Elgin High School 2D Art
Mixed Media Selfie Self-Portrait in a Book - In this project the students took an old book, carved out two pockets and inserted a self-portrait based on a selfie image, and a found object that represented something about their identity. They also incorporated a linocut print, either from their own plate or an old discarded plate. The idea was to explore ways to express selfhood through the use of multiple media and found objects.
Linocut Printmaking Unit - The theme was based on the students response to the war in Ukraine, refugees, Black Lives Matter, the Me-Too movement, and immigration. I asked each class to think about world events of the past couple of years and to develop a concept around that. Surprisingly, no one chose to consider the coronavirus pandemic. When asked about that, the students felt that covid had become such a common thing in their lives that they no longer thought much about it. Below are examples of the students' work.
Mixed media portrait with text project - March, 2022
Figure drawing unit (upside down drawing, using a manikin, using a model) - Below are some examples of the students' work. March, 2022.
Copies of Picasso's portrait of Igor Stravinsky.
The image on the left was drawn right side up. The image on the right was drawn upside down. This student decided to add a little humor to the drawing on the left.
Another upside down drawing exercise to engage the right side of the brain. The image on the right was drawn upside down, and is a much more accurate copy of Picasso's portrait.
A student's composition of two mannequins interacting together.
This 11th grade student shows an advanced skill in drawing the figure, despite this being her first 2D class.
Another example of the 11th grade student's level of skill.
And these are the same student's copies of Picasso's portrait. The image on the right was drawn upside down.
A quick two-minute gesture drawing exercise by a beginning 2D student.
A three-minute pose done by the same student on the left.
And the same student's mannequin composition.
This student chose to add color to her composition.
Another double mannequin interactive pose.
A beginning 2D student's eight-minute pose drawing.
Another right-brain engagement exercise. The image on the right was drawn upside down.
This student told me she wanted to create a feeling of great distance between the two.
This beginning 2D student created one of the most imaginative compositions in all of my classes.
Right brain engagement exercise. The image on the right was drawn upside down. At first the students found this activity difficult to get used to. In the end they were all very surprised with how well their drawings turned out.
I believe this is an excellent example of learning to draw what you see and not what you think you see. The image on the right, drawn upside down, is far superior to the student's first drawing on the left, drawn right side up.
This is one of my favorite interpretations of the double mannequin interactive pose. The white doorway in the back adds a dramatic narrative element.
Drawn right side up
Drawn upside down by the same student on the left.
Double mannequin pose.
Double mannequin pose.
A five-minute pose.
STUDIO HABITS: ENGAGE AND PERSIST, OBSERVE
I believe that exercises which activate and employ the right side of the brain help to improve a student's observation skills, and their competency in engagement and persistence.
The images below represent another right-brain engagement activity. Like the upside down drawings, the students found it difficult at first to adjust to working "backwards", establishing form and value by adding light/white to a dark ground rather than dark to a light ground. The exercise forced the students to use their observation skills and pay closer attention to light and dark values. Most, but not all of the students chose to work from a photographic image of Frida Kahlo. It is interesting to see the unique qualities of each student's work, and how different are their interpretations.
