Still Life A Study in Composition and Form Project #3

Due: October 13, 2001 Name: _____________________

Objectives: The student will: Classes Needed: Six session of 90 minute classes Procedures: The still life is a traditional art class project - and with good reason. This project will reinforce your skills in observation, composition, drawing from life, use of values, use of color (if you go that route), and using various media to create the illusion of 3 dimensions on a 2 dimensional surface. FIRST: Practice creating values using pencil, pen and ink, and color media such as watercolor pencil and water soluble oil pastel. Practice also desaturating colors using their complements. NEXT: Using a view finder and the still life set up in the classroom, find a great composition. THEN: Draw the objects within the chosen composition in the most realistic way that you can. Create the illusion of three dimensions by focusing on FORM created with values. You may use whatever medium (or media) you like - challenge yourself to grow, dont take the easy way out! REMEMBER: There are certainly many examples of abstract still lifes out there (we looked at some) and they are awesome (I think so, at least) but this project is about recreating the illusion of reality on a two dimensional surface. This is meant to be challenging - and it might be really hard at some points. Push through, you will learn a lot and will be proud of the end result.

Vocabulary: Contour- The outline and other visible edges of a mass, figure or object. Craftsmanship- The quality of what a person does. Craftsmanship is most admired when a person creates with skill or dexterity, usually with the hands, whether with or without tools. Composition- The plan, placement or arrangement of the elements of art in a work. It is often useful to discuss these in reference to the principles of design, as well as to the relative weight of the composition's parts. Background- The part of a picture or scene that appears to be farthest away from the viewer, usually nearest the horizon. This is the opposite of the foreground. Between background and foreground is the middle ground. Still life- A picture of inanimate objects. Common still life subjects include vessels, food, flowers, books, clothing. Value- An element of art that refers to luminance or luminosity the lightness or darkness of a color. Form- In its widest sense, total structure; a synthesis of all the visible aspects of that structure and of the manner in which they are united to create its distinctive character. Mixed Media- A technique involving the use of two or more artistic media, such as ink and pastel or painting and collage, that are combined in a single composition. Desaturation- the addition of white light to a pure color to
produce a paler less saturated color

Rule of Thirds- A guideline for balancing a composition that states that the bigger the mass, the more toward the center of an artwork it should be placed. Similarly, the smaller the mass, the more toward the edge it should be placed. Complimentary Colors- Colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel, such as red and green, blue and orange, and violet and yellow. When complements are mixed together they form the neutral colors of brown or gray. Standards of Learning AIII.1 AIII.3 AIII.6 AIII.7 AIII.12 AIII.16