Conditioning Drawing Reflection

Link:

• Conditional Drawing, Conditional Painting and Conditional Design Manifesto (p. 6)

• Vitruvian Paint Machine

• Conditional Design Manifesto on the website

Prompts:

• What do we learn about the process of the designers and the artist discussed in the text? What is the role of “process” in their overall activity?
• Describe how their approach differs from designs or drawings you have created in the past and what the impact on the resulting work is. 
• The text introduces the concept of the conditional drawing, where the artwork is the result of a series of instructions (rules) being performed. Can you imagine a (short) set of rules that, when followed on a sheet of paper, might produce an interesting, or unexpected, result?
• Describe your thought process when devising your rules. Can you imagine the resulting image in your head, or are you tempted to act out your own rules on a sheet of paper – just to get an idea of what the result might look like? (If the latter, try to identify what part of your rules made you do so.)

Delivery:

Jules Estèves introduces a different method of drawing that can “sharpen the perspective on the process and stimulate play within the limitations,” explaining how this new method is more fun and artistic (1). This method is a process that requires the collaboration of different artists to be flexible and build on the art of their partners. Jules Estèves theorizes that conditioning drawing/painting help artist break their limitations and create something new, “differ[s] in a number of aspects and open up very different possibilities,” he highlights how this method rules and restrictions the artist, forcing them to create something outside their expectations (3). This process pushes the artists to collaborate with the other members and to improvise. As a result, combining various artists’ drawings creates a new art piece made from different perspectives.

In the past, my artworks differ from their approach. They have strict rules and more people. In comparison, their designs are more abstract and chaotic. Their process has restrictions that require them to work around each other’s drawings, creating a layered piece of art. Meanwhile, my past artworks are more straightforward in expressing their meaning.

If I were to create art that uses the concept of conditional drawing, I would use the rules:

There should at least be two people and two color pens.

1. The first artist randomly picks a color and draws a polygon.
2. The next artist chooses another color and draws attached to the previous one a different polygon of any size.
3. The following person should draw the same polygon attached to the shape in a different color and size from the previous one.
4. Repeat instructions 2 to 3 until the paper is filled.

I used this set of rules because I wanted to see different colored-sized polygons attached to one another on paper. I cannot picture it because the polygons’ sizes, shapes, and colors are randomly picked, making them complex and new.