one medium—drawing. It begins with an awkward, cautious pencil rendering of a small statue, drawn when Picasso was 8 or 9 years old. Although he may have begun tentatively, it didn’t take long for him to begin to display his natural gifts, as the next drawings in the show illustrate.
From these early days, the show traces his development and the myriad influences that are evident in all phases of Picasso’s art. He constantly pushed the boundaries of his materials and his subjects, whether the human face and body, landscapes, or still life. In Paris in his twenties, he was exposed to drawings of all kinds, from classical to contemporary, and the exhibition is filled with examples of these influences. In one drawing, Picasso seems to be responding to the so-called primitives of the French and Italian Renaissance; in another, to Gauguin’s Tahitian subjects. There are hints of references to Iberian and African sculpture. The exhibition celebrates Picasso’s lifelong habit of looking at every kind of art available and taking from it the themes he would develop in his own unique way.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tips on figure drawing
Drawing the human figure is a rewarding activity—but it can also be very frustrating. Here are some helpful hints from the Famous Artists School Instructors on how to overcome some common problems:
One way to start a drawing is to lightly sketch in the general position of the figure—not so much its detailed appearance, but what it is doing. Try to see the whole figure, not just an isolated part. Once you have established the proper overall size and action, you can start defining the various parts of the body.
A proven way of checking your drawing for error or “faulty seeing” is to look at its reflection in a mirror. Many professional artists keep a mirror handy so they can study their work at various stages as it develops.
Look at the figure not as a drawing, but as if he or she were a real person —one you passed on the street. Then ask yourself some questions. For instance: if I saw this person, would he look as though his arms were too long or his head too large? Would I consider her too heavy or too thin? Does he look as though he is falling over, or as though he is doing what I intended to depict? Should I emphasize the action just a little bit more?
Study anatomy or muscles, but concentrate mainly on what muscles do. Don’t allow your figure drawing to be so dominated by muscles that you lose sight of the overall effect.
Good luck and keep drawing!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Microsavings Helps Dressmaker in Kenya
This article isn’t about art in the traditional sense, but I think tearing up old dresses and repurposing them into new dresses requires skill and creative vision. That’s what former prostitute turned businesswoman and single mom Jane Ngoiri has done. Ngoiri, who is from Kenya, was locked into a cycle of poverty. After being taught about the concept of “microsaving” (putting tiny amounts away on a regular basis) and being guided to use the money to get a business loan, Ngoiri was able to eventually buy a house in the suburbs and provide quality education to her children. Truly inspiring. For those that want to help, you can even send your old dresses to Ngoiri via the address herein.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
White House Displays Evocative Rockwell Painting
Norman Rockwell, one of the founders of Famous Artists School, used his platform as an illustrator to convey messages of justice and equality. One of his most powerful pieces, “The Problem We All Live With,” makes a bold statement about civil rights. It depicts the first African-American student to be integrated into a white school, young Ruby Bridges. In her pristine white dress with her head held high, Bridges is seen walking to school with three escorts. On the wall behind her the most inflammatory of racial epithets and a splattered tomato. According to this article, the real Bridges, who is now 56, began asking President Obama last year to include the painting in the White House’s temporary collection. Reportedly, when Bridges visited the White House to see the painting Obama said to her, “I think it’s fair to say that if it hadn’t been for you guys, I might not be here, and we might not be looking at this together.” That Rockwell’s painting is now hanging in the highest office in the land, being contemplated by our first African-American President, is indeed a testament to the power of art and the healing power of time.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Lessons from a master: De Kooning at MoMA
A major retrospective exhibition of the works of Willem De Kooning is about to open at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. For aspiring artists, there’s a lot to be learned from a slow walk through this large show.
As a young teenager in his native Rotterdam, De Kooning worked in a commercial design firm, where he learned basic techniques of lettering, tracing, copying, and layering. This background in creating a whole from many disparate parts became the foundation of the art he would go on to produce. As a young artist, he studied and absorbed the work of many artists including Ingres, Rubens, Soutine, Picasso, and Gorky, as well as images from advertising and the Sunday comics. He strove to combine many elements to create something entirely new; every painting he made was a controlled experiment. According to an article in the New York Times, “typically, he would start with a drawing, add paint, draw on top of the paint, scrape the surface down, draw more images traced and transferred from elsewhere, add paint to them, and on and on.” This physical energy reaches out from each painting to grab the viewer’s attention.
For students of art, getting to know De Kooning feels like being given permission to try any crazy combination of elements that comes to mind. That’s what creativity is all about. De Kooning never stopped experimenting; neither should we.
