ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS

SHAPES OF SHADOWS PORTRAITS

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

To answer a question I was asked recently by several Art Teachers across the nation,

"How do you run your class and set it up so you can teach 3 classes during one period?".

I split up the Beginners, Intermediates and Advanced students 

into separate sections of my classroom.

For the past several years I've been doing this Intermediate assignment 

in the back side corner of my room

where I can turn off a section of the overhead lights like you see in these 2 pix

The other 2 groups are put into the front of the room where they still have lights to work by.

But this year I actually used a long extension cord and put my Intermediates 

with this single light source into the Art Lounge,

a separate room unto itself which is connected to the main art room.

It worked out perfectly 

and I was able to keep all the lights on in the main room for the other 2 groups.

Wish I had taken a picture for this post.

Senior Ylia Madag was our model last year,

and below was senior Mary Kim's portrait of her.

To see them all go to this link that I posted earlier in the year.

Keep sending me your questions and I will try my best to answer them.

WHO'S LURKING IN THE SHADOWS?

SHAPES OF SHADOWS

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

india ink on smooth bristol board w/ watercolor & collage accents

Senior Ylia Matayag was gracious enough to agree to be our model for this assignment.

We sat her in a dark corner of the room and shone a bright light on her upper body 

to bring out the shape of the shadows on her face, hair and shoulder area.

The kids sat in a semi-circle around her so they each had a slightly different point of view.

They used graphite first to lightly draw in ONLY the shapes of the shadows cast on her.

This was very difficult for the students to grasp 

even though we had done a very similar prior assignment.

Once drawn they used a soft watercolor brush and India Ink to paint those shadows in.

Then they had a choice,

to bring in watercolor or collage accents. 

We all really liked what senior Sarah Oh did with her watercolors,

but at first she had only done it in the background.

But after the critique we convinced her to also bring some into the face and shoulders

for a super cool piece.

Senior Tiffany Chen also used a watercolor accent and painted it all the way thru the portrait.

I love that she turned it into a fabulous landscape complete with castle.

I also really liked the fine felt marker she brought in to pop it and to add the birds.

William Tan, senior, choose watercolor as well.  

He had her frontal as his point of view.

I love the quiet, contented sense of self he brought into her face 

by capturing her with her head at a bit of a tilt backwards with eyes closed. 

Brilliant!

And then the watercolor dripping over top her is a marvelous finish.

It was a favorite by the others.

In each of these poses Ylia seems to take on a different nationality.

Here she seems to be taking on characteristics of the Indigenous people of North America.

I love the dynamic collage backdrop that contrasts with the soft stoic face of Ylia.

This was done by junior Angelica Luza.

But it was this one that took my breath away.

Powerful Native American Woman I want to call this.

Senior Mary Kim has brought in both collage and watercolor for a remarkable portrait.

This work was probably one of the most outstanding pieces on display at Open House last year.

WHAT'S LURKING IN THE SHADOWS

SHAPES OF SHADOWS

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

India ink on Bristol Board with watercolor & collage accents

This post is dedicated to my fabulous 7th period T.A.,

 senior Deborah Harris.

She was good enough to pose for my 2nd year 2-D kids when we needed a model.

I put her under one hot light,

closed the other lights in my room,

 and she had to sit perfectly still for an hour each day

while the students drew ONLY the shapes of the cast shadows they saw on her face.

This assignment was a great challenge for them in proportions and right brain drawing skills.

Let's see how they captured her.

This first portrait was done by junior Samantha Tun

We all loved what she did with the border and framing of the drawing.

How she brought in watercolor in a playful way,

including bringing it into her portrait.

Way to go Sam!

Senior Eileen Lee chose a different point of view then Sam's Frontal.  

She is working with Deb's 3/4 View.

The kid's were allowed to draw in pencil first. 

 Then to come back with India Ink to outline and paint in the portrait.

Then somewhere in the work they either had to bring in watercolor or paper collage accents.

In this close up above we see that Eileen has brought in both watercolor and collage 

for a very cool watery look.

And then senior Ayesha Durrani also drew Deb in 3/4View

with another really involved backdrop.

She created watercolor puddles using a wet into wet technique,

let those dry,

then came into them with a white marker pen.

She also used her thin marker to do a bit of linear additions to make them feel like they connected.

Brilliant idea Ayesha!

Two different closeups.

So sensory!

I also appreciate how she brought the blue and purple watercolor into her portrait to tie it all together.

Bravo young ones!!

DIEGO FROM MANY POINTS OF VIEW

SHAPES OF SHADOWS PORTRAITS

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

india ink on bristol board with watercolor

Senior Diego Estantino is my trusty 2nd period T.A.,

and graciously agreed to pose for my students

so they could draw only the shapes of the shadows on his face.

In order to make this easier,

 I isolated the kids in my art lounge,

turned off the lights and put a spotlight on Diego's face.

After they were done inking in the shapes,

I asked them to do bring in one additional medium to make the piece more special. 

Four of the kids chose watercolor except senior Katherine Ku above.

She asked if she could make a special filigree border around the piece

in place of a medium.

I told her to go for it.

And what a fabulous result.

Makes me rethink the assignment for next school year.

Thanks Kat!

I really liked how senior Bernice Lin

 splattered and dripped watercolor down her background.

Looks very fresh.

Senior Risha Bhakta did more of a sponged effect with her watercolor.

Then senior Kyla Balquin used a mask product to isolate

tiny little stars before she brushed on her watercolor.

And senior Hazel Cruz used more of a stippling effect

 when she applied her watercolor background.

Great job girls!

Drawing in the Dark

SHAPES OF SHADOWS PORTRAITS

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

india ink on smooth bristol w/ watercolor & collage

This handsome young man is senior Sean Dezfulian,

and he is my teacher assistant for my 2nd period class this year.

One of his duties is to model for my drawing students whenever the need arises.

Well, it arose for my 2nd level drawing students recently.

I put Sean in a comfy chair, 

in the dark,

 in a corner of my room with only a spotlight on his head.

Then my drawing students walked around him until they found the perfect spot to draw from.

But the catch was they could only draw the shapes of his shadows,

that's right, 

they could only draw the shapes of the shadows on his face

which is actually pretty challenging.

This is way different thAn how they normally work.

So let's see how Shawn turned out...

We start with the work of junior Jonathan Hsu.

I'm finding that Jonathan loves to work in watercolor,

so after he inked Shawn in,

he really had fun putting in a colorful array of watercolors.

And then to finish off his piece he brought in a bit of white pen for added details 

which adds such a nice touch.

Senior Michael Cantu took a whole different approach,

 choosing a profile view and sweeping brush strokes filled with watercolor.

He also brought in a bit of paper collage to add  more visual depth thru darker value.

Jovani Garica, 

another of my amazing seniors,

choose an analogous color scheme to work in with paper collage coming from the mouth;

giving us a glimpse into Shawn's love of music.

And then there is the work of junior Elias Rodriguez.

Always a tad on the dark side,

frequently throwing in a bit of his signature style watercolor washes that he has perfected,

and then bringing in these cool linear elements.

Wow!!!

And lastly we have senior Nathan Chong whose portrait of Sean I feel looks the most like him.

Nathan has really done a tremendous job drawing the shapes of the shadows.

Notice the very subtle watercolor washes in the background?

He's also taken yellow tissue paper,

collaged it down and zentangled over top to pull all the black ink together.

Brilliant piece Nathan!

The Shapes of Her Shadows - Student Work

SHAPES OF SHADOW PORTRAIT

INTERMEDIATE 2-D ART

Laarnie Barcelon Model

First off, I'd really like to thank my T.A. junior Laarnie Barcelon

 for agreeing to model for this assignment.  

It's a fairly challenging project in which Laarnie had to sit for 4 days straight in class without moving a muscle so the kids could draw only the shapes of the shadows on her face.  

We close some of the lights in the room and shine a spotlight on her so that the cast shadows are more visable.  

Then the kids come in with pen and india ink, as well as watercolor and collage.

First up is senior Justin Hwang. 

 Love how her drew her holding a flower, and his watercolor washes a very pleasing.

Senior Alex Lee brought in both watercolor and collage for a very thought provoking background.  

Plus he burnt a few of his edges, one of his signature stylistic moves.  

He also put a dried flower in her hair because Laarnie frequently wears them.

Senior Cathy Luo really gets into the recording of all the shadows in this very sensitive portrait. 

 And look closely at her gorgeous watercolor background.

Laarnie has a love of flowers so I really like how senior Heather Warner captured that by cutting out and collaging all those and more into her work for a stunning, vivid piece.

And senior Jasmine Zhao has also brought in the flowers and insects but in a completely different way.  

Just so clever and lovely.

 I am truly blessed by how much time and effort these young ones give me. 

Thank you all!

Shape of Shadow Drawing - Student Work

Every year these drawings seem to get more and more lovely.  This year my T.A. senior Gisel Zabala graciously volunteered to be our model for my Intermediate 2-d students.  I set her up in the corner of the art room in a comfy chair and turned off the main lights then put a spotlight on the side of her face.  This created wonderful cast shadows.  On a smooth piece of Bristol board the kids were only allowed to draw the shapes of her shadows lightly in pencil then later India ink them in.  They were also required to bring in one additional medium.

So let's see what junior Megan Yeu did with the assignment.  Besides drawing a beautiful portrait of Gisel... 

she brought in a touch of Prismacolor pencil right over top the India ink.  Here is a close up above for you to see the subtle and almost shimmery effect this brings to the work.  She also did some gorgeous paper cut-out work and mounted the piece on top of silver poster board to show it off, again in a very subtle way.  Plus she watercolored in the background.  Really brilliant work Megan!

In this next piece above, senior Belinda Wu has once again show us her extraordinary skills in this very detailed piece.  Belinda chose to bring in watercolor in a very unique way.  She dabbed it on with her fingers, so that when you look up close you see her fingerprints.  It's so much fun!  Sorry I didn't think to get a close up of this.  I also really like how she bordered her piece out, it really pulls it all together. 

Junior Michaela Platt has brought in so much sensitivity to her work thru paper collage and watercolor.  The paper she chose also brings in some great looking texture.  The monochromatic color scheme ties it all together.  

And lastly we have senior Halah Elsahhar, who I honestly felt captured Gisel's likeness the best, as well as her very relaxed pose.  Halah brought in watercolor for her extra medium.  I really like how she painted birds flying thru Gisel's face. Super cool woman!

If you would like to see these pieces as well as all the other work I've been posting and more to come, our Annual Open House Art Show and Sale is going to be held on April 17th, so please mark your calenders.  More details to come.    

Linoleum Printing - Student Work

Junior Cindy Kim, my sole 3rd year Advanced 2-D student, did these remarkable portraits in the linoleum printing technique.  She was required to do a portrait using shapes of shadows on the face, to print 3 pieces on 3 different papers, and to print at least one piece with multiple colors.  And then to mount up at least one of them.  As you can see, Cindy went above and beyond the minimum requirements for some great pieces of art. 

Shapes of Shadows Portraits with Mixed Media- Student Work

These works by my 2nd level 2-D kids always turn out great and I'm thrilled to show them off.  Our model this year was junior Marison Arcilla who is a beautiful young woman with long flowing hair.  We closed the lights in the room and set Marison up under a spotlight to showcase the shapes of the shadows on her face.  Then the students sat very close and were allowed to only draw the shapes of the shadows they saw, nothing else.  This is very difficult because they are used to drawing with line not with shapes.

The spectacular piece above was done by my mega talented senior, who just recently heard she was accepted to Otis Art Institute in L.A., Michelle Lee.  Incredible work, right??   Besides the india ink, Michelle brought in watercolor, acrylic, and felt tip markers into her piece.

Once the shapes are drawn the kids all fill them in with a brush and india ink.  Then they get wiggy, and are required to bring in additional media.  This is where the fun begins.

And speaking of fun, this next stunning piece was completed by gifted senior Jessica Liu.  Because each of the students sat and drew from a different spot, we have Marison in several points of view.  We are seeing profiles, 3/4 and frontal views of her.  What I love about this piece (so many things) is how she let the birds fly outside her border edges, and how she backed them with aluminum foil, who would have thought?  She has also brought in watercolor and tissue collage.  What a treat this piece is for the senses.

Another brilliant senior artist, Michael Chen, has totally worked outside his usual comfort zone (fighting, military subjects), and done a very lovely & peaceful composition for a change  :) in the work above.  I believe Mr. Z already has dibs on this one to purchase it from Michael at Open House.  Michael has brought in a lot of paper collage.

Below is senior Crislyn Ogawa, another of my very talented art majors.  We've seen many of her works this year, and in each one she manages to convey a sense of isolation and thoughtfulness within her subjects and their locations and backgrounds.  Love the monochromatic color scheme, and the drips and splatters.

Above senior Sarah Zhang, who has improved by leaps and bounds this year, and gaining confidence with each assignment, did this cool piece above.  She brought in both watercolor and paper collage.

And junior Laura Kadi, below, who came back to me after a 4 year absence, is also making great strides in her art work.  Just look at her lovely, sensitive piece below.   

Shapes of Shadows with Collage and Watercolor - Student Work

These 4 beauties belong to my 2nd year drawing/painting kids. It was a mixed media assignment involving india ink and a choice between watercolor and collage or both. I turned the lights out in the far corner of my room so I could put a spotlight on our subject, my 3rd period T.A. and model for this assignment, Michael Chen. Then the kids positioned themselves around him and were allowed to draw only the shapes of the shadows they saw on his face, neck and shoulders. Then to go back in and ink those shadows. After that they could bring in watercolor, collage of both. The top left piece belongs to sophomore Hannah Park (Michael felt this one looked the most like him), far top right belongs to sophomore Cindy Kim, bottom left is senior Kevin Aquilo's and next to his is sophomore Samantha Arias.

A close up of all the work both Hannah and Cindy put into their pieces.

And then a closer look at both senior Elsie Engly's work above, and Kevin's piece below. I felt that Kevin captured Michael's likeness the best. For EXTRA CREDIT, on a piece of multicolored paper cut into the shape of a head, put the name of the student whose piece you liked the best, and on the other side of the paper put your name and period. Give to me when you walk in the door tomorrow.