Machine Body Project                                  Advanced Drawing                                         Levels 2 and 3

Some possible interpretations could include:  physical extensions of the body; artificial parts and mechanical devises; costumes, equipment, and prostheses; biological machines, robots, bio-engineering, microscopic realms; cyberspace, cyberpunk, steampunk; industrial/technological man; relations between the natural and cultural environment.

Reading: Leo Steinberg: The Flatbed Picture Plane

 

Artists: Picasso, Braque, Duchamp, Dali, Hans Bellmer, Frida Kahlo, di Chirico, Rauschenberg, Romare Beardon, James Rosenquist, Sigmar Polke, Man Ray, Salvador Dali,

Art Movements: African Art, Cubism, Italian Futurism, Russian Constructivism, Surealism. Steampunk, Cyberpunk,  Images from contemporary science and popular culture.

Suggestions for layering:

Layer 1: transparent pastel, watercolor, or collaged surface. Or, begin the drawing on an architectural blueprint or diagram, or stretched fabric coated with clear shellac, starch, or acrylic matte medium.

Layer 2: create a mechanical grid or surface pattern using ruler or compass, or stencils and rubbings

Layer 3: draw a figure or body part in chiaroscuro rendering or line drawing, or a combination of both

Layer 4: if space remains, you may choose to place a linear diagram on top without crowding the image

Optional Projects for a Beginning Students, Advanced Drawing, Level 1

1. A complicated drawing of a machine or instrument with many parts.  You may choose to draw the situation in one or two point perspective, as a precise technical illustration or a complex gesture drawing with vigorous, chaotic markmaking. You may also choose to show detailed parts analysis or cross section line diagrams in combination with 3-dimensional renderings.

2. A figure drawing or self-portrait in elaborate body gear or costume. Examples could include sports equipment; scuba diving gear; gas masks, helmets and body suits; decorative clothing, headdresses and jewelry, or a figure tangled in wires, phone cords, and vacuum tubes, surrounded by machines.