Monday is composition day in our 30 Day Challenge, and you’re doing great! Today we’re going to work with negative space, and an element of chance to make it fun.
You’ll need some string, and simple drawing materials. If you don’t have string, try rubber bands, chopsticks, or bamboo skewers. If you prefer not to draw, consider cutting the shapes out of paper or fabric.
STEP 1: Take your string and drop it on the table until you like the shape it makes. Gaze upon it lovingly.
STEP 2: Draw the space around the string, not the string itself. The space around a thing is called negative space, and drawing negative space is good training to help you see more objectively, and put value on all of the pieces in a composition. If you prefer not to draw, here’s where you get creative with cutting out paper or fabric.
STEP 3: Now for the composition part. Decide which way is up, and draw a tidy rectangle around the composition so the gap of the undrawn string intersects with the edge of your drawing on at least 3 sides of your rectangle. Feel free to use an eraser to clean things up. That’s it!
You know what to do
Set a timer for 20 minutes. When the timer chimes, continue if you wish, but 20 minutes is a win.
Post your work to social media with the tags #30sal & #seattleartistleague. To find more followers for your page, you can cut/paste these tags and add them to your post:
Looking for more information about 30SAL? It’s not too late to jump in! Check out the 30 Day Challenge Invitation, and 30SAL Challenge Day 1. You’ll find information about prizes, deadlines, what to expect, how to participate, and more. Thanks for being a part of this 30 Day Challenge!
Find an old catalogue, magazine, maps, drawings, paintings, wrappers, etc. Stack the materials. You may wish to use some impermanent glue. Working with an x-acto blade, or tearing by hand, remove paper to reveal previous layers. Post your work Post to Instagram with #30SAL so we can find it. To be eligible for prizes, (yes …
In most dynamic compositions, the artist uses contrast and diagonal or serpentine pathways to lead the viewer in and around the painting. Morandi did the opposite with his still lifes. He grouped similar dust covered objects together to become one object instead of several interacting objects. He minimized differences to create a sense of quiet …
In early 1918 John Singer Sargent was commissioned by the British War Memorials Committee to document the war. Sargent originally thought he’d paint about the gallantry of soldiers, but after visiting the Western Front and seeing a field hospital full of soldiers who had been exposed to mustard gas, he changed his plans. The high society painter who …
30SAL Challenge: String Theory
Monday is composition day in our 30 Day Challenge, and you’re doing great! Today we’re going to work with negative space, and an element of chance to make it fun.
You’ll need some string, and simple drawing materials. If you don’t have string, try rubber bands, chopsticks, or bamboo skewers. If you prefer not to draw, consider cutting the shapes out of paper or fabric.
STEP 1: Take your string and drop it on the table until you like the shape it makes. Gaze upon it lovingly.
STEP 2: Draw the space around the string, not the string itself. The space around a thing is called negative space, and drawing negative space is good training to help you see more objectively, and put value on all of the pieces in a composition. If you prefer not to draw, here’s where you get creative with cutting out paper or fabric.
STEP 3: Now for the composition part. Decide which way is up, and draw a tidy rectangle around the composition so the gap of the undrawn string intersects with the edge of your drawing on at least 3 sides of your rectangle. Feel free to use an eraser to clean things up. That’s it!
You know what to do
Set a timer for 20 minutes. When the timer chimes, continue if you wish, but 20 minutes is a win.
Post your work to the new Padlet for January 11.
PADLET JAN 11-15
https://seattleartistleague.padlet.org/SAL/fl2cnuio5g0ocsfp
Post your work to social media with the tags #30sal & #seattleartistleague. To find more followers for your page, you can cut/paste these tags and add them to your post:
#30sal #seattleartistleague #drawingchallenge #drawing #art #illustration
#sketch #artchallenge #drawings #artist #draw #artistsoninstagram
#sketchbook #instaart #drawthisinyourstyle #artwork #drawingoftheday
#dailydrawing #inkdrawing #drawingsketch #artoftheday #myart
#pencildrawing #drawthisinyourstylechallenge #creativity
#creativechallenge #composition #negativespacedrawing #negativespace
30SAL CHALLENGE
SUNDAY: Observation
MONDAY: Composition
TUESDAY: Memory / Imagination
WEDNESDAY: See & Respond
THURSDAY: Vocabulary
FRIDAY: Comic
SATURDAY: Experimental
Looking for more information about 30SAL? It’s not too late to jump in! Check out the 30 Day Challenge Invitation, and 30SAL Challenge Day 1. You’ll find information about prizes, deadlines, what to expect, how to participate, and more. Thanks for being a part of this 30 Day Challenge!
Related Posts
Drawing A Day, Day 11
Day 8: Reverse Collage #30SAL
Find an old catalogue, magazine, maps, drawings, paintings, wrappers, etc. Stack the materials. You may wish to use some impermanent glue. Working with an x-acto blade, or tearing by hand, remove paper to reveal previous layers. Post your work Post to Instagram with #30SAL so we can find it. To be eligible for prizes, (yes …
Day 10: Morandi #30SAL
In most dynamic compositions, the artist uses contrast and diagonal or serpentine pathways to lead the viewer in and around the painting. Morandi did the opposite with his still lifes. He grouped similar dust covered objects together to become one object instead of several interacting objects. He minimized differences to create a sense of quiet …
John Singer Sargent’s “Gassed” 1919
In early 1918 John Singer Sargent was commissioned by the British War Memorials Committee to document the war. Sargent originally thought he’d paint about the gallantry of soldiers, but after visiting the Western Front and seeing a field hospital full of soldiers who had been exposed to mustard gas, he changed his plans. The high society painter who …