Lesson 2: Infectious State

For Middle Schoolers and Up

Contagion
Coronavirus
Infectious
Pandemic

Materials

• Pencils (regular or sketch pencils)
• Some color pencils or crayons   
• Eraser
• Sketch paper or printing paper ( Paper size: at least 8x11. The bigger the better. If you do not have sketch paper or printing paper, you can substitute with old newspaper pages）
• Ruler (if you need it)

Drawing Prompt

In response to current global situation, the following words, contagion coronavirus, infectious, pandemic are all over the media. Please do research on these words and illustrate with your interpretations. 

Guiding Questions:

1. What are your definitions of these words? 
2. How do these words impact people’s lives?
3. What is globalization and how does it impact contagion?
4. Watch and find additional data visualizations to understand how the coronavirus spread. 

Note: https://ncov2019.live/ is a website developed by Avi Schiffmann, a high school student in Washington State. 

Abstract Drawing with Dramatic Emotions

1. Drawing records our hand movements. Your challenge is to balance expressive line quality while providing emphasis in your composition. 
2. How to add dramatic emotions through shading? Think about light vs. dark, loose vs. controlled / mass vs. empty spaces. 
3. Is there a dialogue between each element? is there any correlation from one component to the other?
4. How does your mind flow when you move with your pencil? 
5. Referencing Abstract Expressionist Artists such as the artists below.

Hint

WHAT IF I DO NOT WANT TO GET MESSY, Is there a different way to create and record my state of mind?  

Yes, certainly.  Try Geometric Abstract Drawing.

• Start with geometric shapes and work your way to alter and add other elements (lines, shapes). 
• Focus on the relations between these elements. 
  

Abstract Expressionist Artists

From the 40's to the 60's, artists in New York shifted to a new direction that embrace diverse approach in creating artworks. It aims to reflect their state of mind, direct and sometimes spontaneous. Artists such as Franz Kline (1910–1962), took an embodied, gestural approach, to express through intensive brush strokes. Artists such as Harvey Quaytman (1937-2000) was drawn to the simplicity of  geometric shapes as an inspiration for his abstract works.  

 References: 

Watch the Painting Techniques of Franz Kline via Kann Academic

Read an essay on Abstract Expressionism from Metropolitan Museum of Art. (Reading level 9th grade and up)

Check out artworks by Harvey Quaytman, from TATE. 
​

Samples by Students

Writing Sample on Guiding Questions: 

Sample 

Emilie's Sample

Kaixin's SAmple

Writing Response: 

The main theme between the four words is fear, and a bit of chaos, so I made sure to shade a lot so it’s uncertain shadows because fear is uncertain. Then other themes were boredom and separation from being in quarantine. On the right it is separated by a line, for separation, and dark is mixed with light because some students are happy because they don’t need to go to school and then there are the people in the danger zone who are super afraid.