9/30 Op Art

Optical Art (Op Art) is a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions.  The works are abstract with many done in black and white.  When viewed, the impression given is movement, flashing and vibration, patterns and warping or swelling.  Two Op Artists stand out:  Victor Vasarely, the father of Op Art (b 1906-1997) and Bridget Riley know as the mother of Op Art (b 1931- ).  Both artists were pioneers in this movement.  Vasarely shocked viewers in the 1930s with this unusual art form which did not go over well. Riley rocked the art world in the 1960s with her black and white works and the movement went wild with many Op Art artists following her.

Last class we worked on taking a circle to a sphere by creating the illusion of 3 dimension through value (light to dark).  This project will also involve spheres.  We will create a 3D look with lines to create an illusion of the spheres "popping" out of the background in this Op Art style project.

Students will be working with straight and curved lines.  The background grid will be straight while the circles will have curved lines.  The curved lines are the key to this project!

Both background and circles will be colored in a checker board pattern.  I added some value to the circles along the edges to help create the sphere look.  Students work in crayons and colored pencils. but only use one color.

Solar System with Value

Welcome back!  I am excited to begin fall classes this Tuesday.  We will begin with a review or an introduction (if your student is new) to the seven elements of art: color, line, shape, form, space, texture, value.  One or more of the elements is present in every project we will do.  They work together such as lines forming shapes and color adding value to show space.

Our first project is creating a solar system and adding value (light to dark) to the planets to take them from circle to sphere.  A circle is flat while a sphere is round, circular three dimensional object that resembles a ball.  Now we won't be adding balls to our project, but by adding value to our circles, we can create an illusion of roundness that resembles a sphere.

spheres showing value:  light to dark

Our solar system will have a light source - the sun.  Our planets will have a light side (facing the sun) and a darker side or shadow that is further from the light source.  Students can create as many planets as they like and whatever colors they want. They will work with oil pastels.  We will be gluing the planets onto black paper that has been splattered with "stars".

Solar System with Value