Welcome to The Helpful Art Teacher, an interdisciplinary website linking visual arts to math, social studies, science and language arts.

Learning how to draw means learning to see. A good art lesson teaches us not only to create but to look at, think about and understand our world through art.

Please click on my page to see my personal artwork and artist statement: http://thehelpfulartteacher.blogspot.com/p/the-art-of-rachel-wintembe.html

Please contact me at thehelpfulartteacher@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Elements of Art and Principles of Design:The Straight Line


WATCH THIS WONDERFUL ANIMATED FILM ON
 PIET MONDRIAN. IT ILLUSTRATES HOW HIS ARTISTIC STYLE DEVELOPED THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER. HE WAS ABLE TO CREATE DYNAMIC AND ENGAGING PAINTINGS, USING ONLY STRAIGHT LINES.


*Special thanks to the artist James Sully Sullivan for sending me this exceptional film.
ASSIGNMENT: USING THE WORKS OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS TO INSPIRE YOU, COMPLETE THE FOUR PROJECTS LISTED BELOW.


 BE AS CREATIVE AND ORIGINAL AS POSSIBLE BUT DO NOT BE AFRAID TO BORROW FROM AND EXPAND ON THE IDEAS OF OTHER ARTISTS. 


EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THE CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS  WHOSE ARTWORK IS FEATURED IN THIS POST IS STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF 20TH CENTURY MODERN ARTISTS, LIKE PIET MONDRIAN


THE MINIMALIST ARTISTS OF THE 1960'S AND 1970'S STOOD ON  THE SHOULDERS OF MONDRIAN AND OTHER ARTISTS OF THE DE STIJL MOVEMENT. THEY EXPANDED ON HIS IDEAS AND DEVELOPED THEIR OWN STYLE. CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS, IN TURN, EXPAND ON THE IDEAS OF PRECEDING ART MOVEMENTS TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW. 

Click here to see how another art teacher and blogger created a dynamic 3-D sculpture based on Mondrian's paintings.

THE PIECES FEATURED HERE, FROM THE 2012 ARMORY SHOW OF CONTEMPORARY AND MODERN ART IN NEW YORK CITY, ARE REMINISCENT OF DESIGNS FROM THE POP ART, OP ART, MINIMALISM AND DE STIJL MOVEMENTS. 


ARTISTS AND DESIGNERS WHO STUDY ART HISTORY HAVE A MUCH BROADER VOCABULARY FROM WHICH TO DRAW THEIR IDEAS. THE MORE ART YOU ARE EXPOSED TO, THE MORE LIKELY IT WILL BE THAT SOMETHING WILL INSPIRE YOUR CREATIVITY. 


 IT IS YOUR JOB, AS AN ART STUDENT, TO CLIMB ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE ARTISTS WHO INSPIRE YOU AND REACH JUST A LITTLE FARTHER...


ASSIGNMENT NUMBER 1
I CREATED THIS WORKSHEET WHEN MY STUDENTS WERE STUDYING SPIRALS. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SPIRAL, CLICK HERE. PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FIRST ASSIGNMENT BEFORE LOOKING AT THE WORKS BELOW. SEE HOW MANY IDEAS YOU CAN THINK OF ON YOUR OWN. WHEN YOU ARE DONE, SCROLL DOWN TO SEE HOW OTHER ARTISTS SOLVED THE SAME DESIGN PROBLEM.

PRINT OUT THIS HELPFUL POSTER SHOWING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF LINES THAT ARTISTS USE. TODAY WE WILL FOCUS  ONLY ON STRAIGHT LINES

ART GALLERY

ASSIGNMENT NUMBER 2
LOOK AT THE PAINTINGS BELOW AND CREATE A TWO-DIMENSIONAL PIECE OF ARTWORK USING ONLY STRAIGHT LINES. SEE IF YOU CAN USE IDEAS FROM OTHER ARTISTS TO MAKE YOUR ARTWORK MORE ENGAGING. YOU MAY ADD COLOR BUT KEEP THE PALETTE SIMPLE. YOUR COLOR SCHEME SHOULD ENHANCE YOUR DESIGN, NOT DETRACT FROM IT.



CREATE A DESIGN OUT OF ONLY STRAIGHT LINES USING BOTH TWO AND THREE DIMENSIONAL ELEMENTS




THESE PIECES APPEAR TO BE PICTURES WHEN VIEWED FROM THE FRONT AND SCULPTURES WHEN VIEWED FROM THE SIDE.


ASSIGNMENT NUMBER 4:
CREATE A THREE-DIMENSIONAL SCULPTURE OUT OF ONLY STRAIGHT LINES

THE ROTATING SPHERE ABOVE WAS CREATED USING STRAIGHT STEEL RODS AND SUSPENDED FROM THE CEILING. HOW DID THE ARTIST CREAITE A ROUND FORM USING ONLY STRAIGHT LINES?
THE CUBES ABOVE WERE WELDED TOGETHER
 FROM METAL RODS
The sculpture above is called a tensegrity form. All the pipes are held together by wires. If you cut the wires the entire structure collapses. The wires are in tension and the pipes are in compression. The balance of tension and compression creates a stable three dimensional form.





 These sculptures were constructed from sticks and tied together with fishing line.
The artist did not use any glue.


Firebringer by Jon Kuhn, 2004
The Newark Museum, Newark NJ

Artist Nike Savvas transforms mathematic formulas into beautiful sculptures. The sculptures below are based on a type of string art that was very popular in the 1970's. As you look carefully, try to figure out how they were created.   How can a sculpture or drawing, created with only straight lines, form curves, arcs, spirals and circles? 




The video tutorial below shows a simple technique for creating string art designs using just string, push pins and a cork bulletin board. 

You can create the same design using a piece of stiff cardboard with small slits cut every half inch on two sides. 

Click on the link below to visit a website dedicated to string art and string art tutorials: 
Now it's your turn to create.
ASSIGNMENT NUMBER 5
Take a piece of cardboard and cut small notches every 1/2 inch around all the edges. Take a piece of colored yarn and knot it at the end. Try stringing it from one notch to another, in the style of Nike Savvas , to create a pattern of straight lines that forms a curve. When you are done, try creating straight line string patterns using the edges of other geometric shapes. Try using triangles, pentagons and hexagons. Using cardboard tabs, on the inside where they won't be visible, try hot gluing your cardboard string design shapes together to form three-dimensional geometric solids. Experiment with thicker materials, like illustration board. If you are using a thick board, ask an adult to cut windows in your geometric shapes with an Exacto knife before stringing them. See if you can create your own three-dimensional sculptures in the style of Nike Savvas. Try combining geometric forms or hanging your creations from the ceiling. Nike Savvas took the old idea of 1970's string art and used it in a new way. How can you further expand on these ideas to create your own unique art?
Each of these artists used straight lines to create a unique and original piece of art.
What will you create using straight lines?
   Art standards:  photo photo-68.jpg Math Standards:  photo photo-67.jpg

2 comments:

  1. This is so cool, I love nick savvas work. It reminds me of the flower of life.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This article serves as a good jumping off point for people interested in learning more about Interaction Design.

    Interactive design

    ReplyDelete