chalk

Posts tagged
with chalk

Animation Art Illustration

Around the Block: David Zinn’s Quirky Chalk Cartoons Spring to Life in a New Short Film

If you’ve walked the streets of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the last few decades, you’ve probably spotted the wide-eyed monsters and mischievous dragons of David Zinn (previously). Since 1987, the artist has been drawing chalk-and-charcoal creatures in site-specific works that wash away with the rain. Drain pipes become robotic dogs, a pillar morphs into a giant pencil, and a green monster pops out of a brick walkway.

A new short film directed by Jonnie Lewis dives into Zinn’s practice by animating his signature cartoon cast that greets the artist as he walks around the city. Watch “Around the Block” on Lewis’s Vimeo, and check out more of Zinn’s eccentric creatures on Instagram.  (via Laughing Squid)

 

Photography

A Photographic Survey by Jessica Wynne of Chalkboards Filled by Mathematicians

Photographer and Fashion Institute of Technology professor Jessica Wynne has spent the last year documenting the numbers, symbols, and models drawn by mathematicians onto chalkboards. The photos capture the thought processes and physical efforts of professionals in a medium that has been largely abandoned.

Wynne tells Colossal that she enjoys photographing the dusty work surfaces because of “their beauty, mystery and the pleasure of creating a permanent document of something that is ephemeral.” The “Do Not Erase” photo series, soon to be published in a book by Princeton University Press for release in 2020, includes boards from institutions and universities around the world. Wynne hopes that viewers can appreciate the aesthetic of the worked surfaces while “simultaneously appreciating that the work on the board represents something much deeper, beyond the surface.”

Wynne adds that she feels a “kinship” with the mathematicians. “Their imagination guides them and similar to an artist they have the higher aspiration to create, discover, and find truth.” For updates on the release of her book and for more interesting photo series, head over to Jessica Wynne’s website.

Art Design

Sculptural Chalk Drawers by Nikolas Bentel Create Dots, Circles, and Lines on Chalkboards and Sidewalks

Designer Nikolas Bentel reimagined the classic slim cylinder of chalk that’s traditionally used for classroom education and sidewalk decoration to create a unique series of Chalk Drawers. Each one features a different geometrically precise pattern that together create the three fundamental building blocks of drawing: lines, circles, and dots.

Bentel used 3D printing and a quinary number system, which allows the Drawers to be used as an accurate drawing instrument for any metric system. The line design can also cross over to to the world of music, to create staff lines. You can see more from Bentel on Instagram.

Illustration

Impermanent Anatomical Drawings on Chalkboards by Chuan-Bin Chung

Chinese illustrator and anatomy instructor Chuan-Bin Chung encourages his students to understand the intricacies of the human body by drawing them. For many of his lessons he creates impermanent drawings on chalkboards as a helpful guide, but instead of quick sketches as one might be accustomed to, the pieces are exacting and colorful depictions of bones, muscles, and tendons—practically works of art in their own right. Chung shares many videos and sketches of his lessons on Facebook. (via Bored Panda)

Art Illustration

Quirky New Chalk Characters on the Streets of Ann Arbor by David Zinn

Michigan illustrator David Zinn (previously) has brightened the streets of Ann Arbor with his off-the-wall (or technically on-the-wall) chalk drawings since 1987. The artist works with chalk or charcoal to create site-specific artworks that usually incorporate surrounding features like cracks, street infrastructure, or found objects. Over the years he’s developed a regular cast of recurring characters including a bright green monster named Sluggo and a “phlegmatic flying pig” named Philomena.

Many of Zinn’s artworks are available as archival prints, and he recently published a new book titled Temporary Preserves. You can follow his almost daily street chalk adventures on Instagram and Facebook.

History Illustration

An Oklahoma School Discovers 100-Year-Old Chalkboard Drawings Hidden in the Walls

While undergoing renovations last week, workers at Emerson High School in Oklahoma City made a surprising discovery: when removing several old chalkboards they found an even older set of chalkboards hidden in the walls. Apparently the school didn’t remove or even bother to erase the oldest boards they replaced back in 1917, leaving various lessons and illustrations untouched for nearly a century.

The images and writing depicted on the boards include a list of hygiene tasks, an unusual mathematics lesson, music, and several references to pilgrims, probably correlating with the time of year the boards were last used around December. A school district spokesperson says they are working with the city to preserve the chalk drawings. You can see several more of the educational time capsules over at the Washington Post. (via Neatorama)