Grade 11 M 1st Assignment: Name: ______________________________

You will be creating a project that will be part of the Cultural Fair in December:

You will be planning and designing a project to address the idea of personal or cultural identity. It needs to be accompanied by an artist statement which will explain your work and the symbols you have chosen.

To create your artwork you need to start by learning about how to plan your project.

This is called "The Design Process".

Brainstorming:

The first part of this process is to learn to generate new, original ideas. This is called brainstorming.

You will start with this, so you need to think about the theme and begin the process of brainstorming. We have started this in class so you can build on the ideas that we collaboratively developed. You’ll make a list of all sorts of ideas that you can add to your work, ideas about what to draw, ideas about what should be included in your project. Look up ideas on the internet. Develop them from a list of words into concepts that can be changed into a work of art.

Put a title on this page: Brainstorming or Generating Ideas.

Planning your first and second ideas (2 preliminary sketches)

Your work must be original. You are not to copy anyone else’s work. You are to create two sketches of two very different concepts. They are not to be

simply expansions of one idea. Put them on separate pages. Add notes to explain your ideas. Make sure that you title each page clearly: Sketch 1 and Sketch 2 The art media you use for this project can be of your choice. It can be drawing, painting,

sculpture, or it can be digitally produced (if you do this you will need to provide pictures of each of the steps that went into developing this project), or you can use collage, or multi-media. You can do the work on traditional supports (paper or canvas) or you can choose more non-traditional bases for your art piece.

Any lettering you choose to add to your work needs to be chosen with care. It should be traced from a word-processing program so that the letters are well spaced, a good size and even. If you hand-letter you need to show a strong understanding of font, size and spacing. You can collage in lettering or images.

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The lettering and images you use must have enough space around them so as not to look squished or that they are falling off the page. Your work needs to be well balanced and properly spaced on the page.

You need to develop both sketches to the same level.

Pictures of work done by other artists on Culture and/or Personal identity

You need to collect at least two pictures of work done by others artists who have created art based on this theme. It helps to connect you to the real world of art, and allows you to explore what has already been said. You can brainstorm first and come up with your ideas before you start to look at other artists’ work if you are afraid it might dampen your creativity. It may push you beyond the obvious and basic symbols and ideas that can sometimes stop you from going further.Make sure that you have the correct referencing and add the artist’s name.A level 4 will have notes about the artist and work.

Photographs to help you develop your drawings and get clear accurate detailing

You need to add at least three PHOTOGRAPHS (not drawings or digital art works) to your planning booklet that will help you get more detail and accuracy in the images in your art work. Make sure that you correctly reference these works of art.

Feedback (Critique):

You will get three people to give you positive critiques to help you improve your drawing.

A critique is feedback that helps to make the work better. There is a check list included in the assignment sheet that you can use to help you get

this feedback, and you had a handout that outlines things which will help develop your ability to look for things to add to the critiques.

Make sure you write down the names of the people that gave you feedback, and when and what they said.

Concept Drawing:

You will revise and redraw your idea, making changes that show you’ve tried to make the drawing even better. It’s like a 2nd generation idea. It needs to show improvement.o Maybe the main object needs to be bigger, or it needs to be centered. o Maybe the lettering or drawing is too squished.

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This is the drawing that you will trace or use as a template for creating your actual art work. It needs to be drawn with enough detail so that you don’t have to erase anything on the good copy that you hand in.

Your final art project

The art media you use for this project can be of your choice. It can be drawing, painting, sculpture, or it can be digitally produced (if you do this you will need to provide pictures of each of the steps that went into developing this project), or you can use collage, or multi-media. You can do the work on traditional supports (paper or canvas) or you can choose more non-traditional bases for your art piece.

Choose a size that is manageable for you to complete in a reasonable time frame. All artwork must be handed in as finished work. It should be clean, not torn or

creased or wrinkled or smudged. It will be going on display so it needs to be ready to hang or put on a pedestal.

Make sure it is signed correctly. There should not be any signs of erasing or previous line-work or drawings.

Getting Feedback:

The people you ask for critiques need to look at your work keeping in mind the questions below. You need to get at least three clear suggestions to help you improve your art-work.

It is not enough to say: “it needs more detail”, or “tidy it up as it’s messy” or “Add more in the background”. These are sketches and you are trying to make your work more meaningful and visually stronger.

The person giving you feedback can use the following questions to help them give you some suggestions for improving your work. The person giving you a critique does not have to go through all the questions below but should use this list to help them know what to look for or use the list you were given in class during the first week of October.

You should go through the entire list yourself first to check that you have thought about all of these things.

What to ask: What should you be looking for if you are checking?If it is a drawing/painting, is it centered on the page?

Sometimes the drawing sits too close to one side or the other of the page.

Does your page look balanced? Look to see if there the same amount of visual information on both the left and the right sides of your work and the same has

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to happen at the bottom and the top of the piece.Does the drawing/art take up most of the available space on the page?

The main object should fill about ¾ of your surface.

Is there enough of a background to make it look finished and complete?

It needs to look like a finished work of art, not a sketch

Would it help to move in closer to the object you are drawing/art so that there is more detail and less background?

Think of how close you might zoom into the object if you had a camera. You can always use the photocopier to enlarge your drawing. The library and the AR room have ones that you can use.

Is the idea or concept clearly drawn so that you know what the picture is and you understand the message?

Do you have to be told what the drawing is?

Have you traced any lettering from MS Word or a word processor?

The lettering should look professional. That means the tops and the middles and bottoms of the letters are lined up, the spacing is professionally done, the letters are a consistent width.

Have you chosen a good style of lettering for your theme?

Think about the lettering style: is it very playful, or child-like or does the lettering look very serious?

Have you placed the lettering as if it were a picture?

The words should be like pictures. The letters take up room, they should be treated as if they were images.

Is the lettering the right size for your paper?

Does the lettering become more important than your object or does the lettering get lost on the page?

Can you see the work and what it is from a distance?

It should have enough to interest to draw someone’s attention to it. Is it clear from a distance?

Does the artwork look strong and well invested?

Does it look like someone spent a lot of time and effort to make the art-work and does it look good?

Are outlines clean and crisp? Jagged lines are not finished looking. Real-life objects do not have outlines.

Is the work tidy and in good shape? Look at the lines: are they jagged and rough or crisp and clean?Is there enough space around the drawing?

Sometimes it looks as if the picture is falling off the page. Remember that when we photocopy the pages sometimes we lose the information right at the edges of the paper. Think of pictures as needing breathing space.

Is the canvas/paper/artwork too sparse or too crowded?

You need to make sure that something is bigger and stands out to help you understand what your drawing is about. Too many small objects are just visually confusing.

Critical feedback does not include just giving you compliments.

o It is nice to be told that you have done a good job, and you can write down those comments, but you need at least three good critiques.

o Once you have your rough copy complete and your critiques completed then you need to hand a copy of your planning booklet in for a mark, and you need to get feedback from your teacher before you start the art work itself.

o Make sure that your keep a copy of your planning booklet for yourself. o Once you have conferenced with your teacher, you can then start on your artwork.

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Things to keep in mind: Read the marking sheet!

1. You need to produce original, unique work that clearly shows the theme you have chosen.

o Is your idea very simple and straightforward and predictable; or is it complex and sophisticated and thoughtful?

o Do other people have ideas that are very similar?o Is the idea your own or have you copied or partially copied someone else’s

work? Have you referenced any drawings or pictures you’ve used?o Does your work clearly show the theme?

2. You will be using the Elements and Principles of Art to make sure that your work looks good:

o Does the drawing/art fill the space well? o Is it balanced so that both sides have the same amount of information? o Is there a main idea that helps to make the theme clear? o Is there a “focal point” or something that helps the person understand what

they are seeing? o Is there a connection between the individual images or pictures to make it feel

as if the entire art-work is one complete work of art?o Is lettering done with attention to the font, size and spacing?

3. You will remember the purpose of the art is more than just getting your message across. It will be displayed in the Cultural Fair so you need to think of your audience. Will they understand what you are saying?

o Is the theme easy to understand? o Will you notice it from a distance? o Have you made it easy to read from a distance? o Is it eye-catching??

4. You will concentrate on good craftsmanship:o Is the art/drawing beautifully done with a high level of craftsmanship or is it very

basic, and a little roughly drawn/made? o Is the line work crisp, even and clean and smooth, without jagged edges and

uneven areas? o Is any lettering well done? Remember that text often is more impactful than the

image.o Does your work show good observational skills: have you used good resources

to draw things accurately?o Have you referenced your resource pictures correctly?o Is your work in good shape, with no smudges, creases, or tears?

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5. Making your work look unified:o You need to make sure that the image (picture) and any lettering works

together to have your message work. o Stand back from your work so you can see what it looks like from a distance.o You will need a background to complete your work. The drawing should not just

float on an empty background. o Repeating elements such as colours, shapes, and lines helps to create rhythm

and allows the viewers’ eyes to see the art work as one complete work of art.o If you have several small objects you may have to overlap images to make them

feel connected.

Artist Statement:You will need to include an artist statement with your project.

This will explain your artwork. It will explain your choice of symbols, images and colours, and you’ll talk about your ideas.

You might want to choose a title for your work and include it in your statement. It is not a place to say what it is made of unless there is specific symbolism in the

materials. It is not a place to make value judgements about the work such as “I really like what I

did” or “I hope that you understand my work” or “I didn’t get enough time so it’s not very good”. Just discuss what the work is about.

It needs to be typed. It should be approximately ½ to 1 page in length. It should be something that people can

read to understand what you have done if you can’t be there to tell people yourself. It needs to be written formally: with an introductory paragraph, three supporting

statements and a conclusion. You have learned how to write SEEEC paragraphs so use this format to write your statement.

It needs to be submitted with your artwork.

Themes:

If you choose individual identity, or group identity as your theme:

You may want to explore the things that help define you as an individual or as part of a small group.

The community you choose to represent can be very small: you can talk about belonging to a family group, or to a youth group, or a group of artists on “Deviant art” or a gaming group. You

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might identify as part of an athletic or students' council, or a sports team or a school drama group. Your community can be lots larger: you may feel connected as someone who speaks a second language or someone who fights for environmental rights or as someone from a particular faith background.

Your page should show your theme clearly. It is about identity, and although you are doing work about your own identity,

think about your audience. They need to see things that give them an entry point into your work so that maybe they can identify with some of the things you are saying. Think about which videos go viral. What makes them interesting to someone outside their circle of friends?

If you choose Cultural Identity as your theme:

Your theme may be much broader: You may base your work on what it is to be a Canadian, or what it is to be part of a large cultural group, or what it is to be an immigrant in this country.

Your page should show what it is to be a Canadian, or the larger group you identify with.

You may want to touch on the idea that when you feel connected to a group, it is less likely that you feel lonely, isolated, ignored, unimportant, sad and depressed. Your connection to a group often helps you feel that you belong, that you are supported, that you are important and matter to someone. It often gives you a sense of purpose, and makes you feel that you have an important role to play, that what you do matters.

You need to go beyond the clichés or obvious symbols of the culture, although you may include some of those symbols.

Example of a work of art based on culture:

This is from Douglas Copland’s series “Secret Handshake” about what makes Canadians Canadian, and “What we identify with that others don’t recognize”.

https://mcfcrandall.blog/2015/02/04/douglas-coupland-at-mocca/

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This work is by Stephanie Hier that was in the long list for the 2016 RBC painting competition

Stephanie Hier, Break like the wind, 2015. Oil on linen, 48 x 36 in.

http://canadianart.ca/news/15-artists-longlisted-for-rbc-canadian-painting-competition/

In contrast, this drawing uses stereotypical Canadian symbols:

http://mrsmacleodsclassroom.blogspot.ca/2014_11_01_archive.html

The theme is visually clear. It is easy to see what is being said. The images are very predictable as there are many others that look very similar. Look up ideas before you start to draw so that you are being more unique and creative with your ideas.

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The next art piece uses very familiar “stereotypical” symbols, but they are used as part of an article written to question how we define ourselves as Canadians; and how those stereotypes affect our acceptance of those who do not fit neatly into them:

Graphic by Jessica Wood

http://thecord.ca/truths-behind-canadian-stereotypes/

This is a good site to visit to read about stereotypes and the problems we create when we have such a narrow definition of what it is to be Canadian. It addresses issues of multi-culturalism, immigration and concerns about how Indigenous peoples are left out of this vision of Canada.

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