From a photography session at National Gallery Singapore

Principle of Design: Variety - Animal Theme

Using a single Principle of Design: Variety, an interesting composition can be created. 

Home-based: Storyboarding - A six-frame sequence

This is a simple exercise to practice planning and envisioning. 

Step 1: Divide paper into parts (4, 6 or 8 frames)

Step 2: Draw the background and repeat in all frames) 

Step 3: Add a lead character

optional: colour the lead character. 

Still life Exercise - Moving into Contrast

Home-based: Storyboarding - A four-frame sequence

We did this exercise as a class, as the project progressed, variations were included step by step. 

Being a bit ambitious, we applied one Element of Art: Lines (or how lines can be used) to create some visual texture to the compositions

Drawings

Still life Exercise in marker then paint - Chinese New Year Decoration

The student-artists totally impressed me, the drawings in black permanent markers were done in 20mins. From this exercise, they showed me that as a group that they have grown from strength to strength in confidence, observational skills and adaptability to challenges just by trying their best to do what they could. 

Week 2 was to repeat the process in paint. no predrawing with marker or pencil were allowed. 

Home-based: Introduction to Cross hatching

R. Wang

I remembered when I first learnt to cross-hatching, the take-back was, its so tiring to the hands and fingers, especially to achieve a dark rich intensity.  Understanding more lines = dark while fewer lines were easy. Yet, to apply, it's totally different. 

 Like painting at an easel, the first thing to overcome is aching arms. So, this project was broken down into two stages to get into the groove of drawing lines after lines after lines. 

The theme: fireworks. And this was also expanded upon over the two stages.  

Stage One was done on A3 approx. 2hours.

Fireworks: Student-artists could create fireworks in any form or symbol they are used to. 

Awareness was mainly where is the fireworks (to fill colours) and where is the sky (to cross-hatch).

Stage two was done on A2 within a span of 6 hours with at least 4 hour - 5 hours of cross hatching only and still, a number were not complete to reach an intense black sky.

Fireworks: Examples were provided with the aim to observe (1) the different types of fireworks as they burst, (2) the combination of colours each fireworks holds, and (3) thin lines or ovals. 

From the examples below, you could see different strategies used by the student-artists themselves, some divided the sky into sections. Some started with a flat layer of cross hatchings and slowly build up the intensity. And some just when for it in segments across the paper.