Week 2 Preview

I'm developing some projects for the upcoming weeks, and I have some ideas for an exciting 3D endeavor, as well as more drawing exercises. I also want to set aside a day for "open studio" time so that we can spend the session working on whatever we like. We'll sort all this out in the coming weeks.

For Week 2, we will work on a two-part drawing/memory/translation exercise, with a collaborative element, for which we will require the following materials.

First half of the session: Brush and Ink (or a big marker) for some large sketches. We'll use the butcher paper available in the room.

Second half of the session: Whatever tools, materials, and paper you like, for a more finished piece (using the sketches as a jumping-off point). The size is up to you as well.

I think these will be enjoyable, and should lead to some surprising results. I hope to see you there!

Week 1 Reflections

Attendees: David Alvarado, Kevin Budnik, Angela Caggiano, Pete Clodfelter, Chris Dazzo, Nick Drnaso, Sanya Glisic, Betty Heredia, Erik Lundquist, Marieke McClendon, Jeremy Onsmith, Ness Rago, Naji Sierra, Matt Soria, Carl Zeller.

Documentarian: George Burnett.

Ringleader: Ivan Brunetti.

Our first week got off to a good start, with 15 attendees participating. We started with variations on two exercises from the Cartooning: Philosophy and Practice book. I asked the group to suggest some words, things we might like to draw today. We made a list and I chose some promising-looking words as the basis for our exercises.

First, we drew ever-quicker sketches of three items: Santa Claus, a unicorn, and a bathroom.

Second, we went around the room, round-robin style, and everyone said a word (person, place, thing, idea, etc.), and we had to draw that word in about 10 seconds. This second exercise took about 45 minutes.

After a short break, we began our third exercise. We chose another word from our list of suggestions ("monsters"), and we had to draw 100 of that word in 30 minutes. So, 100 monsters in 30 minutes (could be 100 different monsters, or the same monster 100 times, or what have you).

This exercise was admittedly a poorly planned experiment; the basic idea was to force a sort of desperation as a means to jot down some unexpected shapes. The number of drawings and the time limit were somewhat arbitrary. Few people, understandably, got past 50 monsters, even in 40 minutes.

Jeremy made a good suggestion to improve the exercise: make it 30 drawings in 30 minutes. Since many people felt that, in the first exercise, a sort of "sweet spot" for the sketches was at around 1 minute, a 1:1 correlation would make sense. So, for those of you playing at home, try 30 drawings in 30 minutes.

Next, we looked over our drawings from the day. For our fourth and final exercise, we had 20 minutes to make a new drawing in some way inspired by, or riffing off, one or more of our sketches.

The final sketch could then perhaps serve as the starting point for a whole new drawing, or a more finished piece, if anyone wanted to continue working at home.

That was the week that was.

We also voted on next week's project; see the following post for details.

Welcome!

This is the official blog for the unofficial (and highly informal) Linework Workshop.

This workshop will be held on Monday nights from 7-10 pm in room 601 of the 623 S. Wabash building of Columbia College, starting January 28 and ending May 13.

This is a non-credit, experimental affair; thus, participation in whole or in part is wholly voluntary. Make of the workshop what you will. All Linework contributors are welcome.

We'll draw, mostly, but the workshop will likely evolve and mutate: we may also work on "crafts" projects, have open studio time, or perhaps have anonymous critiques. We'll decide democratically, at the end of each week's session, what we'll work on during the following week. The blog will be updated with any pertinent info, in case there are specific tools or materials needed.

We'll document the workshop as it progresses, via this blog (and we can vote on whether or not we want the blog to be private or public). My student George Burnett will act as the documentarian, facilitator, and referee.

Week 1 will consist of some cartooning exercises. Lots and lots of sketching. Bring whatever paper and tools you like.

If you have ideas for exercises or projects, please email ibrunetti at colum dot edu. We are trying to build a database of possibilities.