New Critique

I thought this critique was much more about the art and less about personal frustrations. My words to follow were "Ambiguous Spirituality," "Canvas," and "Huge." In my research I came across a headline that said, "Brad Pitt Does Not Believe in God." After laughing for about 5 minutes, I decided to respond to this piece. In retrospect, I wish I could have found an old canvas and used gold foil instead of ink.

I was inspired by a few of the pieces, notably Lauren's arduous task of drawing on sandpaper. Even though she did not finish, I felt the way she approached the drawing was fantastic, going beyond what some of the other's achieved. There was beauty and thought in every mark.

Blog Update 3/11

I felt that discussion we had in class today did nothing more than create animosity and divisions among the class. Both sides were correct from their own viewpoints. Artists should have conviction as well as designers, but designers also need to know if the client is satisfied. Pretending to be a fine artist if your a designer is fine. I get that. But fine artists need to realize that there are viewpoints besides their own.

As far as the actual critiques, I felt it a bit underwhelming that certain works were not completed. I almost feel that they should not have been critiqued at all.

I sound like I am full of frustration, but I did enjoy what people had to say about their own work. Most interesting to me was the explanation of the Devil's Punch bowl relating to an area back where the artist was from.

Some of my Work

Art lessons Summary

I am not sure exactly where I stand on the definition of an artist. Both sides make valid points. Carl Sandburg takes what I think is an elitist approach, But I also do not think Beuys is correct in saying that it just takes intention to be an artist. Aesthetic sensitivity and a dedication to pushing the boundaries are what are the most valuable traits of an artist in my opinion.

I found it interesting to learn the etymology of vocation ("vocatio"). I have sensed this calling in some sense, from my own thoughts to praise from friends and family.

Many of the students I see around me, and even myself, have a lack of knowledge about the past, are apathetic about the present, and do not care enough about the future. A facebook status update will not change the world. But will a drawing? A painting? Traditional art has certainly been lost among the myriad distractions, but that doesn't mean all art is lost and nothing is getting through.

Drawing 3 Introduction

My name is Jacob Anderson and I am taking drawing 3 because I want some more freedom and less rigidity in my drawing skills. Most of what I have done in classes prior to this one have been much too structured, and rather than producing "art," I have produced assignments.

I am a graphic design student, who loves typography and mystery. Merging drawing skills into my designs can set me apart from your everyday designer. I have a deep appreciation for the skill of drawing and realize its potential.This class will be a vehicle for exploration into my deeper creative sensitivity. I want to break free.

Manikin (Posterior, Lateral, Anterior)

Summary of Semester

So there have been many little insights that I have become privy too upon taking life drawing. Most of the shapes and lines seem so obvious now, but I would not have drawn them before had I not taken the class. As you can see in the Lateral view of my manikin, the zig-zag shape that the body uses to stand up, from the cranium going one way, the chest going another, and the upper and lower leg both zig-zagging as well. In addition, The egg shape of the ribcage was immensely helpful to get a starting shape, as was learning the midpoint of the body was the symphesis pubis. The connection points from the femur to the pelvis were also something that I added towards the end of the semester, as well as a bowing out of the upper leg.

Drawing from the live models for extended periods of time forced me to really look at the proportion and relationships between different parts of the body. I've said it before, but getting the pelvis and ribcage closer together helped to fix the error of making the torso much too elongated.  Foreshortening had also been an area of trouble for me, but drawing the negative space and extending lines of the figure  really helped me nail this down by the end of the semester. In my final drawing (3rd one down in "Final Life Drawings") there was a ton of foreshortening going on, and this drawing would have freaked me out at the beginning of the semester. But in using these techniques, as well as going from dark to light as you move away from space, really made the drawing a success in my opinion.

Using the manikin to figure out how all the muscle groups fit together and make up the human form was immensely beneficial. Learning that the biceps are smaller in proportion to the lower arm might not be something I would have implemented at first. The underlying masses of say the quadriceps really helped me get the contours of the leg right, and give it more than just a simple round shape. 

I'd like to continue life drawing, perhaps drawing more of the various bones from the skeletal structure, and getting more oppurtunities to draw the different parts of the face, as well as the hands. But this semester has taught me so much and has improved my quality of lifedrawing tenfold!

Jake

here is a link to my flickr account

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28980962@N04/