Project 4: Animal Tale

Project 4: Animal Tale
Select an animal at the zoo as the subject of your illustration. Go to the zoo and draw several sketches of this animal, including gesture studies of how the animal moves and at least one color study. The animals can be reluctant models, so be prepared to go several times in order to get a decent body of sketches. Additionally, collect photo-references of your animal, including, if possible, anatomical images. Knowing the muscle and skeletal structure of an animal is very helpful.

Research is due 4/13.

In class, draw your animal in the following poses: dancing, sitting in a chair, climbing a ladder, getting angry, and carrying an object. Use your compiled research to make the animal look as naturalistic as possible (as opposed to cartoony) in these poses.

Research a folktale, myth, legend, or other traditional story relating to your animal. It may take some digging, but if humans have come into contact with an animal, then there is a story about it somewhere. Draw at least 50 thumbnails to generate a good composition of your animal in that story. Choose the best 3 and draw them at a larger size for presentation in class.

Thumbnails are due 4/18.

Based on the feedback in class to your presentation sketches, prepare a final drawing, and then a painting. The painting should be proportional to 11”x 15”. There are no restrictions on the color palette.

Drawing due 4/25.
Painting critiqued 5/4.
Painting turned in, flapped and labeled, 5/9.

Underpainting Example

Here is an example of an underpainting done by Michael, the instructor of the other Illustration 2 class.

Advice worth heeding

HOW TO STEAL LIKE AN ARTIST (AND 9 OTHER THINGS NOBODY TOLD ME)

Via Drawn

Limited Palettes

I found this quick overview of the benefits of using a limited palette on the blog of illustrator James Gurney. The above image (taken from the linked post) demonstrates the range of colors that can be created from just three or four paints. You can also clearly see why there are a dozen different "reds", for example, in the paint aisle of the art store. All primaries are not created equal, and different varieties of red/yellow/blue will give you different results.

Here are some more combos you can try out:

Limited Palettes

#1
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Red Light
Alizarin Crimson
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White

#2
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna
Alizarin Crimson
Ultramarine Blue
Titanium White

#3 “Earth Palette”
Yellow Ochre
Raw Sienna
Indian Red
Raw Umber
Black
Titanium White

Three “Black” Mixtures
• Burnt Umber & Ultramarine Blue
• Cadmium Red Deep & Ultramarine Blue
• Alizarin Crimson & Pthalo Green

Key Color Attributes
Value: Relative Lightness and darkness of the color.
Hue: What basic color is it? (red, blue, yellow, etc.)
Intensity: How vibrant or dull the color is. (electric blue vs. faded denim blue)
Temperature: Is it a warm or cool version of the basic color?


—based on information from Brent Watkinson (www.brentwatkinson.com)

Demo

I painted this little sketch to demonstrate the sort of effect you can get by layering with thin washes of paint (glazing). Each layer remains partially visible through subsequent layers, allowing the colors to mix optically.
In this case I was using Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Cadmium Yellow Deep, and white.

I began with a layer of green.
























Then purple in the shadows. Notice the swatches to the side showing the colors I'm using.
























More purple to define and deepen the shadows
























A wash of Alizarin Crimson
























Then a wash of Cad. Yellow
























Going over that with Cad. Yellow mixed with a bit of white























Adding a touch of Alizarin Crimson + white in select places
























Background

























There's still a lot more I could do to this, but I'll stop there. Hopefully this makes the underpainting/layering concept a little clearer for you guys.

Project 3: Invisible City

Project 3: Invisible City
The great modern fabulist, Italo Calvino, released Invisible Cities in 1972. The book’s framing story involves Marco Polo describing to Kublai Khan the cities in the Khan’s empire (the empire having grown too large for the Khan to visit them all himself). The cities are described in series of prose poems, and often less about describing urban geography than exploring philosophical or poetic notions, such as human nature, linguistics, metaphysics, ethics, and memory. We will create images based on some of Calvino’s Invisible Cities. This illustration will be proportional to 11”x15”.

Objectives
To adapt a visual image from a literary source that uses non-literal and poetic imagery; to expand upon source material in order to have greater insight into its depiction; to fuse disparate historical sources to create a credible non-existent environment; to contrast interior and exterior space using separate warm and cool palates.

Procedure
Read the packet excerpted from Invisible Cities, and choose the city you would like to illustrate.

“Day in the Life:” Write 300-500 words about a typical day in the life of an inhabitant of your city. Begin in the morning, and record the inhabitant’s routine until he or she goes to sleep at night. Look to your own daily routine for events to transpose upon your inhabitant.

Research: Research the cities of two different cultures. Each culture should be separated both geographically and by at least 200 years in time. Find images from both of your selected cities for each of the following:
•5 building exteriors, including personal dwellings and a religious center
•5 building interiors
•3 forms of transportation; public art
•furniture, including chairs, beds, tables, and storage
•clothes for men, women, and children.

The more images you collect, the more inspiration you’ll have when designing your city.

Concept Art: Design the following for your city:
•3 building exteriors, including personal dwellings and a religious center
•2 building interiors
•3 forms of transportation
•public art
•furniture, including chairs, beds, tables, and storage
•clothes for men, women, and children

Consider what you know about your city both from Italo Calvino and your own writing. Remember that people have lived in this city for generations: their will be older and newer styles jostling against one another; there will be inhabitants who prefer more conservative styles, and inhabitants who are more progressive. There will be noise, and garbage, and graffiti. It should look lived in.

Some inspiration:
http://www.rot13.org/~dpavlin/bladerunner/design.htm
http://www.fengzhudesign.com/gallery.html
The Production DVDs for The Lord of the Rings

Sketching: Develop 30 thumbnails of a scene in your city. The scene should show both an interior and exterior space, and should contain enough specific action that it looks like a scene taking place in your city, not just a study of the city itself. You may want to return to your “Day in the Life” piece and depict some of the actions described there. Choose the best two thumbnails and draw them larger and cleaner as presentation sketches for class.

The “Day in the Life” piece, the visual research, concept sketches, thumbnails, and presentation sketches are all due 3/23.

Drawing: Based on the feedback you receive in class, refine your sketches into a full-size drawing, 11”x15”.

Color Compositions: The color scheme for this project is a warm/cool split. Paint the interior of your scene mixing only cool versions of the colors on your palette together, and paint the exterior using only warm colors (or vice versa). When you are satisfied with your drawing, execute three color studies to determine the most effective way to use this particular color scheme.

Painting Stage One: Using a neutral color (not black) that will blend well with your color scheme, paint in the values for your painting. You may also use white paint to re-establish lighter values.

Painting Stage Two: When the value scheme has been satisfactorily established, begin to lay in the colors with transparent layers of acrylic paint. Do not use white paint at this stage. Build rich, deep shadows with many transparent layers.

Painting Stage Three: When the color scheme has been established for the painting, you may adjust any final details with opaque paint. When used as highlights, opaque colors contrast well with transparent shadows.

3/9 Project 3: Invisible Cities assigned.

3/14 Spring Beak

3/21 written and visual research due.
3/23 thumbnails due

3/30 Cities drawing due.

4/4 Paint Invisible Cities.

4/13 Project 3: Invisible Cities critiqued.

4/18 Project 3: Invisible Cities turned in, flapped and labeled.

Look at this stuff

A few links to useful resources and inspiration, check 'em out

Websites:
Escape from Illustration Island

Drawn!

Illustration Mundo

Podcasts:
which can also be downloaded and subscribed to via iTunes

Escape from Illustration Island

Big Illustration Party Time

Chris Oatley's Artcast

Man Vs. Art

Visual Artist Podcast Network