foundations: introduction to drawing

these pieces were created by students enrolled in my foundation drawing course at the University of South Dakota between the years of 2019-2021.

contour line self portrait

First extended period project of the semester. The contour line self portrait is the final project that closes out our Contour Line unit. Students are asked to strictly only use contour lines to create a dynamic self portrait.

value and still life projects

Students are asked to create drawings demonstrating dramatic values. Through drawing from life, students are also asked to practice sight measuring and accurately depicting proportions. These are examples of reductive drawings, where students are pushed to draw more expressively by using their erasers as a drawing tool instead of only charcoal.

value and visual measurement

Students are asked to recreate the same arrangement of objects a total of three times. The first drawing must demonstrate a quick thumbnail sketch demonstrating visual measurement techniques (angles, lines, rough draft stages of measuring). The second drawing must depict value using any additive method of shading (crosshatch, hatch, scribble, blending). The third drawing must depict value using reductive drawing methods.