For this project, ART I students take a black & white (grayscale) reference picture and adhere it upside down in their sketchbook. Whilst the reference picture is upside down, the student then recreates the picture on the opposing page by drawing the shapes and values that they see represented. The rationale is that if the picture is upside down, the artist can begin to isolate shapes instead of drawing what they think the picture is supposed to look like. We are eliminating the process in which the drawer identifies the parts they are drawing (eye, hand, ear) thereby shifting their mode of processing. I suggested that the students start in one corner and work their way across the paper to complete what fits of their reference picture. Sometimes in our translation, our relative sizes may be larger (or smaller - depending on drawing style) and the entire composition may not fit.
This video was made using a free app on the iPad; iMotion HD. The camera was facing the upside down picture and it automatically took pictures every 30 seconds as the drawing developed. (This version of the video is a bit choppy.)
