BALANCE AND RHYTHM:
"  The Sound Problem"
The Assignment: The Sound Problem (from “Visual Literacy” by Wilde and Wilde)

Before Starting: You will be completing this using pencil or other drawing materials. If at all possible, please use COLOR, this will make your designs much more interesting and complex.

Overview: We will be practicing the concepts of BALANCE and RHYTHM to create a series of artistic drawings on the theme of SOUND.

Creation of the Works: Each “Sound Picture” should created on a regular sized piece of paper. If you have drawing paper or a sketchbook, that would be great. Colors for this project are up to the student.

***Each of these DRAWINGS should be viewed as a
PIECE OF ART
that demonstrates a particular theme.***

The student needs to carefully consider and illustrate the CHARACTER of the SOUND in question, its tempo, volume, duration, context and “color.” In other words: WHAT DOES THE SOUND LOOK LIKE? The student will incorporate these characteristics into their designs, while incorporating our BALANCE and RHYTHM principles.

IT IS EASY FOR STUDENTS TO FALL INTO THE "REPRESENTATIONAL" IMAGES TRAP ON THIS ASSIGNMENT. DON'T! A SOUND of a Car Crash does not look like two crashed cars. Think of this problem as if you were a blind person, relying ONLY on the SHAPE, COLOR, SIZE of the sound in question, not the OBJECTS that MAKE THE SOUND!

Your designs will likely be ABSTRACT, depending upon their view of the sound in question. THIS IS NOT A TYPOGRAPHIC EXERCISE! Simply writing "CRASH" on a piece of paper will NOT work for this assignment! I would prefer to see unique and original works, not the first obvious solution to the theme that springs to your mind.

Themes for the Artwork: The 8 canvases to be designed are as follows. YOU MUST USE EACH OF THE RHYTHM AND BALANCE PRINCIPLES AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR DRAWINGS! For reference, those are SYMMETRICAL BALANCE, ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE, RADIAL BALANCE, REGULAR RHYTHM, FLOWING RHYTHM AND PROGRESSIVE RHYTHM:

  1. A CAR CRASH
  2. A TICKING CLOCK
  3. TYPING ON A KEYBOARD
  4. A DISCUSSION BETWEEN AN ANGRY FATHER AND A SHY DAUGHTER.
  5. AN ELECTRIC GUITAR AND A SET OF DRUMS AT A CONCERT.
  6. BUMBLEBEES MAKING LOVE.
  7. A BASKETBALL GAME.
  8. A SOUND OF YOUR CHOICE.

Samples from the Wilde and Wilde Book: Here are some SOUND PROBLEM SAMPLES from the original book. Please note that many of these have different themes than your assignment, but some are the same. I do not recommend attempting to copy any of these solutions, just use them for inspiration!

Labeling and Submitting: When you have completed a drawing, please make sure to

  1. Put your name, the sound you were illustrating, the BALANCE/RHYTHM PRINCPLE and the year of creation in the lower right corner.
  2. To submit this for grading, please PHOTOGRAPH YOUR WORKS AND EMAIL THEM TO ME.

Grading: This assignment will be worth 25 points per file created, for a total of 200 points.

How to get an A: If the student demonstrates care and thought in the creation of their drawings, they will receive 25/25 for each file. Sloppy and rushed work will receive a total of 12.5/25 for each file. Uncompleted files will receive 0/25 points.

Canvases without a NAME, SOUND, PRINCIPLE and DATE in the lower right hand corner will lose 10 points!