1. Painter, Sculptor, & Printmaker November 15, 1923 – June 20, 2015
Miriam Schapiro
Painter, Sculptor, & Printmaker
November 15, 1923 – June 20, 2015

2. Describe : Partner activity
Choose a partner
One of you will view an image projected on the next slide
The second person will turn away from the image, thus being “blind” to it
The viewer must DESCRIBE the image in elaborate detail so that the person who cannot see it can imagine it in all its glory
The viewer must consider the following when describing:
Content (what do you see?)
Elements of Art (lines, colors, shapes/forms, textures, space, value)
Principles of Design (balance, proportion, emphasis, variety, movement, rhythm, harmony)

4. Describe : Partner activity
Stay in your partner groups and change roles (viewer is now “blind” to image, and the listener is now the viewer and will describe the image to your partner)
The new viewer will study an image projected on the next slide
The second person will turn away from the image, thus being “blind” to it
The viewer must DESCRIBE the image in elaborate detail so that the person who cannot see it can imagine it in all its glory
The viewer must consider the following when describing:
Content (what do you see?)
Elements of Art (lines, colors, shapes/forms, textures, space, value)
Principles of Design (balance, proportion, emphasis, variety, movement, rhythm, harmony)

6. Turn & Talk : Analyze & Compare
What do you notice is SIMILAR about these images?
What things can we say are common THEMES in the style of Miriam Schapiro’s work?
What ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN are evident in both?
What MEDIA do you think Miriam Schapiro uses?
Father & Daughter
The Ringmaster

7. GESTURE DRAWING
Dynamic gesture drawing is a great way to really loosen up and make your work interesting and more importantly fun!
"A gesture drawing is work of art defined by rapid execution. Typical situations involve an artist drawing a series of poses taken by a model in a short amount of time...”
It's an important skill to develop because you learn to capture motion very quickly, which is helpful for creating interesting and dynamic artwork. Gesture drawing can really help you capture a subtle motion, a look someone gives a loved one, or a fabulous action pose you see in a wrestling match that would work great in your superhero comic! 

8. GESTURES : LINES OF ACTION
Gesture drawing captures the RHYTHM, the motion and the flow of an action. Even stationary poses can look dynamic. Remember these are not stick figures, these are action poses.
The LINE OF ACTION is very important and is not necessarily the spine of the person or creature. It's the SHAPE the form takes.
Really look at your subject and redraw the line of action several times if need be.
Moving on from these lines of action you can rough in limbs, torso and head. Keep the lines fluid.
Remember, though, that smooth lines can show calm and flexibility, whereas jagged lines show tension.

9. YOUR TURN : DRAWING PRACTICE
BE A RISK-TAKER: You won't always get it right first time, but that's cool. These are not meant to be finished pieces.  Be scribbly, be quick!
Let’s take turns being both models & artists.
In your VAPJ turn to a new page.
You need a pencil and an OPEN MIND.
Let’s practice our dynamic gesture drawings!
BE REFLECTIVE: Remember to look at your work afterwards and see what you need to improve and what you're doing right. 

10. Keep it simple
Start with a line of motion and use whatever shapes help. Sometimes I use bean shapes for the body, other times I use rectangles and triangles. To show head direction, draw an oval with a horizontal contour line of where the eye line is and a vertical one for the nose.
It's nothing more than Practice, Practice, Practice!