Afewwordsaboutcri0ques…

Although these activities can at times leave an artist feeling vulnerable or inadequate, they are only intended to help you think more deeply about how you can be better. These activities are not meant to make

you feel like a failure, but to help you know how to succeed.!

We cannot grow in life nor can we grow in art if we do not have a source of objective feedback. A critique provides us with some insight into how our

artwork is communicating without our personal feelings, attachment, thoughts processes, or biases getting in the way. Think of it as a friend telling you that you’ve got food in your teeth. They mean no harm, they are simply telling you

something that you cannot see on your own.!

Analyzing and talking about art helps us develop our own judgment skills. We do spend time judging all day long, be it deciding if that girl’s pants match her shirt or if we like what the cafeteria is serving for lunch. But it isn’t until we really sit

down and think about why those colors don’t go together or what doesn’t quite taste right about the Tuna Surprise that we can avoid making the same mistakes in our

clothing choices or cooking. Being able to talk about what works well and what needs growth in another person’s artwork helps us do the same thing with our work

without feeling so bad about it. !

AssemblageCri-que

1.  Putupyourcomposi-onandaffixthes-ckynotefromthetopofthepileonit.

2.  Chooseanumberoutofthehatandfindthecorrespondingartwork.3.  Discussthefollowingtopicsons-ckynotes:

1.  Closeyoureyes.Keepthemclosed.Whenyouopenthem,rememberwhatthefirstthinsisthatyouno-ce.Whydidyouseeitfirst?

2.  WheredidyoureyesgoaIerthefirstthingyouno-ced?Whatelementsandprinciplesdidthear-stusetodirectyoureyesinthisway?

3.  Talkaboutthecomposi-onofthiswork.Isiteffec-veinkeepingyouengagedintheworkofartorwouldyoumoveorchangesomethingtomakeitmoreinteres-ng?

4.  Whatarethestrengthsofthispiece?Specificallynameatleasttwothingsthatkeepyouinterestedinthisworkofart.

5.  Basedonwhatyou’veobservedaboutthestrength'softhispiece,givethisar-stafewideasofhowtheycanchallengethemselvesonthenextassignment.Whataresomeareasofgrowththatthispersoncouldpursue?WhatcouldtheydotomakethisworkevenbeTer?

4.  Affixyourcommentstotheedgeofthisartwork.5.  Returntoyourseatandwaitquietlywhenyouarefinished.

TextureStudies1. Observe your object with as much detail as you can. Feel it with your

eyes closed. Find the darkest areas and the lightest highlights. Think about what the object is used for, how it is made, and how its texture is related to its purpose. What role does the texture play in the “life” of your object?!

2.  Describetheshapeandtextureofyourobjectinwords.Trytodescribethetextureasifyouweretellingsomeonewithoutasenseoftouch.Describeitasthoughyouwereexplainingittoablindperson.Whatshapesaretherewithinthetexture?Makealistofoftenadjec-vesthatdescribethetextureofyourobject.

3.  Distill the texture down to a basic pattern. What series of shapes can you find within the texture. Would you describe the texture as being geometric or organic? What basic shape best fits this texture? Design a pattern that might be applied to a fabric or wallpaper based on the texture of your object. What shapes will you use? What areas will be dark and what areas will be light? Is the pattern simple or complex?

3.  Draw a two-inch square. With as much detail as you can, fill this square with the texture of your object. Draw the basic structure with pencil and fill in the rest with pen. Check the proportions within the texture to make sure everything is in the right place. Look for every nuance and shade within your values. Make sure you are using the full value scale!

4. Draw a four-inch square. Inside this square, do a zoomed-out drawing of your object so that you can tell what the whole thing is. Think about the composition of your object within this square. You object needs to touch at least two sides of your square.

5. Choose two more objects with textures strongly contrasting your original object. Place this textured object next to your first. Draw a second 4- inch square. Inside this square, draw the two new objects and your first object so that their textures fill the entire picture plane. Arrange the textures/objects in a pleasing way (think about rule of thirds, amounts, balance, ect).!