On & Beyond the Chair Class

Let’s take a line for a walk

On and Beyond the Chair continues while students draw remotely in this new virtual learning version of the chair class.

Today the students begin a new fun and relaxing daily exercise “taking a line for a walk around their chair.” For the next two weeks students will spend only ten minutes each day drawing with a pen on a 8″ x 11″ sheet of paper.

A line is a dot that went for a walk. – Paul Klee

The assignment encourages students to make quick decisions while continuously drawing a line. They must keep as small an interval as possible between drawing and looking at the chair. These drawings will also become a diary of reflections during this emotional time of social distancing.

Drawing the ‘negative space’

Negative space is the space behind, around, and between an object. It represents the context of an object. It is important because it greatly influences our perception of the object itself.

You can compare the negative space with the silences between the sounds. As Claude Debussy said, “Music is the space between the sounds.”

Learning to draw the negative space is particularly important to switch our brain from the language mode to the visual mode. It forces our brain to visualize the invisible, implicit forms.

Drawing by measuring

The first project is focused on recording the construction of the chair.

One full-scale composed and multi-layered drawing, showing the chair in plan, section, elevation, and details.

Let’s put ink on paper!

‘On and beyond the chair’ 2nd CLASS suggests that DRAWING IS FEELING.

We drew long, thin, wide, and fast lines with thin and a thick brushes on horizontal and vertical surfaces.

Repeat and enjoy

Each chair has a name: a predictable one and an unpredictable one!

On & Beyond the Chair

On & Beyond the Chair 2020

The first class began with roller pen’s long line, hatches, and 3D hand sketches.

On and Beyond the Chair 2020 semester started with a “line” on a walk.
In front of the charming Chantilly building, we drew the façade for only one minute, taking a line for a walk. The hand was not allowed to leave the paper while the eyes never leave the building!