The document provides instructions for an art exercise involving drawing on clear acetate sheets that are placed over photographs. Students will use markers and pens on the acetate to incorporate and manipulate the images from the photos below. Examples are given of various contemporary artists who have used this acetate drawing technique in their own works, demonstrating different ways the photos can be obscured, incorporated into cutouts, or used as guides for tracing. Tips are provided on adhering the acetate sheets while drawing and which mediums work best for bonding acetate to paper or other acetate layers.

1. Left: Colleen/Lisa; Right: Stuart Davis
Art History References from last week

2. Left: Shela/Jessy; Right: Roberto Matta

3. Top left: Sandy/Donna; Right: Miro;
Bottom left: Maholy-Nagy

4. TONIGHT’S EXERCISES:
DRAWING ON ACETATE OVER PHOTOS -
LOTS OF POSSIBILITIES!!
You’ll be using Dura-Lar, which is an acetate alternate that lays
flat and can accept wet or dry media; it comes in clear and matte
finishes (and can be referred to as just “acetate”).
If you want to permanently adhere acetate to paper or acetate to
acetate, use a good quality double-stick tape (Pro Art or Scotch)
or spray mount. Test first with Spray Mount.

5. Contemporary German
artist Anselm Kiefer

6. Anselm Kiefer

7. Anselm Kiefer

8. Contemporary American artist David Salle

9. David Salle

10. Almudena Blanca (drawing) and Fujiko Nakaya (photo) – clear acetate,
erased parts of Sharpie drawing with alcohol

11. Charlotte Caron

12. Martín Feijoó - drawing the shapes he sees in photos of clouds

13. Martín Feijoó

14. (unknown)

15. Alice Mann – Painting over photo while following it closely like a tracing

16. Kara Pierce

17. Fran Siegel – drawing over photos, removing the photos, stacking the acetate
drawings

18. Drawing over a photo with Sharpie, then removing the photo (right) and adding
another acetate layer (left)

19. Sabine Kussmaul: Note most of photo has been obliterated by painting opaque
color on underside of acetate at then drawing on top

20. Sabine Kussmaul
You can also use sections
of several photos
adhered to paper with
good glue stick (Scotch) if
paper is thin, or acrylic
medium if paper is thick

21. Sabine Kussmaul:
This looks like she also
used underlying
photos to create
acetate cut-outs then
affixed the cut-outs to
the top of the piece
To bond acetate to
acetate experiment
with acrylic medium,
but double-sided tape
works for sure

22. Sabine Kussmaul – look at the variety of things you can do with this medium!
If you’re unsure of color, stick to neutrals (black & white or add brown
or one other color).