Charley Harper-esque Lion

Part of the work for my grad school program is to design lesson plans for various grade levels. For my fifth grade lesson plan, I planned for the kids to make geometric animals paintings, inspired by the artwork of Charley Harper. The kids would get a chance to learn how to use various mathematical instruments (such as rulers, compasses, protractors, right angles, etc.) while designing their animal of choice. They would also be learning about how to incorporate things like pattern, shapes, and symmetry into their artwork.

This was my demo that I made for the lesson plan (remember, this is a project for the fifth grade skill level). I used acrylic paint on an 11"x 14" sheet of bristol board.

Watercolor Self-Portrait

The final assignment for my figure painting class was to make a self-portrait. I had really been practicing my watercolor skills this semester, so I decided to take that approach for this assignment, working from photo reference. The framed pictures on the wall in the background are actually a black and white photo of The Police, and framed vinyl albums of The Police's Synchronicity and U2's The Fly. This painting measures 16" x 20".

A Conversation with Henry Moore

This painting was another assignment for my figure painting class. We had to make a bunch of sketches of people out in public and then do a painting based on our sketches. I wound up doing a painting of two students sitting in front of the Henry Moore sculpture that's on campus. This is an acrylic painting on canvas, measuring 18" x 12". For those who are curious, the Henry Moore sculpture is Three Piece Reclining Figure No. 1.

Chickadee

I was really happy with how this painting for my watercolor class turned out. The finished painting measures 18" x 14", and it's based on a photo I took two summers ago on Martha's Vineyard. Also, the painting really doesn't have that warping going on towards the top, I was just having some trouble scanning it on my little scanner. I'm planning on re-scanning it on one of the larger format scanners on campus. When I scan large pieces here at home I usually have to scan it in sections and then piece it back together, which can be tricky at times. Until then, this version will do for now.

Portrait on blue paper

This week in my figure painting class I decided to try something new. I had a sheet of blue paper (I think it was Strathmore), that I stretched on a sheet of masonite board. I then transferred my charcoal sketch from last week onto the paper. All this prep work was done before class. Once in class, the same model was there in the same pose, so I could use both her and my charcoal sketch for reference. I painted this with acrylics in about two hours, concentrating on trying to stay somewhat loose while getting some good, solid colors done. It was a fun thing to try, and I definitely want to try painting like this again. The final image measures approximately 13.5" x 19.5".

London Daffodils

This painting was done as an assignment for my watercolor class. It's based on a photo I took of daffodils in London in March of 2007. The actual painting measures 14" x 10".

Watercolor Study of My Hand

As homework for my figure painting class last week, we had to do a study of our own hand. I decided to work in watercolor. The final painting measures about 12" x 16".

Recent Figure Painting Stuff

We've been doing a lot of portrait work in my figure painting class lately. The only thing is, with those long poses the models tend to fall asleep, which is why their eyes are closed in just about all of these.

Charcoal on newsprint.


Charcoal on newsprint.


Ink on watercolor paper.


Acrylic on illustration board.


Watercolor on watercolor paper.