The GRID METHOD of DRAWING The grid method

The GRID METHOD of DRAWING • The grid method is a technique designed to aid the artist in the accuracy of drawing, including size and placement of subjects within the picture plane. • Using a ruler and accurate measurement, any image can be replicated and enlarged using the grid method. • The artist must create a grid over the image and another similar grid on drawing paper. Each cell is then isolated using a viewfinder, and then replicated cell by cell block by block until the drawing is complete.

Measure over the image 1”x 1” Draw on drawing paper the same amount of boxes 2” x 2” Use grid to transfer cell by cell A 1. B 1…. .

• Charles Thomas Close was born on July 5, 1940, in Monroe, Washington. Suffering from severe dyslexia, Close did poorly in school but found solace in making art. After earning his MFA from Yale in 1964, Close took his place atop the American art world by creating large-scale, photorealist portraits that have creatively blurred the distinction between photography and painting. • Best known for his large scale, photo-realistic portrait paintings. He has also has done printmaking, watercolor, finger painting, paper collage, and pastels. CHUCK CLOSE July 5, 1940

For the first decade of his life, Close's childhood was more or less stable. But when he was 11, tragedy struck, when his father died and his mother fell ill with breast cancer. Close's own health took a terrible turn around this time as well, when a kidney infection landed him in bed for almost a year. Through all of this, however, Close deepened his love for painting and art in general. At the age of 14, he saw an exhibition of Jackson Pollock paintings. Pollock's style and flair had a great impact on Close, and, as he later recounted, it made him determined to become an artist. By the late 1960 s, Close and his photorealist pieces were entrenched in the New York City art scene.

Working from a gridded photograph, he builds his images by applying one careful stroke after another in multicolors or grayscale. He works methodically, starting his loose but regular grid from the left hand corner of the canvas. His works are generally larger than life and highly focused. Close suffers from Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, in which he is unable to recognize faces. By painting portraits, he is better able to recognize and remember faces.

In 1988, Chuck Close was paralyzed following a rare spinal artery collapse, since then he has continued to use a brush holding device strapped to his wrist and forearm. His biggest fear was that, "Since I'll never be able to move again, I would not be able to make art. I watched my muscles waste. My hands didn't work. " However, Close continued to paint with a brush strapped onto his wrist with tape, creating large portraits in low-resolution grid squares created by an assistant Viewed from afar, these squares appear as a single, unified image

Although his later paintings differ in method from his earlier canvases, the preliminary process remains the same. To create his grid work copies of photos, Close puts a grid on the photo and on the canvas and copies cell by cell.

Chuck Close uses a grid to transfer his subject from a photograph to a painting or print. By breaking the larger image down into its smaller component parts, he is able to make decisions about the nature and properties of the various colors that he uses in his works.

“I always thought that one of the reasons why a painter likes especially to have other painters look at his or her work is the shared experience of having pushed paint around. ” Chuck Close’s Self Portrait (2002) 31” x 25”

Chuck Close’s Self Portrait (2003) 22” x 17 ¾”

http: //www. cbsnews. com/news/note-to-selfartist-chuck-close-pens-note-to-14 -year-oldself/

"Art saved my life in two ways, " the artist says today with undiminished enthusiasm. "It made me feel special, because I could do things my friends couldn't, but it also gave me a way to demonstrate to my teachers that, despite the fact that I couldn't write a paper or do math, I was paying attention. "

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING…. . • Drawing a realistic automobile using the grid method that Chuck Close was known for. • Learning about value and mark making, using accurate measurements. • Creating viewfinders to help with focusing on one square/cell at a time. • Developing your skills in observational drawing…drawing what you see! • Using a color scheme to complete a finished painting. This project will be worth 100 points, and be a formal grade.

Fulfills Assignment: Create a grid on both your photo and final drawing paper. Complete a self portrait filling in values in each square. Completes all prep work including sketches, mark making and value activities; completes a self evaluation worksheet and participates in class critique. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 Creativity and Originality: How original, daring, and inventive is your drawing? Did you put effort in being creative and using your own style and drawing skills? 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 Elements and Principles: Were the elements and principles of art used to make the visual elements work well (value, texture, pattern)? Did you show an understanding of art techniques? 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 Effort and Craftsmanship: Is the work neat, clean, organized and presented well, and done with effort and care? Did you take your time in creating the grid and completing each square? 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 Work Habits: Did you stay on task, pay attention to presentations, participate in discussion? Was the student cooperative? Did the student act appropriately and provide appropriate feedback? Was the student respectful of supplies, materials, space, and others? 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20