Art Fundamentals
Hieroglyph Assignment
10 points (10% of total grade)

Due: Sep 2,3

The ancient Mayan scripts and hieroglyphs were expressive combinations and abstractions of form. Animals and plants, energy and matter were combined to evoke symbolic meaning. Create a symbolic hieroglyphic that is inspired by the Mayan Hieroglyphs. Use the ebony pencil and the basic elements of design( line, shape, texture, and value) to make a monochromatic design that combines at least three separate figures,objects, forces, etc. The figures, objects, etc that make up the design should be creatively merged and combined to make a unified whole that is more than just three separate parts stacked together. Be able to talk about the meaning of the symbol and why you chose the imagery that you did. Use the elements of design to create depth in the drawing and to drive the composition. You must complete at least three distinct (play with composition, line, etc) initial sketches before moving to the final sketch on the larger paper. The final skecth must be at least 10" x 10".

We will watch a clip from the NOVA episode Cracking the Maya Code for inspiration. If you have Netflix you can watch instantly at home- specifically the section from 37:10 - 45:00 in the timeline is very relevant and shows lots of different mayan characters.