Lesson 03: Introduction to Stippling & Pointillism

Class# 3:  Introduction to Stippling & Pointillism  June 4 - 8

Materials needed:  ?Strathmore Sketchbook Pad (9 x 12)?Drawing pencils?Black pen ?Photograph

In the pervious class we looked at different kinds of lines that are used in making a work of art.  However, there are other ways of drawing besides using lines.  One example of an alternative way of drawing is called stippling.   

Stipplingis the creation of a pattern simulating varying degrees of solidityor shading by using small dots. Such a pattern may occur in nature and artists frequently emulate these effects.  Put simply, the act of stippling involves covering an area with dots.

Here are some examples of the different kinds of stippling used in art:

•  http://www.artyfactory.com/pen_and_ink_drawing/ink_drawing/images/stippling_?examples_1.gif

And here are some examples of art that have been made by stippling:?Here is an example of portraits:

•  http://blogs.hightechhigh.org/zury/files/2009/12/nolinovak_01.gif

Automobile:?http://www.re-action.com/wordpress/wp-content/gallery/tampa-tech/comaro-stippling-sm.jpg

Landscape:

•  http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~alopyrev/cs791/oldbigben_stippled.jpg

Nature:

•  http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/334/4/2/stippling_a_frog_by_candyrobot-d33yzbp.jpg

A similar technique is called pointillism.  Pointillism is a technique of paintingin which small, distinct dots of pure colorare applied in patterns to form an image.  The artists George Seurat first developed this technique in 1886, branching from his previous work in Impressionism.  Here is an example of work of his painting that uses pointillism:

•  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Seurat-La_Parade_detail.jpg?

•  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Seurat_bathers.png

 The term Pointillism was first coined by art critics (people who talk about art) in the late 1880s to ridicule the works of these artists, and is now used without its earlier mocking connotation.  Many notable artists have used Pointillism since it was first created by Seurat including Vincent van Gogh, Chuck Close, Henri-Edmond Cross, Paul Signac, Georges Lemmen and Camille Pissarro.  Here are some examples of their artwork:

Vicent van Gogh:

•  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/VanGogh_1887_Selbstbildnis.jpg

Chuck Close:

•  http://mintwiki.pbworks.com/f/Close-Lyle03(150dpi).jpg

Paul Signac:

•  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Signac.jpg

George Lemmen:

•  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Lemmen2.jpg

Ed McCarthy:

•  http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.203132293.jpg

Homework Assignment:  Now that you know what stippling and pointillism are, its time for you to try this technique for yourself.  Your assignment is to do a drawing using the stippling technique. 

1.           First, find pictures to use as a reference.  It can be a picture of anything, someone in your family, a movie star, a car or a professional athlete.  Try not to pick a picture that is too complicated or too simple.

2.           Use the picture as a reference and begin to draw what you see  using only dots.  For this you will need a black ink pen or a dark pencil. 

3.           Make sure that you do your stipple drawing on an 8 x 10 sheet of sketchbook paper and that your drawing fills up the whole page.  

4.           Stippling is a slow process but take your time.  Work on one area of your drawing before moving on to the next.

After you have completed your stippling drawing, scan your work and upload it onto your Flickr page.  In the Flickr “Description” panel be sure to include what assignment this is.  Any work that has not been uploaded by the evening of June 8 will be marked down one letter grade.

This concludes the second class for AR101.  If you have any questions regarding the material or assignment please email your instructor at art101@comfsm.fm