Grade 6

Renaissance CHIAROSCURO Hands and Self-portrait (Weeks 1-5)

In the Art Room, it was intended that students use charcoal to draw their hands and face in a Renaissance Chiaroscuro (extreme light and dark) style. Charcoal can be expensive, so a grey lead pencil and eraser will be OK. If you do have charcoal, then that would be ideal. The softer the pencil, the deeper the tones, the richer the effect, so I would recommend a 2B or softer.

You will also need some paper. Simple photocopier paper is OK, but i would recommend larger and thicker paper.

Before you begin your drawings, I would suggest you read all the instructions and discuss them with your parents or siblings. This will 'frontload' you, giving you a better chance of creating something your are really proud of.

Please note, much of Renaissance art depicts nudity and adult themes. Please be aware of this when assisting your child to research.

Parents, you may want to try this yourself.

Week 1

Renaissance Chiaroscuro Hands

Watch this Youtube video I made (sorry, I know it's upside down but this is all new to me):

https://youtu.be/Hczv8lNflG0

Wikipedia search ‘Renaissance’ to gain a context of the Renaissance.
Image search ‘famous examples of chiaroscuro’. What do you notice?
Image search 'Caravaggio', probably the most famous artist for depicting 'chiaroscuro'.
Have a go at drawing the opposite hand that you write/draw with as realistically/scientifically correct as you can (known as an observational drawing). Find a comfortable and interesting pose, and don’t move your posing hand or the angle you are looking at it once. If it is possible, find a room that is a bit dark but has light streaming through the window. This will help with your 'chiaroscuro effect' later.

When you do this, consider the following:

Emotional learning: This is not an easy task to do well. You are being put at the bottom of the Learning Pit, about to face a challenging Productive Struggle. But remember, the harder you try, the smarter you get. The smarter you get, the better your work (learning).

See this as a scientifically correct drawing. Be precise.

‘Draw what you see, not what you think something looks like’. i.e. you are not drawing a hand, you are drawing a series of shapes that connect together to create the precise image of your hand.

Plot out your hand, making parts relative in size to each other. If your thumb nail drawing is 3 times bigger than your real thumb, then the rest of the picture should be 3 times bigger.

Think of each finger bone connection as an important reference point for where to put the other reference points. Your first marks could be very light lines or dots simply showing where all the finger bone connections are.

Begin with lightly, sketchy lines. Think of yourself as a sculpture, pushing and pulling the lines until they slowly find the precise shape. Once you are happy with the ‘key’ lines, use the weight of your pencil to lock the scientifically ‘correct’ lines in. Try half closing your eyes when you are locking in your ‘key’ lines.

Make your drawing the same size or bigger than your actual hand. This will give your artwork more power, presence and impact to the viewing audience.

Close one eye when completing initial sketch. This removes some of your 3D perception so help you see the world as a picture. It also help you see one angle of objects you are drawing when they are up close.

4. Once you are happy with your hand, attempt to create a ‘Chiaroscuro’ effect. Think of all the skills you learnt when drawing a sphere:

-Reverse shading using a rubber to create extreme light

-Build up your dark tones by pressing with medium weight and repeating pencil strokes many times (the softer the pencil the better dark tones you get so I would recommend a 2B pencil or softer).

-Use your finger and/or paper towel to smudge.

-Contrast, contrast, contrast!

Week 2

5. Give yourself feedback (what went well and what didn't go so well). You could ask your parent for feedback too. Based on your feedback, give yourself feedforward (what is the advice you would give to yourself to improve what didn't go so well, and do more of the same of what did go well).

Week 3

Once you have done this, start a new drawing of your hand, doing the same or different pose.

Optional: draw as many hands as you want. Observational drawing is a learnt skill. The more you practice, the better you get.

Week 4

Renaissance Chiaroscuro Self-Portrait

6. It's time to draw your Renaissance Chiaroscuro face (self-portrait)! We all have a mirror or you could take a photograph of yourself as your reference. For your 1st attempt at your face, I would recommend a front on pose (staring directly in the mirror/camera). If you do take a photo, you might want to have someone shine a light on your face from one direction. This will help with your 'chiaroscuro effect'.

7. Begin by lightly sketching out the key lines of your face. Don't lock them in properly yet. Remember, you are like a sculptor, pushing and pulling the lines until they find their right place. The key lines are:

-Rough outline of your head

-Rough positioning of your hair line

-Rough positioning and shape of your ears, eyes and nostrils (not your entire nose)

-Rough shape of your chin

-Rough positioning and shape of your cheek bones

When sketching (plotting out) the key lines of your face, there are two things I want you to consider.

1st Thing To Consider

The first is the generic (ask your parents what this means) positioning of a face. Here it is:

-Believe it or not, your eyes are literally in the middle of your face, not in the top third. If you want proof, measure it.

-Your nostrils are half way between your eyes and bottom of your chin.

-Your lips are half way between your nose and the bottom of your chin.

-Think of your nostrals as roughly this shape (_ _).

-Don't draw clear lines for the top half of your nose, its all about shading.

-Think of your top lip as a simple seagull.

-Your bottom lip is usually longer than your top lip.

2nd Thing to Consider:

'Draw what you see, not what you think'. You are sketching a bunch of precisely sized and positioned shapes that when connected together, create the exact dimensions of your face! Think of everything you learnt when you drew your hands (the bold writing towards the top)

8. Lock in your key lines but don't draw clear lines if you don't see them in the mirror/picture. Think if it is a shaded part or a clear line part.

Week 5

9. Capture the texture: e.g. make your hare out of hundreds of lines (strands). Think of the light reflecting in your eyes.

10. Capture the shading. Sometimes the shading goes from light to dark slowly, and sometimes quickly.

11. Now, emphasise the tone to create a Chiaroscuro effect. You could leave the background white, or colour it in, with your face appearing out of the darkness.

12. Create a new self portrait, either with the same angle, or a three-quarter angel (face slightly turned). You may find the three-quarter angle more challenging, but also more rewarding.

Extension:

Research 'closeup of renaissance art skin'. What colours do you notice?

Research 'what colours make skin colour'.

Have a go of drawing/painting your hands or face in colour!

Good luck everyone and looking forward to seeing you soon :)

Exploration of Photography

(Week 6-10)

Why are we studying photography? Because it is a great way to understand how a 2D artwork works.

Materials:

-Digital camera (phone, I-pad, or any device you have access to that takes digital photos).

-Capability to digitally store your favourite photos (at least 3 photos per week over 5 weeks).

Intro to Unit:

In this 5 week unit, we will explore:

-How a camera works

-Some of the history of photography.

-Design Principles

In week 1 we will do a tiny bit of research on how a camera works and the history of photography. In the following weeks we will explore the ‘design principles’ through taking our own photos. Hope you enjoy the unit.

Week 1:

Have a look at the black and white photo to the left. What do you think this photo is depicting and why do you think it is so important?

Once you have had a guess, look up this site to find out what and why. You might want to have a look at all the photos there and read some of the history. Very fascinating: https://mymodernmet.com/first-photograph-photography-history/

Now time to discover a bit more about the history of cameras, how they work, and what they have evolved into today. View this YouTube clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNA97LaWLF0

So, cameras have come a long way in a short amount of time.

Now it’s time to get organized and start to get used to the process over the next 5 weeks:

1. With your digital camera, take 20 photos around the house. No rules, just you taking some photos.

2. Look through your photos and select your favourite 3 photos.

3. On a digital device, or through your email, save these 3 photos

4. From now on, each week you will be taking lots of photos, and then selecting your top 3. The rest of the photos for that week can be deleted. You need to work out a safe place to digitally keep these top 3 photos. At the end of the unit, you are going to pick your overall top 3 photos from your weekly top 3. This is a big photography tip. The more photos you take, the luckier you get. BUT… don’t take any old photo, make everyone count and try to make the next one even better than the last.

Examples of contrast photos

Example oh emphasis photos

Week 2: Contrast and Emphasis

OK, so I mentioned ‘Design Principles’ in the intro. What are they? They are basically theories that make a 2D artwork look awesome. Different people describe different lists of design principles, there is no correct list. But it is really worth being aware of some of them. Take a look at the Design Principle list to the left.

Here is your first task for this week: With each of the design principles to the left, I want you to do a google image search with the word ‘artwork’ at the end. So for example, your fist image search would be ‘pattern artwork’, your second would be ‘contrast artwork’ and so on.

Now you have done this, you should have some understanding of design principles and how they relate to art. If you want, you could go on a YouTube search to discover more.

Now for the practical side. This week we will especially be focusing on… contrast. Sound familiar? Well we just did a unit on Renaissance Chiaroscuro (extreme light and dark). Turn your digital camera to black and white mode.

Now walk around the house looking for high contrast scenes and emphasis scenes and take at least 25 very well considered photos. You might notice a stream of light bursting into a dark room. You could even use lights to create high contrast photos (contrast). You might see a shoe on the ground with nothing else around it (emphasis). You can create your scenes if you like. Remember, art is all about cheating.

Now look through your photos and select your favourite 3. Remember to store digitally store them in a safe place so you don’t lose them.

Examples of nicely 'balanced' photos where the weight is evenly dispensed.

Scale examples

Week 3: Balance and scale

Think of what you discovered last week. What worked and didn’t work (feedback). Now, think of what you are going to do the same, and what you are going to do differently (feedforward)

Now take at least 25 photos that are about balance and scale.

Balance: The feeling of balance results when the elements of design are arranged symmetrically or asymmetrically to create the impression of equality in weight or importance.

Scale: The relationship between objects with respect to size, number and so on including the relation between parts of a whole.

Remember, you can create scenes. This might be a good opportunity for you to play around with objects that are really close to the camera, and really far away. You know, the old Eifel Tower looking like it is being held in your hand.

Tip for creating a scene of scale: Try extreme angles!

Pick your top 3 and save.

Pattern example

Harmony photo

Rhythm example

Unity example

Week 4: Pattern, Harmony, Rhythm, Unity.

You know the drill now, and if you don’t read over the last few weeks. You might want to remind yourself of exactly what Pattern, Harmony, Rhythm and Unity are.

Once again, I would suggest you try for really interesting extreme angles for this one. It’s amazing what you can achieve from a seemingly boring scene when you play around with the angel. For example, when you place your camera low to the ground, suddenly your boring carpet/floorboards create a really interesting, repetitive pattern.

If you are not sure of what a pattern, harmony, rhythm or unity photo looks like, do a quick google image search.

Remember, at least 25 photos, keep your top 3.

Week 5: Free Choice Photography.

Now you are at one with your camera, it is time to unleash your skills! Look at your top 3 photos from each week. Ask yourself, why were these your favourite photos? Is there a common connection between them all? Why are they working?

Now write down on a scrap piece of paper 4 things that made your photos great. Here are some examples:

-Great angle

-Really balanced

-Weird/interesting

-Has a story to it

-Looks really classy

-It looks abstract

Now, take your final 25 photos and try to outdo your previous top 3.

Lastly… Copy your overall to 3 photos onto your Google Class site.

All the photos under week 5 are photos grade 5 students have taken from past classes i have taught. One of them is a picture of me. Hope they help inspire you :)

Congratulations, hope you learnt something new and i hope you transfer you knowledge into future art classes J