July 9, 2020: Seneca Village Maps & Object Drawings

On the right, I have illustrated my assigned object from Seneca Village which is made out of slate, a type of rock. I figured that using a pencil would allow me to capture the matte finish of the object. Additionally, I decided to preserve the plain background of the reference picture because it brings out the dark color of my object through the contrast that it creates with the lighter background. As I was drawing this object, several details emerged: the small indentation near the left end of the object, the jagged ending on the left side, the carved ending on the right, the sides of the object as well as the light and dark patches of brown across the entire object. I look forward to doing more research to understand the meaning behind these signs, how they speak to the object’s purpose, and how the object fits into the greater context of Seneca Village. 

I created this drawing using paint markers, sharpies, highlighters, and a graphite pencil for the outline. I focused on what Seneca Village would have looked like from a bird’s eye view, including natural water sources, trees, and various homes and buildings. Throughout the drawing there are black dots and even some swimmers within the water, which are representative of the people and the families in which they lived. I used bright and bold colors such as tan for the ground, which gives the impression of an old map, and red for the buildings, which is reminiscent of records from Seneca Village.