Assignment: Create an interpretation of a PHOTOGRAPH that you think is interesting or inspiring in some way. The photo should have information about FORM (three-dimensionality). Your creative task is to create a composition using colored papers that shows how warm, bright, light colors contrasted with cool, dull, dark colors will create the illusion of form on a two dimensional surface.
This image is a Byzantine (Late Greek) mosaic. It uses the same technque that we will be using. Instead of magazine paper, this image is made of small pieces of stone, tile, and glass called tesserae. Find a photograph (not a work of art) of something you like that has a clear light source and shadows.
Steps to Take: 1) Choose the size and image: Decide how big you want to make the design. Consider the size of small details in the image first, and make sure your collage will be large enough to show them well. Draw a line drawing of your image (like a "coloring book.") Do not add texture or value to this drawing.
2) Create a VALUE STUDY. Trace over your sketch onto a second piece of paper using ebony pencil. Think about a light source and use the ebony pencil to shade areas of the drawing so that each form looks 3D. Try to include three different values inside each shape. Trace over your pencil drawing onto tracing paper. Use pencil and/or crayons to create a VALUE STUDY of the image, planning out your light source and your color choices in a general way. Make sure the image has a sense of form.
3) Draw the BASIC SHAPES of the collage onto your ground board. Lightly sketch any lines that you need to include to help you put in the different shapes of shadow and light. Find colored papers to fill in the shapes in your collage. Refer to the value study as you choose papers. Use WARM,BRIGHT,LIGHT colors to make areas come forward in the design as though they are catching light, and use COOL, DULL,DARK tones for shadows. Think about the size of the paper pieces -- smaller the piece, the more detail your image will have.
Grading: IDEA: 1. Your chosen image gives you the opportunity to create an illusion of three dimensional form. It is a photo, not a drawing by another artist. 2. Your chosen image is interesting to you and you've explained why in the review question. DESIGN: 3. Your page space is designed well. The space is used in a balanced and complete way. CRAFTSMANSHIP / SKILL: 4. You made a good quality line drawing of your composition and turned it into a value study showing form. 5. The paper pieces in the collage are sized well to create the image clearly. 6. There is a clear sense of three dimensional form in the image, created by careful use of color theory.