Repetition with Variation

A series of 12 miniature drawings of an object.

Note:  This is the only summer assignment that doesn't require thumbnails.  

You will:

Investigate the object from a series of sides, angles and distances.

Make a grid with 12 squares.   Consider different options for establishing a grid.   (See examples)

Designate no more than 5% of the entire piece with white.   (reserve the white for the brightest, brightest, brightest highlights.)

Push your darkest-darks so your object and lights pop out.

Vary line weight.   (Don't flatten your piece by enclosing the object in a heavy outline).

Consider the balance of the piece as a whole.

Examples:

Meaghan S  2011

Notice how the Artist  allows the shapes of the gears to flow into each other.  

Meaghan doesn't outline the borders.  Instead she uses different tones in the background in each square.   She also balances these tones to evenly distribute them throughout the whole piece, as well as in the individual squares.      

Alix M  2008

Pushing a 1-9 tonal range really helped reinforce the organic details and textures in this piece.

Notice how Alix used a white border around each of her twelve pieces to highlight each miniature drawing, and to unify them as well.

Andrew B  2009

Andrew carefully chose a two color palette and distributed the colors, line variations, and textures of the pen renderings to create a playful sense of rhythm and balance.  Positive and negative shapes become interchangeable.