Year 10 Homework


VISUAL SUMMER JOURNAL
Developing recording skills

To ‘record’ or ‘document’ is to represent the truth or reality of something. Traditional drawing, painting and indeed photography can be used with good technical skill to represent ‘real life’ objectively. However this procedure in terms of Art can be very limiting. Instead, an artist can use their creative freedom to record in a subjective manner using their pencil, paint or camera much more expressively to explore the supposed ‘truth’ in the subject matter.


Your task is to create a diary to document your summer holidays through a series of expressive visual recordings.

You are restricted to the following mediums drawing and photography and all must be done from direct observation in sketchbook (not from printed photos).
This project is intended to develop your skills so we must see an improvement in your progress using the mediums above. Use all three of the following topics as areas of study.

OBJECT
Choose an object with good form, (not 2D like a passport) which identifies your summer holiday.
Begin by using a sharp 4B pencil to record your object in a scientific manner using your technical skills to display the object as it is plainly and realistically seen- relish the form and detail!
Practice this with as many drawings you need until you are satisfied with a photorealistic outcome.

Next LOOSEN UP! Create 5 images exploring expression. Use a sharp 8B pencil. How can you present a mood or emotional context to the object using your pencil expressively? Consider some visual elements before you attempt this… light/darkness and contrast, viewing angle, weight of line and speed of stroke and gesture.
Explain the kind of emotive context you are attempting to convey? How are you attempting this? Can it be improved? If so- improve it!

ENVIRONMENT
Find an environment that you can return to that you can record. This could be an area of a room, a view from a window, balcony etc.
Use the same process as above. Draw and sketch your chosen environment in a realistic way until you are satisfied with your recording.
Then use a very soft pencil to sketch your scene in a much more gestural way conveying a sense of emotion through your strokes. Create 2x A3 gestural images of this scene. Explain your drawings.

ACTIVITY
Use a camera to document an activity you are witnessing or involved in during the summer.

1st Shoot- 20 photos printed off onto A4 paper and glued into your sketchbook with explanations.
Document the activity in a scientific manner, imagine you are creating good technical photographs for a text book on the activity.

2nd Shoot- 20 select photos
How can you express the values of the activity? Is it exciting, relaxing, competitive, fast….

Consider your angle of shot (above, from the ground, close ups…)
Can you use aperture or shutter speed creatively? Angle of light, shadow…
Can you add to or alter the printed photos by hand or by digital software afterwards?

ARTISTS to influence you- Jeanette Barnes, Dryden Goodwyn, Benedict Carpenter, Kate Atkin, Charles Avery, Cornelia Parker, William Kentridge