Another season of Design Boot Camp has come and gone. It was intense, powerful, exciting, exhausting, frustrating, exciting, emotional, and went by in a flash. I had a wonderful group of artists to share the journey with and I look forward to seeing what they do with everything we learned.
Each year I tinker with the class a bit — adding things I now know, cutting things that no longer excite me, moving things in the schedule around, adjusting assignments and instructions…..I'm always trying to make it the best experience possible for each and every student.
One of the many things that I changed up this year was how I did the demo artwork. And I'm very pleased to say that (a) I think the finished artwork is better as a result, and (b) I think the learning process is also better for the students. Hooray! Here are the two pieces that I created over several class sessions for the Design Boot Camp students:
It amazes me how every single time I teach Design Boot Camp, I am reminded that while the Elements and Principles of Art may be basic building blocks of art, they are not basic in their impact. In my own work, I get lazy and don't always really force myself to think consciously about the Elements and Principles of Art, but when teaching Design Boot Camp, I am hyper vigilant about it. And, as a result, I think these two demo pieces are fabulous.
It's a good reminder to me to pay more attention to structure. To put it simply, the Elements of Art are the building blocks of any artwork, while the Principles of Art explain how these elements are used to create a successful composition. Through understanding, use, and experimentation with them, artists can develop a creative process and create meaningful and impactful work. Mastery of the Elements and Principles of Art is not only invaluable in the pursuit of narrative-driven artwork, but also in the ability to create and express original concepts and ideas.
Whether you learn them with me in Design Boot Camp, or by watching YouTube videos, I encourage you to take the time to study these foundational concepts.
Thanks for stopping by!
