Eye Candy Optical Art (Op Art)
Submitted by: Stephen Watson, at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
Lesson Plan: "Eye Candy"
for ART 210: Drawing II
Description:
Create a optical illusion composed of photocopied patterns.
Optical illusions fool or deceive the eye into believing a fantasy or mirage. They are caused by the eye when confronted with excessive exposer to tilt, patterns, or color. The illusions overstimulate the eye. They are also cause by changing perspective in the art so that near things seem far and visa versa.
Objectives:
Yield to the whims of your eye.
Feel both the disbelief and surprise of optical art.
Create their own eye delicacy.
EXECUTION:
Tools and Materials:
Black Sharpie Fine Point Markers
Copy Paper
Copy Machine
Optional:
Drawing Pencils
Rulers
Sharp Scissors
White Glue
Visual Context:
Bridget Riley, Fragment 3/11, screenprint on Plexiglas, 1965
Bridget Riley, Fragment 5/8, screenprint on Plexiglas, 1965
Bridget Riley, Hesitate, oil on canvas, 1964
Requirements:
The finished drawing must be created by combining many patterned pieces of paper into a singular unified design.
The paper squares will become visual "tiles."
The final design must fool the eye into perceiving flatness as three-dimensional roundness and superficial depth.
Your design should develop from a simple pattern and transform into something that thrills the eye.
Feel free to start with one of the simple patterns below. However, you must manipulate and rearrange the chosen pattern to create something uncommon.
Image from www.piesetc.com
All the components of your drawing, including the photocopied elements, must come from your chosen pattern. No other elements from the web or other art may be incorporated into your work.
You should attach your paper tiles to a wall or to one another in an invisible way. You may consider tape or glue. Push pins aren't acceptable because they are visible when viewing the tiles.
The finished design must be at least 24" x 24" [61 x 61 cm]
Suggestions:
Use one and two-point perspective when you distort or manipulate your patterns. Each tile doesn't have to be identical in shape, size or pattern.
If you were to use 36 4"x4" [10.2 x 10.2 cm] tiles to create a 2'x2' [61 x 61 cm] design, all 36 would not need to from the same photocopied pattern. You could have some arranged in a 6" x 6" [15.25 x 15.25] and another column composed of six photocopies of a different pattern.
The final piece may be shaped other than a square. You can add a third dimension to your pattern by curving the surface in some way (See the example below). Consider manipulating the paper by folding or warping the paper in some way to give an added dimension to the pattern.
If you are pleased with your final piece, you may mount it on Foamboard
Use the copy machine to your advantage. Allow it to multiply your efforts. For example, if you have eight tiles of the same pattern together, you can copy them to make the total 16 tiles.
Example:
Student Work by Jiaqi Pan
Evaluation:
Your final project will be graded based on the following: Keeping within the guidelines, craftsmanship, being open to suggestions, the effectiveness of fooling the eyes with your illusion, your planning and thinking, effort, and the cleanliness of your design.
Questions:
How do you like optical art? Do you like it better or less than other art? Why?
Is there a purpose for optical art?
Is optical art even really art?
The title of the lesson is "eye candy." Is optical art candy to the eye? Why or why not?
Resources:
Optical Illusions
The Ultimate Book of Optical Illusions
Visible Magic: The Art of Optical Illusions
