Art 2 Sketchbook

It is December. There are just two weeks before finals week. Does that mean six class times together?
Yikes.
Obviously your painting is your priority. This should be enough time to finish it, so look at the rubric online, and plan to turn it in during finals.

Regarding your sketchbook, though, I still want you to be working in it with an eye towards quantity between now and the end of the semester. Even just a few minutes each day is amazing. I will view them while you work on your paintings (likely) more than once before the semester is over.
For now, if you want some inspo, consider the below.

  

It is very likely that you will see at least one of these in the future, but for now I wanted to throw out a few different views of animal images. Not because I want you to copy these, but because they are very different ways of looking at the same topic/prompt/idea.
If you are stumped as to what to do, you might use one of these ideas as a jumping off point.

Ch. 3 Sketchbook and Beyond

Hi all,
A few things as we work towards the end of the semester.
First, I have set and published the due date for Ch. 3. As it says in the assignment (yes, please read the text of the assignment), since this is due so late in the semester, you will not have the opportunity to have a re-do after the feedback is submitted to "up" your assessment. There just isn't the time for that.
With regards to Ch. 3, there will not be a "sketchbook check" assignment due date. I will be quite busy helping each of you with your upcoming paintings, and plan to come around and see what you have done (and offer feedback), but there will not be a set date for you to have two complete.
I cannot stress enough that you should work ahead and NOT WAIT until the last minute to begin these four (or five) pieces.

With regards to your sketchbook...
while I always want you to knock it out of the park, have fun, work hard, etc., please really do that here.
Next semester you will see a drastic change in the way we use our sketchbook is used and assessed. The full details won't really matter until January, but the "chapters" that we have been doing each grading period will be gone and it will become more of a working document and place of obvious practice. Stay tuned!

Also, we will be getting in to working with the apple pencil and drawing digitally on the ipad. I love doing this, so I hope it is something you look forward to!

We have a lot to do to make super significant progress on the "large"/cultural tempera painting, so let's use our time well and have fun for these last few weeks this semester.

Opening Some Options and Wrapping Up

I know we just started our final grading period, but there are a couple of things I feel it is important to bring to your attention.
First, as it says in Canvas, nothing that has a due date in May will be accepted past the class period it is due. It simply takes too long for me to address those loose ends and wrap up the semester in a substantial way for that to work.

Second, if you have any Sketchbook work from Ch. 4 or 5 (for Art 1), or any Independent Practices (for Art 2) that were due earlier this semester, regardless of how long ago they were due, I will accept them between May 1st and May 13th. This gives you more than three weeks to work on the work. But, make sure you are following the following directions:

Art 1:
Send me an email that says "Ch. 4 redo" or "Ch. 5 redo" in the subject line.
In the body of the email tell me if you are doing work that was never turned in, or is a do-over of something you turned in earlier ( you must be making significant and noticeable changes if it is a do-over).
If the work is a do-over, include a before and after photo so that I have comparisons I can make, and then physically see me when you are ready to turn it is so I can give additional directions then.
Please send a separate email for Ch. 4 and Ch. 5 if that applies to you.

Art 2:
Send me an email that includes the title/topic of the piece you are turning in, and what number it was, in the subject line.
In the body of the email please tell me if you are doing work that was never turned in, or is a do-over of something you turned in earlier (you must be making significant and noticeable changes if it is a do-over).
If the work is a do-over, include a before and after photo so that I have comparisons I can make, and then make sure to include the topic on the back of the piece (with your name) when you turn it in.
Please send a separate email for each I.P.

For both Art levels: there will be no feedback and "redo" opportunities for work that falls into this category. Also, do not spend class time "catching up" and working on this. You may absolutely use tutorial, lunch, before/after school to do this work, but not class time.

If you have questions about the above, please send me an email. Unfortunately I know not everyone reads these messages, and since I want to focus on current work while in class I will not be discussing this content with the classes as a whole.
I will say, though, that I have been really impressed with some of the work as of late, and I want to allow the ability that I see in you to be shown. I know for some of you this isn't applicable, but for others of you it is. If this helps you, great. If it isn't applicable, thank you for making my life easier on me. I truly, truly, appreciate it.


One other thing I do want to address is the overall use of time. Several of you spend more time on extraneous "things" than are necessary in class. So my request, please be very mindful of how you use class time for the next four to five weeks. This is often with the ipads, so think about things like:
How long is it taking you to log in and select your playlist?
How long are you taking to clean up at the end of class?
But it can also be:
How long are you giving yourself to clean up at the end of class (you probably need less time than you think)?
How many times are you turning to your friends in class instead of having your focus be on your work (Yes, I still want you to feel free to converse with those in your table group, but you still need to get the work done)?

It is easy for any/all of the above to eat up 5-10 minutes of class time, and that is valuable time lost, so be very mindful of your expenditures especially as we work our way into May and June.

Annual Student Art Exhibit

For the 4th year the Los Gatos Art Museum has held their county wide juried student art show.
Ivy was the only one from LG selected this year and I am super proud of her.
Below you can see two images from the catalog that was produced (cover and her image/statement). The show is on view through May 10th, and more info can be found HERE.

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 4/1 AND 4/3

We are near the end of our "daily drawing" routine so I would like to take some time near the end of our journey by mostly ending how we mostly began.
So figure drawing it is - for at least a little bit.

Meet up in the corner of the room near the screen and I will put an image up on the screen for us to all spend some time with. And...go!

For the one of you who was absent on 4/1, here is the image we used.

For our last day before spring break, Friday 4/3, here we go...

Update on the Vans Custom Culture Expedition

With a due date looming before spring break begins...the work is in full on production mode.

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/30

Well, "daily drawing" can take on a lot of forms - as you have seen - so this is more of a "type a response while finishing an assignment in Canvas and then turn in a screenshot of that text for your daily drawing" kind of situation.

Here is the assignment you need to look for within the Acrylic Painting Module: Acrylic Topic Description.

That assignment is explained in Canvas and will allow for you to submit text only for that assignment. Before you leave Canvas, take a screen shot of your explanation/articulation, and then submit that picture to me on Canvas for your daily sketchbook work.

Two birds with one stone. Boom!

What? Painting Outside?

Sometimes I do have weaknesses, it's true. Sometimes those weaknesses work to the advantage of my students, so today I gave my Art 4 students the option of painting outside or in the Art room.
Of course some of them took advantage of that. Of course. And they were productive I have to say.
Kudos!

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/26

Ah, Scott C.
That is, the guy you drew from last time. You know, your pencil drawing.
Today I want you to go back to that image and add as much watercolor as you can in your 15 minutes to get it to look like the original.
Get your paints out and let's go!

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/24

Art is work, but art should also be fun. I'm ok with you stuggling from time to time, but especially in your sketchbook you should feel the freedom to play.
I love this guy's (Scott C.) work because it is playful and so different than how I typically work. I don't know if you have noticed that I have a book of his work in the classroom, but I would prod you to look through it just because it is fun.

At any rate, I know you know I am really really trying to get you to build a habit of daily work in your sketchbook/life, and to see that little bits of time can be piled up to add up to something much more significant over a period of days.
You don't need to spend hours the night before something is due in order to get all of that work done.

Since I only see you in class twice this week we are going to take both days and work on the same page so that I can see how the image develops.

Today's directions: take one of the below images and draw it out with pencil lines only. No shading, no color, only pencil lines/shapes.

It doesn't matter which image and it shouldn't take you all of the allotted 15 minutes, but begin asap.

Remember, pencil lines only for today. Have fun.

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/20

You now know about Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, so below you will find a woodcut he did of fellow artist Jean Arp.

Grab a sharpie and recreate the below image in your sketchbook - without drawing it out in pencil first.

Some Kids Working

Y'all know I love the process, and as much as I like taking photographs of you and your work with my iphone, there is a very different quality you can get with a real camera, so here are some of those.

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/18

Sketchnoting. Maybe you have heard of it, maybe not. It can be a really interesting thing to do in terms of taking "notes" of a lecture/talk/presentation.
Since all of you draw well, it could be a really useful tool to have in your bag of tricks as you move forward in your education/life, too.

There are plenty of studies out there that give evidence of drawing/writing creating a deeper connection with material - which bodes well for learning and execution both in and out of any classroom/meeting you may be a part of.

If you want to learn more about this process there are a couple of good links to check out some time both HERE and HERE.

For today, though, I just want you to copy the below photo in your sketchbook as thoroughly and accurately as possible.

 

If you don't recognize the names/ideas/words from above, it would be interesting for you to explore those on your own time as well. For real.

Just as a point of reference, the above image came from Doug Neill at www.graphicrecorder.com 

 

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/16

Being thoughtful/mindful of your surroundings is always important, or as I have said many times:

Awareness comes in many forms but here is how I want you to apply it for your daily drawing today:

• think of an "everyday" object in your house (something that you see and/or use all the time without even considering it)
• this should be something that is "always there" but not something such as your smartphone or laptop
• it could be the funky kitchen timer you always use for making cookies or the rooster lamp your grandmother gave your dad or the alarm clock you got when you were nine and still sometimes use
• close your eyes and picture it in your head - think about it from all sides
• in the middle-ish of your page in pencil only, with your eyes still closed, begin to describe the object using words only
• is is curvy, sharp, metal, cold, shiny, rough, what kind of rough, tall, made of wood, does it have slits or holes...etc, etc
• spend no more than five minutes writing with your eyes closed
• once you have described it with as much language as possible, open your eyes and begin to draw your object in pencil only
• draw it as accurately as possible in proportion/line/shading as possible in the remaining ten minutes (or so)
 

 

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/12

Last time you got out your pen and ink and did some drawing, so I want us to continue in that vein today.
Here are your directions: get out your sketchbook, bottle of ink, medium or large watercolor brush and some paper towels.

Use this link and choose one of the first black and white ink/brush "drawings" of Raymond Pettibon to duplicate on the next available page in your sketchbook.

I will be looking at how much and how accurate your image is. DO NOT DRAW IN PENCIL before beginning with your brush work.

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/10

How long has it been since you busted out your pen & ink?
Probably longer than you would like to admit. So...that's what we're using today.

Supplies:
Large Pen, ink bottle, paper towel, mirror

Directions:

• read all of the directions before beginning
• Draw on the page you did last Wed. and Fri. (with the stream of conscious writing and the teardrop pattern)
• position your mirror so that you are in the center of the field of view
• begin by drawing the outer contour of your head (head, shoulders, etc)
• do not make your self so large there is no room for any negative space
• do not draw your face or any detail in your head
• only draw the negative space that you see in the mirror
• only draw directly with the pen (do not sketch in pencil first)
• draw as informatively and neatly as possible
• set your timer and draw for only 11 minutes (it only takes 2 min tops to get your materials and get set up) so that you can be totally finished and uploaded before 15 minutes of class has expired

Go!

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/6

Last time you did some stream of conscious writing regarding balance. Today I want you to use the below image to create a pattern on top of the writing you did last time.
You may use watercolor or colored pencil but this image is to be layered on top of your text.
Note: the teardrop shape on the right is just a detail of the full piece on the left.

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/4 (Creating Balance Writing Exercise)

In life we all strive for balance. Sometimes this is super easy, but more often than not it proves difficult.
I mean, physically there is this:

Cool I know.

But physically creating balance is only one way to approach the idea of creating balance.

Read the below questions, close your phone and then do some stream of conscious writing on a blank page of your sketchbook.

Don't think about what is "right" or "wrong", just write. Get as much written as possible until I tell you to stop. Please also cease your conversations because we all know that if your are super focused on letting the words flow you can't carry on a conversation at the same time.

What are some of the most important things in your life?

How do you engage with one or more of these things?

How would you ideally engage with one or more of these things if nothing else "got in the way"?

What are some of the "have to do" things in your life you feel consistently obligated to engage in?

How do you engage in these things?

Do you feel you do these things well?

Do you feel you do these things efficiently?

Art 4 Daily Drawing for 3/2 - Blackout Version

Austin Kleon is a favorite. Much about the career he has constructed for himself is crazy great, and he is someone I suggest you investigate/look up at some point.

He first became "known" online for creating what he has termed "Newspaper Blackouts"

I want you to watch the following video (volume not necessary) and use the provided magazine pages to create your own.
(If the video doesn't play, try clicking on THIS LINK)

When you are finished you should use rubber  cement or glue stick or scotch tape to attach your blackout poem to the next available page in your sketchbook.

As an added bonus, I will call on a few of you to read yours aloud to the class!

You are being timed...Go!

Art 4 daily Drawing for 2/26

Look at these cute felines:

For your daily drawing today I want you to recreate this project in your sketchbook in your sketchbook.

Cutting out cat heads from magazine pages without drawing then out first, and then use a marker (or marker type object) to add the features so it actually looks like a cat. 

Then use the rubber cement, glue sticks, or scotch tape to paste them in a page of your sketchbook.

You will need a page or two from a magazine (I have a pile of them ready for you), some scissors, a sharpie or other marker, and some rubber cement or a glue stick.

How many can you create in 15 minutes? Go!