INCOMPLETE CREDIT

So, it needs to be clarified. The Culminating Activity is worth 10% of your grade, but...you can't just not do it thinking that you'll survive a 10% decrease in your mark. If you do not do the Culminating then the course is "incomplete" and you will not receive credit for this course. All Portfolio Projects must be in my hands by the end of day Tuesday, June 21.

TERM MARKS ARE DONE!

I have the final terms marks calculated despite the fact that some people have missing assignments. I will hand back rubrics with your current standing on it on Monday. Now your energy needs to go into doing a fabulous job on the Culminating Activity. One missing term task doesn't have much of an impact, but the Culminating is worth 10% and that's a whole grade level.

If you have a missing task and would like to ask me to assess it AFTER you have submitted your Culminating, I am prepared to consider doing so as long as you have left me adequate time.

NEED A LOGO?

Here are two school related logos that you might want to use on your "street" sign. You should be able to copy the image off this blog and use it in your work.

PIG POSTS

So...your pig art submission is supposed to be completed today. I need a hard copy of the image and your explanation to mail to the Ontario Pork Congress. You should also post your images for the record.

Remember to try to find the name of the photographer. I have discovered that in some cases this is not possible. In that instance please name the website where the photo is posted. Name the site by it's title, not the url address. Your should show the original image as part of your write-up. It is important for the judges to see how much you altered it.  OINK.

MISSING AGAIN

I hope all is going well on your PIG ART assignment. I am sorry I am absent again today. I expect to be present on Thursday and will be able to assist you if you are having problems. It is really important to meet the Friday deadline. Please read the rubric and notice that I am asking for a hardcopy of your artwork. Do the write up on a separate page and print it to lab 108 to save our expensive colour ink.

Check out the work of the street artist named ROA. The pig portrait shown above was done by him on wall in Brooklyn, New York. Pigs are beautiful...make it so.

Erik J Fantastic Photography

Erik Johansson is a 21 year old commercial photographer and photo retoucher, from Sweden. He does his work in Photoshop and creates fantastic images from everyday scenes. He features himself in much of his work and blends his images flawlessly. Check him out online.

This image of "Ice Fishing" by Erik J. uses a beautiful monochromatic palette with a hit of hot pink on the sunset. The image tells its story through the chainsaw the "fisherman' carries and the cubes of fish on his sled.

Using Erik J's work as inspiration, this week you are to create an image for the Ontario Pork Congress. The image must feature a pig in some manner and must be complimentary to pigs and the pork industry. You may be fantastic, artistic and humorous. Keep track of where you take your pig image from so the original photographer can be given credit.

The watercolour painting above is done by Pat Weaver of Dade City, Florida. Another option for this task is to use your digital painting skills to transform a photo of a pig into a painterly image. Just be sure to credit your sources.

MORPHED ANIMALS

I am very sorry that I have been absent so often lately. There's been a death in my family and there is much to do. Please use the week to work on your morphed animals. I will leave the cabinet key with Ms Cha in case you want to use the digital drawing tablets. When I am back on Friday I would be interested in seeing a one page print out of whatever animals you have created. Make them as believable as possible both in terms of the animal and the background. Use your whole bag of tricks. We'll talk about Culminating Activities when I return.

FRIDAY, MAY 6

Our time in this course is coming to an end. On Monday, we will talk about the Culminating Activity requirement for this course and I will have a new art task for you. I have left the camera cabinet key with the supply teacher and those you who are FINISHED up to the end of the CD cover task, may wish to experiment with our new drawing pads.
Just plug them in to the USB port and open Photoshop. Instead of using the mouse, use the pen. There is a toggle switch on the pen that functions like the right/left click on the mouse. If you change the pressure on the pen, you will see that the width of the line you're drawing changes.

These are expensive pieces of equipment. Please handle them with respect and ensure that they get locked back in the cupboard. Use your time wisely.

CD COVER DESIGN

Here's another chance for you to pull all your design skills together. In a small CD Cover format create an image that uses colour effectively, is balances, has a focal point and maybe even uses texture or pattern. These are all concepts that you have used in other tasks. In the design above the dripping ice cream is clearly the focal point, and the powerful colour yellow adds impact to the image. The titles are strategically placed over the yellow to maximize contrast. Below, a palette of analogous colours are used to create a calm mood. The eye is the focal point and again the titles are in high contrast being white on a black framework.

Your design must also communicate the client's message in terms of who they are, what style of music they offer and the content of this particular CD. It can be a real or fictional artist, which ever you prefer. The designs below have a much edgier feel to them. The image in the Hula-Shaker design is meant to capture attention due to the bizarre combination of an escalator in a forest. The graffiti style font on The Black Parade cover combines with the marching skeleton and lack of colour to communicate a more controversial style. Consider adding a "Parental Advisory" sticker to your design if you want to clearly communicate an edgy tone.

Work to be completed and posted by the end of class Wednesday. Read the assignment guidelines and rubric to ensure that your posting is suitable. Also, check the comments for your last work and act on the feedback given.

PHOTOGRAPHIC TRIPTYCH

This week's task is to create a artistic photographic Triptych. You are to take three close-up images that are related in some way. It could be similarity in pattern, colour or theme. They must be ORIGINAL photos taken by you. You may not take images off of the internet for this task. You may use a class camera or your own. You may move about the school and the adjacent property, but please tell me where you're going and do not interfere with other classes. Your subject should be objects, not people or animals.

In the example above I took photos of antique hardware at the Aberfoyle Market. When you have selected three images that seem to belong together, crop them, adjust the contrast and colour. You can make minor corrections and you can even add a filter to create a more artistic rendering.

Layout your images as a Triptych. They do NOT need to be the same size and shape, but they should clearly be a grouping. You will find it easier to post you Triptych if you create it as a single jpeg or gif file rather then trying to upload the three images and them formatting them on the blog.

MIDTERM IS HERE

The midterm reports must be done by Wednesday evening. I have now completed calculating marks despite various tasks that people have not submitted. I suggest that we move on to the new work, but if you find time to go back and fix past work or finish missing tasks I will add them to the assessment for year end.

Please read the Multicultural Festival rubric carefully. Pay particular attention to the memo at the top of the rubric. I will be absent Wednesday to attend a Track Meet, but I expect to find your work posted Wednesday night.

Guelph Multicultural Festival

WHERE ARE YOU AT?

The Poetry Cover is now two weeks late and four people have not posted their work. As of Friday, April 15th, I will no longer accept submissions for grading.

The Election poster was due April 8, so it is almost a week past due and four people have not completed this. I need to prepare midterm report cards and we have a new assignment on Monday, so I will not accept Election posters after Sunday the 17th. Some people have had their's assessed without a complete posting. If you want to upgrade your assessment I need the rubric back, to indicate that you've made changes, by Friday.

The photojournalism response was to be done yesterday. Congratulations to Anna, Geline, Jessica, Maria and Taylor for making this deadline. Well done. You are to crop and post your best two images from the assembly. Student Vote would like to use them on their FACEBOOK site, so I will submit them Thursday night. Please post quickly. You can post more than two, but don't go overboard.

SEVEN people were absent from the All Candidates assembly, and thus missed doing the Photojournalism task. There is another opportunity to make this up on Friday. Keith Hawkins, a powerful motivational speaker, is coming to Lourdes. If you can get permission from the relevant teacher you can take photos from that event:

Period One - our grade 9 & 10s

Period Two - Grade 8s

Lunch Hour - Student Council presentations

Use your own camera or sign out a camera from me on Thursday. You do NOT need to stay at the assembly for the whole period. Just get two good shots and get back to class. Any postings for the Photojournalism task need to be on the blog by Sunday or they cannot be included on the midterm report.

There's a new assignment starting Monday, so clean up the loose ends.

PHOTOJOURNALISM

We have a huge opportunity at this school when Mr Tersigni brings famous people to speak with us. These are individuals that Media professionals get paid to take photos of and we can have a go at it too. Pay attention to the presentation in class on Tuesday which explains the nature of photojournalism. Then on Wednesday when you enter the gym find me to get a camera, or better still bring your own. If you bring your camera, remember the cord so you can download the images onto the computer after the assembly.

Liberal Party Leader Michael Ignatieff by Nicki Truong

In class Tuesday you will be given a note on photojournalism ethics. In this digital age it is essential that photos used to report news event NOT be manipulated in a manner that misrepresents reality or to promote a personal agenda. Read the article and answer the accompanying questions on your blog. Also, take note of the Photojournalism assignment guidelines and rubric.

CATCH UP

On Tuesday we will discuss Photojournalism in preparation for the All Candidates Meeting that is taking place here on Wednesday. It is essential that you be present for the lesson and you are expected to attend the period 4 assembly on Wednesday because you will be taking photos during it.

Today is a CATCH UP day. It is a gift to you. You must ensure that your blog is up-to-date. Some people still need to post their Poetry Cover and Election poster. I will be completing the assessment of these two projects on Tuesday. Then the Photojournalism task will be the last item to be included on the midterm report card. Missing assignments will be grades as zero.

It was not possible to print the Election Posters on Friday because some of the files were too small and thus were pixalated. Today (Monday) I need to obtain a poster from everyone in PSD format so the printer can use them to print hard copies.

ELECTION POSTERS DUE TODAY

The Student Vote project starts Monday and our election posters should be a big part of the campaign.

Besides posting your image on the blog as a jpeg and writing your rationale for the design, you need to send me the psd file. Email it to mreidel@wellingtoncdsb.ca. Do not flatten the image, so I can see the layers. I will then forward the files to the printer.

CONESTOGA COLLEGE MEDIA ARTS FORUM

Today Ms Cha and I are at Conestoga College at a Media Arts Forum. We will be hearing about post secondary Arts programs and career opportunities in the arts.

Please use your time efficiently to work on your Election Poster. You will notice the Student Vote poster which is posted on the bulletin board. It features a quote from past Prime Minister J. Diefenbaker. There are several segments of this quote which would stand alone as a slogan for your poster. You could also consider a quote from other famous politicians, but please...keep it Canadian.

DEADLINES ARE CRUCIAL

The due date for the Poetry Cover was Friday, April 1. As I write this it is Sunday, April 3 and I have finished marking these tasks. Those who finished on time, or had images posted with no reflections, will find comments on their blogs. Those who have not posted any work are officially late and will receive no more class time to do the work. We will begin a new task on Monday.  A Lourdes staff member recently contacted an Ontario college to find out their policy on late work. That college deducts 20% per day and won't even look at the work after 5 days. I am not doing you any favours if I constantly extend deadlines. I will check for posted work again on Monday night.

The new task is a poster to encourage youth to vote. An introductory slide show with Youtube videos will be offered on Monday. The work is to be finished and the blog posting complete by the end of class Thursday. Friday, April 8 is a PD Day.

APRILS FOOLS DAY

The Poetry Cover is to be posted today. If you're running behind, get the image on the blog and do the write up from home on the weekend. You will also need to print a hard copy.  Put your name on the BACK so as not to influence the judges and post it on the bulletin board with the first semester proposals.

There will be a new project starting Monday. Some people did not post their mobile graphics. There is no write-up necessary but you should post them so your blog is a complete reflection of your body of work. The Artist Statements have been returned for grammar corrections. Please make the changes and print a good copy for posting in the foyer.

POETRY ANTHOLOGY COVER

Individual, independent design task to be completed, with written accompaniment by Friday, April 1. No joke!

Acquire the written guidelines and read them carefully. Pay attention to the rubric to ensure you meet all the criteria. Above are past covers and the submissions from the first semester students are posted on the bulletin board in room 108. Keep it simple readable, but be creative and aesthetic.

The goal here is to treat this like a mock work experience and show independence and organization. Meet the deadline!

MOVING TOO SLOW

We're officially falling behind schedule. We should be starting a new project today, March 28, but our group installations are not complete. I have the next task ready and the due date on it is Friday, April 1. No that's not a joke. Your group need to wrap up the mobile and the associated paperwork today.

Here's what you need to have done:

1. Mobile assembled and ready to hang.

2. Artist's statement printed in hard copy and submitted.

3. Your images posted on your blog so it is clear what you contributed.

4. Completed self-assessment rubric completed and submitted

5. One group assessment rubric submitted with all the members' names.

ARTISTS' STATEMENT

The mobiles must be up by the end of the week, assuming that our printer ink arrives. On Tuesday you will receive guidelines for writing a Artists' Statement. This is an important piece of writing that will explain to viewers what your installation is about. work as a team to brainstorm ideas for the content, then have your best writer type it up and print it. It will be posted near your installation.

While that person is writing the remainder of the group should be printing and mounting the images. Another portion of the team should be getting the wire and fishing line prepared.

Check the rubric for this task to ensure that you have met the criteria  Everyone in your group will receive the same assessment.

THE CHALLENGE OF A GROUP

This week's challenge is not just about design, but is also a test of your people skills. Working in a group can be stimulating creatively, and it can also be frustrating. Each group has had to contend with an absent member and that is a barrier that needs your attention. Encourage the absentee to work from home, use your blogs to share images and make sure you communicate to stay on the save wavelength.

Some groups have highly creative and technically skilled people, who are hesitant to speak up. If you're a talker, it is your job to draw out the opinions of your group members. The goal is to have at least two images each by Thursday when I return. Post your work on your blog as your progress so you can receive feedback.  As I understand it, the group themes are; 

1. Hobbies: Cassy, Jess, Anna, Graham, Will, and Sharieff
2. Music Celebrities: Agnes, Ariana, Cody and Lorrel
3. Flower Symbolism: Kristen, Maria and Daniella
4. Peace Symbols: Geline, Dani and Taylor

 Remember to think about the use of colour to harmonize your mobile. Consider how the images will be balanced and what shapes each item will be.

INSTALLATION ART & MOBILES

INSTALLATION ART is a work of art that is designed for a specific public location. The design of the work takes into consideration not only the features of the location in terms of factors such as furnishings or lighting, but also in terms of how the space is used by the public. One of the requirements for this course is to undertake a public art installation.

The main foyer of our school is a high traffic area that has excellent potential for an art installation. The high ceiling and vast amount of natural light from the skylights seem to invite the hanging of artistic works.

This image above shows a mobile that was designed for an Apple Computer store. It consists of cardboard plaques bearing icons representing the various APPS that the computers offer. Our mission is to adapt this concept to create a mobile for the main foyer of our school. We could work on one large piece that everyone contributes to, or we could break into smaller groups. Whichever organization we choose will impact the work in that the design must have some common theme to unify it. Achieving this while allowing for maximum creative freedom might demand that we break into smaller groups.

THE THEME needs to be relevant and appropriate for a secondary school setting. Your task is to think about what might work. We need a theme that can be represented through drawing digital images and that will make a meaningful contribution to the school community.

I'M THERE IN SPIRIT

Assume that I am looking over your shoulder. Watching you post your portraits on your blog, frame at least two images and then experiment with digital painting. The substitute instructor has guidelines for digital painting techniques. You can easily create an image like the one shown above. Give it a try, check out the tool options, save what you do, and we'll start a new task on Monday.

BIRTHDAY CARD CONTEST

Every once in a while I will tell you about a contest that is aimed at digital artists. This one is perfect because we've just finished doing portrait photography. The Hallmark Greeting Card Company is hosting a contest for funny birthday cards. Check out the details at the following website;
http://www.hallmarkcontests.ca/?lang=english

It needs to be an original image that YOU photographed. The image needs to be appropriate for a general audience and must not have any corporate logos showing, so they need to be cropped or clone stamped out.  There must be text that related to the humour of the image. The prize is $250 and the honour of having your card produced for sale by Hallmark. That would look good on a resume!

CRITIQUE AND PRESENT

This week we begin with two tasks to tackle. On Tuesday we will view a slide presentation of the Digital Landscape, Composite Photograph projects. Being able to give a meaningful, yet sensitive "critique" of a work of art is an important expectation for this course.

We will use a "sandwich technique" for our critique. In this method the person doing the evaluation begins with saying something specific and positive about the work. Be clear on why the feature is good. For example, don't just say "good use of colour", be more clear and say "good use of dark colours to establish a feeling of mystery or foreboding."

The second step is to say something specific that could be improved. Every artist has a desire to grow so even the best work in the class needs to be evaluated on terms of how it could be improved. On the other hand, a beginning level  project might have many weak aspects and the evaluator must pick one that the artist can address and will have the greatest impact. Never say anything hurtful.

The critique ends on another positive note. Find a final thing that you like or is done well. This leaves the artist with some direction to improve, but still feeling good about themselves. The purpose of a critique is not to discourage the artist. Sandwich the criticism between the compliments.

Our second task is to work on "presentation" skills. Our portraits are to be displayed in the library in a cooperative exhibit with the Visual Arts students. They have already "framed" their work, so we need to print hard copies and frame ours as well. Please get approval from the instructor before printing your work. 

We will use black construction paper to mat your photo.  Be sure you size the image to fit the printer page before you print. There is a paper cutter to do cropping. Measuring accurately makes a difference.

DIGITAL PORTRAIT ASSIGNMENT

This task has two parts. Your first job is to take a black and white photographic portrait that achieves its impact through excellent choice of subject, pose, lighting and cropping. The second is an artistic manipulation of a digital portrait that you have taken. They may be the same individual, or not.

You must take photographs specifically for this task. Take several so you have some options when you get to the computer. Do not take a portrait without the subject's permission. You must not interrupt classes in a hunt for a subject. Taking images of your Facebook page or the internet is not acceptable. 

Read the assignment guidelines for hints about factors to consider and options for manipulating the image. You may use your own camera, or borrow one in class. The due date is Friday, February 18th.

FIRST DUE DATE!

Your composite landscape is due today. Read your rubric and ask yourself if you have done what is being asked for in terms of the image design.

Then...the blog posting is just as important. Say something intelligent, with detail and correct spelling. When you're typing your post, notice the little blue icon at the top of the window, that looks like a framed picture. If you click on that it let's you browse to find the image you want to add to your posting. Remember, to really impress your reader, you  might want to show some of the "before" images that you used to create your landscape. Of course you kept them....  if not, perhaps you still have it as the background of your PSD document.

Here's a digital landscape by Angel Esteves. Notice that the rubric gives a level 4 for people who go above and beyond the project requirements? If you're done a bit early, save your finished project, then re-save with with the name "Artistic Filter". Pull down the Filters menu at the top and try out a couple of the options. They can make your image look like and oil painting at the click of a button. Maybe you'll like it even better, or maybe not, but it is above and beyond:)

Running out of time? Get your images posted now because they are on the school serve. You can do the text from home because your blog is accessible through the internet. You just need to go into new posts then choose the "Edit Posts" tab at the top to get in and add the text.

On Monday we're going to begin a PORTRAIT task. Bring your digital camera if you have one. No, a cell phone won't do. We have cameras to share if you need them.

One more thing...congratulations to Dani, Danielle and Taylor for figuring out how to be "followers" of this blog.

COMPOSITE LANDSCAPE ASSIGNMENT

The purpose of this task is to allow me to see where people's digital photo manipulation skills are at. I am looking for a smooth merge of the images.  I am also assessing your sense of design. Use the "Rule of Thirds", remember colour theory when making choices and be sure your image is balanced with strong focal point. Pay attention to your decisions and the techniques you use. Maybe you should jot down some notes so you remember what to say in your blog posting,

Keep the original image files and use some them in your blog posting so your reader can really appreciate what you accomplished. when yo post your final image you will need to save it as a JPG, GIF or PNG file and might even need to reduce the size of the file for it to be accepted on the blog. If you need help doing this just ask.

Check out some digital landscapes on the internet, and there are also excellent online tutorials. Read the assignment sheet and rubric carefully so you know what I will be looking for. Keep it in your binder and submit it when the task is completed. Let's try to get this done for Friday, that means complete, and posted on the blog by end of class Friday.

 

 Keep your note for this task. You are expected to know the three artists who are profiled here; Karin Kuhlmann, George Grie and Jim Kazanjian.

WELCOME! LET'S GET STARTED

To work as efficiently as possible, we will be sharing our Media Arts work through this blog site. In order to participate you need to set up your own blog page. To do so costs nothing but you must have an email address. If you don't then you will need to set up a gmail address which is also free.  Once you have an email address go to www.blogspot.com and follow the prompts to create a new blog.

 Be sure to give your blog a sensible address and title that you will remember. For example, a student named Susan Jone might chose the address  www.susanjonesmediaarts.blogspot.com. The title of  her site could be Susan Jones' Media Arts. Someday you might want to share your blog with a potential employer or school admissions staff, so name it in a mature manner.

When you get to the point where you can format your page, don't worry too much about background colours and so forth. You can always change this later. Don't get too fancy with the background, remember it is your postings of your media designs that should be the focus.

 If you already have a blog from Grade 11 Media Arts you may continue to use that site. when your site is set up you need to email me your exact address. (www.?????????.blogspot.com) I will then link you to the class site. This way I can get onto you blog to see and comment on your work. Your classmates will also be able to connect with you through the class site.

Finally, try posting your first blog. Look for the "new post" button and the window works just like a word processing document. If you want to add an image your clock on the icon that looks like a frames landscape picture. You need to know where your image is stored, because you will be asked to "choose files" to find and select it.

As far as content goes, you first blog posting should comment on the following  two things;
1. Are you excited about this course and why?
2. Do you agree to uphold the Studio Rules that were distributed?
You need a binder for this course to organize the assignment instruction sheets and the associated rubrics. In order to indicate that your assignment is on your blog and ready to be marked you need to submit the rubric with your name on it.