Describe which shape is closest and which is furthest away.

Active Project Steps

Select one active learning project to create from the provided list below.
Create and document, either with photos or videos, your completed art project. All images must be uploaded as either a jpeg. or png. file. All videos must be uploaded as MP4 files. These are the only excepted formats for this course. Be sure to sign your work of art and take a selfie with it.
Write a minimum 300-word response that connects what we have been learning in this module with the work you created. The written response must be uploaded as a word document with MLA formatting. No other document forms will be accepted.

Step One – Select one art project from this list

Option 1-Lines. Take a photo of a building near where you live, work, or go to school. Print this image on a piece of paper and, using colored markers or highlighters, pick out the vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and organic lines, using different colors for each. Be sure to create a key for your colors. You will often find vertical lines on the sides of doors, windows, columns, tree trunks, and the sides of a building. Horizontal lines are often found at the foundation of the building, above and below doors and windows, and on the horizon. Any straight line that is not vertical or horizontal will be diagonal. Curved lines appear in circular and rounded areas. Organic lines appear in natural objects, such as the landscape, people, animals, and treetops. After you have defined the lines and where they are in the picture, look at which kind of line is most common. In your written portion address why you think the architect used that particular line orientation so often. How does the architect’s use of line affect how you appreciate the building? Is there anything the architect could have done differently to add visual interest to the building? How does the use of line (or lack thereof) in the landscaping add or detract from the building’s visual interest?

Option 2- Shapes. When two or more shapes are placed in a design, depth can be implied by changing the relative size of each shape, overlapping them, or placing them higher or lower in the space. Using black paper, cut out a series of simple geometric shapes: circles, squares, triangles, etc. There should be at least two of each shape, and some of different sizes. Be sure to have at least three (3) different shapes. Arrange these shapes on a white piece of paper. In your written portion address the following. Describe which shape is closest and which is furthest away. What makes the closest object seem closest? Furthest? Can you think of a way to make the objects all seem the same distance from the viewer? Would using colored papers change the perception of size/depth? How? Be sure to photograph and upload at least four (4) different configurations.

Option 3- Color. One important property of color is value. The hue blue can have many light or dark variations of color. Search and find pieces of colored paper from magazines, brochures, product packaging, construction paper, color printed images, etc. From this collection of colors, clip out only the blue sections. Take all your blue color clippings and glue as many of them as you can into a 6-in. × 6-in. square that you have made on a white sheet of paper. Be sure to completely cover the white areas of the paper. Feel free to modify their shape and size for more variety. In your written portion address the following. Does your collection have both light blues and dark blues? Do some of the blues look slightly red and others a little green? Why do you think that you might be seeing reddish or greenish tones? Do you perceive a new color, different from the originals? What results do you think you would get with other color combinations?

Option 4- Time. Depicting time in art is not a concept that exists only in the modern world. The most ancient pieces of art that we know, cave paintings, show the passage of time. Cave paintings at Valltorta Gorge, Spain, show, variously, bowhunters as the bow is aimed; the arrows in flight; and arrows piercing deer. On a piece of paper, draw in cave-art style an activity in which you often engage. Be sure to include at least four (4) points in time that your activity takes place. In your written portion describe the actual activity that your drawing reflects. How does your drawing communicate the passage of time? Is there anything you could add that would aid in the depiction of time passing? Would different colors or values add or detract from your work? How did you use lines to indicate the passage of time?

Option 5- Motion. Cell phones offer several video modes that almost anyone can use. When making a video with a cell phone most users don’t think about the design of the video: they are simply recording from their normal vantage point. Good videographers consider other ways of approaching the subject by changing lighting, setting, and camera angle. Make two short videos, at least 30 seconds each, with a cell phone or camera, but shoot them from the point of view of someone extremely tiny and then someone gigantic and tall. Be sure that your video tells a visual story. In your written portion address the following. How does each angle change the message of the video? Why? How did you go about creating these videos? Does the subject you chose affect how it is portrayed from either perspective? Be sure that you upload these videos in an MP4 format.

Step Two – Create your project

Your art project must be created specifically for this course. No work created previously will be accepted.

To create your art project, you may need to:

Take a photo and print it.
Locate color pictures.
Use basic art supplies to draw or highlight.
Use basic art supplies to create shapes and arrange them.
Create a video.
Remember that your project should demonstrate an understanding of the basic elements of art we have studied. Be sure to review Chapter 1. They include Line, Shape, and Contrast (Chapter 1.1); Form, Volume, Mass, and Texture (Chapter 1.2); Implied Depth; Value and Space (Chapter 1.3); Color (Chapter 1.4), and Time and Motion (Chapter 1.5).

When your project is complete, you will need to take a photo or video of your project and submit the file to Canvas. All image files must be submitted as jpeg or png. files only. All videos must be submitted as an mp4 file. Any other image or video file types will not be accepted and will result in a zero grade.

Step Three – Reflect on your project with a response

After you have created your art project, reflect on what you have learned. Prepare a minimum of 300-word response that:

Answers all the questions posed in your selected option.
Examines how your project brings specific artistic elements/principles to life.
Connects what you have learned from your project with the material we studied or that you have seen elsewhere.
Your reflection must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document in MLA format.

Last Completed Projects