ART7+Portrait+Mixed+Media

Homework: Portrait Mixed Media Study
__//Due Date: June 5, 2011//__

The objective of the last study is chose media purposefully. This objective is at the heart of Mixed Media artwork. For example many watercolor artists do not consider choosing materials. They are a watercolor artist and therefore confined to that material and challenge themselves through other compositional, conceptual or theoretical ways. On the other hand, a Mixed Media artist can use anything to build their artwork and therefore that choice of material becomes of paramount importance.

You made a portrait collaged from various magazine images. Now you must look at magazine images and think what would be the best material to capture this particular area of my portrait. For example, many people chose to place hair within their portrait. What is the best material to represent that hair? Not hair in general, but the hair you chose for your portrait. Therefore, if your hair in your portrait was straight, smooth and shiny, then materials having these qualities would optimal. For example, materials similar to straight wire, shiny paper, cellophane, lanyard string, or oil pastels would work best. Curly yarn, newspaper, charcoal, and pastel would not be as appropriate because they are not either straight smooth or shiny. But now you have the problem of deciding whether straight wire, shiny paper, cellophane, lanyard string, or oil pastels would work best.

Similar to the portrait collage, the mixed-media study will challenge you with Variety and Balance/Unity. When dealing with Variety, you should ask yourself, “How can I place enough different media sections to show my idea fully?” Almost conversely, when dealing with Balance/Unity you should be asking yourself, “How can I make it appear like it all goes together?”

Click on ART7 useful links to find more information on how artist us mixed media. Click on Portrait Project (Mixed Media Study Rubric) to see your assessment tool. Click on Portrait Mixed Media Exemplars to see examples of successful art pieces.