For a lot of people one of the most frightening things in art is a blank canvas, WHERE DO YOU EVEN START! In this project you will be exploring a alternative to how you may normally come up with ideas by collecting random organic shapes that are around us every day.
STEP ONE
Start by going on a exploration of the area around you by noticing all the little things like cracks, stains, tears, spills, etc., these found organic shapes will be the steping stones for your future creatures. If you have your phone take a picture of 5 different shapes and then draw the outlines on a sheet(s) of paper.
Next start letting your imagination go wild, what do you see? Snouts? Wings? Claws? Develope each of the 5 shapes into creatures and don't be afraid to add extra features outside of the original shape.
Step Two
Once you have developed your 5 creatures choose the one you are most excited about or that you think has the most potential. Choose wisely because this will be the creature you will be using for the final drawing (summitive!). The more of a backstory you can come up with the easier the rest of the project will be. What type of environment does this creature live in? What type of food does it eat? Does it fly, swim, walk, or slither? All of these answers will influence your creatures colors, textures, and value changes.
Now that you know all about your creature you will start exploring different materials to create the desired surface textures. You will be creating a 4x5 grid with each square being roughly 1 in. You will be creating four progressive patterns/textures by adding a new material in each square progressing from left to right. In A1 I added blue pastel and filled in all of the squares to the right. In A2 I added red circles with marker and continued with the circles in the next 3 squares to the right. Each square you add a new layer/material.
STEP THREE
Now you will begin your final drawing on 12in x 18in paper. Start with pencil very lightly adding the features you developed earlier. Slowly start adding the various layers to create value and depth. Go slow and take your time. Dont forget about light source. - You will need to have you creature take up 75% of the paper. - you will need to demonstrate a light source through creating intentional value in your creature - You will need to fill 100% of your creature with pattern/value/texture/etc. - you will need to have some type of minimalist background (wash, light shadow, ground patch) - The more details the better!!!