No. 2 Pencil Transformation
Inspiration and Purpose of the Assignment:
Any object that is seen or used on a regular basis begins to go unnoticed. What we stop seeing is the form, color, or the object's visual properties. For years you have been using No. 2 pencils in school on a daily basis. They are indeed an ordinary, everyday object. What can you develop when you build a 2-D image using pencil shapes and colors?
Studio Assignment
You will take time to study a pencil and to transform it and learn to see it in a new way. You will maintain the original color of the pencil (yellow with black lettering and a pink eraser). Follow the steps below:
Carefully look at your pencil and brainstorm about what category/subject that you might want to work in (topics might include people, cars, insects, sports, or musical instruments.
Create a contour line drawing of the subject that you have chosen.
Fill the contour drawing with drawings of no. 2 pencils (using a no.2 pencil). Stretch, squish, curve, and transform the pencil shapes to fit your space (You must include at least 30 pencils in your drawing).
Add color to your drawing using colored pencils.
Evaluation
Your grade will be based upon the creativity used in designing the image, craftsmanship, effort, and completeness. Take time to do your very best work!
Original lesson by Ken Vieth's book From Ordinary to Extraordinary, this is a wonderful exercise in critical thinking and problem solving. The basic idea is to transform a regular drawing with the idea, "What if everything was made of Number 2 Pencils?"
