You will make a pencil drawing of a still life, using your powers of concentration to make the drawing as accurate as possible. Gradual and sudden changes of value will be used to suggest rounded and angular forms. Space will be shown by overlapping these forms. Differences in texture will be emphasized.

• Pencil and sheets of sketch paper
• Sheet of white drawing paper, 12 x 18 inches (30 x 46 cm)

1. Bring an unusual found object to class, something that is broken or in some other way altered. Possibilities are a crushed can, a broken toy, or an old hand tool.
2. Set your object on a table in front of you. Place the point of your pencil on a sheet of sketch paper. Without taking your eyes off the object, begin to draw it. Attempt to feel the lines of the object with your pencil as you draw. Concentrate on and draw each object in accurate detail. Make several more drawings on the same sheet until you work looks like your object.
3. Working with four other students, arrange your five objects in an interesting way. Some of the objects should overlap others. Make a drawing of the arrangement. Concentrate on overlapping objects to create an illusion of space. (See Technique Tip 2, Handbook.)
4. Carefully draw the key lines of your sketch onto the large sheet of drawing paper. Include in this finished version as many details as you can, including differences in texture. Use your pencil to add gradual and sudden changes of value to show rounded and angular forms.
5. Display your work along with those of your classmates. Discuss how this drawing has helped you better see details.

Henry Tanner was a former student of Thomas Eakins and one of America's most talented black artists. Because his paintings did not sell in America, Tanner decided to move to Europe. Settling in Paris, he painted scenes from the Bible, which were well received. After one of his paintings was accepted in the Paris Salon, a highly respected French artist insisted that it be hung in a place of honor. Although better known for his religious pictures, some of Tanner's best works were portraits and outdoor scenes. In these works, he often used low-intensity hues, contrasting light and dark values, and fuzzy shapes. These hues, values, and shapes create a quiet stillness.

You will use watercolor paint to create your own expressive scene. Your scene will exhibit the same low-intensity hues, contrasting dark and light values, and fuzzy shapes found in Tanner's paintings. Your painting will also express the same quiet stillness.

• Container of water
• Sheet of white paper, 9 x 12 inches (23 x 30 cm)
• Tempera paint in different hues
• Pen and India ink

1. With water, completely wet the sheet of white paper.
2. Load a medium-pointed brush with a light color paint, and apply this carefully to the damp paper. The area painted might represent a lake or river. Add other areas of light colors to suggest sky and clouds.
3. Use the same technique to add dark shapes to your paper. These could suggest the shoreline, distant rooftops, boats, a bridge, or other objects. Do not worry about details. Concern yourself with creating areas of color with different dark values.
4. While your picture is drying, study it carefully. Use your imagination to identify the general outlines of the different objects.
5. When your painting is dry, use a pen and India ink to outline the objects. Add details.
6. Use white paint to create highlights and additional details.

Artists use the computer as a design tool to make patterns for application to other media such as silk screen or tapestry. Christopher Pallotta created these two quilt patterns on the computer. The designs can be displayed and enjoyed as art works or they can be used to make quilts from fabric. You can create quilt patterns by designing a motif for a quilt square and adding solid colors, patterns, and textures. To make the quilt pattern, repeat the motif, using the same combination of colors or include contrasting colors. You can then emphasize the design with the addition of intricate details.

You will use the principle of rhythm by repeating a geometric motif to make a decorative quilt pattern. First you will explore the Shape and Line tools to design a geometric motif. Next, you will use the Bucket tool to add color. Then you will learn how to Copy, Paste, and arrange copies of the square motifs to crate a quilt design. Discover how rotating or inverting copies of the motif creates varying quilt designs. Make several examples showing different arrangements of the original motif.

• Computer with an art application
• Mouse or graphics tablet with a stylus or drawing pen
• Floppy disk to save work
• Color printer (for black-and-white printer, add color with pen, pencils, or markers)

1. Look at Pallotta's quilt designs or recall other quilts you have seen. On the computer, make two or three geometric motifs. Hold down the Shift or Option key and draw an open square with the Rectangular Shape tool. (Choose the No Fill setting for an open square.) Choose from the Shape tools to add more open shapes. Use a variety of shapes and sizes, including circles, triangles, or hexagons.
2. Select the Straight Line tool to divide the area into smaller spaces or shapes. Add smaller lines and shapes to create details. Title and Save this geometric motif.
3. Create a different motif, beginning again with an open square. Title and Save.
4. Choose the motif you like the best. Select several hues--solid, gradients, or mixed with a pattern. Fill in spaces of the motif with color using the Bucket Flood-fill tool. (You may begin with the original line motif and fill with another color choice.) Title and Save your work.
5. Use the Lasso or Rectangular Selection tool to Select the geometric motif. From the Edit menu, click, drag, and choose COPY to place a copy of the motif in the Clipboard.
6. From the Edit menu, click, drag, and choose Paste to place a copy on the screen Note the keyboard shortcut key in the menu command box. You may wish to use this key later.
7. Notice the moving dotted lines around the selection. These indicate the motif is Selected and now can be moved or changed. Put the cursor on top of the motif and drag it into position. While the motif is still Selected, choose Flip, Rotate, or another command from the menu that allows you to transform selected graphics. To Paste selection into position, click the cursor on another area of the screen outside the selection. You may choose Paste from the Edit command or use the keyboard shortcut to add another copy. The new command immediately pastes the selection into place.
8. Continue to Paste additional copies and arrange them to complete a repeating rhythm. Decorate with a frame or border, if needed. Retitle, Save, and Print.

Scientific dating of artifacts like a Native American coil clay pot helps experts estimate the earliest time ancient people may have arrived on this continent. They also provide a window on the way of life during a certain time period.

You will create a clay pot in the style of prehistoric Native Americans. You will give the work a sense of rhythm by increasing and then decreasing the size of coils. Your finished pot should be both useful and decorative.

• 2 pounds of clay, and slip
• Canvas-covered clay board
• Large plastic bag and bowl of water
• Scrap piece of heavy cardboard

1. Review Technique Tip 16, Handbook. It will give you some general background information on working with clay.
2. Gently throw your clay against the clay board. Doing this will remove any air pockets that might cause your work to explode when fired.
3. Pinch off a lump of clay about the size of a lemon. With the heel of your hand, flatten the lump into a circle about ½ inch (13 mm) thick. Set it aside.
4. Pinch off a second smaller lump, and roll it into a rope. The rope should be about ½ inch (13 mm) thick and 12 inches (30 cm) long. Form the rope into a ring, joining the two ends with slip. Seal the ring to the circle you made. This is to be the base of your pot.
5. Create four more ropes. All should be the same thickness as the first rope. Each, however, should be slightly longer than the one before it. Form the shortest rope in a ring as you did earlier. Using slip, attach it to your base. Form the next longest rope into a ring. Attach it to the outer edges of the last coil. Continue to work in this fashion until your work is five coils high.
6. Roll out five more ropes, this time making each slightly shorter than the one before it. Form the longest into a ring. Attach it to the inner edges of the last coil on your pot. Continue working in this manner until you have used all your ropes. (Hint: If it takes longer than one class period to finish your pot, store it in the plastic bag. This will keep it moist until you are ready to work with it again.)
7. Allow your pot to dry to the greenware stage. Use the scrap of cardboard as a scraper to smooth out any bumps. Fire the pot in a kiln. Display your finished pot alongside those of classmates. Which pots succeed in showing a sense of rhythm?

Graphic artists use the computer to create product package designs, brochures, advertisements, and company logos. Today, art applications are easier to use and artists may work directly on the computer or begin with pencil and paper sketches. The computer makes some tasks easier because it can retrieve, reproduce, recombine, and alter images with ease. Some software programs simulate textures and appearance of traditional art media, such as watercolors and oil paints. Artists combine photographs and scanned images with textures and collage effects. Commercial illustrators use a combination of media including computer graphics applications, clip art, and traditional art materials to create exciting images for product marketing.

You will design a product package or advertisement on the computer using a variety of fonts, styles, and sizes. Choose a theme and select hues to emphasize the mood. Decide whether you will draw objects or import and combine clip art images. You will then create harmony by using repeating colors, textures, shapes, and letters. Add variety by changing the size or rotating the shapes. After you design your package, you may wish to include a frame or border to create unity.

• Pencil and sketchbook
• Computer with art application
• Mouse or graphics tablet with a stylus or drawing pen
• Floppy disk to save work
• Color printer (for black-and-white printer, add color with pen, pencils, or markers)

1. Choose the kind of product or promotion you wish to represent. Design a package cover or an advertisement representing a product or products.
2. Make pencil sketches of the layout. Include fictitious product names, images, or symbols that represent your product and illustrate the message of the advertisement. Choose simple shapes and colors.
3. On the computer, begin with the letters of the product name. Select the Text tool and choose a Font, Style, and Size. Use a Selection tool to manipulate the letters by stretching, rotating, or distorting them. Add shadows to give perspective or emphasis to the letters. Title and Save your work at intervals, so you can return to different points of the design process. Try other tools, menus, and designs.
4. Draw symbols or objects with the Pencil or Brush tools. Combine with Clip Art, if available. Add color directly with the Pencil or Brush tool or use the Bucket tool to Flood-fill spaces with color and texture. Title and Save your work again.
5. Examine the words and images you have created. Select, Copy, and Paste words, letters, shapes, or objects to repeat images and create harmony through repetition. While objects are selected, add variety with changes in color, size, or position. Try overlapping images. Fill the page.
6. You may wish to make a frame or border around the design to create unity. Make a frame using lines, shapes, letters, or objects. Draw an object with a Pencil and then Select, Copy, and Paste image at regular intervals around the perimeter.
7. Retitle, Save, and Print your work. Try printing on different types of paper for different effects.

Art critics often approach their study of architecture just as they do the study of paintings or sculptures. They begin by describing what they see, and then they analyze the ways the principles have been used to organize the elements. After that they interpret the meanings, moods, and feelings the work communicates. Finally, they judge whether the work succeeds and explain why. Doing this helps the critic understand and appreciate a work of architecture.

You will build a model of a triumphal arch out of cardboard and construction paper. Your work should have three rounded arches and columns. You will use a variety of different shapes and forms. Some of these will be repeated to add harmony. Your work will have formal balance. (See Figure 7-17.)

• Empty cardboard soap or cereal box, taped shut
• Large sheets of colored construction paper, including gray and black
• Pencil, sketchbook, scissors, and white glue
• Assortment of magazines featuring sports illustrations
• Scraps of heavy cardboard

1. Design your triumphal arch in your sketchbook based on one of your school's sports teams winning an important victory. Make sure your work has three rounded arches and columns. Draw in a freestanding sculpture of the coach and star players. Then sketch in relief carvings on the arches that highlight the winning game.
2. Place the cardboard box down flat on a sheet of gray construction paper. With the pencil, trace around the box. Hold a second sheet of gray construction paper firmly against the first. Using scissors, carefully cut through both sheets along the line you drew. Glue the sheets to the font and back of the box. Cover the top and side panels of the box with gray construction paper.
3. Look back at the drawing you made in your sketchbook. Doubling two sheets of black construction paper, cut out two large rounded arches and four smaller ones. Glue these arches in place of the front and back of the box. Use your drawing as a guide.
4. Use construction paper to create columns and other decorations. Glue these in place.
5. Look through the sports magazines. Locate black-and-white photographs showing scenes of the sport you chose for your design drawing. Look for action shots that focus on athletes. Cut these out and trim them to fit on your arch. Glue those that are to work as reliefs directly to the arch. Glue those that are to work as freestanding sculptures to small scraps of heavy cardboard before gluing them in place on the arch. This will make them seem to project outward in space.
6. When the glue has dried, display your arch. Compare your work with that of your classmates. Safety Tip Be very careful when using cutting tools such as scissors and knives. Pick these up only by the handle, never by the blade. Make sure also to offer the handle when you are handing the tool to another person.

Many Post-Impressionist artists tried to find solutions to the problems posed by Impressionism. Georges Seurat (zhorzh su-rah) felt the Impressionists' attempt to show the blurring effect of sunlight on forms was misguided. Seurat's solution was to use a technique in which small, carefully placed dots of color are used to created forms. This technique is called Pointillism (point-uh-liz-uhm). When seen from close up, a picture containing pointillism looks like a grouping of tiny dots. When the viewer stands back, however, the picture totally changes. The dots seem to blend together to create new colors and clear shapes.

You will create a painting in the style of Seurat or one of the Post-Impressionists. Use color, line, shape, or texture in the manner of the artist you choose.

• Pencil
• Sheet of white paper, 9 x 12 inches (23 x 30 cm)
• Tempera paint, several brushes, and mixing tray

When an assignment calls for paints, use watercolors, liquid tempera, or school acrylics.

1. Look through the pages of a magazine or newspaper. Look for a black-and-white illustration that has an interesting design or communicates a mood.
2. Using pencil, lightly redo the illustration on the sheet of white paper. Make your drawing large enough to fill the whole sheet. Keep the shapes in your drawing simple. Do not include details.
3. Finish and paint your work using one of the following styles: (a) With a fine-tipped brush, cover your drawing with closely space tiny dots of paint. Use colors opposite each other on the color wheel to create new hues and intensities. In this way, your work will resemble the Pointillist style of Seurat. (b) With a medium brush, apply paint in a swirling motion, creating twisted lines and shapes. Use bright, arbitrary colors to express a certain mood or feeling. In this way, your work will look like that of van Gogh. (c) Paint your drawing as a pattern of flat, colorful shapes. Paint dark outlines around these shapes. This will give your painting the same decorative look as Gauguin's.
4. When the paint is dry, display your work alongside those of classmates. See whether you can identify the Post-Impressionist style in the works of your fellow students.

Castles were common in Europe during the Romanesque period. The ridged geometric pattern along the top of a castle is called a battlement. Can you guess what battlements were used for?

You will design a castle of your own. You will create a relief of your castle using heavy cord and aluminum foil. Focus on the use of line to highlight the different features of your castle. Use the element of line to add harmony to your design. Your castle should look strong and safe.

• Pencil and notepad
• Sheets of sketch paper
• Sheet of cardboard, 12 x 18 inches (30 x 45 cm)
• Scissors, tape, and heavy wrapping cord
• White glue
• Sheet of aluminum foil, 16 x 20 inches (41 x 50 cm)

1. Begin by studying the castles in Chapter 12. On your notepad, list the features common to these buildings. On a sheet of sketch paper, make several drawings of an original castle. Show the building as it appears from the front. Draw all the features included on your list.
2. Choose your best design. Make a line drawing of this sketch on the sheet of cardboard. Fill the surface of the cardboard with your drawing.
3. Glue cord along the lines in your drawing. To do this, squeeze a thin band of glue along the line. Press the piece of cord into place. Repeat this process until all lines are covered.
4. Small pieces of cardboard can be glued to your castle design to give it more detail.
5. Cover your design with the sheet of aluminum foil. Wrap the foil around the ends and sides of the cardboard. Using tape, fasten the foil to the cardboard along the back.
6. Using the end of your pencil, carefully but firmly press down on the foil along the cord lines and around the cardboard shapes. Display your finished work to your class. Note ways in which your castle relief is similar to and different from those of other class artists.

In 1974 well diggers in central China accidentally uncovered part of the tomb of the first emperor of China. Guarding the tomb was an army of life-size clay soldiers, horses, and attendants-at least 7000 of them. Imagine that students of your school have been asked by community leaders to create clay objects. These are to be buried in a time capsule to tell future cultures about our own. Working in small groups, you will create a clay model of a teenager's room. You may use your own room at home or you may invent the room of your dreams. In the room you will include objects that represent the lifestyle of your group.

You will make and join together clay slabs to create a teen's room. Your model will have a floor and three walls. Furniture and other details will be modeled from clay. In designing your room you must consider the elements of space, shape, form, and texture. Use the principles of proportion and variety to organize the elements.

• Pencil, notepad, and sheets of sketch paper
• 2 guide sticks, each about 1/2 inch (13 mm) thick
• Newspaper
• Clay
• Rolling pin, needle tool, modeling tools, and ruler
• Sheet of plastic
• Slip (a mixture of water and clay used for joining clay pieces) and container of water
• Scissors and scrap of fabric

1. On the notepad, list the furniture, objects, and details your room will have. Note also the different shapes, forms, and textures you will use. Make pencil sketches of the room and its contents.
2. Set up the guide sticks 10 inches (25 cm) apart on the sheet of newspaper. Using the slab method, place the clay between these two guide sticks. Flatten the lump with the heel of your hand. Resting a rolling pin on the guide sticks, roll out the clay. This will help keep the thickness of the slab even. Using a ruler and knife or other sharp object, make four rectangles, each measuring 10 x 10 inches (25 x 25 cm). Cover the slabs loosely with the sheet of plastic. Leave out overnight to firm up to the leather hard stage. This is the stage where clay is still damp but too hard to model.
3. The next day, score one of the slabs along three of its edges. This slab is to be the floor. Working a slab at a time, score each of the other slabs along its bottom. Use slip to join the walls to the floor. (For information on joining clay slabs and pieces, see Technique Tip 17, Handbook.)
4. Model the furniture and other objects and details. Use proper joining methods for such tasks as adding legs to chairs. Using slip, attach the furniture and other objects to the floor.
5. When the clay is totally dry, fire the work. Complete your room by adding details-window coverings and a bedspread, for example-cut from the fabric.
6. Display your finished work. Look for similarities and differences between your work and that of other students.