Art Contract 2D is an intermediate level drawing, painting and printmaking course. This course can be repeated as many times as desired. Students choose projects based on interest from a packet of assignments and complete these works independently over the course of the semester. Project due dates are independent to each student and are chosen along with the instructor based on project requirements.
Projects are graded on craftsmanship, aesthetic qualities of design, experimentation, openness to try new things and visible effort. Each project is even a credit value. Credit is given by the teacher on the basis of how long the project should have taken to complete.
REMEMBER: 1 credit project: 5 class periods = 2 weeks 2 credit project: 10 class periods = 4 weeks 3 credit project: 15 class periods = 6 weeks
Students taking Art Contract 2D for 3 days of the cycle are required to complete 7 credits per semester.
If you would like to see any examples of project, please ask your instructor. Clear all projects with your teacher before beginning to ensure you understand the assignment.
Mindful/Meditative Art (100 Level) Work in this area may be completed in black and white or color. Students may complete 1 mindful/meditative artwork per semester.
100 Zentangle (Media: Pencil and Pen) 1 Credit Following the zentangle guidelines, create a design which implements line, shape, pattern and contrast. Design in pencil and retrace in pen. Add value using pencil where desired.
101 Mandala (Media: Pencil and Pen) Black and White 1 Credit Color 2 Credits Create a unique mandala using repeated pattern through line and shape. Begin by researching types of mandalas. Use the provided mandala template to begin your design. Begin drawing in pencil and retrace in pen for contrast.
Drawing (200 Level) Work in this area may be completed in any drawing media. Check for particular specifications. The following media you may use are listed below. Any media substitutions must be approved by the teacher.
200 Observational Figure Drawing (Media: Charcoal or Pencil ONLY) 1 Credit Create a series of 20-30 loose figure drawings based on students in the classroom or a movable figurine. Each drawing should take no longer than two minutes to complete. Do not emphasize clothing, rather work on proportion and scale.
201 Observational Contour Line Drawing (Media: Pencil or Pen & Ink ONLY) 1 Credit Create a contour line drawing from a simple still life or a self-portrait from a mirror. For a still life, you must draw at least 5 objects. For a self-portrait, include your entire head plus a background. Make the composition interesting by choosing an exciting angle.
202 Crumpled Paper Drawing (Media: Charcoal or Pencil ONLY) 1 Credit Take a piece of white paper and crumple it into a ball. Un-crumple the paper slightly to reveal folds and shapes. Draw the entire piece of paper including all values changes, folds, and wrinkles.
203 Hands and Feet Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 1 Credit Experiment with multiple drawing materials using hands and feet as your subject matter. You must draw from observation, using your own hands and feet (you may use a mirror for more interesting angles). Complete a series of 6 drawings (three hands and three feet) using a variety of drawing materials.
204 Reflections Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 2 Credits Complete a drawing which includes reflections on water, ice or any shiny surface. Be creative. Use foil, mirrors, silver owls, spoons, etc. Draw from observation (NOT FROM PHOTOGRAPHS).
205 Animal Study Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 2 Credits Complete a drawing of an animal. Emphasize character and texture. Do not copy from one photograph, but use multiple images to create a unique composition.
206 Color Scheme Drawing (Media: Colored Pencil, Oil Pastel, or Chalk Pastel) 2 Credits Create a drawing with any subject matter. Use one color scheme to complete the drawing. Choose from the following: Monochromatic, Analogous, Complementary, Primary, Secondary, or Split Complementary.
207 Glass Study Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 2 Credits Gather two or three glass objects and create a small still life. Draw each object making sure to include light reflections and distortion of overlapping objects and objects in the background.
208 Cloth Study Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 2 Credits Choose two different types of cloth, overlap, fold and intertwine them. Draw as many folds and details as possible, including value changes.
209 Gridded Portrait Drawing (Media: Pencil or Colored Pencil ONLY) 2 - 3 Credits Using a photograph of yourself, a friend, or relative (no celebrities), create a detailed portrait using the grid technique. Divide your photograph into appropriately sized squares (ex: ½ inch by ½ inch). Divide your paper into the same amount of squares (enlarging the grid squares if needed). Make sure to measure properly and draw the grid lines lightly. Use the grid to draw the basic outline of the head and facial features in proportion. Erase the grid lines before adding values or color.
210 Landscape, Cityscape, Seascape Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 2 - 3 Credits Create a detailed drawing derived from two or three photographs depicting either a landscape, cityscape or seascape.
211 Texture Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 2 - 3 Credits Complete a detailed drawing of birds or animals stressing texture of fur or feathers. Place the animals in its natural environment, making sure to include environmental textures as well (ex: grass, bark, sand, etc.) OR Complete close-up drawing of a weather beaten building or dilapidated architectural structure. Include textures such as shingles, brick, stone, cement, plaster, door knobs, hinges, glass, etc.
212 Observational Still Life Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 2 - 3 Credits Set up a small still life or use an already existing still life in the room to complete a detailed drawing. Emphasize composition, proportion, texture, value and shape.
213 Observational Portrait Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 2 - 3 Credits Use a mirror or a photograph to draw a portrait of yourself or another person. Include values, texture and pay attention to proportions.
214 Surrealism Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 2 - 3 Credits Surreal images are dreamlike and not likely to occur in real life. Choose your subject matter and create a surreal composition but combining multiple images. Look at artists who practiced Surrealism, such as Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte for inspiration.
215 Architectural Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 3 Credits Create a detailed architectural drawing of either the interior or exterior of a building. Use photographs as reference, however, do not replicate an already existing building. Invent a new architectural structure. Include surround buildings, sidewalks, landscape, etc. Focus on perspective and proportion.
216 Independent Drawing (Media: Any Drawing) 3 Credits You must have completed 7 credits in 2D prior to completing this assignment. Work with the teacher to create a personalized drawing project. This project should be detailed, with foreground, middle ground and background. Multiple media may be used.
Painting (300 Level) Work in this area may be completed in any painting media. Check for particular specifications. The following media you may use are listed below. Any media substitutions must be approved by the teacher.
Painting Media: Acrylic, Watercolor, Oil
300 Observational Still Life Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Set up a small still life or use an already existing still life in the room to complete a detailed painting. Emphasize composition, proportion, texture, value and shape. Begin by drawing all objects in pencil before adding paint. Draw lightly if using watercolor.
301 Observational Portrait Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Use a mirror or a photograph to paint a portrait of yourself or another person. Begin with a sketch and then add color. Work on proportions, color mixing, texture, and detail.
302 Reflection Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Complete a painting which includes reflections on water, ice or any shiny surface. Be creative. Use foil, mirrors, silver owls, spoons, etc. Draw from observation (NOT FROM PHOTOGRAPHS).
303 Animal Study Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Complete a painting of an animal. Emphasize character and texture. Do not copy from one photograph, but use multiple images to create a unique composition.
304 Hands and Feet Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Experiment with multiple painting materials using hands and feet as your subject matter. You must paint from observation, using your own hands and feet (you may use a mirror for more interesting angles). Begin with drawings and add paint. Complete a series of 4 paintings (2 hands and 2 feet) using a variety of painting materials.
305 Texture Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Complete a detailed drawing of birds or animals stressing texture of fur or feathers. Place the animals in its natural environment, making sure to include environmental textures as well (ex: grass, bark, sand, etc.) OR An abstract composition using at least 3 different textures. Consider shapes, lines, and values as well.
306 Color Scheme Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Create a painting with any subject matter. Use one color scheme to complete the painting. Choose from the following: Monochromatic, Analogous, Complementary, Primary, Secondary, or Split Complementary.
307 Glass Study Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Gather two or three glass objects and create a small still life. Paint each object making sure to include light reflections and distortion of overlapping objects and objects in the background.
308 Cloth Study Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Choose two different types of cloth, overlap, fold and intertwine them. Paint as many folds and details as possible, including value changes.
309 Gridded Portrait Painting (Media: Acrylic ONLY) 2 - 3 Credits Using a photograph of yourself, a friend, or relative (no celebrities), create a detailed portrait using the grid technique. Divide your photograph into appropriately sized squares (ex: ½ inch by ½ inch). Divide your paper into the same amount of squares (enlarging the grid squares if needed). Make sure to measure properly. Use the grid to draw the basic outline (in pencil) of the head and facial features in proportion. Once all outlines are complete, use paint to add color, values, and details.
310 Landscape, Cityscape, Seascape Painting (Media: All Paint) 2 - 3 Credits Create a detailed painting derived from two or three photographs depicting either a landscape, cityscape or seascape.
311 Surrealism Painting (Media: All Paint) 3 Credits Surreal images are dreamlike and not likely to occur in real life. Choose your subject matter and create a surreal composition but combining multiple images. Look at artists who practiced Surrealism, such as Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte for inspiration.
312 Art Parody (Media: All Paint) 3 Credits A parody is a work that imitates the characteristic style of another work, either for comic effect or ridicule. Create a painting that parodies another famous painting.
313 Pointillism (Media: Acrylic ONLY) 3 Credits Take a look at paintings by artist Georges Seurat. Create a painting using only dots of color and optical mixing to create values and depth. Optical mixing is when you create paint colors not by mixing them on the palette (or physically), but through knowledge of color theory and how the eye perceives colors that abut or overlay each other. Often times, primary colors are placed next to each other to create the illusion of secondary colors. Use your knowledge of the color wheel to help you choose appropriate colors for optical mixing.
314 Artist Style Study (Media: All Paint) 3 Credits Choose an artist and create an original painting reminiscent of that artist’s style and media. Use images as reference, but make sure the work is your own design.
315 Independent Painting (Media: All Paint) 3 Credits You must have completed 7 credits in 2D prior to completing this assignment. Work with the teacher to create a personalized painting project. This project should be detailed, with foreground, middle ground and background.
Design (400 Level) Work in this area may be completed in multiple mediums. Check for particular specifications. Any media substitutions must be approved by the teacher.
400 Negative Space (Media: Pencil & Chalk Pastel) 1 credit Gather 5-6 small objects (keys, pencils, scissors, etc.) Lay all objects flat on the desk with several objects overlapping. Draw the space around the object (in pencil). DO NOT DRAW ANY OBJECT DETAILS. Fill in the negative space (space around the objects with black chalk pastel and fill in the objects with colored pastel.
401 Name Design (Media: Pencil or Colored Pencil) 1 Credit Use text and images to illustrate your name in a creative way. Paper size will depend on the length of your name, but your composition can be horizontal or vertical depending upon the design. Include values and details.
402 Repeated Pattern (Media: Pencil or Pen) 1 Credit Create an original design using shapes (ex: a tessellation). Make sure the shape can fit into itself repeatedly (Check out M.C. Escher’s lizard drawings.) Once you have created the shape, make a design repeating this shape to fill the page. Use pencil or pen & ink to add details and values.
403 District Holiday Card (Media: Colored Pencil or Watercolor) 1 Credit Design an original winter holiday card to be submitted for competition for use as the schools official holiday card. The size should be 5x7 inches and it can be black and white or a two color design. The imagery should be secular, as it will be sent to a variety of religious and non-religious groups.
404 Logo Design (Media: Colored Pencil) 1 Credit Create and imaginary company and design their logo. Consider what they create, or offer in the design. Keep the logo to two colors.
405 Political Cartoon (Media: Pencil) 1 Credit Choose a current event and create a political cartoon to convey its meaning. The final cartoon should be in black and white as it would appear in a newspaper (use crosshatching for values). The final cartoon should only be one panel.
406 Fashion Design (Media: Colored Pencil) 1 – 2 Credits Research a fashion trend either past or current. Design a full outfit including accessories that would be worn at the time of this trend. If you are doing a costume design, research a play or musical and design one of the costumes worn in it. Choose a figure to put the design onto.
407 Cubism Collage (Media: Colored Paper, Newspaper, and/or Magazine) 2 - 3 Credits Find an image of a detailed scene (people eating dinner, a picnic, sports game, carnival, etc.) Redraw the scene using only geometric shapes (circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, etc.). Cut colored paper, newspaper, and/or magazine pieces to match the colors in the original photo and glue them to the redrawn shapes. Sizes of pieces should vary depending on the amount of detail in the collage.
408 Word Portrait (Media: Pencil or Pen) 2 Credits Create a portrait drawing using only text. Begin by tracing the basics outlines of the face and its features. Use text to fill in the outlines and values. Consider quotes, song lyrics, poems, or excerpts from books. Text should be dark where values are dark and light where shadows are light. Use ONLY text to create value and details.
409 Character Design (Media: Pencil, Pen & Colored Pencil, Marker) 2 Credits Design a character of your choice. Include one large design of the entire character and several smaller designs of poses, facial expressions, or character accessories. Final drawing should include color, values, and textures appropriate to the character. 410 Layered Paper Portrait (Media: Construction Paper) 2 - 3 Credits Using Photoshop, posterize a photograph of a face (human or animal). Print two copies. Keep one copy as reference and use the other copy to cut shapes from. Cut color shapes biggest to smallest. Begin with a silhouette of the entire head/neck area. Trace the outline onto the corresponding colored paper. Trace and cut shapes according to decreasing size and color. Layer shapes onto original silhouette to create a raised surface. Glue each layer to the one before it.
411 Cartoon Strip (Media: Pencil, Colored Pencil, or Watercolor) 2- 3 Credits Begin with a long strip of paper (3 inches x 16 inches). Section into 4 inch sections so you have four blocks. Create at least three characters and make up names for them. You are to compose a four part comic strip based on the three characters. The characters should interact and speak with each other. Enclose legible spoken words in a bubble. All four parts should relate to each other and one section should contain a punch line. Body parts should be drawn in as well, not just floating heads.
412 Poster Design (Media: Colored Pencil, Acrylic, or Watercolor) 2 - 3 Credits Design a poster based on travel, a country, the Olympics, sports, or endangered animals. The basic difference between the poster and other advertising media is that the poster speaks to the audience “on the move.” Newspaper ads, magazine ads, and mailing pieces such as folders, brochures and booklets are designed for the reader who has time to stand or sit and read for a while. On the other hand, the poster must capture the attention and get the message across in a matter of seconds. It must spark the reader to take the desired action through a brief message packed with punch. Make sure to tell a story quickly (through image & text) grab the viewers’ attention, be convincing, use striking colors, and be simple.
413 CD or Album Cover Design (Media: Colored Pencil, Acrylic, or Watercolor) 2 - 3 Credits Design a cover for a compact disc for an imaginary band. Choose the musical genre for the band, make up the name and songs, then create a cover and back design. The cover and back cover should measure 4.75 inches by 4.75 inches. Use two separate pieces of paper. The album cover should reflect the type of music.
414 Ripped Paper Portrait Collage (Media: Magazine Paper) 2 - 3 Credits Trace an image of a portrait or landscape. Fill in the image with torn pieces of magazine paper that replicate the colors in the original image. Focus on highlights and shadows to create depth and dimension.
415 Watercolor Collage (Media: Watercolor) 2 - 3 Credits Experiment with watercolor techniques on 6 inch by 12 inch strips of watercolor paper. When a minimum of 5 strips are complete, tear the strips and rearrange to create a landscape working from the background (furthest away- top of page) to the foreground (closest- bottom of page). Glue each torn piece to an 11x14 piece of paper. Overlap pieces to create depth and cover all areas. Cut and tear paper into interesting edges.
416 Children’s Book (Media: See Instructions) 3 Credits Write and design a children’s book. The book can be all pictures/drawings or have drawings and text. The book can be made from cut paper, markers, colored pencils, watercolor or mixed media.
417 Independent Design (Media: Any) 3 Credits You must have completed 7 credits in 2D prior to completing this assignment. Work with the teacher to create a personalized design project. This project should be detailed, with foreground, middle ground and background.
Printmaking (500 Level) Work in this area can be done as either a monotype or a linoleum block print. Monotypes are worth 1-2 credit and linoleum block prints are worth 3 credits unless otherwise specified.
500 Landscape Monotype 1 - 2 Credits Linoleum 3 Credits Design a landscape and print once with black ink black and once with colored ink.
501 Portrait Monotype 1 - 2 Credits Linoleum 3 Credits Practice sketching a portrait on paper first. Transfer sketch and print once with black ink and once with colored ink.
502 AnimalMonotype 1 - 2 Credits Linoleum 3 Credits Practice sketching an animal on paper first. Transfer sketch and print once with black ink and once with colored ink.
503 Architecture (Media: Linoleum ONLY) 3 Credits Design a detailed architectural structure. Carve and print once with black ink black and once with colored ink.
504 Andy Warhol (Color) (Media: Linoleum ONLY) 3 Credits Choose a subject that is easy to stylize, such as people’s faces or close up objects. Simple is better. Make a sketch of the entire composition and have it fit the size of your linoleum block. Use only outline shapes, not shading. Separate the design into three separate printing plates (this may be done on tracing paper. All three plates should combined contain the entire image. Transfer each section to a linoleum block. Carve each plate accordingly. Ink one plate at a time and print each on the same piece of paper, overlapping all three images to create one final print. This should take three separate pulls all on the same piece of paper.
505 Independent Printmaking (Media: All printmaking) 1-3 Credits You must have completed 7 credits in 2D prior to completing this assignment. Work with the teacher to create a personalized drawing project. This project should be detailed, with foreground, middle ground and background.