Use two wooden mannequins from the front of the art room to create a composition in which they relate to one another in some way. You will begin by making at least 8 thumbnail sketches of the mannequins in different arrangements.
Four of the thumbnail sketches should be in a vertical format and four horizontal.
All sketches should be balanced, and the mannequins should touch or extend past the edges on at least two sides.
You may change the pose of the mannequins if you want to.
The arrangement of the space around the mannequins should be as important as the mannequins themselves.
Zoom in close on two of the sketches so that less than half of each mannequin is showing.
Zoom in even closer on another sketch.
In two sketches, show at least 3/4 of each mannequin.
In two sketches, emphasize one mannequin over the other.
Experiment with different perspectives or viewpoints.
In each design, consider how the mannequins are placed in terms of position, focal point, viewpoint/perspective, and figure/ground relationship (placement of the figures and the space around them).
When you finish your thumbnail sketches, look at them with a classmate. Give one another feedback on your sketches: Which are the most dynamic or interesting? Which would look best when enlarged into a painting? Which are the strongest in terms of balance, emphasis, figure/ground relationship? With your classmate, choose two or three of your thumbnail sketches that you think are the best in terms of design and composition. Tell me why you chose them.
You will be enlarging one of these sketches and painting it with acrylics on a smooth masonite board. You may choose the size.
First coat the surface of the masonite with gesso (this step is optional if you want the brown color of masonite showing through areas of your painting).
Next, sketch your mannequin composition lightly on the masonite in pencil.
Paint the background first. Consider figure/ground relationship when deciding how to paint the background. How can use color, design, contrast, etc. to make it interesting while focusing emphasis on the figures?
There is a video on the Moodle page for this class that shows an artist’s demonstration on creating light and shadow with acrylics using mannequins as her subjects. Watch this video to see how she blends acrylic to create a 3-dimensional effect with a light source.
Use acrylics to paint the mannequins. Use just one or two colors, and use black or darker colors to create dark shades and white or lighter colors to create light areas. If you slightly exaggerate the light and dark values the mannequins will appear more 3-dimensional.