Starlight Studio

This semester I was fortunate enough to be able to explore the art classroom with Art Therapy Studies. While my position was at Sweet Home High School, some of my classmates were placed at Starlight Studio, or volunteered there in their free time. Starlight Studios provide the opportunity for individuals with special needs to become art makers, and the work they produce is incredible. The paintings, sculptures and weavings that are created are an obvious tribute to the notion that all people are capable of learning, and expressing themselves, no matter what their disability. Personally, I have a soft spot for all of the abstract pieces that are present, because throughout the semester I have learned that an abstract state of mind is often difficult for people with special needs to express.

Fifty Works for Fifty States: The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection

Fortunately I had the opportunity to see this exhibit at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. I found this exhibit to be something that I can really appreciate. The style of the works of art was "right up my alley," so to say that they were my taste exactly. I enjoy bright, abstract colors immensely, and really formed a liking to this exhibit. Something that is an unfortunate factor in the art education class content, is that there is not a lot of discussion about contemporary art. Being able to experience this exhibit was enlightening.

Interior Design Exhibit

I thought that this student show was really fascinating. I don’t know a lot about interior design, so to see all of the student work put together so well was really eye opening. I had a faint idea of the calculations and multiple steps it took to put together a successful design, but wasn’t fully aware of how time consuming each of these works had to have been.

I especially liked the work by Mallory Kozakiewicz. The sublime beauty of the spatial relationships visually and conceptually activated the essential transitional quality of her work. I thoroughly enjoyed the concept models for buildings that were produced by a majority of the Sophomore class. The projects that were made of a white board to show light and shadow for a lighting class were also very interesting to me because I find the relationship between light and shadow to be quite fascinating. Chiaroscuro is by far one of my favorite painting techniques, so I really enjoy seeing light manipulated in as many ways as possible.

Finally, I did enjoy the full designs from what the building looks likes in every room, interior and exterior the most. The walls, windows, doors, finishes, textures, light and furnishings that compose a single room are often overlooked by most people, unless they’ve got a real passion or interest in interior design, are mind blowing.

Upton Exhibit

Fine Arts Exhibit

I found all of the pieces to be very interesting because although for the most part, they were assignments, I felt like each brought it’s own flavor to the show. I find that fine art is where a lot of my interest lies.

My favorite piece was an extremely large group of portraits using graphite on wood. There were 40 squares, making up a rectangle that had a miniature portrait of each and everyone of her family members, and each was drawn with extreme attention to detail. What was most enticing about this piece though, was the eight squares in the center, the captured a current picture of herself, her brother, mother and father, as well as a corresponding baby picture. I don’t know why exactly this piece stood out to me so much, but it was by far my favorite piece.

Of course there were other fine pieces by many students. I really enjoyed the drawings that were recognizable from Drawing I. Remembering taking the class, and knowing just how difficult it can be to get the shading realistic when you’re first starting to learn the appropriate techniques makes me appreciate the effort that has gone into these pieces very much.

Final Posting

1. What is your opinion of "Blogging"?

Personally, I am not super fond of blogging. I feel that it has the potential to be a fantastic tool in the classroom, but at this point in my life I don't think that I have the time to sit down everyday a write about my daily feelings or activities (as most traditional blogs are run).

2. Did you find this to be a useful reflection / communication tool?

This tool did tend to be a useful reflection tool, although I was admittedly not very good at maintaining it. When I did use it to my advantage, it was just that- an advantage. I found it helpful in taking a look back on my work which was helpful in my overall understanding.

3. Would you use a Blog in your art classroom? If yes, how. If no, why not?

Personally, I can only see the use of a blog in my art classroom if it was a digital art class, or possibly a photography class. Besides that, I do not think I would use blogging due to the nature of the work done in class. In order to promote self-reflection I would not object to a weekly journal.

Digital Portfolio Resource

Source

I could use this resource to help in Project #6 because it gives a variety of steps to take when producing a portfolio. At times, developing a portfolio can seem very overwhelming, but with a step by step process like this it seems like it could be done quite easily.

Blog Review

A. How did you decide which blogs to review?
I chose the person above me in the list as directed and I chose one person in the class that I knew, and one person at random.

B. Why did you select the individual postings to comment on?
For two of them, I chose to comment on the self portraits because that was my favorite project, and I thought that their insight was really interesting. For the last, I commented on n entry about an Adobe video review because I agree with the blogger.

C. How could you use a Blog in your classroom as a communication tool? If not, why not?
Blogging could be used in the classroom as a way help students learn how to be reflective on their work, and also aide them in learning to think conceptually.

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Adobe InDesgin Videos

In this tutorial, I learned how to start new documents in InDesign. (File, New or keyboard shortcut etc.) Also, I learned how to use layers, which I am no becoming a professional at. The control panel is convenient because it let's you look at many different features depending on what things are selected (like the object). I also learned how to customize workspaces. turning menu items on and off is a helpful tool when working on a project. Workspace can also be saved so that it can be used time and time again. Master pages in CS3 are easy to use and incredibly helpful, they help create unity in multiple pages. Working with object styles is similar to character and paragraph styles- fill, stroke, transparency effects etc can be altered using this feature.

I think that the tips about object styles and the cusomization of the work space will be helpful in the upcoming projects because they will help in creating a comfortable and familiar set up, making my work that much easier.

Technical Training Video

In these videos, I learned how to use layers with ease, as well as how to convert objects to black and white. Also, I learned how to use the filter to stylize and change the stacking order of effects. Also, how to change the white balance, by using the eye dropper. The midtones of the image can also change without changing the highlights of the object. Improving tonal corrections is also a great way to change the tonality of the image on an RGB scale. The soft edge brush, in white, can be used to lighten pieces of a image. Lastly, I learned how to import into InDesign in a series of different ways.

I thought that the video on layers was most helpful, because at this stage in my photoshop work, layers is one of the biggest things I have trouble with.

Technical Training Video

In the Adobe InDesign CS3 videos, I learned how to use the selection tool, and the direct selection tool. The double headed arrow allows to to resize the width or length. I also learned how to change the curning and tracking- and in order to apply it to all of the paragraphs, you can make a paragraphs style section. I learned that you can make style sheets so that you can make certain parts of a document the same, with the click of a button (i.e. headings, sub headings). The numbered list formatting is easy to use, with the press of the return key (once formatted). Also, I learned that in order to get text to wrap around an object, you must use the text wrap panel. You can wrap around the frame, the shape inside the frame, on top or below the image, or skip over it. Lastly, I learned hat InDesign can create an array of different documents. To manage pages, there is a panal.

I thought that the video about style sheets was most helpful, especially when it came to creating my resume. That feature has become incredibly helpful.

Logo Design

http://www.pixellogo.com/logos

This resource was helpful in creating my logo design because it gave me a lot of great ideas! The idea of a "logo" can sometimes be confusing, because knowing what exactly constitutes as a logo was never really defined for me. This website helped a lot!

Lesson Plan Resource

http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/elem/pam-matisse.htm

I am currently working on Fauvism, and Henri Matisse with a group of 3rd graders. This lesson plan would be a great addition to the unit because it will effectively demonstrate orally and visually a deep understanding of Matisse’s artwork, which can so often be confusing to children.

Powerpoint online Resource

http://www.brainybetty.com/

I could use this resource when creating a future Powerpoint, because more often than not, the default backgrounds for Powerpoint are not very exciting. This could be used to create a new and exciting presentation!

Self-Portrait Inspiration and Technical / Creative Resources

I chose this self portrait of Vincent van Gogh because his style and technique have always been quite inspiring to me. His use of colors, and painterly style is like no other.

I have chosen this self portrait by Andy Warhol because I admire his work so incredibly to begin with, and I think this is a great self portrait because it doesn't merely capture one "side" to Andy, but many.

What is a self-portrait?

A pictorial or literary portrait of oneself, created by oneself.

What are the distinctive things that make me "me"?

My love f

or cheerleading, and passion for a career in Art Education.

How do I want people to see me?

As a role model, a leader, educated and caring.

How can I express my many different sides?

I can express my many different sides through my art work, as well as through cheerleading.

How can I reinvent myself for various purposes or times in my life?

I don't think that I need to reinvent myself... I like the way I am.

Who do I want to become?

I want to become an excellent art teacher, and a pheonomonal cheerleading coach.

www.adobe.com/designcenter/video_workshop/

I will use this website to help educate myself on the Adobe program, while working with my Self Portrait.

Elements and principals of art

In order to create my slide show, I went through pictures from a trip to Florida. I was careful to make sure that my pictures coincided with an element or principal of art, and were aesthetically pleasing. I really just went through the pictures with a list of the elements and principals and when I found one that I liked in particular, I would determine if it did indeed match up with an element.

Technical Training Video

I learned how to view the outlines of all objects in illustrator, in front and behind, as well as how to manipulate objects directly, or the entire object. You can use Illustrators shape tools to create geometric shapes. Also, you can drag shapes into their desired size, or make them by specific dimensions. The pen tool develops anchor points, connecting them by a series of lines, every object has a stroke and a fill. The pen tool can also provide soft edges and fluid shapes. The paintbrush tool uses a selection of brush options to drastically effect the line created by the paintbrush tool itself. A low fidelity in the paintbrush tool creates lots of anchor points. The pencil tool is similar to the paintbrush tool. The pencil creates and modifies traditional Illustrator strokes, most of the time, it’s all you need. The pencil is great for adding a hand drawn look to an object. Transforming objects is also incredibly easy in Illustrator. The scale tool helps objects scale proportionately.

The video that I found most helpful was the one on the paintbrush tool. I felt like this on really helped me gain a better understanding of how to manipulate objects more successfully.

Why do you want to be an art educator?

I want to be an art educator because I realize that art is central to the way each person views the world. I have always enjoyed working with children, and as cliche as it may sound, I honestly want to make a difference in children's lives. I have had a number of positive role models in my life, outside of my own parents- I truly believe that the only way to thank these people for their help in my life, is to pass my gift on to the children around me. Whether it be the cheerleaders I coach, the children I babysit, or the young patients at Roswell that my cheerleaders and myself volunteer with on a regular basis, it is my calling to instill upon them the same positive feedback, constructive criticism, self esteem building compliments, insightful advice and a listening ear, that I too was given as a child. With all of this outside experience, I am confident that I can bring all of these qualities into the classroom, and plan to go through my career as an educator with respect and understanding for every child that I encounter. My passion is art, and I want my class to feel that, understand it, and appreciate it. Art is so incredibly essential to the way that the world is viewed, and my life experiences can only further support this. I can not wait for my journey as an art educator to begin!