(En)visual Art

Artists From a Different Era

2010-03-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

We are in the midst of wrapping up our film. We've discovered all sorts of new things about Frida Kahlo and different aspects of her life which inspired her more that others. She painted the way she saw the world and some people considered her a Surrealist painter. She never considered herself one because her paintings made complete sense to her.

We are hoping to discover more of how artists get their inspiration and the different styles of art that pass through different art movements.

This week we are going to learn about "Artists From a Different Era"

Frida Kahlo - A Surrealist Painter?

2010-03-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

We will begin to discover the world of Frida Kahlo. You've either heard of her or you haven't. You like her artwork or you don't...but once you discover her fascinating life and extreme misfortunes, you'll uncover a whole new outlook on her paintings. We will learn to deepen our wonder of why a painting looks the way it does. And where an artist gets their inspiration. As we tap into Frida's history, we will also begin to discover other painters and artists ourselves.
This is the beginning of our Art History Unit.

Reflection Questions for Text Piece

2010-02-25T17:36:00.000-08:00

Answer these questions in complete sentences. (1-2 paragraphs)

1. What is the title of your piece?
2. What is your piece and what are the words inside? How do they relate?
3. What were your struggles with this piece? What was challenging?
4. What was the easiest part of making this piece? What was the most fun?
5. How did you show movement in your piece? How did you show contrast?
6. If you were to change one thing about you piece, what would it be?

2/18-2/19 Wrapping it Up!

2010-02-17T07:09:00.000-08:00

We are wrapping up our Art with Text projects. They are coming out beauitfully. The students have been working hard to design creative art pieces that contain only text. Using 3 Principles of Design in Art, students are using movement, contrast, and balance in their creative process to come up with a unique art piece.
The due date for this project is this Friday. (students may say after school Weds and Thurs to complete this task)

The artwork will be displayed around the school and you should definitely come by to check it all out! I'm very pleased with the creative outcomes!

1/25 & 1/26: Text in Art

2010-01-25T17:12:00.001-08:00

Students and Parents,
In class today, a handout was given which contained some very important information regarding what we have already learned and what we are about to learn.
This handout included such groupings as Elements of Design and Principles of Design.
See the document attached for an easy download.

We also discussed more in depth the notion of "Balance" (principle of design) in art.
Symmetrical Designs vs. Asymmetrical Designs

Symmetry = dissecting a design either on the y (vertical) axis and/or on the x (horizontal) axis.
Asymmetry = an unequal balance.

Examples:
Cross = symmetrical
Sailboat = asymmetrical

In-Class activity:
Students were asked to find a symbol that they have some personal connection with. Drawing the symbol in a few different ways, the student is simply drawing the outline of it. Within the chosen symbol, the student needs to add text. The text needs to have some direct correlation to the symbol itself. The text can come from a number of locations: lyrics of a song, poem, journal entry, commonly used words that go along with the symbol...

Example:
Text= Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you will feed him for a lifetime
Symbol= fish

HW:
have a symbol and text ready for a second sketch on Weds/Thurs
Elements%20and%20Principles%20of%20Design.doc

Tis the season to be EFFICIENT! + Grades!

2010-01-04T18:29:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year Students and Parents!
I want to apologize for not posting anything in quite a while. I have been unable to access this blog account for a few weeks. But now is the time to load it up again!

1/4/2010
I passed out grades today. Please note that they need to be signed and returned by Wednesday(LD) or Thursday(UD). Please be aware that these are not totaled up. There is a section at the top which states: Overall Total Grade (or something similar...). Please disregard that Letter and Percentage. It is not an accurate representation of your or your student's grade.

As for any NCs or missing assignments, students are encouraged to complete these assignments by next Tuesday (1/12). We have a Success Day next Tuesday and this will be the last day that I accept late assignments for the semester.

If a student would like to make up a quiz, they will be able to take it on Tuesday after school.

There are extra credit opportunities by coming in after school to help me beautify the classroom or completing extra sketchbook drawing assignments.

Feel free to email me with any concerns, I'd be happy to speak with you further about this matter.

I'll be posting more regularly so please keep visiting the Blog!
-annE

WLE Internships

2009-11-16T15:40:00.001-08:00

google doc of internships

UPPER DIVISION Exhibition!

2009-11-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Here is some information for those of you who are not in town or would like to be caught up with what's new for UPPER DIVISION students in the Visual Arts class.

In this document, you'll find the project description and all the benchmarks and due dates to keep you on track:

movingvoices.doc

In this PDF document, you'll find the PowerPoint presentation that the class looked at on Monday.
In the third to last slide, you'll notice that it says, "Now it's time to read the monologue". This refers to a copy of a monologue that I based the last slide off of. I created a sample art piece that you'll find in the last slide of the presentation. In this slide, you'll notice all the required criteria in one piece of art. This is an example of what your art piece may look like, through the story of the person you interviewed. Click on the link below to see what I'm talking about.

movingvoices_presentation.pdf

This last document will help you brainstorm some ideas. There is a sample graphic organizer and a blank one for you to fill in. Look at the sample for idea generators, but please remember that this is not anyone else's story, except the story of the immigrant your monologue is based off of.

graphicorganizer_sample.pdf

graphicorganizer.pdf

......

Oh, and sketchbooks are due tomorrow!

11/5-6

2009-11-06T14:58:00.000-08:00

SKETCHBOOKS are DUE!
Please remember that I will be collecting sketchbooks on Wednesday to check your past 2 weeks of classwork/homework.

Here is a list of things I will be checking for:
1. Gradation Practice (shading from Dark --> Light, Light --> Dark, Dark-->Light-->Dark)
2. Finished Vase
3. Gridded Eye
4. Gridded Magazine Cut-Out and Finished Gridded Drawing (please have your magazine cut-out taped inside your sketchbook for reference)

Review
What is gridding useful for?
- copying exact details of picture
- enlarging (once this is mastered, you can draw anything at any size!...think MURALS!)
- keeping exact proportions while changing scale

Shades and Tints?
- To get a shade, you add...BLACK
- To get a tint, you add...WHITE

Academic Seminar

2009-11-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

Work Learning Experience Handbook
EA%20WLE%20Mentor%20Guide.pdf

11/2-3 Color! Color! and More Color!

2009-11-03T14:56:00.001-08:00

A1: Gridding Review/Check-In/Reflection
A2: Color! Schemes and Combinations
A3: Putting It To Practice
Objective: Building up our repertoire of art techniques and understandings

Today I showed a PowerPoint Presentation on the topic of COLOR and different color schemes (combinations). Ranging from Primary Colors (review) to Complementary, Triadic, Analogous, Split-Complementary, Monochromatic, and so on. After we learned about all the color combinations, each table took a role in becoming a "master" with one color scheme (ie. analogous = RED). After creating a collage using that chosen color scheme, they are now on display in the classroom and in the hallway downstairs. We will be choosing a color scheme for our next project in which students will demonstrate a deeper understanding of color and the combination they can be used in.

See the attachments below for the presentation and class notes.
color_vocab.doc
Color%20Theory.ppt

Final Self-Portrait Presentations

2009-10-28T08:15:00.001-07:00

Here are the presentation expectations that students used to respond to and reflect on during their presentation:
1. Display Self-Portrait
2. Intro: Read "Who Am I?" Poem
3. Discuss Process/Technique/Tools/Materials
4. Present 3 of your most significant symbols and explain their importance.
5. Express any challenges and ares of growth.
6. Closing: How have you grown as an arist during the creation of this art piece?

Exhibition Night...this Wednesday!!

2009-10-24T13:24:00.001-07:00

Our students have been working so hard on completing their final Who Am I? Self-Portrait. I'm super excited to share that their artwork will be on display during the 9th/10th grade Exhibition Night this Wednesday 10/28 @ 5:30. I hope to see everyone there supporting and admiring our students hard work. Along with their final Self-Portrait, students will also have on display, a Who Am I? Poem and a short artist statement.

Here are some pictures of students working hard to finish up:

Great Live-Art Video

2009-10-12T17:42:00.001-07:00

10/8-9 Closing in on our Final Due Dates

2009-10-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

We are powering through our Self-Portraits. Students have been working super hard, in class and some after school, to complete their beautifully unique Self-Portraits. I'm truly excited to display them at our Lower Division Exhibition Night (10/28).

Here are our newest due dates:

Tuesday, Oct. 13 - Rough Draft of Artist's Statement Due (I, II, III) see Organizer handout

Thursday/Friday, Oct. 15/16 - Final Self-Portraits Due
These need to be completed in full color, including symbols, within their final silhouette.

Monday/Tuesday, Oct. 19/20 - Final Artist's Statement Due (I, II, III, IV) including final reflection
....

Come One Come All:
I will have my doors open both Tuesday and Thursday after school for anyone to join me in the Art Studio. 3:30-5:30

10/6 - Success Day!

2009-10-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Today was a very "success"ful day.
I had a great turnout of students that needed to catch up on late work and showed me their serious interest in picking up the speed.

As for class:
DoNow - Write down the color you are choosing for the background. Why? How does it represent you as an individual? Your personality?
A1 - Color - Emotions/Feelings/Representations (see notes below)
A2 - Artist's Statement Organizer
A3 - "ISH" (Independent Sketch Hall) 1. Trace Silhouette; 2. Draw Final Symbols; 3. Add Color (see Ms G first)
LOQ

Objectives: Students will be feel prepared and have a good understanding of how their artist's statement should be written.

HW: Write the first 2 paragraphs: I & II of their artist statement from the organizer handout.

----

Student discoveries with color:
Blue = water, strong, flowing thoughts, night sky, awake, insomnia
Yellow = exciting, cheerful
Red = passionate, tragedy, angry
Purple = moody, calm, exciteable, deep
Pink = love, excitment, breast cancer
Green = happiness, nature/trees/ life, money, greed, summer
Black = dark, unpredictable, bad past, powerful, confusion, mixed emotions, colorful (all mixed up)

to be continued.

9/28-10/1

2009-10-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

This week we dedicated a lot of time to working on our sketched silhouette self-portraits. During this Independent Sketch Hall (ISH), students focused on developing their self-portraits by sketching their symbols inside an oval-head template. In order to understand the composition and placement of their images, students were encouraged to consider emphasizing certain symbols that they felt were more important than others by increasing sizes and layering the images.

Once I confirmed and checked off their sketches, each student had their silhouette traced onto a large format piece of drawing paper. Using a projector and the direct light source, the students chose between a profile or frontal pose. Eventually their symbols would be drawn within the silhouette.

I also introduced a glimpse of Color Theory. We discussed the difference between warm and cool colors, analogous and complimentary, and reviewed primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. We learned that colors can express different moods, emotions, and feelings. The students are going to choose a color that represents them that they will use for the background of their self-portrait.

I'm really looking forward to this next stage of the project. I think the students are getting more and more enthusiastic about the final art piece. I feel the energy in the classroom...this is an exciting feeling.

HW: Finish sketching the draft silhouette in sketchbook or on newsprint.
Choose a color, using the worksheet provided, that represents a part of your personality.

Extra Credit: Design a symbol for your Block Letter (ie. Block "A")

Self-Portrait Vocabulary Worksheet:
whoami_vocab.doc

Who Am I?

2009-09-21T17:53:00.000-07:00

We have begun to embark on our major portfolio project entitled, Who Am I? Self-Portrait.
During the past week we have created a list of "interests" and "hopes" along with a self-written Who Am I? Poem. These two things have created a foundation for the project's main theme. Students should think of a minimum of 15 symbols/illustrations that represent them. For homework over the weekend, everyone should know their 15+ symbols and arrange them in an organized fashion that should be transferred into the silhouette of their head. This sketch/draft silhouette is due this Monday or Tuesday (depending on the class).

Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns!!
Good luck!

anne@envisionacademy.org

9/14-9/15 Monday-Tuesday

2009-09-14T15:59:00.000-07:00

DoNow: Draw a musical instrument
A1: Self-Assess your "Ladder to Success"
A2: Introduce Color and Vocab

Color Wheel
Color Spectrum (ie. rainbow through H2O, oil, prism...)
Hue - the name of a color (red, orange, blue...)
Primary Colors = red, yellow, blue
Secondary Colors - mixing 2 primaries together = orange, green, violet/purple :: example equation = yellow(p) + red(p) = orange
Tertiary (Intermediate) Colors - mixing 1 primary + 1 secondary together = yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-green, blue-violet, red-violet, red-orange :: example equation = red(p) + orange(s)(red+yellow)=red-orange(t)

T1: Create your own color wheel. Then create an "alternative" color wheel.
T2: Review for Quiz (Wednesday)
LOQ

Objectives:
Familiarize self with EA's Holistic Rubric.
Learn and experiment with color.

HW: Study for Quiz

Line = 5 kinds (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, zigzag); 5 variations (width, length, degree of curve, texture, direction)
Blind/Modified Contour drawings
Negative and Positive Space
Shading = highlights and shadows
R-mode = shifting into the right side of the brain (your creative side)
Still Life
Composition = how you arrange your illustration on the paper (centered, off-centered...)
Point of View (POV) = how you, as the artist, conveys a meaning/a message in your artwork for the viewer to decipher.

9/10-9/11

2009-09-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

DoNow: Create a symbol/ design with your initials.
A1: Still Life Drawings (station 1)
A2: Ladder to Success Drawing (station 2)
(The class was split up into smaller groups to complete each task. Halfway through the class, the groups switched stations.)

Notes on board:
* Composition- How you place your image on the paper. How much of he object do you see? What do you want the viewer to focus on? (ie. centered vs off-centered; zooming in = intimate, up close and personal...)

* Point of View- Where you are looking from conveys a meaning. How does your Point of View impact your drawing? (ie. are you below it, looking up? are you looking down on it?...)

Objectives:
Students will observe inanimate objects while drawing them with great detail (a still life drawing)
Students will practice using both composition and point of view to create a balanced, meaningful illustration.

HW: #5 Look around your house...what artifacts symbolize/ represent your family's culture/beliefs? Draw them to the best of your abilities. (SB)

9/8-9

2009-09-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

Monday/Tuesday
DoNow: Draw some flowers.
A1: Shading Review
T1: Shade a sphere (SB) using a handout's tips and directions
A2: The 4 Basic Shapes found in Nature
T2: Shading 4 Basic Shapes (worksheet)
T3: Combine Shapes into your own creation (SB)
HW: No HW...except to catch up if you're falling behind!

2009-09-03T18:30:00.001-07:00

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

8.31-9.

2009-09-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

Monday/Tuesday
DoNow: Draw your hand
A1: Review Contour Drawings
T1: Blind/Modified Contour Drawings - hands
A2: Positive and Negative Space
T2: Positive and Negative Space Designs
HW: #2 *Draw a modified/blind contour drawing of your shoe (SB)

Wednesday
DoNow: Draw your hand holding a pencil
A1: Review Expectations
A2: Shading Techniques
T2: Practice shading with help from handout
HW: #3 Free Choice (SB)

Thursday/Friday
DoNow: Draw a picture of your stool
A1: Talk to the Text
A2: Share out findings
T2: Upside Down Drawings - see handout
T3: Name Plate - include: 1. name, 2. minimum of 3 colors, 3. no white space, 4. creative background
HW: # 4 Find something in a magazine and draw it upside down (SB)

... in class excerise.

... upside down drawing for homework.

Our First Week :: 8.24-8-28

2009-08-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Monday/Tuesday
DoNow: Draw a portrait of yourself (on a large index card)
Activity 1: Personal Info Card
Task 1: Name Plate - please include: 1. your name 2. a minimum of 3 colors 3. No white space and 4. a creative background
HW: Bring materials to class by Thurs/Friday

Wednesday
DoNow: Draw a tree branch with detail
A1: Syllabus
A2: What is Line? - vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, zigzag
HW: Materials, syllabus signed, magazine page with variety of lines

Thursday/Friday
DoNow: Draw a close-up drawing of the bristles of a toothbrush
A1: Line Variation - width, length, direction, degree of curve, texture
T1: Line Exploration
A2: Introduction to Contour Drawing
T2: Blind Contour Drawing - objects and faces
HW: #1 Draw your front door (Sketchbook)

Welcome to VA @ EA

2009-08-24T15:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a space for you to find updated:

1. Homework Assignments

2. Activities (in class)

3. Tasks (in class)

********************************************
Please check this space if you are absent, if you have missing assignments, or if you would simply like to see what we're doing in the Visual Art class here at Envision Academy!