I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process~ Vincent van Gogh
Today, in our first drawing lecture, we first watched a movie on the life of Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most influential and famous artists in the history. The movie was a completely hand-painted animation, in Van Gogh’s style of painting, which was quite a fascination for me. By the movie, I could learn about his life story, his passion, dedication, and even the circumstances of his death.
In the second half, we learned about the elements and principles of art and design. The elements of art include line, shape, form, space, value, color, and texture; and the principles include emphasis, balance, unity, contrast, movement, pattern and proportion. This was for the first time that I consciously noted all the factors, that can affect the beauty of art.
The professor then showed us his sketches. I was quite inspired by his drawings since each one had a message to convey. All the more, they were a perfect balance of technicality and abstraction.
Subsequently, we practiced lines, circles and ellipses using different mediums, so as to gain a free and smooth arm movement. I learned the importance of using my shoulder instead of my wrist or elbow, since the latter would restrict my motion motion a lot.
Afterwards, we made sketches using a the above elements and principles, while listening to music associated with the same. Not only did it make me understand balance and symmetry, but also made me realize how the beats of a song could convey a message, or in this case, a concept to work with. The music corresponded to the theme we were given, and that pushed our minds in the right direction.
Dhanvi's learning portfolio 