ART 3120, 4120

Jump to Today

Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, Standing female nude from the back, ca. 1810-20
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Instructor: Matthew Choberka (he/him)

ART 3120/4120 - Figure Drawing/Advanced Figure Drawing (3 credit hours)

Monday/Wednesday 2:30 PM - 5:15 PM, KA 305

Office Phone: 626-7270, matthewchoberka@weber.edu

Office Hours:
Tuesdays, starting January 17, 10 AM -12 PM, KA 326 or by Zoom.

Additional office hours by appointment. Please contact me by email to set up an alternate time.

“In spite of everything I shall rise again: I will take up my pencil, which I have forsaken in my great discouragement, and I will go on with my drawing.”

Vincent Van Gogh

worn out

“From the age of six I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things. When I was fifty I had published a universe of designs. But all I have done before the age of seventy is not worth bothering with. At seventy five I'll have learned something of the pattern of nature, of animals, of plants, of trees, birds, fish and insects. When I am eighty you will see real progress. At ninety I shall have cut my way deeply into the mystery of life itself. At a hundred I shall be a marvelous artist. At a hundred and ten everything I create; a dot, a line, will jump to life as never before. To all of you who are going to live as long as I do, I promise to keep my word. I am writing this in my old age. I used to call myself Hokusai, but today I sign my self 'The Old Man Mad About Drawing.'”

Hokusai

Images from Hokusai's Manga, 1814

Course Overview

The purpose this course is to explore the human figure through drawing, considering the form of the body in its entirety. Work will be done in a variety of media and with a number of different approaches. Perceptual drawing, or drawing from observation, will be stressed, with a model present for all class sessions. The human image is a key element in many art forms, and this class is designed to help each of you gain an understanding of the figure so that you can adapt that knowledge to your own work. Our focus will be on gaining and understanding of both the form of the body, and its movement.

uglow study

Euan Uglow, Figure Study, Graphite

kjm

Untitled (Stono Drawing), 2012. Kerry James Marshall (American, b. 1955). Watercolor and ink on paper; 78.1 x 62.8 cm. Private collection, courtesy Segalot, New York

Core Themes and Learning Outcomes for the class

The Department of Visual Art and Design's Learning Outcomes include several that are particularly applicable to this course, as we focus on independent contemporary studio practice and the development of art on the basis of personal ideas and concerns. These outcomes state that we can judge our success when, within the three categories outlined below, our students create works that demonstrate learning with these outcomes- whether they are Introduced (I), Developed (D), or Mastered (M). The outcomes highlighted in bold below are those specifically relevant to these courses.

Creation/Innovation

Produce technically proficient visual work (D for 3120, M for 4120)
Utilize conceptual frameworks, ethical reasoning, and critical thinking skills in the making of visual media (D for 3120, M for 4120)
Demonstrate the ability to learn, adapt, and apply new techniques, tools, processes and ideas (D for 3120, M for 4120)

Analysis/Communication

Assess, analyze, and synthesize historical and contemporary information regarding visual art and design
Communicate effectively and ethically about visual media through written or oral means
Recognize and identify historically influential styles, movements, periods, theories, and practitioners of art and design in a global context

Professionalization/Collaboration

Implement contemporary professional practices in the field
Demonstrate the ability to work cooperatively, ethically, and effectively with peers
Explain visual art and design as a profession, practice, and global community

This course is being taught with advanced and beginning students working together in the studio, and this will give us a chance to interact and discuss the issues of Figure Drawing from a variety of levels of experience and knowledge. Often students from both levels of the class will work on the same assignments and problems, but there will also be occasions when assignments differ for the two levels. Important topics to be covered in class will include:

Contour, Shape, and Volume of the Human Form in its Totality

Focus on Specific Anatomical Features

Relationship of Figure and Environment

Dynamism/Movement in the Figure

The Figure in Art history and Contemporary Art

Craft- Control and Expression with a Number of Drawing Media

Contemporary Ideas and Practices in Drawing

Use of Color to Create Light and Form

Classes will consist of drawing sessions, critique and discussion of student work, and discussion of master works, using either printed reproductions or projected images. Each student must keep a sketchbook, dedicated to making studies, which will be turned in and/or shared with the class, for comments and evaluation. Keep a portfolio of any and all work from the class, as it must all be reviewed in at the course’s end. Don’t edit work out of the portfolio- even unfinished works can be important as learning tools. Finally, one long-term project will be assigned for the semester.

NOTE: The class schedule is subject to change. I will keep everyone informed as to our plans at least a few weeks in advance.

THIS IMAGE BELOW is a metaphor for how we will all probably feel for most of the semester :

Aurel Schmidt

Coursework

Our principal work in the course will be as follows:

-Completed body in-studio life drawings that reflect understanding of the learning outcomes described above. The main objective of the course is for each student to develop a fully realized body of work based in drawing principles, materials, and techniques. A final portfolio of selected works and analytic writing will be submitted.

- Several supplementary assignments, based on perception or other conceptual prompts from me, to challenge and re-affirm the main body of work, and to develop analytic and conceptual thinking.

-Readings and online discussions. Several readings will be assigned, with graded online discussion following. Completion of readings and full participation in discussions will count toward your grade.

NOTE: The class schedule is subject to change. I will keep everyone informed as to our plans at least a few weeks in advance.

Evaluation

Evaluation of your performance will be in two major areas. As is typical for our face-to-face studio classes you are expected to, at a minimum, match our 5.5 hours together in the studio with a corresponding amount of time spent on drawings outside of class. You should also expect to spend some of that time outside of class on readings, videos, and participating in online discussions. I will always provide clear expectations in terms of time that needs to be spent on a given project.

Drawings (65% of overall grade)

The most important component of your class performance is of course your creative production, i.e. the drawings you will create throughout the term. In order to maintain an atmosphere of dedication and rigor with regard to our study of drawing, I will provide regular feedback using a rubric that addresses the content, form, and object criteria discussed above. These marks will indicate my assessment of your work for the current project, taking into consideration your engagement with the goals of a given assignment and effective use of "studio" time. I will offer "media comments" through Canvas' speedgrader, so that you will have lots of constructive feedback from me on the specifics of your work.

Participation/readings/critique (35% of overall grade)

Always very important for any studio course in art/design, full participation is no less important in this online course. If anything, we need to do all we can to create dialogs amongst students and professors online, since we will be missing out on much of the organic discussions and interactions that happen naturally on campus.

Critiques are an essential part of the class, and offer us a chance to take stock of how the principles explored in class are being put into practice. The importance of participation for both your grade and the overall value of this class cannot be overestimated. Remember that, while the term itself implies criticism, it is much more valuable to discuss in specific terms how a drawing is working formally and conceptually, rather than to make vague value judgments. I will provide some short guides on how to contribute to meaningful critiques.

Similarly, readings and videos will be assigned periodically throughout the class, with graded discussion boards set up in Canvas, and a rubric provided for you to understand your marks. Art and design are fields of ideas as well as skills, and discussion of formal and conceptual ideas in drawing will be a part of each and every week. Keep looking at drawing (and at art of all kinds), in whatever form you can, and be ready to bring your observations and questions about what you see into the class discussions.