Reflection

In reflecting back on my original blog about my advice to myself for the first day of class, I have to say that a lot of what was said there can be still be of great use.  But most interestingly, the things mentioned in that post are very similar to the things mentioned in the post right before this one.  There is a strong focus on the students and the interactions between the teacher on a personal level.  Getting to know the students is key.

From what I've observed in my practicum, it is easy to achieve this if the teacher is very sociable with his/her students.  The students will feel comfortable in the classroom and the teacher will receive so much information about their personalities and what they express in their work.

Some more advice that I can give myself is to expect just about everything from the students in terms of their personal lives.  The students will be an open book, and they will not be afraid to talk with you about anything.  Personal relationships, school, stress, and family issues are just a few of the things you can expect to talk about with your students.  You need to be prepared to say the right things, and to be a good role model to the students.  They will look up to you, and they will come to you for advice.

Contacting their parents about your concerns will be necessary also.  If a particular student is worrying you in any way, you should contact his/her parents and discuss the matter with them.  But, depending on the circumstance, it might be best to contact the school counselor first, or discuss it with your coworkers who have this student in their classes as well.  Also, do the same for when the student is impressing you in a positive manner, the parents will love to hear that their student is doing well in your class and they will likely tell this to their child which will benefit the student in many ways.

Being a teacher isn't just about writing lessons and grading work, it's about being a mentor and a role model to your students.  You will learn a lot about your students, and you will have to teach them many more things in life than just art.

Some Interesting Things

What I saw in my field placement that I thought was the most interesting was how close the teacher was to her students.  She seemed to have a personal relationship with each and every one of them, and they all clearly enjoyed her class and her humor.  I loved how relaxed the classes felt, and the students were always on task while still having fun with the teacher and the people around them.

Most of the classes that I observed were senior classes, so I'm sure that fact has a lot to say about how she knew her students so well.  But regardless, the students should feel as comfortable as these kids did at any grade level, especially in the art classroom.  Some of her students would even go to her house for cook outs and dog sitting.  There were even a few who offered to help her move when she was packing and unpacking for her new house.

The school that I was assigned to had an interesting schedule that was new to me.  It included a period of time every day that allowed the students to roam the campus freely and socialize or work on schoolwork.  I was amazed at the number of students who would come into her classroom during this time and socialize with her.  I never saw but once, a student coming in to work on an assignment, but even this student took advantage of the time to crack jokes with the teacher.

After seeing this every day, I quickly realized how important it is for the students to feel as comfortable as possible in the classroom.  It allowed for a stress free environment where the students could come in to work without much pressure.  The students worked diligently and never hesitated to ask the teacher for guidance or discuss their work with her with the fear of being wrong or criticized.
I hope to have the kind of relationship with my students.  It not only benefits them, but also the teacher.  The school days are entertaining and the communication between the students is never hampered.

What I've learned from this is to try to be like this teacher.  I'll need to be sociable and approachable.  I won't need to get to know every student on a personal level, but it will help to know how to interact with them individually and learn the personalities and tendencies of each of them.  It will be beneficial to the students and the teacher in so many ways.

My Ideal Teaching Situation

I would love to be in a school where there are several art teachers, instead of one.  Each teacher would teach their own respective field and the students would decide on which courses to take.  I would teach drawing.  I have the most experience with this medium and feel the most comfortable teaching it to the best of my ability.  I would have lessons that deal with graphite, charcoal, ink, and some colored mediums as well such as pastels and colored pencils.

Most of my lessons would focus on my students expressing themselves.  Sure, I would start out with them drawing still lifes to show their technical skills with the materials.  Then I would move on to more conceptual things, and have them express ideas and subjects that they are passionate about.  Through my time at USC, I have learned how to effectively express myself in my art.  It has made me much more passionate about my work.  Unfortunately, I did not strengthen these skills until the last two years of my college career.  I want to get my students thinking in this way as soon as possible.  I believe that it is such a necessary skill in the art world, and it will only encourage the artist to work harder and create stronger work.

Using what I have learned through my time at USC, in my drawing classes at MTC, and through my own experience with drawing, I will be able to teach my students much more about drawing than just how to use a pencil to draw a vase.  I have learned how to use the elements and principles of design, color theory, and compositional strategies to give meaning to my art, and I will try to the best of my ability to teach this to my students.

As for my own skills, I will never stop creating art.  I will always continue to express myself and challenge myself to learn new skills.  I can do this by simply drawing on my own.  But I can also take courses at the schools around my area.  I will visit local galleries and art events and engulf myself with the local art culture.  The internet will be useful to me as well, as I can upload images of my art and receive feedback from other artists all across the globe.  I will take what I continue to learn and apply to my classes and to my lessons, constantly tweaking them to relate to contemporary society and incorporate any new skill that I have learned that I think will be beneficial to my students' learning.

My Portfolio

These are just a handful of some of the pieces that I've done over the past few years.  My medium of choice is drawing, especially with graphite and charcoal.  I have had the most experience with these materials, but at my time at USC, I have been taught how to use many different mediums.  

I feel very comfortable with printmaking, acrylic/oil painting, watercolors, photography, and 3D sculpture.  My experience with ceramics was a good one, but I could definitely sharpen my skills with working with clay.  In terms of subject matter, my ability with drawing the human figure can certainly be increased.  I took a figure structure class, where I learned quite a bit, but I don't feel as comfortable with that subject as I do with others.

Ideally I would teach strictly drawing.  I would teach materials such as graphite, charcoal, pastels, ink, and colored pencil as my skills with these materials are much greater than the others mentioned above.  If I were to teach some of the other materials, I could teach them just fine on a basic level, but would still need to practice.  If time allowed, I would continue to take courses at USC or any other local institution.  If I do not have the time to attend classes, I would purchase the materials myself and practice on my own using information from internet sources.  I would also contact my fellow teachers and ask for advice on the matter.

Career and College

As a high school student, I had always imagined that I would pursue a career in music.  My father is a working musician and some of my friends also play for money.  Seeing how much they love to perform and the seeing the satisfaction of making something that everyone around you is experiencing and enjoying, I just knew that I would do the same.  The life of a musician is wonderful, but I slowly started to realize, as graduation got closer and closer, that maybe this isn't what I want to do after all.  Sure, I love music, but maybe I should just keep it as a hobby and pursue something that might offer more money.  Then I had another realization, that if I pursue a career that I wasn't passionate about, but it paid the bills, will I be happy?  I would be successful, of course.  But would I be happy?  The answer I always told myself was no.

Something had to change.  I had to make a decision, and make it fast!  The pressure was on, and the one thing I knew that I loved just as much as music was art.  So, after graduation, I went to a technical school, earned an Associate degree and transferred to USC to study Art Education.

My story, and much like many others I have heard, is one of stress and confusion.  I was never 100% sure about what I wanted to do, and honestly, I'm still not today.  But what I do know is that I need to pursue something that I am passionate about.  I know that if I work for money and not satisfaction that I will be very unhappy in life.

This is something that I will tell my students as they prepare for college, or even on their first day of high school.  They will all experience the same thing that I went through.  The uncertainty, the risks of failure, the risks of unhappiness, and the stress of having to make the decision before you're even 100% sure.  I will tell them that it's alright to be unsure, it's alright to be confused, you're never going to know for sure until you try something.  The best advice that I can give my students is to tell them to go for what they love, and they will never work a day in their life.  There is so much more to life than making a steady paycheck.  And even if you don't like the path you chose, you can always change it, and that's alright too.

I once heard a quote that said, "College is great place to find out what you don't want to do."  This is true, for many students.  College is a wonderful place to figure out what career path you want to take, and high school is too, but you're at such a young age.  How can you possibly know what you want to do for the rest of your life at age 18?  Once you're in college, and you decide that your major isn't a good fit for you, change it.  It's fine.  You're supposed to do it.  Find something else that makes you happy.  Forget about the extra time it will take to graduate, that's not important.  What's important is you and your future.

So with all of this in mind, I would tell my students to chase after something that they love, not after something that they think will pay the bills.  Life is too short to focus on riches and success, instead focus on yourself and pursue what makes you the most happy.  You won't regret a second of it.

Collage

Typically, a collage piece will be made up of pieces of colored paper, cut photographs, fabrics, etc.  In my classroom, however, we will incorporate more than just two dimensional objects.  The focus of this project will be to make a piece that has one object surrounded by other objects that relate or support the object in some way.  It can support it symbolically or visually.

The students will be expected to choose some sort of small, non-perishable object that they will be willing to attach to a piece of paper.  The object can't be some random thing in their possession, it needs to be meaningful to them in some way.  For example, I played with Hot Wheels for most of my childhood.  They greatly influenced my obsession with the automobile industry, and so I would choose to put a Hot Wheel into my piece.  The object can also be something bought if they don't have the actual object, or if they don't want to put the real one in the piece, they are allowed to substitute a new one.

They will be given an array of materials, including colored papers, scrap wallpaper, thread, fabrics, beads, etc.  The students can also incorporate found objects, especially things from the outdoors (only if these materials are safe and will not deteriorate).  Their collage will be placed onto a large sheet of construction paper, in a color of their choice.  The single meaningful object that they choose should be a piece of emphasis in their collage and the surrounding pieces will support it.

In our class, we were told how our teacher has given a lesson similar to this that focuses on color theory.  She said that she randomly chooses a color, anything from fabric to paper, and gives it to the student and they have to use it in their piece.  The student will then have to figure out how to use the new material without damaging the effect of their work.  Usually, the pieces were enhanced by this color.  This is something that I will likely include in a collage lesson.  It gives the students a chance, using what they've learned about the elements and principles of design, to solve a problem.

Here a few examples from our class:

Marker Ink Wash

Ink wash drawing is something most artists would consider to be a difficult medium to work with.  In the classroom, a challenging medium is always welcomed.  What better way to teach the students how to be patient with their art than with ink wash.  Now, ink can get very messy and will stain clothing, an easy and inexpensive way around this is to use washable markers and water.

The students will receive plastic palettes, water cups, and markers of assorted colors.  They will get the same result as a traditional ink wash drawing, but they can use color as well, which will also give them the experience of working with watercolors.

In our class we were given the same materials and were told to experiment.  Some of us drew portraits, animals, flowers, etc. and some made experimentation sheets showing how the different brands of markers behaved, and also showed different techniques of applying the ink.

These materials behave in just the same way as watercolors.  The colors are even more vibrant in some cases.  This is an ideal technique in getting a class ready to work with watercolors.  Learning how to use a brush with a medium that is unpredictable in relation to something like acrylics or oil paints.

In relation to ink wash, however, the black markers never gave a true black like India ink does.  The tone was always grey or even slightly green because of the inks in some brands of the markers.  Still, this is a usable technique in getting students prepared to work with ink wash.  Once using actual ink, the students should still practice with the materials because ink will be much darker and will have to be used in much smaller amounts to achieve the same result.

Value and Color are the two main elements of design that students will utilize when working with these materials.  In some cases Line can be used, especially when working with some sort of ink quill, such as a bamboo pen.  Gradation and Contrast are the two most relevant principles of design with these techniques.  The students will be able to see how manipulating the water before it dries can create gradation, and the darkness of the ink can certainly enhance contrast.

Students who have never worked with these types of wet materials will have to figure out ways to control them.  They will need to problem solve in order to achieve a desired result.  Creativity plays a big role here, but creativity will also be used in how the students use these newly learned skills to create imagery.

Field Trip

It is important for students of any field to go out and view things in person.  Just as it is important for music students to hear live performances, instead of listening to them digitally, it is important for art students to see works of art, instead of viewing them on a screen or in a textbook.

If money and time allowed, I would take my students to some of the more famous and influential galleries in the country; MoMA, The MET, The High, etc.  These are the places where they will see most of the art that I will discuss in my classroom.  However, an efficient way for them to see works of art is to take them to a local gallery.  The Columbia Museum of Art is an obvious choice, it's easy to get to, easy to navigate, and they offer free admission to the permanent gallery on Sundays.

It is important for students of any field to go out and view things in person.  Just as it is important for music students to hear live performances, instead of listening to them digitally, it is important for art students to see works of art, instead of viewing them on a screen or in a textbook.

If money and time allowed, I would take my students to some of the more famous and influential galleries in the country; MoMA, The MET, The High, etc.  These are the places where they will see most of the art that I will discuss in my classroom.  However, an efficient way for them to see works of art is to take them to a local gallery.  The Columbia Museum of Art is an obvious choice, it's easy to get to, easy to navigate, and they offer free admission to the permanent gallery on Sundays.

Seeing art in person is much better than seeing it on a screen, in numerous ways.  The scale, the detail, textures, colors; all of these things become much more clear and expressive when the viewer is directly in front of the work.  I believe every successful art program must include at least one field trip where the students see art in the flesh.

Cardboard Multiples

Using cardboard to make sculpture is easy, inexpensive, and fun.  The materials that will be needed for this project are sheets of cardboard, 18" x 24" (one for each student and perhaps some extra), scrap cardboard for stencils, scissors, rulers, and hot glue guns.

The Project

The students will each receive one sheet of cardboard, and they will cut out a piece in any shape that will be used as a base so that their sculpture will be able to stand on it's own.  Then they must design a shape and cut that shape out of the cardboard at least 40 times.  The shape can be anything from a square or triangle to a polygon of their own design. Depending on how large their pieces are they can continue to cut out more pieces until they run out of material.

This lesson is designed so that the students will have to plan ahead.  Their shapes have to be small enough so that at least 40 pieces can be removed from their piece of cardboard.  The size of their base is important as well so that enough material is left over for those 40 pieces.  To help with this, you will need some scrap cardboard, this can be cheap cardboard bought with the large sheets or from boxes picked up from a grocery store.  The students will use this scrap cardboard to cut out their shape and use it as a stencil.  They will then draw their shapes onto their sheets of cardboard to make sure that they can cut out at least 40 pieces and have a large enough piece for the base.

Once they have drawn out their 40 or more pieces, they will now cut out their pieces, and the base, using scissors.  After this they will begin gluing their pieces together in any form that they desire.  Their sculpture can be representative or abstract, it is up to the student to decide.  The sculpture should be finished before attaching it to the base, this is to make sure they can configure their piece to stand on its own while attached to the base.

Some students may finish early and might have enough time to add some color to their piece.  They can do so with paint, markers, crayons, etc.  Another thing that they can do is to tear some of the cardboard in places to show the corrugation inside.

Here are some online examples:

This last example is not all the same shape, but this is something that the students can do to attach their pieces together.  This artist used slits cut into the sides of each piece to attach the shapes perpendicularly.

Wire Sculpture Portrait

Wire is commonly used in art lessons to create sculpture, especially of the human form or of animals.  Not so common though, is wire used to make portraiture.  This lesson will allow the students to work in the third dimension and focus on negative space and how to show form with minimal materials.

This lesson will start with the students finding an image of themselves to use as a reference.  The image needs to be a portrait and should be at least 9" x 12".  Using some stiff board, or a piece of wood, the students will glue their image to this surface.  Then, at the two points where the edges of their shoulders or arms leave the frame, they will punch or drill small holes through the image and the board.  These holes will be used to fasten the ends of their wire and keep everything in place.

Once two long strands of wire have been fastened, they will bend and manipulate the wire, using pliers and other small hand tools, to follow the lines of the face and chest, depending on how much of their body is in the picture.  They will bend wire around the shapes of their eyes, nose, lips, hairline, etc. to basically make a line drawing of their face using wire.  There also shouldn't be any cutting of the wire, it should be one continuous line starting from either side of their shoulders and then connect, or touch, somewhere in the piece. While they are doing this, they should also make the wire come out towards the viewer to create form.  For example, the nose should be protruding from the two dimensional space so that it can be seen from any angle other than directly in front; as well as with the brow, chin, lips, etc.  The idea, however, is to not make these elements protrude to realistic lengths, but only to allow for a three dimensional aspect of the piece.

After the sculpture is completed the wire will be removed and attached to a base, so that the piece will stand upright.  This base can be anything from a small block of wood, or stone, to some sort of found object that has meaning to the student.  The piece can also be hung on the wall if the student so desires.

Online Examples:

Film Making

Film has been considered a high art form for quite a long time, but how can it be included in an art classroom?  The answer is simple, have the students make a short film.  However, depending on the class and the budget of the school, it may not be that easy.

Example Lesson 1

For starts, the class must be given a lesson on the history of film making.  Covering everything from it's invention to it's use in today's world.  In order for the students to make a short film that explores the artistic elements of film making, they would have to know how this is achieved and why.  This is where I would include a lesson on the vocabulary of film making.  I would show them film clips and screenshots that emphasize the different camera angles, movements, and shots.  The students would also be quizzed on this information and asked how to use these techniques to emphasize an idea or emotion.  Now the students should be ready to start making film of their own.

The students will be expected to make a short film that will tell an emotional story.  The story can be about anger, love, sadness, etc.  The story should revolve around only one of these emotions.  They will be put into groups and each member will be given the chance to film, cast, and edit.  The story will be written by the students and they will be given guidance to ensure that they are along the right path.  Using the different techniques that they were quizzed on, they will be expected to use these to show the emotions in their story.

Example Lesson 2

Another possibility, if there was not enough time to include a full blown film making lesson, would be for the students to make screenshots.  Given the same lesson as above pertaining to the history and techniques of film making, the students will work in groups and create several screenshots that show an emotion or action in a setting, using a digital camera and Photoshop to edit these images.

Special Needs and the Gifted and Talented

When teaching in the public school system, you have to expect encountering students with varying levels of skill and ability.  This doesn't mean that you have to create different lessons for different groups of students, only that you will have to expect different outcomes.  These different outcomes will be graded according to the student's ability, and the lesson can be modified so that the student isn't working above or below their skill level.

Special Needs

The first group of students that we will discuss today is the special needs group.  Depending on the student, whether they have difficulty with motor skills or difficulty understanding concepts, the lesson can be tailored to their needs so that they will learn the most possible.  This, unfortunately, causes that student to be singled out.  This becomes an even larger problem when there are more than one students with special needs, and it becomes a group that is being separated out.  The best way that I see to counteract this is to not tell the student that they will be held to a different level when the assignment will be graded and allow the student to work on the project in the same manner as the rest of the class.

A great project to use in this manner with students with special needs is a still life drawing.  All of the students will be drawing from the same subject that will be placed in the center of the room.  The students will be given a choice where to sit, so that they will feel comfortable drawing what they can see from the angle they choose.  Along with that, they will not be expected to draw everything that they see, they will be asked to draw a smaller area of the still life.  This will further allow them to draw something that they are all comfortable with.

As far as materials go, they will all be drawing with graphite pencils on white drawing paper.  This lesson can even include some scratch drawing where the students can experiment with different papers and drawing materials to not only learn about different materials, but also do it without the pressure of it being graded.

Grading the work of students with special needs is difficult to talk about hypothetically because each student is unique, and will be graded based on their particular skills and abilities.  Generally speaking, however, students who have motor skill difficulties will not be graded on technical skill the same as other students, and students with difficulty understanding concepts will not be graded poorly for not understanding the goals of the project.

Gifted and Talented Students

For this group the assignment will be drawn in the same manner as above but can be extended to work on a larger portion of the subject, and can even include using different materials and papers.  Their technical ability will be graded at a higher level than the rest of the class and these students can be talked to individually and the teacher can encourage the student to use some compositional strategies as well.

The subject in the center of the room will include some glass objects and some chrome or glossy objects where these students will be encouraged to draw reflections and also focus on some transparent pieces.  It will be up to the teacher to talk with these students before the class decides on their seating and how they view the subject so that the teacher can ask them to challenge themselves and work on the more challenging objects.

This also creates another group that is singled out from the rest of the class and can discourage those who are not as skilled.  One way to avoid discouraging the other students would be to have the gifted and talented group work on an extra assignment that they can work on at home.  Have these students draw a still life at home using a toned paper or have them draw challenging objects as a separate drawing that will be an addition to what the rest of the class is doing.

When dealing with multiple skill levels, it is difficult to avoid singling out students and discouraging others, but these are some easy and effective ways to counteract these issues.  It is always best to challenge your students, no matter what skill level, so that they learn as much as possible.  It is also always best to not hold their level of skill against them when grading their work.  The most important thing is that all of the students are learning at their own pace, and that they are all comfortable doing so.

Media in the Classroom

In today's world, the term media covers a lot of ground.  In the art classroom, the term can be narrowed down to several different forms of art making.  I have seen schools where there is only one art teacher, and this teacher has to include some types of media art into their curriculum.  I have also seen schools where there are several art teachers, each focusing on one or two types of art making.  Typically, when there are multiple teachers, one teacher is set aside solely for the media arts.  He or she will teach digital photography, animation, video/movie making, etc., and the students at the school will rotate between teachers throughout the school year.

I am ready to be a part of a school where I am part of a group of art teachers.  However, I wouldn't consider myself prepared just yet to be a single art teacher who teaches everything that the standards require.  In this blog, I will be discussing several projects that I have seen, or designed myself, that can be used as media arts lessons.

When it comes to media arts, there are several computer programs that are necessary to have; the first being Adobe Photoshop.  I can imagine that most of my students will have experience using this program at some point in their lives, and they will likely feel comfortable using it in the classroom.  Another program that I am familiar with is Adobe iMovie, this is a great and easy to use program that just about anybody can use to create a movie or short film.

Some Project Ideas

Using a digital camera, or cell phone (not preferred), and a tripod, the student will place the camera in a single point and will not move it at all.  The student will take several photos of themselves posing in front of the camera in several positions.  In Adobe Photoshop, the images can be layered so that the student will appear in all of these positions in one picture.

This is a great way to get the students to learn the basics of using Photoshop, or any kind of photo editing software.  It can be more about the different poses as well, compositional strategies can be used here, and the students can even try to tell a narrative with their images.

Online Example

Online Example

Another project that I have seen before is for the students to make a stop animation film using various techniques.  They can use modeling clay, wire sculpture, cartoon/photograph cutouts, etc.  Anything that can be easily and efficiently manipulated between frames.  This project works very well with iMovie.  They can include music, sound effects, and learn the basics of cutting and transitioning.

Online example:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByGq-EdQ2L0

Online example:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSzCLf8tjP4

My Class

Depending upon the situation of the school, whether there are several specialized art teachers or one, these projects and many others can be included into the curriculum.  If I were to be the only art teacher, I would most certainly include these projects, or ones similar.  My media arts background isn't as in depth as some other's, but I am always willing to learn about different technology so that my students will learn as much as possible.

Even if I was a part of a team of teachers, I would still include media art lessons in my curriculum.  These lessons would likely include different mediums and would be combined with media arts to create a sort of hybrid lesson.

Photojournalism Techniques

Below are some photographs that I took to display several compositional and photojournalism techniques.  These photographs were taken with my smartphone as I was around town and one was even taken in Charleston, SC.  Besides the simple techniques, such as, Rule of Thirds, Golden Triangle, and Golden Spiral, these photojournalism techniques focus on making the image tell a story or to put the viewer inside the photograph.

Disturbance

This technique tries to put the viewer within the photograph by placing a frame within a frame, which, in this case, places the viewer inside of the room.  The point of this is to make the viewer feel as if they are experiencing one environment while viewing another.

Place

Place is another technique that puts the viewer into the photograph.  In this case, the subject is the room, but another subject is the table in which the photographer appears to be sitting.  By doing this, the viewer gets a stronger sense of perspective and can feel how large or small the room is.  This technique is used quite often in photojournalism for it's way of letting the viewer experience what the photographer experienced at the time of taking the photograph.

Proximity

Proximity is used most often with portraiture, but can be used with inanimate objects as well.  The purpose of this technique is to reach a level of intimacy with the subject.  The viewer will be forced to notice the subject and examine it, more so than the rest of the image.  This technique is a powerful tool when photographing faces for it's effectiveness is showing emotion.

Vantage Point

This technique is achieved by placing the camera in a place where your eyes would not normally go.  Disturbance and Place are commonly used at eye level, whereas with vantage point the viewer views the subject from an angle that they likely have never experienced before.  This can make the subject appear larger than life, or even distorted.

In The Classroom

Most students today will likely own a smartphone, and it will likely have a sophisticated camera.  Chances are, they are decently skilled with their device, and are capable of taking some good quality photographs.

This photography assignment will include the students taking photographs with their phones, and they will have to take shots using the 4 techniques described earlier.  This will be a good starting point, so that the students will feel comfortable using their device and will be able to think more about the composition of the image instead of worrying about how to properly use the camera.

Once the students have taken the 4 four photographs, and each image successfully exemplifies the techniques above, it is now time to have them use a different camera.  The cameras can be ones that the students already own, preferably digital, or if a student does not own a camera, the school, depending on the budget, can assign one for that student to rent.  However, another option would be disposable digital cameras.  Unfortunately, the disposable cameras will not have the option to edit and crop the image on the device, like a smartphone or a digital camera would.  This, however, is useful to the student, because they will have to focus on the composition and take the shot by placing the camera exactly where it needs to be, unlike with a smartphone where the image can be edited immediately after.

The Subject Matter

The students will need to think carefully about their subject and how to incorporate these techniques to abstract or tell something about their subject.  Teenagers usually are passionate about technology, music, and fashion.  Subjects could include cell phones, articles of clothing, music playing devices, etc.  These would likely be subjects for the techniques proximity and vantage point.

As for place and disturbance the students could take photographs of the things that they do with their family and friends.  The environment should be used to the photographer's advantage.

Example of Proximity

Example of Vantage Point

Example of Place

Example of Disturbance

Here are some websites that the students can read to learn how to achieve certain goals in their photography endeavors.

• www.diyphotography.net
• www.thephotoargus.com
• digital-photography-school.com

Teacher Letter

Dear parents,

I am pleased that your child/children have expressed interest to attend my art class.  Here my students  will learn much more about how to create and understand art.  Through the art making process, students will learn how to think critically, problem solve, express themselves, and to think creatively.  These skills will take them farther in their curriculum outside of the art classroom, and will enable them to succeed.

The goals of my classroom are to encourage my students to express themselves effectively through visual and verbal means while building a foundation of art knowledge, vocabulary, and skills through the Elements of Art and Principles of Design.  The students will also learn how to use these skills to observe and understand the world around them.

Their work will be exhibited every year at our student art show, where they will win awards and will be able to discuss their work with other students, faculty, and parents.  My students will also be encouraged to display their work at public galleries, functions, and even the State Fair.  I will personally compile a group of works to display at these venues as well, given the permission of the student and their parents.

Each lesson taught in my class will consist of a history lesson about a particular artist or movement.  The students will be able to identify works of art from moments in history and from famous artists all around the world.  They will also be given the opportunity to view historical and meaningful works of art from field trips to the local art museum.

I look forward to working with you and your children, and if you have any questions or concerns, you can contact me through the attached email address.

It's going to be a great year!

Sincerely,
Mr. Grant Erd

Color Theory

The basics of color theory for most of us, are learned from a young age.  We are told what the primary colors are, what the secondary colors are, and sometimes we might even learn the tertiary colors.  Basically, we learn how the color wheel is structured.  Once we reach high school we learn so much more, and even more in college.

When teaching color theory to students below the college level, there are many things that they probably won't understand.  But, to keep things moving in the classroom, the students can use their teachings to create a work of art that teaches them how to properly mix colors.  They can make their own color wheel using the primary colors, red, green, and blue.

Once they have completed their color wheel, they can then move on to the project.

The Project

Using a camera and Photoshop, the teacher will take portraits of each student, change them to black and white, and then use posterize to minimize the tone range.  Using a grid, the students will map out the shapes of color and enlarge them onto a larger piece of paper.  They will then use tempera or acrylic paint to blend a single color, of their choice, with white to create a monochromatic self portrait.

(work in progress)

The students will also have the option to use more than one color.  They can use complimentary colors, tertiary colors, or even polychromatic for those who are more advanced.  To achieve this the students must understand how to properly place color into the highlights and shadows.  Placement of warm and cool colors is an option.  The warm colors for the highlights, and the cool for the shadows.

Andy Warhol

This is a great artist to talk about when teaching this lesson.  He used the silkscreen printing process to achieve beautiful color combinations.  He's most famous for his portraits of celebrities, especially Marilyn Monroe.

Color Pencil

After drawing with graphite pencils for quite a while, it's time to move on to color pencil.  Shading with graphite and charcoal is very different from shading with color pencil.  With black and white, the shading is solely on the shapes of light and shadow, whereas with color pencil it's more about blending.

The students are going to need some practice with their materials before diving straight into creating a finished piece.  The most important thing to practice will be how to properly blend and lay down color.  With graphite pencil it's best to use a light touch when making contact with the paper, the same is true with color pencils, but even lighter.

The students will be expected to finish a worksheet where they will practice coloring and blending.  This worksheet should be started in class, with teacher input, and finished at home so that they will have plenty of time to practice.

Online Example

The lightness of pressure should be stressed as it is very easy to show the direction of your stroke with color pencils.  In our class, the worksheet was much smaller and less involved because of our time constraints.

In-class Example

The Project

There are many projects that can be done with color pencil.  Monochromatic or polychromatic portraits, abstract drawings, worm vs. cool color studies, etc.  Still life is another great project that would be easy to pull off in a classroom, especially since the students have already finished a still life drawing with graphite.  Working with color on the same project would allow them to practice what they already know, but with a different medium.

This still life however, should have at least one or two clear glass vases.  Since there is nothing to shade on a glass vase, the students will be forced to focus on shapes of color and their varying tints.  Some spheres or even spherical fruit should be incorporated as well.  This will allow them to focus again on light, shadow, and reflected light all over again, but this time with varying tints of color.

Online Example - Sari Gaby

Veronica Winters

Here are some student works that were shown in our class of different projects that can be done with color pencil.