Activity 1: Media and Technique Project  

Purpose:
To acquaint you with the character and varying possibilities of using some basic art materials.

Materials:
Drawing materials: pencil, ink, crayon, and construction paper
Painting materials: tempera, diluted ink
Combinations of these materials, plus cut and torn paper, will be used

Method:
Divide an 18” x 24” sheet of white drawing paper into four vertical rows and five horizontal rows of rectangular shapes (Fig. 1.1A)

The longest direction of shapes will be vertical. Each rectangle should be approximately 4 1/2" x 4 4/5" in size.

Draw a large leaf-like shape so it divides all the outside rectangles. Draw a main vein and smaller subsidiary veins so that all rectangles are divided into small irregular shapes.

Try to retain the outside leaf shape while filling in all the smaller inside shapes according to the directions on the diagram. Your instructor will be a good resource for additional ideas of how to experiment with the character and techniques of each medium and their various combinations. At this point the discovery of how the materials feel as you work and how they interact is more important than the aesthetic outcome of the experiment.