Circling Back and Starting to Pull it Together
 |
| Alex's Challenge #2 |
Today's challenge is giving you a chance to move from lines (that wander or are straight) to lines that intentionally form the shape of a circle (or at least a line that comes back upon itself, wherever it has traveled, arriving home again, the place it started). Its travel, may be a simple, beautiful circle, or it may be a more elaborate journey, in and out, but it will come back home, changed and renewed by the process.
Just as in challenge #3, in which you allowed your continuous line to emerge, you will again be working more organically. This time, however, work with as many "circle-type" shapes that you want and DO NOT create a continuous line, but create how many circles you wish to create--lots of small ones, maybe a thousand! or lots of big ones, maybe 4 or 5? or a mix of circle shapes, some big, some small, some inside others.
When first doing this, as with challenge #3, do not overlap your circles--meaning the circumference crosses over others. You will get a chance for overlap (if you want to) later. At the beginning, each circle should be its own distinct shape--they may be inside each other, but the lines that make the circumference never cross.
 |
| Azaan builds vibrant color. |
 |
| Abigail captures her image. |
 |
| Lauren creates her world from one continuos line. |
Here's what you will do for Challenge #6:
- Start with a pencil or pen of your choice.
- Draw all sorts of circles that you wish to work with. No overlapping to start with. Make them distinct and separate from each other, though you CAN DRAW circles WITHIN each other--a smaller circle within a larger one.
- Once done, take a moment to look at the circle-type shapes you have created.
- Do you see any images, shapes, pictures emerging?
- Now, with the skills you learned in building rich and vibrant color, go in and make those images more distinct--here, you can create those overlaps you might wish to do.
- Think nature or zentangling/mandala creation, if that helps to get you started.
- Once you see images (pictoral) or interesting non-representational shapes emerging, start to color again with GUSTO. Work for vibrant, compelling colors. Use scumbling or other methods to build your color.
Here are some of my inspirations:
 |
Students work painting fabric mandalas.
(Mandalas are often drawn from symmetrical shapes within a geometrical shape, such as a circle.)
LCS 491 Senior Practicum, Spring 2012. |
 |
The Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, technically hexagons,
but still stunning shapes emerging in nature. July 2012. |
 |
An image reflective of Australian aboriginal artistic responses to circles and repeating patterns of circles.
Present in a larger cultural practice related to the concept of "The Dreaming." |
 |
| A sunflower, again circular in shape, naturally appearing. |
Make sure to send me more images. They are wonderful. thassele@bryant.edu.
Here are some more. Please let me know if I mislabel any of these. Sometimes names get lost in the uploading!
 |
| Pallak's vision of time and nature. |
 |
| Justin's wonderfully abstract self. |
 |
Gabriella's underwater scape,
at least that's what I see in these fascinating shapes. |
 |
| Martha's favorite time of day. |
 |
| Martha's scumbling. |
 |
| Amanda's book cover. |
 |
| Vika's aliens from her one continuous line. |
 |
| Emily's brilliant color. |
 |
| Brendan's playful giraffe. |
 |
| Sarah's favorite time of day. |
 |
| Danah's one continuous line. |
This challenge left me with many circles and very little structure to my page. The required separation of the circles made drawing conclusions from the parts difficult, as they weren’t connected. It felt unnatural connecting circles together with color, and it seemed to produce a product that was boring to me.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed doing this sketch. What I saw emerging was a pond with lily pads or an exploding universe. I went with the latter. If I had more time today, I would have drawn a dark, deep blue-background to showcase the colored circles. I called it the Great Flat Milky Way and connected the circles with an orbit overlay.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun activity to draw circles and color them in. My friend was sitting next to me as I was working on this. At first she noticed the circles to look like olives and when I started to color them in more she stated they looked like "creepy" Halloween eyes. Overall, it was fun to get her opinion on it!
ReplyDeletethanks for the shoutout Meg!
DeleteI liked this assignment. At first I did not know what I was going o do with the circles but then my design started to look like a stone walkway so i just went with it. I colored them in with different colors so its a vibrant stone walkway.
ReplyDeleteThis assignment was very fun and interesting to me. At first I didn't know what my circles looked like, but the after a while I noticed I could turn them into target signs. Very creative sketch.
ReplyDeleteI didn't quite like the idea of the assignment at first, but it was cool to see how a picture developed in my head merely from how I arranged my circles. I went from looking at a few circles on a page to seeing a turtle shell.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing how the picture turned out starting from just circles. I enjoyed this because I like working with abstract artworks
ReplyDeleteI love playing with shapes, so I really enjoyed this assignment! My circle, composed with other circles and curved lines, turned out to look somewhat ancient-Greece inspired, and I really like the outcome!
ReplyDeletetest
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was quite interesting. I basically drew random circles all over my page and I still don't think they resemble anything. However, I liked being able to build color within certain shapes to make them stand out more than the others.
ReplyDeleteI drew different size circles to fill the entire page. I thought the circles looked like a close up of frog's skin. I only used three colors- green, brown, and gray, but each of my circles looked different from each other because of the way I layered and textured the color.
ReplyDeleteI drew one big circle and littler circles in the inside and to me it resembled a flower. It was nice working with one shape and seeing how you can make it look like something. It was an interesting assignment.
ReplyDeleteThis activity was so exotic, I really enjoyed watching how all of my circles carefully transformed into one impressive image.
ReplyDeleteI loved this activity! I enjoyed working with a single shape and watching how the end result can be so detailed when compared to the original bland circle.
ReplyDeleteAfter drawing my circles I didn't develop a shape of circles but more of a design after I was finished. I added stars within my circles to make it a little different. I also used paint to color my challenge for today!
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed working on this assignment, It was interesting to see how random circles on a page can transform into something so much more. I also loved adding on color to make the page pop.
ReplyDeleteStarting from the most simple shapes to developing larger creations really helps build creativity. This assignment allowed me to think outside the box and create objects that are not only unique but pop up from the page with its vibrant colors.
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was very fun. I started with two large circles and then smaller circles to fill the gaps. I think I was hungry when doing this challenge because I saw a pepperoni pizza.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this assignment, I started off with one circle and then made smaller and smaller circles within the big one. I colored in the different sized circles with all different colors. I like how my picture has a central point with a small circle in the middle surrounded by bigger and bigger ones outside.
ReplyDeleteI think this challenge was fun! There wasn't too much strict guidance which allowed me just to play around and have some fun! Also, the array of different circles and their placement helps really move your eye around the page.
ReplyDeleteStarting to get a hang of being creative and making my own rules. Being new to art and creating using drawing, I as originally having problems making my own rules and not being told which guidelines to follow. Being told exactly what to do can be sometimes good but the fact that I personally have to brainstorm makes it more fun.
ReplyDeleteThis sketchbook challenge started off pretty strangely but soon I made something pretty cool out of my circles. I managed to get my hands on some pretty small mm pens so I was able to make circles of all different thicknesses. I think this one assignment I will return to later on, to create a unique background.
ReplyDeleteCompared to the last sketchbook assignment, I definitely had a better time playing with colors considering this was something that I worked on the day before. I started by just drawing random circles on the page until a design started to appear in which I went in and shaded the circles mixing and matching colors to create new ones.
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was kind of hard at first. I was not sure what I could do with only circles. Once I started playing around with my circles more and putting circles inside circles and also using smaller and bigger circles, I saw more emerge out of it. I also really liked working with the vibrant colors for this challenge.
ReplyDeleteI loved this challenge it kind of rapped up the whole unit we've been working on with creativity. It really got your mind thinking in a creative way!
ReplyDeleteI think I tried to hard at first to create an image out of circles. When I was able to start to let go a little bit and just relax and let the colors and circles come together on their own I enjoyed it a lot more. I liked the idea of creating a design more than a picture of an object. It was fun to not know exactly what the outcome would be.
ReplyDeleteI was really excited for this challenge. Overall I liked the structure because it still allowed for me to play with different textures and colors, and I found that my satisfaction with my image increased the more time I spent on it.
ReplyDeleteI began drawing all of the circles on the page not really sure where to start but it was fun putting them in random spots then making it come together when adding color to the page.
ReplyDeleteThis was my favorite challenge so far. I enjoyed how the prompt lead me into my creation.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I liked how you couldn't overlap circles at first. Although, this guideline really caused me to think and use my colors in a creative way.
ReplyDeleteDoing this activity, it became evident that I struggle to apply an organic creative process. For example, with only two circles drawn, I immediately observed a jack-o-lantern starting to take shape and it was impossible not to complete it. Next time I am faced with an assignment requiring an organic creative process, I will be persistent in waiting until the page is filled sufficiently to observe any images or shapes that emerge.
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was fun because I just kept drawing a smaller circle within the larger one from before. I liked how my design turned out because it made building color easier.
ReplyDeleteI didn't love this challenge because drawing all of the circles and then making the color rich enough was very tedious. It seemed more like a chore than an enjoyable sketch
ReplyDeleteI really like the way my picture turned out and emerged through the circles I began with. I do have to say, however, I found out I do not really like working with color pencils. I feel as though it is such a slow medium and my hand always hurts so bad after I use them!
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was fun, I liked drawing a lot of different sized circles. The final image looks really cool.
ReplyDeleteI liked this challenge. It was very creative and fun to do. I liked that we had the freedom to create whatever we want from it.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge was fun to incorporate past assignments, like the mandala and zentangle. But once again, this was a long process to create and build color.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked this challenge. I ended up drawing an eye using the various circles. I wish I used markers more, but felt as though I couldn't since I mixed the colors in the circles a bit which is why I stuck to the colored pencils again. I wish I would have made my color bolder with the pencils.
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was confusing to me. I had to read the directions over a few times to understand the process of drawing the circles. However, after the shapes were on the page, it was amazing to me how quickly the circles took on their final images. Overall, I think this challenge was a cool way to test the imagination. Anyone can draw a circle, but what can you put in yours to make it unique? What does a circle mean to you?
ReplyDeleteI hate circles! I hate circles even when I use something to trace them. When ever I try to draw them, they always end up egg shaped or not round which makes me not a very happy camper. I also hate colored pencils. With all that being said, this challenge wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I tried to turn my mind off and see where the circles took me. It was an odd sensation because normally I subconsciously plan what I will draw. It was nice to see the patterns form and be surprised by my sketch.
ReplyDeleteI found this challenge very interesting. I really like how from simple circle one can create a different image and make it more vibrant. I also liked how we were able to do what ever we wanted with what we saw and create something new out of it.
ReplyDeleteI found this challenge to be really enjoyable! Although I'm pretty terrible at free-handing circles, I tried to not be such a perfectionist and just see what happened. It was cool to see the patterns growing from using just one shape.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was going to be not as much fun as the other challenges. But, I think I'm beginning to like the idea of using shapes to create images! It forces me to start sketching without being too constructive.
ReplyDeleteI was very interested in this challenge. It took way too much time coloring in the circles and I just didn't like working with circles as well as being creative and making my own thing.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed drawing circles and making them look like something interesting I especially liked the Australian aborigin example.
ReplyDeleteI chose a similar approach to the straight line challenge and I believe the results were both good. I enjoyed this challenge because I again got to find images I had not seen before I concentrated on finding them.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed drawing the circles, to help me see different images that emerged from the drawing of the circles I turned my sketchbook at all different angels
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this activity. It reminded me of the zentangle activity. I drew random circles but then after I added lines to make it into a design. It came out very nice so I decided to color it to make it more vibrant.
ReplyDelete~Desire' Marshall
I really enjoyed this activity! At first I did not really know what to make out of the circles. They were kind of scattered all over the page, so I decided to turn them into bubbles. I used shading in my bubbles to get a sense of the light passing through them.
ReplyDeleteI more or less had no idea what the final product would look like when i started so I just randomly put down circles and was surprised with my final product. I really enjoyed this project and found drawing so many circles somewhat meditative.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun activity as we had to draw random circles everywhere that ultimately emerged as a meaningful, harmonic and balanced item. I was too lazy to start this activity as I was tired of building colour with pencil colours and I was dreading to start yet another work that required sharp colours to make it look intriguing. Because of this barrier, my piece of drawing was a little smaller, as that resulted in smaller surface area to be covered by colour.
ReplyDeleteThis activity was fun because it was cool to see how the final product came together once I added color to the circles. i did not really have an idea of what I was going to do and that's what made this more interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt took me a little while to decide what my circles actually made.
ReplyDeleteMy drawing began with a large circle (potato shaped) with various smaller circles, seemingly spawning from the main source circle. To me, it seemed to appear like a dark hole in space, so I went with that idea. I then googled some images for inspiration, finally making a product that looks pretty cool( in my opinion).
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was fun. I spent less time doing it than the previous challenge and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
ReplyDeleteI kind od liked this one. I ended up making a snowflake... or rather, something that resembles one
ReplyDeletethis was an interesting activity because it let me see the many different things i can do with one shape.
ReplyDeleteI did not like this activity; although very creative I found it very tedious.
ReplyDeleteAt first I had no idea how the final sketch would turn out but at the end i was quite surprised with the final result!
ReplyDeleteThis activity was very simple. i wasn't really moved by as much as some of the other activities, but i still was impressed with the outcome
ReplyDeleteThis activity was really trippy! The process from starting with something so foreign and watching it come together to make something entirely different was so spectacular!
ReplyDeleteThis activity was relaxing. I felt less pressure to create somthing beautiful, rather i just drew some circles and went from there.
ReplyDeleteI found this activity relaxing of some sort because there was no pressure to create a certain image. Instead it was a bunch of circles all combined together to create an abstract and unique image. I also enjoyed playing with all the colors, slowly making all the circles apart of each other with the use of many colors.
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun activity at first i drew random circle on my page at any places. then I thought of converting the whole page into a big smiley face after doing that I colored each circle with a color pencil except the biggest one. It wasn't very time consuming but it could have been.
ReplyDeleteMy final sketch for this challenge was my favorite so far.
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was not one of my favorites. I like to have an idea of what I am going to draw beforehand, and this one did not allow me to do that. All in all though, it was an interesting challenge.
ReplyDeleteMine ended up looking like a snowflake. It transferred to the other page too. Kindof cool.
ReplyDeleteThis challenge was relaxing and fun. It was relaxing because i could draw whatever i want without worrying how its going to turn out. However it was fun and interesting because the whole drawing was with circles which show me that i can do a art piece with only one shape.
ReplyDeleteIt was hard for me to draw up a concept or idea for this challenge. When I looked online, I saw intricate circles overlapping and becoming this beautiful elaborate piece. But that wasn't me. Then I remembered how much I love "fish-eye photography", or using that lens that makes a picture a circle. I found a picture of a beautiful sunset over the ocean through a fish eye lens and I tried to mimic it. I liked this activity.
ReplyDeleteI struggled on this one especially finding a design in my group of circles. But I still ran with it and tried to create something.
ReplyDeleteI really liked this assignment. I approached in with no real direction and I really liked seeing how my final piece came together.
ReplyDeleteI had a hard time with this assignment. My circles seemed to be all bunched and I find it difficult to get color with the pencils.
ReplyDelete