Microscopic Drawing Seeing new design
Dec 30, 2015
Why draw using a microscope?
Artists have the unique ability to focus on desired details and exclude unwanted information
Insect art in history?
Scenes of honey hunting dating back 6000 yrs in the Cave of Spiders in Valencia, Spain
Ancient Greece: Stone artists* Phidias (said to use Golden Ratio* Callicrates* Mymecides
created technically challenging small insect sculptures
Middle AgesMonks faithfully copied documents and adorned them with naturalistic figures of plants and insects
Insects appeared as symbols on clothing and armor in medieval Europe
Insects in Oriental Art
Japanese family crest
the beginning of insect art in China has been traced to 887-965, Huang Ch'uan
Insect drawings valued in the Smithsonian Institute
Artists record the symmetry, texture, and pattern found in the insect world
Before you begin....
Take a Look...
* Mindy Lighthipe * Dan Slavinsky* Alex Konahin * Christopher Marley
Look at the work of these artists and write at least one thing you like and one thing you don't like about each artist's work. Be specific.
Ready...Set...Observe...Draw!* Start with a circle that represents your microscopic field of view* Divide into 4 equal sections- draw VERY lightly
Sketching specimens will provide you with a better understanding as you study the intricacies of the image you see through the lens- details that may be overlooked in a photo.
* draw simple contour lines of shapes in each quadrant
*Note the specimen, date and magnification
* Start with largest shapes first* Save details for last* When you look at your sample, remember that the negative space or empty area is just as important as the object itself* Follow you eye...not what your brain may say
Experimentation is an important part in exploring how to sketch a microscopic slide
Microscope Drawings to ... Final Project...
* Produce 5 good drawings of insect specimens using microscope and magnifying glass* Use your drawings as inspiration for your drawing unit project
* Your final project may be realistic or abstracted* Your project must have a drawing focus using pencil, ink, or any mark making tool* Color is absolutely allowed as long as the product is drawing focused and not a painting