CERAMICS I * ASSIGNMENT 2 - DUE
NATURE AS DESIGNER
As you do this project, keep the elements and principles of design in mind:
Line, shape, value, color, form, texture
movement, rhythm, pattern, proportion, contrast, variety, emphasis, unity
I. Before starting to work with clay you will do several drawings for homework:
1. Find a natural object whose form you like. It should be a complex form with lots of details and parts (A shell, a seed pod, an insect, etc. as opposed to an egg or a beach pebble)
2. Do several detailed drawings of this object. Each drawing should emphasize one of the principles of design. These drawings are important to the project and will be graded along with your final piece. This does not mean your drawing skill will be evaluated as much as it means that your ability to see how the principles of design are evident in the object you have chosen. Do try, however, to make your drawings as beautiful as possible.
Use 18x24 paper (available from the art rooms upstairs), or work in your sketchbook, and any medium you feel comfortable with. A strong light source which will show up highlights and shadows may help you see the form better.
THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THESE DRAWINGS IS TO SEE THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN IN THE OBJECT YOU HAVE CHOSEN, NOT TO DESIGN YOUR POT.
After you have done at least 3 of these drawings, do three sketches exploring the possibilities for using what you’ve learned about the principles of design in your particular object to create a pot. Then, do one more drawing which will indicate how you are going to design your final clay piece. The goal in this drawing is to work out a design for your final pot. You may need to do more than one drawing.
MOST OF THESE DRAWINGS ARE TO BE DONE AT HOME, NOT IN CLASS.
II. In class, in the meantime, you will do small clay sketches of your object AND of your ideas of how to use the forms of the object in a pot of your own design. You will do as many as you feel necessary. These can be as small as you wish, out of any clay you wish, using any technique you wish. The goals are the same as in the drawings: first to see your object’s form, and second, to work out the design of your own pot.
IF THIS PRELIMINARY WORK SEEMS EXCESSIVE, KEEP IN MIND HOW NATURE DESIGNS: THROUGH A LONG PROCESS OF EVOLUTION.
III. The final piece in clay should be at least 8" in height or width (no exceptions - plan your piece to be a little larger, as it will shrink). You can use any clay you want to, and any techniques. The only other requirement is that it must be a pot, not a sculpture.