May 26 - 29

Surreal Handscapes

For this project you will be creating a "handscape" which is like a landscape but different. Let's go over a few things first. What is Surrealism?

Surrealism: “Sur” means beyond, so surrealism means “beyond realism”. Surrealism is a major artistic movement where artists attempt to represent the world as seen by the unconscious mind. These artworks are inspired by dreams and imagination and usually contain scenes that are very fantasy-like and unreal. Surrealism depicts bizarre images of objects that may be based in reality but the artist has changed them so they look more dream-like. Some of the methods an artist uses to create surrealist art are:

• Dislocation: Placing an object in unusual or unfamiliar surroundings (a train coming out of a fireplace)

• Scale Change: Changing an object’s usual size (an enormous apple next to a man)

• Replacement: Replacing an expected object with an unexpected one (a car steering wheel that is a clock)

• Levitation: Floating objects, defying gravity (islands floating in the air)

• Juxtaposition: Joining two images in an impossible combination (a rock sitting on top of a fragile flower)

Check out the fantastic work from famous surrealist artists from history below. Some of you might recognize these from our artist research lesson.

Rene Magritte, "Time Transfixed" Salvador Dali, "The Persistance of Memory"

Max Ernst, "The Triumph of Surrealism" Frida Kahlo, "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird"

You will need:

Blank white copy paper, or drawing paper. I will accept lined paper, but blank is really what you should be using.
Pencil/eraser
Markers, pens, sharpies, colored pencils, crayons, paints of any kind.

Your task is to create a surreal handscape.

Start in pencil. Begin by drawing your hand in an interesting position. It will be the focus of the project so it should be nice and big! You can trace your hand, but you won't be able to get very interesting poses that way. Even though hands are very challenging to draw, I encourage you to try it without tracing. So what if it's not perfect!
You will then add things to the hand that changes it from "simple, boring, old hand" to something "surreal and fantastic." Please spend some time and think about what your hand could become. Remember that Surrealism is about UN-reality so the stranger your ideas the better your project will be.
Outline your penciled sketch in sharpie, marker or pen.
Add a background and fully color in the art work with any media you choose. Please, no black and white work.
Photograph your work on a flat surface from directly above and send the image to scott_petersen@wrsd.net
I want to see that 50 minutes of time, thought and effort went into your work.

In my example above I have created a hand monster. You can see that I have spent at least 50 minutes on this. I was remembering when I played Dungeons and Dragons as a kid and the awesome monsters they had. I thought I'd do something like that. There's a story here, where the evil wizard "Surrealio" is creating the monster to protect himself from the valiant knight, " Lord Artemus". Your surreal handscape doesn't have to tell a story, but it does have to be a fully realized, finished project. It has to look like you spend 50 minutes on it. That means that the hand is the focus, you've made it unique and clever, there is a background, and the entire project is colored in.