From Richard, 4th semester MFA

It wasn't until I got into grad school that I realized that sketchbooks are for more than just making drawings. They are a journal or diary of my thought processes that I can refer back to for more ideas later. I use to just draw in sketchbooks. I now: draw, paint, write, collage, attach Xerox copies of articles from art magazines or any magazines, and paste up pictures or scraps of paper or whatever I find interesting. (Picasso did all five too.) For the painting I put down a border with drafting tape, which can be pulled off later . . . .

To DO:

Choose one art journal assignment to do every week in your sketchbook. You may do it in class, if you are finished early, work on it at home, or come and work after school.

You can take 5 minutes, or 5 hours to complete it.

You may work on any subject, in any style.

You may interpret it in ANY WAY you like. The “wackier-“ the better!

You may use any media.

How will I be graded? You will get an “A” if…..

#1: You put your WHOLE heart and soul into it.

#2: You fill a minimum of one whole page for each entry. You may use more than 1 page.

#3: You experiment with different media. You may wish to borrow some.

#4: You label your entry with the DATE, and TITLE

#5: You have the minimum amount of entries

By the end of Term 1 you will have 5 entries.

• • • • • • See the list of suggested assignments on the flipside. • • • • • •

You can choose one, or think of one on your own.

List

• Draw the contents of a trash can

• Collections of objects: toys, books (opened, closed, stacked), kitchen utensils, art materials, contrasting texture items, knick-knack collections,

• crumpled paper bags

• the wind

• Illustrate your favorite poem or song

• Fantasy art: mythological interpretations, invented creatures from actual live creatures, fables and fairy tales.

• Emotion: sadness, happiness (other emotions represented with symbols, colors, etc.

• Story illustrations: for stories they've read or written. Redo those you don't like, or emulate or reinterpret those you do like.

• Functional object design, such as the bookbag or wind suit they'd like to have.

• draw a grouping of leaves

• Draw something you might find in a department store display

• Design a motorized school desk or a ………

• Deviant Art: Beauty Redefined

This piece is all about how you view beauty. Every generation redefines what is beautiful, but ours has taken it to a whole new level. Throw out your traditional notions of beauty and start over from scratch, redefining beauty for yourself.

Your image must have a person in your picture.

You must use a camera or cell phone camera to take an image. You may find beauty or stage it. You may add to the photo with art materials to enhance it or compose it on your page.

• Poster designs for an event you are involved in

• Describe your journey to class today

• Draw an object melting

• Draw the word as the shape of the object. such as the word

apple in the shape of an apple, or apples spelling out the word.

• Draw popcorn

• Keyhole: what would you see through a keyhole

• What is under the ice on planet X?

• Combine two unlikely objects or animals

• Draw a portrait using light and shadow to create HIGH DRAMA- place the light from different angles other than "normal" -under the chin, behind the head, in front of the face.

•Take a picture of yourself, cut it up, rearrange it, glue it down and draw on it.

• Draw without thinking for 5 minutes, and then flip your book, keep drawing for another 5 minutes, flip your book, keep drawing and following this pattern until you have hit all four sides of your page.

• Draw a figure in an environment from your observation- in motion, and standing still.

• Draw in imaginary place- remember to show rich details.

• Draw everything you can see from an imaginary position: in a hot air balloon, small ant sized position, etc.

• Look at the surface of a metallic object and draw everything you see in it.

• Draw or design any kind of vehicle.

• Draw an object of interest from 3 different views.

• Draw the inside of a mechanical object.

• Overlap

• Draw something on fire

• Stretch something out……really long . . . . and twist it!!

• Draw the stages of an object morphing

• Draw your home and what's around it, upside down or floating.

• Draw family members with things that they cherish.

• Make everything a strange color, strange patterns, or flying about

• Crush something and draw it.

• Create a series of positive and negative space designs.

• Doodle

• Draw an object in the style of a favorite artist (include the name of the artist in your work)

• Draw a picture of the inside of your stomach and the food in it after a big meal

• Draw your idea of Paradise

• Draw a picture of someone you would like to kiss (your boyfriend/girlfriend, a baby, your cat, etc.)

• If animals could draw, what would their artwork look like? Draw their artwork.

• Why are people afraid to visit cemeteries at night? Draw it.

• Draw a necktie and design an interesting pattern on it.

• Draw a medal for yourself. It must be designed for the thing you do best.

• Draw a city on another planet.

• You are a toy designer; draw your new toy.

• Draw a logo for a t.v. show.

• Draw a picture of yourself the way you will look 20 years from now.

• Draw a picture of the perfect garden for your house.

• Draw a scene from your early childhood.

• Draw a parade.

• Draw a picture of where you would like to fly to.

• Draw your view from an airplane window.

• Draw what you think a garden would look like from the view of an insect.

• Draw what a spaceship commander would see on his video screen.

• Draw a view under a magnifying glass (include the magnifying glass).

• Draw the boat you would like to travel in around the world.

• Draw a scientist's top-secret project.

• Draw a modern house that would still look good in a neighborhood with older houses.

• Draw an idea that came into your head by thinking of food.

• Draw an idea that came into your head through your fingers.

• Draw an idea that came into your head through your feet.

• Take any one of the ideas you have already drawn and revise it - - redesign it.

• Write a large number in the middle of a page. Turn it into a person/animal.

• Make a design using your address.

• Combine a plant and an animal to create a new life form.

• Draw a picture. Cut your pictures into squares. Paste the squares into a new design.

• Draw a picture. Fold your picture into a fan. Cut little shapes out of the fan (like cutting snowflakes). Open the picture up and glue onto a second sheet.

• Draw yourself in a mood.

• Draw things that make noise and illustrate the sound.

• Draw things that float.

• Draw things with a flavor.

• Draw things that close.

• Illustrate "the way things were".

• Draw your own game board.

•Draw a "how to" poster.

• Draw yourself with wings.

• Draw things that come from eggs.

• Draw a comic strip with your own characters.

• Design an advertisement for yourself.

• Design a new license plate for Massachusetts.

• Illustrate words such as up, upside down, apart, crazy, sane...Illustrate: If you were the tallest person in the world.

• Draw the trail of an imaginary insect.

• Draw how you would be if you were the last person on earth.

• Draw an illuminated letter for your best friend.

• Draw your "dream car".

• Pretend you are Jackson Pollock and express emotion with your marks

• Draw yourself as a robot.

• Draw yourself painting your toenails, grooming or shaving (if you do)

• Draw raw chicken parts; cooked parts; after eaten parts

• Draw your favorite food and make it look delicious

• Dig a hole, put a whole in the hole, draw what is in the hole, Fill in the hole, cover up the whole, draw the covered hole

• Find a quiet place in a crowd, draw the crowd or Find a quiet place, draw the quiet

• Find a noisy place, draw noise

• Draw an object that is lit by the light coming through mini blinds

• Tighten a C clamp on a banana, draw it

• Draw an apple, pear, and a banana that is tightly wrapped in string

• Copy the Mona Lisa

• Rearrange the Mona Lisa to suit yourself

• Make a drawing that says something about the environment

• Make a drawing that says something about the world situation

• Make a drawing that is pure propaganda about any issue you feel strongly about

• Make a drawing that lies all over the place

• Campaign poster: You are running for the new order/President/Ruler of the World!

• Draw a form fitting case made of steel that would fit an apple, pear, banana

• Make a detailed drawing of five square inches of a feather

• Make a detailed drawing of five square inches of a dollar bill

• Change the size relationship (scale) of the insect and something else (i.e. building, ships, cars)

• Peel something, draw it

• A new Super hero, be sure to list special powers

• Draw a portrait of your best friend as an insect

• Crumple a photograph, draw it

• Cut out a photo into small pieces, rearrange the photo in some other order, draw it

• Make a drawing that illustrates the phrase “I have come to a juncture in my life”

• Make a careful drawing that illustrates the word “Haste”

• Draw the imaginary skeleton of an apple, pear, and banana

• Draw a portrait of you and your friends as cards; the queen, king, and jack of spades

• What would you look like if you were a Pop Star?

• Design the latest fashion accessory

• AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT FLOATS INTO YOUR HEAD! . . . . .