Terry Reynoldson

Art Instruction, 1996 to 2021

Selected, Students' 2D Artworks, Page 2: Drawing, Design Principles, 2D-Art Fundamentals

Banksy-Inspired / Social Commentary Project

Assignment (above), THEORY: Banksy is, arguably, one of most controversial artists in the world. A large part of the mystique and attraction of Banksy's work is its apparent lawlessness. Under the cover of night, images appear on walls and objects are installed in public spaces, without permission, necessitating a level of anonymity that rarely occurs in the "Art World". In fact, a select few (mostly collaborators) know Banksy's true identity.

In the spirit of a rebellious vigilante, she/he/they makes graffiti-like works that critique the most disturbing, hypocritical and unfair (from Banksy's point-of-view) aspects of contemporary culture, commerce, politics, technology, justice, morality and religion (see the examples below).

Most often, Banksy's imagery is tinged with a sharp, dry wit that entices viewers to let down their guard, thereby drawing them toward the work. Images are clearly and cleanly executed, with unambiguous compositions that are easily read and quickly interpreted, thereby efficiently communicating the messages behind these artworks.

OBJECTIVE: Create a stencil-like drawing that critiques some aspect of contemporary culture, commerce, politics, technology, justice, morality or religion. Your drawing must be abstracted (simplified) to a "monotone", in black and white, so that it resembles Banksy's stencil-art (I'll award extra marks if you make an actual stencil to produce your image).

Follow this link to see the lesson: Banksy-Inspired / Social Commentary Project.

Automated Drawing Project

Assignment (above), THEORY: Jean Arp made collages by dropping pieces of paper on to a horizontal support and then gluing them in the places where they landed. Thirty years later, Jackson Pollock made paintings by dripping and drizzling paint on to canvases lying flat on the floor. Even though they were separated by a generation, these two artists systematized art-making by allowing gravity to play a crucial role in the creative process. As a sort of "creative engine" (or a driver of creativity), gravity is a force that lies beyond the artist's control. In other words, the artist relinquishes control over her medium once the paper leaves the hand or the paint falls from the brush. One may loosely refer to this approach as "automation".

The mindful collaboration with ones materials and the forces that act upon them, proves to be a powerful tool for discovering unique imagery and new techniques, which are almost always the ingredients for a creative breakthrough (click here to learn more about this topic: Theory of Automation in Art).

PROCEDURE: Use the examples in the lesson description (Automated Drawing) to inspire you in choosing a method of making marks. Your method could be fully automated or partially automated or a combination of both. Once you've decided on a mark-making method (you may have to do several experiments before you decide), obtain materials and a support that are appropriate to the method you've chosen. As a general rule, the more destructive the method, the tougher your materials and support will need to be. Watercolour paper, for instance, would work nicely with a technique that involves water whereas cover stock or cartridge paper would probably disintegrate.

Follow this link to see the lesson: Automated Drawing Project.

Non-Objective Shape, Colour and Texture Project

Assignment (above), OBJECTIVE: Use foam-core, hot glue and acrylic paint to create a low-relief composition that makes effective use of the Principles of Composition, thereby giving order and visual interest to the Elements of Art.

PROCEDURE: Draw three or five different shapes on your newsprint pad. Some of the shapes can be organic, some of the shapes can be geometric, but all must be NON-OBJECTIVE (follow this link to learn about the differences between abstraction and non-objective art). Next, repeat each shape several times, making every iteration a different size. You will end up with between nine and twenty-five unique shapes. Transfer your shapes to foam-core and then cut them out. Experiment with your shapes by putting them in different configurations. Move them around the picture plane until you find a composition that is dynamic and visually interesting. Some of the shapes can be lifted off the surface of the picture plane by propping them up with smaller pieces of foam-core underneath. This is an effective way to create a sense of depth in your composition.

Follow this link to see the lesson: Non-Objective Shape, Colour and Texture Project.

Appropriated & Digitally-Altered, Vintage Propaganda Poster Project

Assignment (above), THEORY: Andy Warhol made artworks about Campbell's soup cans, Brillo boxes and Marilyn Monroe. Roy Liechtenstein made paintings that resemble the panels of a comic book. Such imagery originates in popular culture and is a defining feature of "Pop Art".

Some contemporary artists still rely on subjects derived from popular culture, but the artworks that they create are often imbued with an extra layer of associations (meaning) that was mostly absent in Pop Art of the 1960's. Artists like Andy and Roy would rarely concern themselves with "issues" because the watch words of Pop Art were "fame", "glamour" and "materialism": inherently superficial concerns by any definition.

In our Post Modern world of pastiche and appropriation, many artists look to the distant past to find meaning-filled images from popular culture. So-called "retro" images can be used to give authority and gravitas to even the most banal of subjects. For instance, vintage propaganda posters are loaded with explicit messages - join the army, protect capitalism, fight capitalism, long live the proletariat - that originate within the historic contexts of WWI, WWII, Maoism and Marxism.

Many of the images from those eras contain plenty of ideological weight because of history and world events. When an artist grafts a current issue on to vintage imagery, a hybrid idea arises which can bestow any mundane subject, red M&M's for example, with a new and surprising significance.

PROCEDURE: Use the links that I've provided to find a historic image for your project. Choose something that appeals to you on several levels: visually, intellectually, emotionally. Download the largest version of that image that is available. Use Photoshop or Illustrator to alter the image. Change some part of the image and text to make it current and topical.

Print your poster in the computer lab on large sized, high quality photo paper. I'll book the Computer Lab for you to use and will provide tutorials to get you started. If you need additional assistance - help with the software, printing or any other aspect of this assignment - let me know as soon as possible so that I can organize additional tutorials for the group.

Follow this link to see the lesson: Propaganda / Meme Poster Project.

Bleached Line, Cross-Hatch / Cross-Contour Drawing Project

Assignment (above), OBJECTIVE: Using ink and a diluted solution of household bleach on paper, create a line-drawing of a still life that I will set up in the middle of the classroom.

Follow this link to see the lesson: Bleached Line, Cross-Hatch / Cross-Contour Drawing Project.

Ortographic-Section Project

Assignment (above), NOTE: This project is intended primarily for students in Environmental Design.

THEORY: Realism, photo realism and naturalism all have their place in art, especially when aesthetics and beauty are paramount, but there is much more to art than simply rendering life-like semblances of the world. Art is also a catalyst for awe and wonder: a portal through which we are allowed to glimpse foreign and unexpected versions of reality.

When an artist injects an element of the "unexpected" into an artwork, she can evoke feelings of affection, compassion, disgust, hatred, horror, hostility, pleasure, rage, sympathy, wonder or any of a hundred other emotions. This was part of the raison d'être of the Surrealists who, from the 1920's onward, juxtaposed unexpected images and ideas to elicit an emotional reaction from the viewer.

OBJECTIVE: Use graphite (or another fine-pointed drawing tool) on good-quality paper to create a technically-accurate, but imaginary, orthographic section of two distant realities (one object inside of the other). The end result should have "emotional power" and poetry, but also display a sense of "designed ingenuity".

Follow this link to see the lesson: Ortographic-Section with Invented Interior Project.