Line+portraits

Like artists such as [|Jon Cattapan], some classroom topics 'lend' themselves to incorporating new media art making practices with conventional/traditional artmaking practices.

One topic where I have explored the combination of approaches is the 'acetate' etching task. This artmaking process requires students to produce a 'line' based drawing.

I wanted my students to produce a self portrait based on more challenging designs which incorporated different viewpoints, facial expressions and/or cropping of the image making the piece unique and individual.

For this task students worked from photo's which were imported into Artrage as a 'tracing'. This enabled students to concerntrate on the use of line in the creation of their work and be able to create a picture which was proportionally accurate. Once the design was create, students had to consider the use of the negative space by creating a contrasting pattern or a pattern which reflected the emotion conveyed in captured face.

Students used these designs to create their dry point acetate etching, which were also hand coloured.