full skeleton assignment

due november 10 (monday):

• one front 3/4 view of the full skeleton with value on the side plane

• one back 3/4 view of the full skeleton with value on the side plane

1. use stonehenge 38" x 50" paper and tape or draw off a 2" border on all sides
2. you may use the big drawing boards in 303
3. you may use charcoal, conté, or graphite

objectives for the assignment:

• to represent the skeleton accurately in terms of anatomy and structure. this includes such things as treating the rib cage as a simple solid first, then drawing the individual ribs, and making sure that we can understand in the drawing how the ribs articulate with the spinal column. it means making sure all joints are believable, diagrammatic. make sure the bones are drawn as characteristically as possible: does the femur look like the longest bone in the body? does the humerus have a twist? is the fibula lower than the tibia? does the scapula occupy ribs 2 - 7? etc. all parts of the drawing should be as three-dimensional as possible, through adding and/or exaggerating edge planes.

• to create a structurally clear and anatomically accurate drawing that also emphasizes line variation. use line to 1) to create a sense of three-dimensionality within each form itself, and 2) create atmospheric perspective in the drawing (most contrast and detail in foreground, less contrast and detail in background). you will utilize edges/outlines for sure, but all outlines should be varied--if one edge of a bone is dark, the other should be light. edges on the light planes are best if they have some openness (let the open/gapped lines imply the edge).

• to use linear value. you will add a darker value to one plane in the drawing. you will choose a light source (typically above and to one side, like the sun at 10 am or 2 pm, for example). the plane away from the light source will be your darker plane, or your "side" plane. this works best when this plane is also the smaller of the two planes (larger front plane, narrower side plane, for example). this is so the drawing does not get overwhelmed with too much value. feel free to keep the value subtle. a little value can go a long way to adding to the illusion you've set up through line. too dark or textured of a value can have the opposite effect--so go easy.

• to incorporate your own drawing "handwriting." work on refining your own way of putting down marks, erasing, and laying down value. rely on your strengths and your natural tendencies to your advantage. try to find what makes sense to you as a draftsperson as you work with value and marks. each of you have your own way of creating a drawing. take the best of what you work with naturally and incorporate the ideas of line variation and linear value within your own style or handwriting.

• to use the principals of design to create a successful figure/ground relationship on the picture plane. we talked about the extra width of the page in relation to the height of the skeleton, and to make use of that extra space by incorporating close-up drawings of joints, vertebrae, the skull, etc. you could even add notes in this space as long as they add to the overall aesthetic of the drawing rather than distract from it. when you are trying to figure out what makes a good use of the page, think of the principals of design you learned as freshmen: balance, repetition, contrast, harmony, dominance, unity.

• to be conscious of your drawing process through the entire process of this assignment. for each drawing session you work on the skeleton, photograph your drawing (at least one with the skeleton in view) and write about the drawing process--what you accomplished, what you figured out, what problems you came across, what you plan to work on first next time, what you will need to do before you come back to the drawing, etc. create a blog post with this information for each of your drawing sessions as you work on this assignment.

• to help your blog group members through this assignment. each day from now until the assignment due date check your group members' blogs to see if they have posted about their skeleton assignment. if so, look at their images, read their summaries of their drawing processes, and comment thoughtfully and meaningfully to help them create the best skeleton drawings they can at this point in their education/artistic career. do this through noticing and asking questions first, then through advice-giving if the artist asks for it.