Lesson Plan 2

One of the nice things about doing 100 5x7" pieces is I then have a set of flashcards to study.  I find marks and textures I forgot about that I can revisit.  I especially like to lay them all out and see what grabs me and what doesn't, and try to figure out why.

As I mentioned last time, out of 100 little pieces, there are about 10 that I really like.  Here are my favorites.

 I like the irregular shape of the circle, the soft edges, and the splashy texture.

The delicate, busy texture contrasted with black and white solid areas.

I love a vessel shape.  This piece symetrical but I think the texture varies enough to keep it interesting.

I love the texture of the white square with black charcoal dots.  I smeared them slightly and it made them look 3-D.  I couldn't help but name this "Egg Salad."

I use cruciform compositions a lot.  I like the simplicity of this one and the almost masculine quality of it.  It feels like a graffiti wall.

Always like an abstract landscape, and I especially like the moody atmosphere of this one.  I would like to raise the horizon line about 1/2" though to make it more dramatic.

Just like the playful movement of this one. 

I like the movement and the way the very thin white lines add to that.

I'm really surprised to see this is my fifth symetrical composition here!  I didn't think I usually like those.  

I like the feeling that it is just balancing but could easily tip over.

I probably learn even more from studying the ones that don't quite work, and there are many of those to choose from.  Here are three.

I think it's the lack of dominance of any one thing that bothers me here.  3  similar size shapes piled up in the center.

Same thing here.  Similar size shapes, nothing emphasized, and the page divides down the middle.

And a "what was I thinking?"  I like a calligraphic line, but this one isn't appealing.  This looks like a start that I would then work on top of with more layers.

Overall I like simpler, cleaner compositions with sharp value contrasts.  I like the pieces that have strong emphasis, whether it's on one shape, or movement, or a cluster of texture.  I like rich layering, but also need quiet areas.  And I guess I like symmetrical compositions way more than I thought.