Art in FocusChapter 10:
The Art of India, China, and JapanAdditional Studio ProjectsCREATING VISUAL SYMBOLSComplete a complex, highly detailed pencil drawing composed of symbols representing a specific person. Use a variety of lines, shapes, simulated textures, and values to add to the complexity of your design and completely fill the paper on which it is made.
INSPIRATIONExamine the relief carving from the Bharhut Stupa (Figure 10.8). How is the Buddha represented in this work? What other images were used by Buddhist artists to symbolize the founder of their religion? Would you describe this particular relief as complex or simple? What makes it so?
WHAT YOU WILL NEED- Pencil and sheet of paper
- White drawing paper, 9 × 12 inches or larger
WHAT YOU WILL DO- Choose a well-known person to serve as the subject for this drawing. Do not reveal your choice to any other member of the class. On the sheet of paper, list as many visual symbols associated with your subject as you can.
- On the white drawing paper, complete a composition made up of the detailed drawings of each of the symbols on your list. Draw these symbols in a variety of sizes and overlap them to create a complex composition. Use a variety of lines, create different simulated textures, and add shading.
- Exhibit your drawing with those completed by other members of the class. Try to identify the subject of each drawing by “reading” and interpreting the symbols.
EVALUATING YOUR WORKDescribe Are the different symbols in your drawing drawn accurately? Are they easily identified by viewers?
Analyze Is your drawing a complex composition made up of a variety of lines, shapes, simulated textures, and values? Can you point to and describe these different art elements in your work?
Interpret Can others read the symbols in your composition to determine the person represented? Did viewers find one particular symbol useful in identifying the subject?
Judge What is most successful about your drawing? Overall, do you think it demonstrates unity? If you were to redo this drawing, what would you do to make it more unified?
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