"Every Person's Work Is A Self Portrait". Design lessons to help students find their personal design preferences.

"Every Person's Work Is A Self Portrait"

A design lesson to help students find their personal design preferences.

We often look like what we produce.  Every Person's Work I A Self Portrait.

Whats the Point? No one in the world has your marks and your preferences like you do. When you discover your preferences in the element and principles of art you find your voice. When you orchestrate your designs with the knowledge of yourself using the elements and principles of design and you will become a master painter. "With practice and persistence".
Learning about you.  Five simple assignments

Assignment 1.          

Step 1:   Bring a picture of a watercolor artist work that you would like to emulate.
            PLACE THE PICTURE IN YOUR SKETCH BOOK.
            

Step 2: Identify these elements and principles of art in the work that you like:
           ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION and PLACE THEM  IN YOUR SKETCH
           BOOK.

• ·         Line: What kind of lines are in the art work are they straight or curved ?
• ·         Direction: Are the lines or shapes dominantly,vertical, horizontal or diagonal ?  
• ·         Shapes: Are the shapes in the art work  geometric or organic?
• ·         Size: Shape sizes are very important this creates dominance and sub-ordinance (some things get more attention some get less).  What sizes of shape do you have in the art work you selected? Are there a variety of  large middle and small shapes? Or are the shapes all large?  All small? Are the shapes busy or simple?
• ·         Values: What dominate value is in the art work? Light, middle or dark? Are the values, contrasting or harmonious?
•       Texture: Are they smooth or with contrasting rough varieties?
• ·         Colors: Why do you like the colors in this piece?  Value? Hue? Intensity? Temperature? Is it a limited palette (few colors) or full palette (all colors)?

Assignment 2. 

Make a color inventory and a little emulation piece in watercolor of the painting you have chosen.  Size 4 X 6 rectangle. Make the color inventory proportionate to the color mass.   Keep this Simple, Basic, Easy. PUT IN YOUR SKETCH BOOK. Some advice {"Be sure when you emulate or copy an artist painting to learn and study from, that it is a good design. Always write (study) on the front of your copy. Do not enter these in art competitions}. (It's not your work not even if you just change the color"). Simple example: Advanced example:

By Alex 2010 watercolor class

Assignment 3
       1. Go to your closet take a picture of your cloths.
       2. Take particular note of the patterns or solid colors in your cloths.
       3. Take pictures of jewelry if you wear it, back packs, bags, and things hanging on your walls.
           Are there similar patterns?
       4. Look carefully, are they the same colors and same patterns as your emulation piece?
       5. Check the values, are they the same as your painting you would like to emulate.   

            Place this in your sketch book.




Assignment 4

4. *Do two doodles in a 1” square format, that have at least 12 shapes in them, PLACE THIS IN
     YOUR SKETCH BOOK.

                                                        
                                                         
For further analysis do the following:
Below are examples of 64, 1” square, doodles or little art works.  You will learn a lot about your preference.  Notice how the signature of the artist matches the artwork. Interesting?
Note. When making a 64 square doodle assignment it is important that you do this in one setting.
The more fatigued you become of this assignment the more your natural interest and true marks will appear. In other words the things as and how you really are. 

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION IN YOUR SKETCH BOOK.

Identify these elements and principles of art in your own work :

·         Line: What kind of lines are in the art work?  Are they straight or curved ?

·         Direction: Are the lines or shapes dominantly,vertical, horizontal or diagonal ?  

·         Shapes: Are the shapes in the art work  geometric or organic?Are the shapes busy or simple?

·         Size: Are shape sizes in the art work, large middle and small, or all large? Are they all small?
               What size combinations are in the art work?

·   Values: What dominate value is in the art work? Are they light, middle or dark? Are the values,  contrasting or harmonious?
      Texture: Are they smooth or with contrasting variety?

·        

 5. *Compare your marks (your doodles) (elements and principle of design) to those in the artist work you have chosen.

• Do any of your marks in the elements and principles of design match the artist work you chose?  
• How do they match? 
• How are they different?
• WRITE THIS IN YOUR SKETCH BOOK.

We often look like what we produce. “Every person’s work is a self portrait”.
Here is an artist in Utah, who gave me permission to take his picture and art work to share with my students. 

What’s the Point?
No one in the world has your marks and your preferences like you do.

When you discover your preferences in the element and principles of design you find your voice. Now orchestrate your designs with the knowledge of yourself using the elements and principles of design and you will become a master painter. “With practice and persistence”.