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!