Feet and Hands AP Studio Art Drawing/Painting, 2D, & Photography Teacher: Jeannette Clawson

The AP College Board will be looking for work that could be categorized as figurative. Figurative work is challenging. Completing this assignment over the summer gives you more freedom and time to get it just right.

Importance of Sketching Before drawing the human figure it is very useful to draw certain parts of the body separately. The reason is that these have complex details. Examine the construction of the foot. Study the contour. Look for the muscles, tendons, and bones. Check out the creases and the relationship of nails to fleshy toes. For your sketches and final art you may draw or photograph your own feet or use a model. Try several small drawings (at least 5) of the foot from different viewing angles before working the final piece. Look more than you draw. Yes, photographers, you should sketch, too.

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Vincent Van Gogh Studies of the Foot Drawing, black chalk 1886 Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The following images are examples of successful artworks. Size, media, and artist have been noted whenever possible. Please study these images and notes carefully. The work shows a range of media and difficulty. Note composition, point of view, focal point, and cropping. Analyze the lighting. An important aspect of the AP portfolio experience is to go beyond capturing a realistic version of the subject. The goal is to use the media and everything you know about the language of art, to communicate a message. The media and the message should become one with the subject.

“This drawing is for the Everyday Matters Drawing Group, assignment #23, draw your foot. My feet don't make the prettiest of pictures but I had fun trying to capture every bit of the ugly as correctly as I could. And in case you're wondering, I didn't misjudge the length of the shoe, my feet are teeny and the shoe really does extend an inch or so beyond my heel.” Cindy Woods, 2005 This piece would work well for AP 2D or AP Drawing. Very graphic with color blocking and clean text. Detailing on sandals provides visual interest that contrasts with the open areas. Great asymmetrical balance. Notice how the text and container rim gently hold your eyes within the composition and provide a path of movement. Drawing from direct observation, the expressive mark making, use of contour line, and hatching make it appropriate for the Drawing portfolio.

Progress, Not Perfection by “Chris”

Coralie Colmez Colored Pencil on Paper

The Artist’s Feet by, Hippie Girl at Deviant Art “One particularly important principle of shading is the notion of "hard edges," which is rather hard to describe without visual aid... Basically it comes into play when you have two shapes on top of each other –– let's say a fold in someone's stomach. The top fold is going to have a natural gradient on it, beginning with bright value at the top and fading into dark value at the bottom crease. And the fold underneath that one is going to have the same kind of gradient, so you end up with dark edges right next to light edges.” The Artist’s Feet by, Hippie Girl at Deviant Art

Elisabeth Berggren Hanson Charcoal

“Who would have thought that feet could be the subject of a painting “Who would have thought that feet could be the subject of a painting. These feet belong to regular people that are like me and maybe you. Not the feet of models, not pretty feet or manicured feet. These are regular old feet-maybe even smelly, cracking and tired. But that is what makes these paintings special. They elevate something so common and overlooked to a place where we have never considered. For me this is intriguing because the artist is inviting me to come look at this. As though he is saying: “I am seeing something that we all have seen before but lets take more time to look at it closer”. His use of color, light and the application of paint is beautiful and fun to look at. Take a look at his interiors as well, they are fascinating.” – Alex Garcia’s Blog, Artists I Like Andries Gouws Feet 1 Painting, 11 x 15.5”, 2007

Old Hands and Tired Feet Cameron Hampton 11” x 13” Painting - Pastels

The next few slides are photographs. Each has a fairly interesting point of view. It’s intriguing that we can immediately make associations with the person, just by seeing the feet. However, the level of artistic voice is lacking. These are not fully developed images that would be strong enough for the AP Portfolio.

The next two images tell us more. The background has been included or manipulated with purpose. There is more variety in texture. We see more details to consider. There is a tone or mood in each image. We can begin to imagine specifics about the person, their life, and their environment. There is more artistic voice.

The following are some personal favorites I stumbled upon while researching this project.

Camilla Malowanski AP Art Stevenson HS Lincolnshire, Illinois

Julie Dant Summer Feet Photography

A Leg Up Mike Wurman Pastel on Paper

Packing En Pointe Meghan Ellie Smith Pencil on Bristol from a photograph the artist took of herself

Mandy’s Toes Orange Jerrold Carton 26”x36” Painting

Go With the Flow Fiona Jack 27” x 20” Acrylic on canvas

Stomp Peggy Wilson 16” x 12” Oil on Board

Hands and Foot Zachary 20” x 16” Oil on Canvas

Painting by Hera Lorandos

Project Prompt This work must be more than capturing realistic feet on a 2-dimensional surface. When setting up your composition, consider the background and props. Will your model be inside or outside? Perhaps in a seemingly odd location for walking in bare feet? Consider partially wrapping or draping the flesh with some type of cord, wire, or cloth. Especially with photography, make sure the quality of the pedicure matches the message. Imperfection is just fine when your model isn’t wearing $500.00 open toe shoes. Consider arranging or sprinkling a symbolic object around the feet. What texture do we feel with our eyes? Experiment with lighting from different angles and with various intensity. What happens if you turn out most of the lights and place a flashlight on the ground? Refer to the rule of thirds. What’s your point of view? What does the point of view imply? Our feet take us from one place to another. We tend to take them for granted. If we’re lucky, our feet will serve us throughout our entire lives. Our feet can serve as a symbol of our journey. What moment are you pulling your audience into? Where are we and when? Can we relate our human experience to the content of your art? What feeling do you want to convey to your viewers and how can you do it?

The Firecracker Stretch beyond yourself. Take an educated chance. Tell us a story. Intrigue us. Surprise us. Make us remember. Shock us. Make us laugh out loud. Build a mystery. Make a statement. Challenge us. Pull us into the work. You can do it!

Requirements Drawing and 2D Media of your choice. You can work on white drawing paper. Consider purchasing quality paper from an art supply store. MiTientes is a great brand of quality paper that can be purchased in many colors by the sheet. It’s 18 x 24.” Blick and Michael’s definitely have it. Check the paper for creases before you buy. If you choose to work on canvas, please buy canvas board, NOT stretched canvas. Minimum project size is 16” x 20” Always leave a border around your work. It’s easier to pin, photograph, and mat. Work from direct observation as much as possible. You may take photographs to use as secondary references. You absolutely cannot use someone else’s photo as a resource for this project. 2D Photography You need to make the same composition choices when setting up “the shot.” Take tons of digital images – at least 30 or more to find the BEST piece of art. Experiment with different lighting and point of view. For the critique, you will arrive at class with a print of your image on regular copy paper, so that it fits on 8 ½ x 11” paper. Feel free to present up to three images for this assignment. Your peers will make suggestions about which is most successful. When a final decision is made, you’ll get a quality photo paper image made. 2D Computer Art For the Breadth section, you will most likely complete the regular 2D assignments. You will focus on computer generated or manipulated work for the Concentration section. If you have ideas about how to keep the work original while using the computer software as a tool, please email me. 

Resources http://coraliesart.blogspot.com/ http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/HEALTH/07/20/foot.pain.causes/art.feet.gi.jpg http://coraliesart.blogspot.com/ http://www.speilmasken.net/Elisabeth/english_elisabeth/drawings_elisabeth_english.html http://www.draw23.com/ http://learndaily.blogspot.com/2005_07_01_archive.html http://www.vangoghgallery.com/catalog/Drawing/956/Four-Sketches-of-a-Foot.html http://www.cfag.org/images/feet.jpg http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/foot-care-and-diabetes-expert-on-diabetic-neuropathy-and-more/article146863.html http://stuffiwouldbazooka.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/feet.jpg http://rycopiero.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/baby-feet.jpg http://andriesgouws.homestead.com/Feet1.html http://www.artistsilike.org/category/painting/ http://fineartamerica.com/featured/old-hands-and-tired-feet-cameron-hampton-psa.html http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?p=8286001 http://www.d125.org/ap_art_advanced_photography_show_april_19-20.aspx http://www.amiria.co.nz/artist/art-a-level-ideas/