Drawing Instructions

We studied DO IT, the continuing exhibition begun by Independent curators Incorporated and Hans Ulrich Obrist and then each student created three sets of drawing instructions. DO IT was inspired by Surrealism and Dada as well as Fluxus, Happenings and Conceptual Art. In keeping with the spirit of that lineage our evening of drawing was playful, unexpected and lively.

See all of our photos of the Drawing Instructions night here.

Watch as I track Jamie Ischer following instructions and making like a cat:



TRY THIS AT HOME (Instructions from Drawing 4):

Havilah Aos

Instructions #1

-Ask each family member to draw a portrait of themselves.
- Include people under age 5, and over age 60
- When all portraits are gathered, cut out of each one the feature that you think most resembles you.
-Assemble features into Collage.

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Instructions #2

-Read this word, and then draw whatever comes to mind.

Stronghold.
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Laura Faulkenberg

Drawing Instructions 1
Based on The Darjeeling Limited

Before you begin, have all drawing materials prepared and ready to go. You don’t want to have to stop and set up half way through.

Begin by stretching for 2 minutes. Make sure your arms and legs are fully stretched and you feel no pain or inner reluctance.

While you are stretching, imagine a foreign country you have visited or want to visit someday. Remember what it is like to eat food you are never tried, or the sound of a different language whirling around, incomprehensible to you. Remember how it feels to be part of a place that you are separate from.

Whenever you feel moved to, begin drawing from this place of foreign residence. Do not question the marks on the page, since they are coming from a place unknown to you, in a language you are still beginning to learn. Have no apprehensions, since traveling is all about agreeing to participate in what is new, exciting, and strange to you.

Start with an overall gesture. Move across the entire surface. Have no worries, you will be able to revisit these lines.

Erase nothing. There are no mistakes. Don’t worry.

While drawing, do not forget your foreign landscape. Think again of the smell of exotic spices, of the sight of people dancing in the street, mountains hovering in the fog far away and the idea that you are completely free.

Stop drawing whenever you feel reluctance fill you and inspiration drain away.

Congratulations!

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Drawing Instructions 2
Based on Muse, the black cat

Before beginning, set up all of your drawing materials. You do not want to stop to set up half way through.

Begin by stretching your arms and legs for a few minutes. Stretch long enough so that you feel spry as a little kitten! For that is the journey you are about to partake in.

While stretching, think on the physical attributes of cats. You do not have to love cats or hate cats to do this exercise. Bring whatever memories you have to the exercise.

Think of the way cats stretch first their front legs and then their back legs. Do so now.

Think of how curious cats are, and apply that same curiosity to the room you are in. Wander around the edges of the room, investigating everything. Bat things around. Pounce on things. In general, apply curiosity to whatever situation you find yourself in. Apply that same curiosity to yourself.

Get a drink of water. Wander around nonchalantly, ruminating on how easy you have it.

Return to your drawing materials, and begin drawing by doing a large gesture drawing. Do not worry about the marks you are making. Worry only as much as a cat would worry.

While drawing, routinely imagine a cat sleeping next to you. Remember how warm and soft and silly these things are. Remember too, how warm and soft and silly you are.

Until you no longer feel the urge to draw, continue to embody the curiosity and lack of worry that cats have. Want everything, but worry about nothing.

When the time comes, remember how fierce cats can be. Embody that fierceness and stand up for the drawing you have created. If you need to, blame it all on the black cat.

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Drawing Instruction 3
Jigsaw Puzzle

Before you begin, set up all of your drawing materials. You do not want to stop to set up half way through.

Begin by stretching for a few minutes. Let go of the stress and tension that has built up in your body.

Begin drawing across the entire page, in a large gesture drawing. Lay in whatever comes to mind, be it representational or completely non-representational. Question nothing, simply continue to draw. If it is helpful, do not pick up the point of your tool from the page for several minutes.

After your large scale gesture is complete, consider these objects and insert them into your drawing. This does not have to representational by any means, though it can be. Any mark can stand to symbolize these objects in your drawing. In the end, only you need to know that these objects are present.

A large book written in a foreign language
A Mexican quilt, warm and sturdy
Coffee
The feeling of warmth in your bed before you are forced to leave it in the morning
Sand dunes
The hands of an ancestor, be it a grandparent, parent, aunt, brother…
Tall trees
Yarn, string, or thread

Continue drawing until you feel you have represented all of these things, in some manner, that you understand. Once all inspiration has drained from you, stop drawing.

Well done!
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Jamie Ischer

1). Temper Tantrum

-Assume the reactions and temperament of a youth or maladjusted adult.

-Feel the inability to correct your position. Assert this with a tension represented through out your body.

-While lying on your front side on top of a piece of paper, clasp a mark maker with both hands.

-Ask a partner to pull you over the paper, thereby making a mark. Move your body (and mark maker) to display frustration with possessing a certain level of experience, but still ultimately unable to express yourself with informed articulation.

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2). The Overthinker

-Think of something you really want to draw (this should be something void of assignment based direction or the need for skill development--just something you want to do for fun).

-Imagine the catharsis of committing pencil to page.

-As much as you try not to, begin to worry that you have never really done anything original. Begin to compare yourself with others in the room.

-Worry that finding a job in your field is near impossible.

-Look around nervously to see what everyone else is doing--did they see you?

-Mark your page with the slightest, most imperceivible mark in the middle of the page. Then walk away as if it wasn't made by you.

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3). Double blind portrait

-Have eyes blind folded by another person.

-Using the mark maker of your choice, draw a portrait of a person by obtaining information from them through touching their face.

-Additional instructions may be stated by the partner to assist your drawing: commands of directions, line emphasis, and scale are some of the things possible to help in this drawing. For the "finishing touches" of the drawing, the partner can clasp the artist's hand and pencil to use to add the last pieces of information. The portrait can only be viewed by the artist when acceptable to the partner.
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Emma Kullberg


Le Instructions (Drawing #1)

Step 1. Grab a sheet of paper, Any sheet will do....even the toilet paper thats in your bathroom right now.

Step 2. Grab a writing utensil. Has to make marks, So fork or knife won't do.

Step 3. Find your Hands..........(Done)

Step 4. Take Writing utensil with dominate hand, and put tip down on paper.

Step 5. Do the hand jive, with other free hand in spare time from Step 3 to 4.

Step 6. After Tip of writing utensil is completely on paper, Begin to draw a small square smack in the middle of paper. Make it small but dream big.

Step 7. Draw another square around the outside of last square on paper.

Step 8. Draw another square around the outside of that last last square.

Step 9. Draw yet another square around the outside of square before last.

Step 10. Repeat Steps 7 through 10, until sheet of paper is completely filled up with squares, from corner to corner.

Step 11. Turn paper clockwise 98 degrees, Step back and look wide eyed in amazement, you have offically drawn squares that fill up a sheet of paper.

Step 12. Tap own back for moral support.

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Le Instructions (Drawing #2)


Step 1. Locate nearest vertical wall to you.

Step 2. Turn whole body and look at wall.

Step 3. Locate nearest drawing utensil to you.

Step 4. While still having body turned at wall, try to now grab utensil.

Step 5. Now SIT!...........Good boy.

Step 6. Visualize what that plain white wall could someday become, with that little writing utensil you hold in hand.

Step 7. Lay down, drop by, tune in, drop out. What do you see as you look at that ugly ceiling?

Step 8. YELL IT OUT! Don't be shy, blurt out what you see up there in the air.
.....I'll be waiting for your reply.

Step 9. Look around at everyone else and pretend like nothing happened.

Step 10. Now take writing utensil and pretend to map out in the air what your
still going to do to that ceiling.

Step 11. Don't look weird while doing step 10. Think like what an Architect would do on Barney.

Step 12. Become the material and actually get up there. Draw something for
Christ's sake. This wasn't made for tell, and NO show.


(PS)......Step 11 & 1/2, First consult teacher before doing step 12.


Step 13. Have fun.
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Le Instructions (Drawing #3, Keep on truck'n)


Step 1. Grab a buddy; any living buddy preferably, just make sure they know you.

Step 2. Search and forge for scrap paper. LOTS OF IT. Look in your backpack or steal some from your recently new found buddy. Go to the dumpster.

Step 3. Now have fun trying to find charcoal, tempera paints, markers, or
pastels. These are super important and will serve you well.


PS. Steps 4 through 8 shall NOT be repeated to buddy. Keep ya secrets!


Step 4. With your new found and messy writing utensils, look at your buddy's hands without them knowing. Try to imagine how rediculous they would look with all that messy junk on their hands. Let the evil grin begin.

Step 5. Spread found paper all over floor, over-lapping so it makes one giant piece of paper for amazement.

Step 6. Tell buddy to lay down on paper, and if they ask why, just tell them its
because you want to draw their outline. (Suck'a won't ever suspect a thing)

Step 7. Now with buddy on ground, and their eyes closed attempt to draw all over their arms and legs. GO CRAZY! BUT DON'T DRAW ON THEIR CLOTHES! They will hate you, and you will no longer have a buddy.

Step 8. If buddy is not happy with you drawing on them, then there's only one option left.......Find new pair of hands and arms.

Step 9. Grab messy writing utensils

Step 10. Roll up sleeves... Time to get dirty.....muhaha

Step 11. Draw all over arms with messy and fun drawing things.

Step 12. Get creative. go nuts. have fun.

Step 13. Clean up your mess, and maybe your buddy's arms.

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Linley Schmit

1. Draw a straight line, horizontally, on a piece of paper. At the end of
that line, draw another line of equal length vertically down on the piece of
paper. Then, from the end of the vertical line, draw another line
horizontally of equal length in the opposite direction of the first
horizontal line. you should have an open box. Lastly, complete the square by
connecting the two points that are left, with a line. You should not have a
simple square.
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2. Get a pen and a piece of paper. Draw what you can recall from a dream
that you have had.

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3. Draw a circle. On the outside of the circle, draw several short lines
coming off of the circle. Make sure the line are equally placed all the way
around the circle. In the middle of the circle, draw a smiley face!
You have made a sun!!!