FIGURATIVE ABSTRACTION

Drawing II-­‐ OLIVER Assignment 9
(Due: Monday, 4/28)

   Figurative Abstraction

For this project you must complete TWO SEPARATE IMAGES (each piece minimally 18"x 24"). OPEN media/ OPEN surface (support)

You may choose from any of the following approaches to developing your figure studies, or modify these ideas according to your own inspiration. Include an IDEA SHEET response for each image:

1. Colored Silhouette: Cut out your study and adhere it to a contrasting colored ground. Add colored pencil/other media to enhance sections and fill in segments with solid or semi-­‐transparent color.
2. Free-­‐form collage: cut out figures; adhere together in a mass or inter-­‐ connected sequence. Adhere to a background or simply leave as free-­‐form. Add watercolor or other information to different sections to the free-­‐form collage suggesting a progression of emotion or evolution-­‐ shift color from warm to cool, bright to dull, dark to light, etc.
3. Contrasting Pattern: Using one of your studies, cut patterned paper and collage onto sections within the figure, outside of the figure, or both. Also, consider creating patterns with colored pencil, marker, watercolor, etc.
4. Interior VS Exterior: Using brown paper or Watercolor paper, work up a densely rich background using collage, watercolor, or other drawing media. Adhere a cut-­‐out figure-­‐study to the ground, then create a strongly contrasting quality within the figure-­‐ warm vs. cool, dark vs. light, bright vs. dark, horizontal vs. vertical, etc
5. Fluid Vibrancy: Using a watercolor study, wet paper with spray bottle. Touch liquid watercolor in a variety of colors in different sections of the study. Let dry, then use marker/colored pencil to add exciting patterns, designs, and textures to the colored areas.
6. Rhythm: Using Graphite Paper over brown paper or watercolor paper, overlay a figure study, transferring it to the blank paper. Repeat, shifting the drawing several times in parallel or diagonal steps across the paper, creating a sense of motion, an ‘echo’, or a rhythmic effect. Enhance with shifting color, texture, value, pattern, etc.
7. Dark and Moody: Enhance any of your drawings with India Ink wash and brush. Add pattern, line, or value with variations in ink. Add color washes to grey areas to create subtle shifts in color
8. Stripes/Strata: Over the top of a selected figure study, draw horizontal lines all the way across the page covering the entire paper, varying each ‘stripe’ in thickness and regularity. Treat each segment with different color, texture, pattern, etc. varying the positive/figurative areas from the negative/background areas, creating a stratification/cross-­‐section of layered horizontal lines over the entire image.
9. Reverse/Symmetry: Draw a line down the center of a large piece of paper. Cut out a figure. Turn it upside-­‐down (optional). Trace its’ silhouette on one side of the paper, touching the center line and the edge of the paper with the outline you draw. Then, flip the cut-­‐out to the opposite side and adhere symmetrically. Work with color, pattern, collage or other media to create two very different sides to this ‘butterfly’, yet strive to retain visual balance.

Idea Sheet Instructions
After you complete each Drawing, you must write one page of responses to your work. You may type and print this page or neatly and LEGIBLY write by hand your responses to the following questions:

1. What methodology/ means of abstraction did you choose? 
2. What materials did you use? What was the process of making this piece?
   
3. Is this TRULY abstract? Does is negate figuration? If so, go directly to question #4. If not, how do you read this figure?
   
4. What does this piece mean to you?
   
5. How do you READ/ RESPOND to this piece?
   
6. Describe at least one way you could expand upon, change, or use this work in a new way.