Art 6- Primary Paper Marbling

Art 6 students are getting messy with primary colors! Students are learning a modern day way to do the Ancient Art of Japanese Marbling. They are layering about an inch of shaving cream into a tin cake dish. Then using brushes to paint designs onto the shaving cream. They are using watered down tempra paint in primary colors to create their designs. When their design is the way they like it, they press their paper into the the shaving cream, lift, and scrap excess shaving cream off. The paper has lifted the  design from the shaving cream and now they have a beautiful piece of marbled paper. As a class we discuss how the primary colors mix to make the secondary colors and tertiary colors on their paper. Not one sheet looks alike, every sheet has its own unique design.

Below is Art 6 having Marbling Fun!

Art 6 Messy Marbling

Art 6- Complementary Colors

Art 6 students second color project was Complementary Color Names. Following in the foot steps of Andy Warhol with bright colors, repetition, and unique creativity. Students studied their color wheel and decided on their complementary colors of choice. Using one color students were to fill in every other letter/background. Then in the second color fill in the letters/backgrounds that were left blank. Their final will have the visual effects of a piece of Pop Art.

Below are Pop Art Complementary Color Names

Art 6- Color Wheel

Art 6 students took notes on color, color schemes, tints, shades, warm, and cool colors. Their first project with color was to paint their own color wheel with acrylic paint. Students had to mix all the colors using only the primary colors; red, yellow, and blue.

Below are Art 6 Color Wheels

Photography II- Photographer's Forum & Nikon

Photography II students have just finished uploading 5 photographs each for:

Photographer's Forum & Nikon Present
32nd Annual Student Photo Contest

This contest has some amazing prizes and we are keeping our fingers crossed! Finalists will be notified by January 27, 2012. Winners notified by February 13, 2012.

PRIZES

2 FIRST PLACE GRAND PRIZES
$2,000 Best COLLEGE Color or BW
PLUS Nikon D7000 camera and lens system (MSRP $1,200)
$2,000 Best HIGH SCHOOL Color or BW
PLUS Nikon D7000 camera and lens system (MSRP $1,200)

2 SECOND PLACE AWARDS
$1,000 cash grant 2nd Place College
$1,000 cash grant 2nd Place High School

2 THIRD PLACE AWARDS
$1,000 cash grant 3rd Place College
$1,000 cash grant 3rd Place High School

10 FOURTH PLACE AWARDS
5 $100 grants to 4th Place College
5 $100 grants to 4th Place High School

200 HONORABLE MENTIONS
100 College and 100 High School Honorable Mentions will be listed in the May 2012 issue of Photographer’s Forum magazine and will receive a certificate of outstanding merit.

Winning Photos

WINNING PHOTOS will be published in the May 2012 issue of Photographer’s Forum Magazine , entered into Nikon’s Emerging Photographers Hall of Fame and exhibited at Brooks Institute Gallery 27. All contest finalists will be published in the hardcover book Best of College Photography 2012. All HIGH SCHOOL winners, honorable mentions and finalists will be showcased in a special section in the book.

Photography II- Dramatic Lighting Portraits

Students are using backdrops and lighting to create dramatic lighting self-portraits. Students are still shooting in manual settings and adjusting the camera according to the light. They are then taking their portraits into Photoshop for editing.

Stay tuned for more photographs. We are planning to post some out-takes and a group shot ;-)

Below are some examples

 

Photography II- Exaggeration City

In this project you will super-giantize, people, places or things in relation to other objects in the image. The key is exaggeration. The more creative and well executed an image, the better. The twist here is that it must be in a urban setting, cities, towns, neighborhood.. leave the wildlife in the wilds.

The rules of this project are thus: Your image must include an object disproportionately large to what one would expect in an urban setting.

Below are a few examples of student work

Photography II- Multiples

Multiples Short Story
Students had to use themselves at least three different times with-in one photograph to tell a story. The story is left up to the viewer's interpretation.

Below are examples of student photography short stories

Photography I- Mirrors

Students were to use at least one roll of film to shoot reflections with mirrors to create some type of illusion. Students were to be very creative in the way they placed the mirrors. They were to try to hide the edges of the mirror to help create the illusion of space.

Below are a few of the photographs developed in the darkroom by students

Photography I- Circles

Students were to use at least one roll of film to shoot ONLY circles and ovals. They may have other shapes in the photographs as well, but the frame must be dominate by one or more circular shapes. Students were to try and find a variety of compositions using circles and ovals.

Below are a few of the photographs developed in the darkroom by students

Art 7 & Art 8- Alabama National Fair Winners

I am so excited to announce the Middle School Alabama National Fair Winners! So Proud!

By Class:

Water Color Painting

3rd place- Gabby Pohlman- 8th grade

Drawing

Honorable Mention- Carly Mattox- 8th grade

Color Drawing

Honorable Mention- Rylee Holt- 8th grade

Sculpture

1^st place- Erika Aho- 8th Grade

Printmaking

1^st place- Taylor Meadows- 8th grade

2^nd place- Emily Kent- 7th grade

3^rd place- Harrison Carter- 7th grade

Honorable Mention- Sarah Claire Loeb- 7th grade

Mixed Media

1^st place- Emily Kent- 7th grade

From left to right: Sarah Claire Loeb, Harrison Carter, Emily Kent 

Top Row left to right: Erika Aho, Taylor Meadows, Carly Mattox
Bottom Row left to right: Gabby Pohlman and Rylee Holt  

Art 8- Form and Reflections

Art 8 students were to view a still-life of glass bottles sitting on a mirror from all sides taking into account drawing the reflections. Students were to observe the still-life before they started their practice drawing in their notebook. Students took notes on line, contour line, and structural line. Students began with a contour drawing of the bottles and reflections, then filled in with structural shapes and lines. Students were to use a sharpie to create various thick and thin lines to their contour drawing. Color was then added using watercolor and the use of value was stressed.

Below are students working on their final: 

Art 7- Montgomery Humane Shelter Winners

Proud of my middle school students! Pictures of  our middle school winners for the Montgomery Humane Shelter:

From left to right: Emily Kent, Mackenzie Montiel, and Kendall McCann

From left to right: Emily Kent, Mackenzie Montiel, and Kendall McCann

Art 7- Shattered Images

Art 7 on a Shattered Image project. Students took notes on Cubism and looked at and discussed works by Pablo Picasso. Students were encouraged to focus on a single item such as a car, insect, person, animal, or building. Students should have placed their object so as to create a compositionally strong image. Students had to create 2 practice 4.5 x 6 contour drawing in their notebook. Having my students think of what shattered glass might look like or wavy lines of water, they had to divide their 2 drawings differently. These new lines would overlap the line drawing of their subject. This will alter their initial line drawing by making the shapes more visually complicated. The effect is to create many more shapes, like a puzzle. Then the students are to experiment with gradations of value from rich black to the lightest gray the pencil will go. Students are to pay careful attention to each new shape created in the divided image. Students will pick one to create on an 18 x 24 sheet of drawing paper for their final.

Below are pictures of students taking notes and working on their final:

Art 6- Value Study

Art 6 is working on an exercise to help increase the understanding of using value with in an artwork. This will help when we begin our lesson on color and color schemes. Students were to create 4 simple fish drawings in a rectangle the size of a dollar in their notebook. Having my students think of what shattered glass might look like or wavy lines of water, they had to divide their 4 drawings differently. These new lines would overlap the line drawing of their fish. This will alter their initial line drawing by making the shapes more visually complicated. The effect is to create many more shapes, like a puzzle. Then the students are to experiment with gradations of value from rich black to the lightest gray the pencil will go. Students are to pay careful attention to each new shape created in the divided image, the element of value is studied.

Below are pictures of students working on their value studies in their notebooks.

Photography 1- Leaves/Texture and Getting Ready for DOOT

Photography I students are finishing up an assignment on leaves and texture. Students were to look for as many kinds of  leaves as possible. Leaves on trees, or on the ground. In order to fulfill the texture requirement, the students had to create a good amount of contrast in their negatives. This meant the leaves should have been in open sunlight. Students were also looking for interesting effects of light and shadow: one leaf casting a shadow on another, or on the ground or branch beneath it. Students had to pay attention to how the leaves interacted with each other and with the frame of the picture (negative and positive space). Crop in close enough so there's no wasted space, but not to forget that space can be a useful compositional tool.

Also......
Photography I students are getting ready for "Doing Our Own Thing". DOOT is an art competition that encourages creativity in students. All winning pieces will be displayed during the month of  November in the Armory Performing Arts Youth Art Gallery. The students that their work has been entered will get the opportunity to attend workshops on Friday, November 4, 2011.

DOOT DAY Friday, November 4, 2011
Check-in: 7:45- 8:20 am
Workshops & Demonstrations: 8:30am -11:30am $5 workshop fee per participant
Lunch: 11:30am -12:00 noon
Awards Ceremony: 12:00 noon- 12:15pm (parents are welcome)
Sidewalk Chalk Art sign-up: 12:15pm - 12:30pm
Sidewalk Art Competition: 12:30pm- 2:15pm
Sidewalk Awards: 2:30pm

Photography II- Getting Ready for DOOT!

Photography II students are getting ready for "Doing Our Own Thing". DOOT is an art competition that encourages creativity in students. All winning pieces will be displayed during the month of  November in the Armory Performing Arts Youth Art Gallery. The students that their work has been entered will get the opportunity to attend workshops on Friday, November 4, 2011.

DOOT DAY Friday, November 4, 2011
Check-in: 7:45- 8:20 am
Workshops & Demonstrations: 8:30am -11:30am $5 workshop fee per participant
Lunch: 11:30am -12:00 noon
Awards Ceremony: 12:00 noon- 12:15pm (parents are welcome)
Sidewalk Chalk Art sign-up: 12:15pm - 12:30pm
Sidewalk Art Competition: 12:30pm- 2:15pm
Sidewalk Awards: 2:30pm

Photography II- Alabama National Fair Photography Exhibition Winners!

 Photography II students photographs hanging at the Fair. I am so proud of my students!

Photography II- Alabama National Fair Photography Exhibition Winners!

I am so proud of the Photography II students and am excited to announce their wins!


People Category

First Place
Elizabeth Kean 

Second Place
Carlee Naftel

Third Place
Amy Smith 

Honorable Mention
Carlee Naftel

Honorable Mention
Hayley Bell

Pictorial Category

Second Place
Amy Smith 

Third Place
Zack Taylor

Honorable Mention
Amy Smith 

Honorable Mention
Elizabeth Kean

Unclassified Category

First Place
and
Best of Show
Reed O'Mara

Second Place
Zack Taylor

Honorable Mention
Elizabeth Kean