Katie Fisher
Chelsey ClarkTuesday, April 29, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
POP ART UNIT
What is POP? Pop music? Pop culture? Pop art?
We are starting a unit on POP ART, a movement from the 1960's.
Today we will read the Scholastic Art handout on Andy Warhol together as a group.
Over the next week, we will meet in the art room and complete a painting project based off this material. We will also learn how to use the photocopier and acrylic paint.
We are starting a unit on POP ART, a movement from the 1960's.
Today we will read the Scholastic Art handout on Andy Warhol together as a group.
Over the next week, we will meet in the art room and complete a painting project based off this material. We will also learn how to use the photocopier and acrylic paint.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Artist Project 1: Abstraction Expressionism
Abstraction Expressionism
Abstract Expressionism is an American art movement that stresses color. Color is the basic element of painting. The Abstract Expressionists, or AB EX painters, were brave enough to abandon the structures of realistic subject matter and focus purely on the relationship of color. There are two major types of Ab Ex art; Motion Painting and Color Field Painting. Jackson Pollock was a motion painter and Rothko is a color field painter. Below are examples of each artist's style of painting. You can enlarge an image by clicking on it.
Ab Ex is important because it was the first American art movement that was distinct and separate from the European art world. The Ab Ex artists like Pollock and Rothko helped put New York on the map. It now is a rival to Paris as capital of the art world. The following article chronicling the story of Ab Ex comes from the book Abstract Art by Anna Moszynska.
Jackson Pollock's work is very kinetic. It stresses the fluidity of the painting medium and addresses the act of painting. Pollock felt that the artist's own reactions to paint being brushed, poured, dripped and rolled across a canvas was much more important than the artifact (the painting) that is left behind.
The image above is a good example of how Pollock focused on the overlapping of color. There are no trees, no houses, nor any subject at all. Color, line and motion become the subject. And these elements are the root of painting.
Gesture Painting
In terms of creating the new American paining, it is Jackson Pollock who has been credited with breaking the ice, With the discovery of new techniques leading to his characteristic drip paintings after 1947, Pollock galvanized American abstraction and produced a painting style that was more direct, improvisational and larger in scale than most European examples hitherto.
Color Field Painting
Rather than being concerned with the gestural trace of paint on canvas, the color-field painters, concentrated on chromatic values and explored the retinal effects of color as opposed to the expressive impact of line. Unlike previous European painting, there tends to be no relation between the separate parts of the composition; instead, the entire surface is uniform and smooth, presenting a 'holistic' field. The unified field of saturated color and the large scale of the canvas mean that the spectator is totally surrounded by the work. A dramatic and even physically affective rapport is set up, in which the extensive canvas surface and the intense color suggest something beyond the physicality of the painting itself. Underpinning the extreme abstraction of the work is a constant desire to convey feeling and meaning.
Rothko
Rothko abandons the dialog about motion and focuses purely on the spiritual effect of color. Examining a Rothko has been liked to Buddhist meditation.These pictures hide a subtle allegory.
The picture above might be seen as a nightscape and right a sunset. But the essence of the work is purely the pleasant visual effect of the juxtaposition of two vibrant colors.
Abstract Expressionism is an American art movement that stresses color. Color is the basic element of painting. The Abstract Expressionists, or AB EX painters, were brave enough to abandon the structures of realistic subject matter and focus purely on the relationship of color. There are two major types of Ab Ex art; Motion Painting and Color Field Painting. Jackson Pollock was a motion painter and Rothko is a color field painter. Below are examples of each artist's style of painting. You can enlarge an image by clicking on it.
Ab Ex is important because it was the first American art movement that was distinct and separate from the European art world. The Ab Ex artists like Pollock and Rothko helped put New York on the map. It now is a rival to Paris as capital of the art world. The following article chronicling the story of Ab Ex comes from the book Abstract Art by Anna Moszynska.
Out of the International melting pot of styles that characterized New York during the War years, the first and most celebrated international American art movement was born: Abstract Expressionism. In fact, the movement, which also became know as New York School, contained two separate, if related tendencies: gesture or action painting-- represented notably by Jackson Pollock (1912-1956), Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) and Franz Kline (1910-1962)-- and color-field painting, epitomized in the work of Mark Rothko (1903-1970), Barnett Newman (1905-1970) and Clyfford Still (1904-1980). However, the movement was wide-ranging and included many other artists, such as Adolph Gottlieb, Robert Motherwell and Philip Guston who do not fit neatly into either category, and despite its name, not all the work was abstract-- nor obviously expressive. Nevertheless, the term Abstract Expressionism serves to identify a period in American art when the overwhelming debt to European modernism was finally overcome. A new vitality and formal inventiveness emerged independently of Paris, and New York moved towards the center of the world's artistic stage.Jackson Pollock
Jackson Pollock's work is very kinetic. It stresses the fluidity of the painting medium and addresses the act of painting. Pollock felt that the artist's own reactions to paint being brushed, poured, dripped and rolled across a canvas was much more important than the artifact (the painting) that is left behind.
The image above is a good example of how Pollock focused on the overlapping of color. There are no trees, no houses, nor any subject at all. Color, line and motion become the subject. And these elements are the root of painting.
Gesture Painting
In terms of creating the new American paining, it is Jackson Pollock who has been credited with breaking the ice, With the discovery of new techniques leading to his characteristic drip paintings after 1947, Pollock galvanized American abstraction and produced a painting style that was more direct, improvisational and larger in scale than most European examples hitherto.
Color Field Painting
Rather than being concerned with the gestural trace of paint on canvas, the color-field painters, concentrated on chromatic values and explored the retinal effects of color as opposed to the expressive impact of line. Unlike previous European painting, there tends to be no relation between the separate parts of the composition; instead, the entire surface is uniform and smooth, presenting a 'holistic' field. The unified field of saturated color and the large scale of the canvas mean that the spectator is totally surrounded by the work. A dramatic and even physically affective rapport is set up, in which the extensive canvas surface and the intense color suggest something beyond the physicality of the painting itself. Underpinning the extreme abstraction of the work is a constant desire to convey feeling and meaning.
Rothko
Rothko abandons the dialog about motion and focuses purely on the spiritual effect of color. Examining a Rothko has been liked to Buddhist meditation.These pictures hide a subtle allegory.
The picture above might be seen as a nightscape and right a sunset. But the essence of the work is purely the pleasant visual effect of the juxtaposition of two vibrant colors.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Quotes, the next best thing to photos
There is no such thing as too many quotes in the yearbook. If you ask open ended questions, you will get quotes that really tell the story. It also gives you the opportunity to get one more student in the yearbook.
When you write your captions/copy, sometimes it is hard to think of something besides, “it was a great season/club/year.” By interviewing the people involved, you will get real stories that really bring the page to life.
Do you want to make your page better? Do you want to make the story personal for the readers? Do you want more than just a group photo and some names in a row? Then quotes are the way to go.
This is YOUR yearbook. Catch what YOU and YOUR classmates are thinking, feeling saying. Make those into quotes that add new depth and color to the 'same old-same old' boring page. You will really catch your audience. Next to photos, kids love seeing their own words in print.
When you write your captions/copy, sometimes it is hard to think of something besides, “it was a great season/club/year.” By interviewing the people involved, you will get real stories that really bring the page to life.
Do you want to make your page better? Do you want to make the story personal for the readers? Do you want more than just a group photo and some names in a row? Then quotes are the way to go.
This is YOUR yearbook. Catch what YOU and YOUR classmates are thinking, feeling saying. Make those into quotes that add new depth and color to the 'same old-same old' boring page. You will really catch your audience. Next to photos, kids love seeing their own words in print.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Photo Tip
Neil Turner at DP Review recommends finding different heights to shoot from - 'The best photographs are made when the photographer chooses a vantage point to suit the subject, and it is surprising how few subjects are suited by the height of a human standing at their full five to six feet'.
So take a second and think about your photographs. Look at the pictures you have taken so far this year. From what angle were they taken? Are they all from a full standing position? Change the paradigm. Take pictures sitting down, lying on the floor, standing on chairs, even on a ladder.
But be careful. For the first few days after you do this, you may come back with pictures taken from the oddest angles imaginable. The key is not to do it all at once but to just think about how a picture might look if taken from another angle.
Remember, take LOTS of shots of an event. Digital photography is FREE... If you don't like an image you simply delete it later. So why take one shot of a play, meeting or event when there is a good chance that it might not be what you want later on your layout. Instead, take a few 'safe shots'. Then think of new views from which you can capture the moment.
Happy shooting!
So take a second and think about your photographs. Look at the pictures you have taken so far this year. From what angle were they taken? Are they all from a full standing position? Change the paradigm. Take pictures sitting down, lying on the floor, standing on chairs, even on a ladder.
But be careful. For the first few days after you do this, you may come back with pictures taken from the oddest angles imaginable. The key is not to do it all at once but to just think about how a picture might look if taken from another angle.
Remember, take LOTS of shots of an event. Digital photography is FREE... If you don't like an image you simply delete it later. So why take one shot of a play, meeting or event when there is a good chance that it might not be what you want later on your layout. Instead, take a few 'safe shots'. Then think of new views from which you can capture the moment.
Happy shooting!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Yearbook Page Idea Guide
So you have been assigned to a page for the yearbook... But you have no idea what to put on it. Well here is a great guide to help you get started.
Athletics
Football, Volleyball, Cross Country, Basketball (Girls and Boys), Wrestling, Golf, Baseball, Softball, Dance-Color Guard, Trainers-Stats, Cheerleaders, Jr. High Sports
A group shot of all participants
Individual achievements such as all conference, all-state, academic all-state.
Write up quoting the coaches or a photo box of the coaches.
Optional ideas:
Content mod with questionnaire
Academic Pages
Art, English, History, Spanish, Math, Industrial Tech, PE
Photos of all the teachers or copy quoting all the teachers
Action shots of the classroom
Look for projects or activities
Not just students in their seats and teacher at the board
Content module of an event or asking question concerning the content
Clubs and Activities
Band, Choir, FFA-Vo Ag, Speech, TAG, Student Government, NHS
Group Shot same as sports
Sponsor/adviser photo or copy with quote
List of contest performers
List of special honors
Action shots from activities
Content module asking a question or favorite memory of club
Remember to capture facts and feelings that you and your fellow students will fondly look back on in the future. If something major happened at a jazz band contest and everyone talked about it the next week at school, that should make its way into the yearbook. If a student-athlete or performer gets a big honor then that should also make your layout. Also, don't forget to look at the events of the year from different angles. You can interview the star of the team, the president of FFA with the trophy from the fair, and the soloist from band... but you also can interview the fans that followed the ball team, the voc-ag freshman who dream of success at the state fair, and the cowbell player who waits all night for "Rock and Roll All Night".
Look for ways to reach everyone. This is a journal of the YEAR... everyone who had a part, whether large or small, in making it different and amazing.
Athletics
Football, Volleyball, Cross Country, Basketball (Girls and Boys), Wrestling, Golf, Baseball, Softball, Dance-Color Guard, Trainers-Stats, Cheerleaders, Jr. High Sports
A group shot of all participants
- Caption this photo
- Front row: name, name, name
- Back row: name, name, name
- Do not waste space by saying, “left to right”.
- If this is a professional shot a small text box (font size: 7) give credit
- Photo by Demings Naturescapes
- This photo MUST be indexed
Individual achievements such as all conference, all-state, academic all-state.
Write up quoting the coaches or a photo box of the coaches.
Optional ideas:
Content mod with questionnaire
- Favorite moment
- why you joined
- or even questions for fans of best moment
Academic Pages
Art, English, History, Spanish, Math, Industrial Tech, PE
Photos of all the teachers or copy quoting all the teachers
Action shots of the classroom
Look for projects or activities
Not just students in their seats and teacher at the board
Content module of an event or asking question concerning the content
- Experiment- list steps and ask questions what they learned
- Field Trip- Favorite thing they saw
- What was their favorite thing they made/learned in class
Clubs and Activities
Band, Choir, FFA-Vo Ag, Speech, TAG, Student Government, NHS
Group Shot same as sports
Sponsor/adviser photo or copy with quote
List of contest performers
List of special honors
Action shots from activities
Content module asking a question or favorite memory of club
- Community Service Project
- Field Trip- Favorite thing they saw
- What was the most fun they had
Remember to capture facts and feelings that you and your fellow students will fondly look back on in the future. If something major happened at a jazz band contest and everyone talked about it the next week at school, that should make its way into the yearbook. If a student-athlete or performer gets a big honor then that should also make your layout. Also, don't forget to look at the events of the year from different angles. You can interview the star of the team, the president of FFA with the trophy from the fair, and the soloist from band... but you also can interview the fans that followed the ball team, the voc-ag freshman who dream of success at the state fair, and the cowbell player who waits all night for "Rock and Roll All Night".
Look for ways to reach everyone. This is a journal of the YEAR... everyone who had a part, whether large or small, in making it different and amazing.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Easy Editing in Photoshop
You have the perfect shot for you layout. The only problem is it is a little too dark, the composition is out of balance or the color is for some strange reason all blue. Don't panic. Open Adobe Photoshop and use the following guide to fix the problem with ease.
How to Edit a Photo in Photoshop CS3
Photo is too dark- Image>Adjustments>Auto Levels
Not enough contrast- Image>Adjustments>Brightness/Contrast
Too much of one color- Image>Adjustments>Variations
Image needs cropping- Select the Crop tool from the tool bar. Draw a box around what you want to keep. Double click with the mouse.
These are the four most prevalent problems encountered. If you have further issues, consult your all-knowing instructor.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Uploading Images from Camera
Uploading images from a digital camera is much quicker that old-fashioned film and print photography. It avoids the wait time because photos can be quickly taken, uploaded onto a computer and used in graphic layout and other art projects. If students heed these simple steps digital photography can become your best friend.
1- Be sure you storage device is properly installed. Yearbook students use the Lacie drive. Other students may use a flash drive.
2- Take Photos on digital camera.
3- Plug the Media Gear Card Reader into the USB port of the computer.
4- Remove the memory card from the camera and insert it into the proper slot on the card reader.
5- When the disk appears on the desktop, click on it and find the images.
6- Select the photos you wish to work with. Drag and drop them into the appropriate folder on your storage drive (Lacie drive).
7- Delete the files from the memory card if desired.*
8- Click to eject the card reader icon on the desktop and remove the memory card from the card reader.
9- Return the card to the camera and unplug the card reader.
10- Rename the photos to describe what they are. example: boys_bball01.jpg
* If you are using the school camera, please delete the files so the next student will have plenty of memory available when taking shots. If you are uploading files from someone else's memory card, DO NOT delete the files. They may want to keep them on their camera.
How to Upload from Digital Camera to Computer
1- Be sure you storage device is properly installed. Yearbook students use the Lacie drive. Other students may use a flash drive.
2- Take Photos on digital camera.
3- Plug the Media Gear Card Reader into the USB port of the computer.
4- Remove the memory card from the camera and insert it into the proper slot on the card reader.
5- When the disk appears on the desktop, click on it and find the images.
6- Select the photos you wish to work with. Drag and drop them into the appropriate folder on your storage drive (Lacie drive).
7- Delete the files from the memory card if desired.*
8- Click to eject the card reader icon on the desktop and remove the memory card from the card reader.
9- Return the card to the camera and unplug the card reader.
10- Rename the photos to describe what they are. example: boys_bball01.jpg
* If you are using the school camera, please delete the files so the next student will have plenty of memory available when taking shots. If you are uploading files from someone else's memory card, DO NOT delete the files. They may want to keep them on their camera.
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