Problem: portray landscape in a figure/ground reversal.
Limits: simple, flat shapes
Materials: Drawing journal; pencils/marking pens; Pen&Ink; 2 sheets Bristol Board 14x17”; Black drawing paper; scissors, exacto knife, ruler, glue.
Procedure:
1. Imagine the landscape discussed by you in class and brainstorm with a minimum of 20small (1" - 2") thumbnail sketches in journal. Remember to start each thumbnail sketch with its picture frame. Do not draw all the picture frames in advance. Draw one at a time allowing for differences in frame shape. LEAVE SPACE between thumbnails (draw only 2 or 3 on each page). Experiment with different views of the same landscape (far, close-up, another perspective). Include as much detail as you can remember.
2. On Bristol Board, draw 6 thumbnail compositions. The goal with these is to simplify, pare down, (economy) the design to a figure ground reversal. Use pen & ink to fill in black areas.
3. Choose from thumbnails and make four compositions using cut black shapes on white Bristol (or wite on black). The shape of the Bristol ground (its picture frame) must be accurate to the proportions of the chosen thumbnail sketch. Cut black drawing paper to desired shapes (these will function as figure) and paste to the ground. Shift the shapes around, re-cutting different sizes when necessary, until you are satisfied that the whole composition is accurate to your memory AND that it functions in a way that allows the ground to be read as figure.
PREPARATION:
20 or more thumbnail sketches (approximately 1") in Journal (pencil or ink);
TO TURN IN:
6 thumbnail sketches on Bristol Board (pen&ink)
4 FINAL CUT-OUT DESIGNS: (approximately 8x6” EACH)
(All sizes are approximate and depend on your picture frame. Be sure to use the same picture frame proportions as in the corresponding thumbnail sketch.)
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DUE DATE & CRITIQUE: (To Be Announced / see syllabus)
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
1. IS THE GROUND AS INTERESTING AS THE FIGURE? IS THERE A REVERSAL?
2. DO THE PROPORTIONS OF THE FINAL COMPOSITIONS REFLECT THE PROPORTIONS OF THE CHOSEN THUMBNAIL SKETCHES?
3. IS IT INTERESTING? DOES IT DRAW THE VIEWER IN? HOW?
4. PRESENTATION
TERMS: picture plane, picture frame, composition, form, figure/ground relationship
