Monday, January 30, 2012

Quote o' the Week

"The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life."
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

"As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness."
~ Henry David Thoreau

"Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."
~ William Morris

Parallel Parking ~ An Animation

Parallel Parking from Yum Yum London on Vimeo.

Keep Drawing

keep drawing from studio shelter on Vimeo.

Oil Painting Tutorial: Painting with Freedom



Excellent tutorial on how to create the illusion of form in oil paintings. Ya gotta love this gentleman's accenta as well!

High-Speed Photography Tutorial with Splashes and Flashes

Camera: A History of Photography from Daguerreotype to Digital by Todd G...

Friday, January 27, 2012

Ink

CCTV Ink from Troublemakers.tv on Vimeo.

Quote o' the Week

As we said goodbye to a dear student yesterday, it was hard for me not to feel the sadness that you all felt at her departure. Recognizing our friends for all that they bring to our lives is so important. One person can touch the souls of many, and by the reaction her friends had yesterday, I can see that she touched the lives of many students here at Meeker High School. She will be truly missed. I wish our young lady all the best in her new adventures!

"There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound."
~ Diana Cortes

"The tender friendships one gives up, on parting, leave their bite on the heart, but also a curious feeling of a treasure somewhere buried."
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Southern Mail, 1929, translated from French by Curtis Cate

"The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend."
~ Henry David Thoreau

"A friend knows the song in my heart and sings it to me when my memory fails."
~ Donna Roberts

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

New Student Artwork!








Turbulent by Shirin Neshat



I saw this installation in the late 1990's at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago while I was a student at SAIC. Standing between two extremely large screens (the male singer on one side, the female on the other) I was in awe by both the beautiful voices and the powerful meaning of the artwork. View this video (must hear it to get the full effect) and ponder the significance of this amazing piece. Make sure you pay attention to the background of the piece and the reactions of each side to the other.

About:
In Turbulent, Neshats 1998 two-screen video installation, two singers (Shoja Azari playing the role of the male and Iranian Vocalist and composer Sussan Deyhim as the female) create a powerful musical metaphor for the complexity of gender roles and cultural power within the framework of ancient Persian music and poetry.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Brand & Target Market

BRAND

A brand can take many forms, including:
A name, sign, symbol, color combination or slogan, and is usually a combination of all of these elements.

When a company hires a graphic designer to design a logo, it is up to the designer to use important information about the company and the company's target market BEFORE starting the design:


What is a company's target market?

A TARGET MARKET is a group of customers that the business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise.

Target markets are groups of people separated by distinguishable and noticeable aspects. Target markets can be separated into:

• Geographic segmentations (their location)

• Demographic/socio-economic segmentation (gender, age, income, occupation, education, household size, and stage in the family life cycle)

• Psychographic segmentation (similar attitudes, values, and lifestyles)

• Behavioral segmentation (occasions)

Great Contest from Adobe! Awesome Prizes!

Visit the website below for details:

Adobe Contest!

Yearbook: Deadlines

The next formal Yearbook Deadline is February 2nd, 2012. Your changes on the pages are due one week later. The final deadline for all pages (other than the supplemental pages such as Prom and Graduation) are due on March 2nd, 2012. The changes are due one week later. Grades will be calculated on both your pages and the page changes.

You are all doing an excellent job so far and I appreciate your enthusiasm for the Yearbook! Keep up the good work!

Computer Graphics: Logo Design Requirements

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Decide who your client (company that you design for) will be. You must create a new company using your imagination! WRITE a sentence about your client (your business) and what the client's company does.

2. Find the target market for your client (who buys from your client). WRITE a paragraph about the target market including: age, income, social, location, gender, occupation, stage in the family life cycle, attitudes, values and lifestyle. TURN the sentence and paragraph in BEFORE starting your log design! The sentence and paragraph are due at the end of class on January 24th, 2012.

3. Use font, color and shape(s) to create the logo.

4. Canvas at 8"x10"; 300 ppi.

5. Make sure logo will look good printed both small and large, in both color and black and white.

6. Create your own shapes and graphics - do NOT use the internet!!!



DUE: February 3rd, 2012

Psychology of Color

Colors often have different meanings in various cultures. And even in Western societies, the meanings of various colors have changed over the years. But today in the U.S., researchers have generally found the following to be accurate.

Black

Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil. Villains, such as Dracula, often wear black.



Albrecht Durer
Self Portrait


White

Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean than other colors. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility. In China, white is used for funerals and mourning, while red is a more "celebratory" color and brides wear red instead of white.



Mary Cassatt
Self Portrait


Red

The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture should be perfect since it will attract attention.



Jacob Lawrence
Self Portrait


The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.



Blue

The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. It causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.



Vincent Van Gogh
Starry Night

Green

Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck.



Frida Kahlo
Self Portrait


Yellow

Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism. Yellow makes people hungry, eat quickly and leave. Many fast food restaurant chains use yellow in their interior color scheme.



Bellany
Self Portrait


Purple

The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic. However, because it is rare in nature, purple can appear artificial.



Andy Warhol
Self Portrait
Fun Fact: This painting just sold for $32.5 billion dollars at Sotheby's!


Brown

Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.



Raphael
Self Portrait


Food for Thought

While blue is one of the most popular colors it is one of the least appetizing. Blue food is rare in nature. Food researchers say that when humans searched for food, they learned to avoid toxic or spoiled objects, which were often blue, black, or purple. When food dyed blue is served to study subjects, they lose appetite.

Green, brown, and red are the most popular food colors. Red is often used in restaurant decorating schemes because it is an appetite stimulant.

by David Johnson


Source: Color Psychology — Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/colors1.html#ixzz10jwCDYBT

Monday, January 23, 2012

Retablo Painting Requirements

Oil Painting Requirements

1. Use a 5x7 Masonite Board (they are already gessoed).

2. Sketch your idea FIRST and fill out your art proposal. Get approval from Ms. Burnell prior to painting.

3. The subject of your painting is up to you BUT it must have a narrative (tell a story) and use symbolism.

4. The whole surface must be painted/completed.

5. You must demonstrate knowledge of, and use, shades and tints in your painting.

6. Have a clear background and foreground, and if possible, middleground.

7. You must paint details.

REMEMBER: You MUST put newspaper underneath your painting AND clean brushes thoroughly!

BOTH the Independent Project & the Retablo Painting are DUE:
February 17th, 2012



Retablo Paintings

A retablo is a Latin American devotional painting. The paintings are usually small in size, considered to be folk art and use iconography derived from traditional church art.

Retablos can represent a specific religious subject/person or they can tell a story, which is called narrative. The stories usually recall dangerous events that actually occurred, and which the person survived and/or triumphed, thanks to the help of a sacred person (God, Mary or a saint). The retablos are made to thank the sacred person for protection.








(Secular Retablo Painting by Dianne Bennett)

Cleaning Paint Brushes

Brush Cleaning Directions for Oil Painting:

1. Wipe off excess paint onto newspaper. Wipe as much as possible as this will make it EASIER to clean.

2. Wipe your brush GENTLY around in the tub of The Masters brush cleaning soap.

3. Rinse with water.

4. Repeat step 2 until brush is thoroughly clean.


IMPORTANT NOTES:

* Make sure that you DO NOT get oil paint on your clothes or the tables!

* Oil paint does not come out of clothes!

* Always put your 5x7 masonite board on newspaper when painting - this prevents oil paint from getting onto the table.

Frida Kahlo




"Frida Kahlo de Rivera (July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) was a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán. Perhaps best known for her self-portraits, Kahlo's work is remembered for its 'pain and passion', and its intense, vibrant colors. Her work has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition, and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.

Mexican culture and Amerindian cultural tradition figure prominently in her work, which has sometimes been characterized as NaĂŻve art or folk art. Her work has also been described as 'surrealist', and in 1938 one surrealist described Kahlo herself as a ribbon around a bomb'.

Kahlo had a stormy but passionate marriage with the prominent Mexican artist Diego Rivera. She suffered lifelong health problems, many of which stemmed from a traffic accident in her teenage years. These issues are reflected in her works, more than half of which are self-portraits of one sort or another. Kahlo suggested, 'I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.'"

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo

Website about Frida Kahlo:

http://www.fridakahlo.com/

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Paper Fortress: 2009 - 2011 Reflection

Paper Fortress: 2009 - 2011 Reflection from Paper Fortress on Vimeo.



film:
paperfortressfilms.com

Quote o' the Week

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich."
~ Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, "Identity Crisis," M*A*S*H

"Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!"
~ Albert Einstein

"It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fathers and sons."
~ Johann Schiller

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses."
~ Joyce Brothers

"The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, "tender loving care" has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing."
~ Larry Dossey

Monday, January 16, 2012

Celebrating & Remembering Martin Luther King Jr.

Great men and women can change the world. One life can truly make a difference. Today we celebrate the life of one man who truly changed the world.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King Junior ~ I have a dream

Friday, January 13, 2012

The Ice Book: Miniature Theatre Show!

The Ice Book (HD) from Davy and Kristin McGuire on Vimeo.



Info from the artists, Davy & Kristin McGuire:

The Ice Book is a miniature theatre show made of paper and light. An exquisite experience of fragile paper cutouts and video projections that sweep you right into the heart of a fantasy world. It is an intimate and immersive experience of animation, book art and performance.

For more information on the making of and the artists please visit: www.theicebook.com

Our next show will be a theatrical adaptation of Howl's Moving Castle at Southwark Playhouse in London. 28th November 2011 to 7th of January 2012: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/the-vault/howls-moving-castle/

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Student Work! Propaganda Poster Project

Here is a poster that has been turned in early. Great job, Jordan!



Please remember, all posters are due on Friday, January 20th, 2012

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Quote o' the Week

How it works:
Read the quotes below and write about how one (or more) applies to your life or how you can learn from it (10 points)

-OR-

Make a visual representation of a quote - drawing, painting, etc.


The Quotes:

“Always have the courage to stand up for what you believe in; even if you stand alone.”
~ Unknown

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear."
~ Ambrose Redmoon

Monday, January 2, 2012

Upper Level Art Students

Upper level art students must have their art proposal signed within one class day and logged in the red notebook. If the art proposal is not signed and logged within one day, then said student is assigned to a three page artist research paper. All art projects and art proposals are to be logged in the red notebook. Thank you.

New Extra Credit Policy

Extra credit: You may complete up to 10 points extra credit per assignment, but extra credit cannot replace an assignment. All extra credit must be done outside of class. Thank you.

Printmaking Project Requirements

Requirements for Linocut Project:

1. You MUST use the linocutter tools SAFELY!

Any student that is caught playing with, gesturing with, or using the linocutter inappropriately will IMMEDIATELY be taken off the project and required to create a bookmaking project.

Serious physical injury is a possibility when using linocutters. Be careful!

SAFETY FIRST!


2. You must demonstrate knowledge of negative and positive space.

3. Include all the elements and principles we have learned about so far (refer to your rubric):
Value (and/or contrast)
2/3rds Rule or "fill the frame"
Shape/Form
Line - pay attention to your line quality
Symbolism


4. Subject matter is up to you.

5. Craftsmanship and originality!

6. You will turn in at least ONE perfectly printed linocut print, complete with correct signature and edition (see handout).

DUE: January 20th, 2012

Computer Graphics: Propaganda

The article below explains the propaganda vocabulary and techniques we went over in class:

Propaganda vocabulary and techniques


Here are a couple of posters used during World War II. Which posters use which technique? How effective were they and how do you know? How was propaganda used by both the United States and Germany (Nazis)? What can individuals do to prevent being swayed by propaganda? Is there propaganda today? Where?






POSTER REQUIREMENTS

1. Your canvas must be at 16"x20"; 300 ppi

2. Pick one of the following subjects/ideas:
Cancer (any kind) focusing on prevention and diagnosis
Teen pregnancy (prevention of)
STDs (prevention of)
Social Issues (prejudice of any kind, etc.)
Smoking (prevention of, effects of)
Alcoholism (prevention of, effects of and/or diagnosis)
Drug Abuse (prevention of, effects of and/or diagnosis)
Random Acts of Kindness/Pass it On
Suicide Prevention

3. Background must be SOLID color. Your chosen color should be meaningful and/or attention-getting.

4. Text must be large and message clearly understandable.

5. One very large image that takes up 1/3rd to 2/3rds of the picture plane. Picture must be changed graphically by recreating it with paintbrushes or shapes/paintbucket.

6. Must contain at least ONE FACT (research based).

7. If you use an image that is not yours you must REMAKE it in PhotoShop.

8. DO YOUR MIZ ART FIRST!!! (under older posts)

DUE: January 12, 2012

Printmaking Tools



Veiner: A "V-shaped" cutting tool used to cut the linoleum during the lino-cut process.

Gouger: A "U-shaped" cutting tool.

IMPORTANT: These tools are very sharp and can harm you if not used properly. Be sure to use the correct techniques learned in class, as well as all safety precautions. Always cut away from yourself and never cut towards any body part.

Negative & Positive Space

Negative Space: Negative space, in art, is the space around and between the subject(s) of an image.


Positive Space: The shapes of objects. Actual shape or form of subject matter.

Below are examples of student work. You can see the positive space (the object) and negative space (white space around the object/objects).