24 September 2009




Course work: After a period of study, I added a few little irregularities to suggest coarse sand, strengthened a few weak shadows, and called this first part of the final exercise for Assignment One complete. I then set up my arrangement for the second part (man-made objects). For this, I used a reproduction Mesoamerican clay figure jug, accompanied by a number of small, genuine Maya articles. (NB: the genuine articles were all certified by the Guatemalan inspector of antiquities as having no archeological value: they were collected by me during two seasons as a volunteer working on excavations of Maya sites.) My first study was far too busy: I removed several articles, rearranged those remaining, and did a second study, which is better, but leaves too many articles at the edge of the image. I will try moving them in a bit tomorrow.



Reading:



Claudia Betti & Teel Sale, Drawing, A Contemporary Approach (4th Ed)

Thomson Learning, Inc. (1997)

Chapter 2, Part 2 (pp 63-78)



Betty Edwards, The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

Penguin-Putnam, New York, 1999

Chapter 7 (pp 116-135)



Personal sketchbook work: A pocket sketchbook sketch of an unusual mushroom with convolutions that appeared almost brain-like, seen while walking. An exercise from The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, (done in the companion workbook). A Conte’ drawing of a reproduction of a Mesoamerican bird-effigy pitcher. (Conte’ sanguine is especially well-suited for this, as the color so closely resembles that of the subject: it also gives me more experience with the medium, which I need.)



Total time: almost four hours