Painter's Tape Drawings

Lesson Plan: "Temporary Tape Drawings"
Submitted by: Stephen Watson, at The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
for ART 210: Drawing II, Summer 2013

 

Adapted from: "Tape on the Walls" by ?
for ART 1003: Design I at Ouachita Baptist University, Arkadelphia, AR

 

DESCRIPTION:
Use tape to create a temporary drawing installation on a public wall.

 

OBJECTIVES:
Adapt to and exploit an unconventional art material.
Develop a broader understanding of drawing materials and practices.
Create a unified relationship between illusionistic space and real space.
Taste public art.

 

 

Student Work, ART 210: Drawing II, Summer 2013, Alaina and Ayana

 

EXECUTION:
Tools and Materials:
Colored Masking Tape or 3M Scotch Blue Painter's Tape
It is essential that the tape is impermanent and can easily be removed from a wall without causing any damage. Limit yourself to one color.
Sharp Scissors
Sharpie Fine Point Markers
Digital Camera
Printer
Rulers or Yardstick
Projector

 

Guidelines:
Begin by spending time in the pre-approved public space on campus, in this case, the northeast outer stairwell in Gorgas Library.

Take photographs of elements of the space--walls, corners, floors, stairs, etc.-- which might be suitable for your tape drawing. Print the photographs out and experiment by drawing on the images with a Sharpie.

Your drawing should be inspired by and born out of the space it will inhabit.
Do not design a drawing that could exist on just any wall. Your drawing should look like it was made for your chosen wall and the wall should look like it was made for the drawing. A successful installation creates an interdependent and holistic relationship between art and exhibition space.

Use various widths of tape for line variety.
You can purchase different widths, or cut your own.

Choose a tape that is both visually effective (dark colored) and inexpensive.
Though black masking tape is an option, it is difficult to find in stores and it is expensive: about $7-$10 per roll. I would rather you use blue painter's tape so that you can afford a greater quantity and so that you will be less timid about drawing. When your art material is expensive, it is more financially costly and psychologically difficult to experiment and take risks. Go cheap, be free.

Exploit the beneficial qualities of drawing with tape.
It is not necessary to make your material look or perform like anything other than what it is. For example, tape is great for creating long clean lines, so consider using that characteristic to your advantage.

Be willing to change plans as the drawing develops.
Pay attention to the intermediary steps on the way to your end-goal. Allow the drawing to inform itself and influence your design. Also, tape is easy to remove and reapply in bulk, so there is no need to feel constrained by any mistake or early ill-decision.

 

 

Student Work, ART 210: Drawing II, Summer 2013, Marianne

 

EVALUATION:
Drawings will be graded based on creativity, ambition, evidence of thinking, craftsmanship, and relationship to physical space.

 

QUESTIONS:
How is drawing on walls different from drawing on paper? How are the two similar?
How did the temporality of the drawing affect its making? Its concept?
What are the benefits of temporality? Detriments?
Is your tape drawing only in public, or is it also for the public? What's the difference?