50 Shades

100 Drawings by Chris Kenny
100 Drawings, by Chris Kenny

Brief

This assignment is about building skills in creative perception, interpretation, and representation, and learning to ‘see differently’ when translating something you see into different expressions of it. In this assignment, you will pick a physical object – any object, organic or artificial – and make 50 different versions/renderings of it, changing and varying the style for every iteration you render it in, as well as its form, without losing the essence of the thing. You can use any medium, format, material, shape, tool, etc. that you desire, and work within two or three dimensions.

Spend some time thinking about objects around you that you are fascinated by, and are interested in studying. Then think about ways in which you could not just replicate the object, but how you could abstract, remix, augment, dissect, redesign, transform, evolve it. Document your 50 renderings, and upload them to your process blog together with a reflection on your process and how you chose to experiment with different techniques of representation. Remember, be as creative as you want – feel free to play, experiment with different media and tools and explore! 

Different forms of representation in images, from Scott McCloud, Understanding Comics.

Tasks

  1. Choose an object to work with.
  2. Make 50 different renderings of the object using different tools, materials, techniques, mediums, and experimenting with different styles, forms, and treatments while still keeping the object recognizable.
  3. Upload your 50 renderings, together with reflections on how you chose to experiment and try different representations, to your process blog.

GRADING CRITERIA

These are a few general criteria to keep in mind for grading:

  • The level of exploration showcased through the breadth of variations and ranges of tools, mediums, techniques, and treatments that you’ve covered over the course of the 50 renderings.
  • How you embraced experimentation. How you pushed yourself or the tools outside of your comfort zone and more obvious applications; how you experimented with interesting or novel ways to render and interpret your object.
  • The quality of reflection and documentation: how in-depth you were able to document the process and the depth of your reflection on your process, reflected on your blog.

This assignment accounts for 5% of your final grade for the course.