Is There a Method to the Madness?

On the second day of 2-D Design class (Monday), our instructor Dr. Hightower, gave us an assignment due for the next class on Wednesday.  Homework isn't a bad thing and since it is an art class I thought that it would be fun.  As she described what was due, I swear that smoke started coming out of my ears because my brain went on overload!  The bottom line was that we had a total of 72 thumbnail sketches -- eight were to be 4" by 5" and to show the transition of one word to another (my words were empty to full) and the other 64 thumbnails were to be 2 3/8" x 3" rectangles, 3" x 3" squares, 3" equilateral triangles and 3" diameter circles.  Just drawing out the grids for the thumbnail sketches took me all night!  Not to mention that I actually had to put some creativity behind it too.  Oh and did I mention there was going to be a quiz too?

Word Transition Sketch - Empty to Full

Well, I didn't finish the optical illusion thumbnails but spent a lot of time working on the word transition sketches which weren't really conveying what I was thinking, yet.  When I got to class I felt like a horrible loser.  Here we are on the third day of class and I'm already slacking off.  When I got to class though, I wasn't the only one! My heart and spirit lifted and then I got another sign. 

sample photo shopped version

I traditionally like to sit in the back of the classroom.  As Dr. Hightower was going through each of the sketches done by my classmates, the clock kept ticking away.  By 6:10, she was no where close to my desk.  She stopped and told us what our next assignments were.  Those word sketches that we had done, now we were to take the one that worked the best and expand it into eight more 4" x 5" sketches and from 32 sketches that were done for the square and rectangle illusions, were were to reproduce the best ones that represented that illusion through cutting out shapes in black paper to put on white paper.  Thank goodness we had the weekend to do this.

In yesterday's class, we had to take the second set of sketches we did for the word transition and scan them into the computer.  You all know I'm a not-so-closeted computer geek so I was really excited to get to play with this.  Then we played in Photoshop!  I'm still playing but interesting and fun stuff!

So there does seem to be a method to the madness.  Dr. Hightower is teaching us to solve design issues in our art.  My takeaway from this process and from art in general is that I need to slow down and let my brain work the process.