Here is the full syllabus for you to read. Please email me with any questions.
ILL 273 Spring 2019
Drawing for Illustration
Steve Ellis
8:30-12:00 pm Rm 307
tel: 315.289.5771
Drawing for Illustration
Course Description:
Illustration is founded on good drawing skills. I have to admit that there is some illustration work out there that is getting published without any semblance of understanding of drawing, but though these styles have recognition in the short term, they lack range and are limited in their ability to adapt. This class is aimed at exploring and honing the skills needed to draw toward the purpose of illustration. We will focus on refining drawing techniques, and approaches to using the figure to tell a story. Illustration and much fine art is involved in working with human figures in natural (or sometimes unnatural) space, interacting and thereby conveying a story to the viewer of the image. The understanding of human form, gesture and anatomy, are integral to the ability of an artist to convey his/her ideas through images.
In class we will work with the figure drawing from life. We will discuss composition, storytelling, anatomy, and the figure in space. As the class moves further along, we will have opportunity to use photography and work with story to inform how we work with the models. We will focus on composition of drawing on the page and manipulating the figure to enhance composition. For out of class assignments we will focus on drawing from life and nature as well as our own photography and work with various lighting situations.
As the class continues, there will be ample time here to explore distortion and manipulation of natural forms such as cartooning and fantasy work. Cartooning/Comic Art and fantasy drawings are just exaggerations and juxtapositions of natural forms. Only an excellent understanding of anatomy and drawing will yield the ability to make these convincing.
One of the main mantras of this class will be DRAW !DRAW! DRAW! The only way to improve your drawings is to draw all the time in your sketchbooks, notebooks, textbooks, napkins at restaurants, everywhere. Draw people, plants, animals, anything you can get your hands on. It’s like a muscle, if you work out and train, the bigger stronger and more honed you get. Look around the world and observe and draw everything: Be a sponge and soak in as much as you can. The more you understand and know about the world the more you will be able to draw.
Never be frustrated by a bad drawing…just draw over it and keep moving.
PROJECTS:
Unless otherwise stated, 10 pages of sketches in your sketchbooks per week with the requirement that they involve drawing from the world (life, photography, master copies) rather than from inside your head. It’s not as difficult as you might think to fill up ten pages. I may not check these every week, but this should be a personal goal as well.
GRADING POLICY:
This class will be judged primarily on effort not talent. Trying to judge talent is like trying to grade poetry. But I can grade the effort and growth that a student makes. On that note, this class will be graded as follows.
Out of Class Assignments
Weekly Sketchbooks
Motivation
Effort
Growth
Participation is class discussions and critiques
Attendance
Each class missed (since this is a studio) will be a grade lost. At three missed classes you will fail. It’s not that hard, I don’t want to play games, just come to class ready to draw, do the drawing assignments and you’ll get an “A” and you’ll be a better artist.
MATERIALS LIST:
Trace paper
Tape
Sketchbook hard bound 9 x12
Graphite sticks soft
Conte
Pencils 2b - 8b
Knife for sharpening
Ruler/straight edge
Newsprint 18x24
White Drawing Paper 18x24
Colored Pencils - Red, Purple, Blue
Gum Eraser
Kneaded Eraser
Rag for Blending
Drawing Board with Clip (to fit 18x24 paper)
Masking Tape
Graphite powder
Toned Drawing Paper
There may be more supplies as the semester goes on, but I will let you know as time goes on.
RECOMMENDED TEXTS:
Hale, Robert Beverly, Anatomy Lessons from the Great Masters, New York: Watson Guptill
Hale, Robert Beverly, Drawing Lessons from the Great Masters, New York: Watson Guptill
Bridgman, George B., Bridgman’s Complete Guide to Drawing from Life, New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
Simblet, Sarah. Anatomy for the Artist, New York: DK Publishing Inc.
List of Artists Alive and Dead to Look at and be inspired by:
Alfonse Mucha
Gustav Klimt
Michaelangelo
Leonardo DaVinci
Aubrey Beardsley
Tony Diterlizzi
Yoshitaka Amano
Frank Frazetta
Terryl Whitlatch
Claire Wendling
James Jean
Salvador Dali
Hans Bellmer
Will Eisner
Laurel Austin
Audrey Kawasaki
Lizz Lopez ( tattoo artist)
Brom
Donato Giancola
Christopher Burdett
Steve Prescott
Meghan Hetrick
Justin Gerard
Peter De’Seve
Moebius
Egon Schiele
Molly Crabapple
Micheal Whelan
Stephen Gammell
Gris Grimly
Brett Helquist
Bernie Wrightson
Nicholas Delort
Rebecca Guay
Alex Kuno
Bernie Wrightson
Bill Sienkewicz
Weeks
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Class
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Homework
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Week 1
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Introduction to class.
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5 Pages in Sketchbook. Due Week 2
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Week 2
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Beans, Blobs, 3D Forms, and Figures. Discuss Figure Proportions. Line vs. Drawing Art Line vs. Design Line. Technical Architect Line. Klimt vs. Clair Wendling / Mucha or Manga.
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10 drawings of hands and page of drawings from mannequin models in Sketchbook. Due Week 3.
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Week 3
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Discuss and work on Figure Proportions. Demo Model. Drawing figure as tubes.
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10 drawings of hands. Draw a tube figure. Due Week 4.
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Week 4
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Discuss and work on Figure Proportions. Demo Model. Drawing figure as tubes.
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10 drawings of hands. Draw a tube figure. Due Week 5.
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Week 5
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Discuss and work on Head Proportions. Drawing figure as planes.
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10 drawings of hands. Planar head from photo.
Due Week 6.
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Week 6
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Discuss and work on Head Proportions. Drawing figure as planes.
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10 drawings of hands. Planar head from photo.
Due Week 7.
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Week 7
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Portrait Model 3D
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10 drawings of hands. Due Week 8.
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Week 8
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Draw from the model
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10 drawings of hands. Due Week 9.
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Week 9
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Draw from the model
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10 drawings of hands. Due Week 10.
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Week 10
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Discuss and work on rendering the model.
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10 drawings of hands. Due Week 11.
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Week 11
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Discuss and work on rendering the model.
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10 drawings of hands. Due Week 12.
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Week 12
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Draw in the model clothed in space
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10 drawings of hands. Due Week 13.
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Week 13
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Draw in the model clothed in space - hands, head, and face.
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10 drawings of hands. Due Week 14.
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Week 14
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Finish drawing the clothed model in class.
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Week 15
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Critique
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