Art Fair Visitor

Okay! Last post of the day and then I really do have to keep working on animations...

Last week I was invited to attend a local elementary school art fair as a student artist! I was so excited to not only display work but also to get work DONE. 

Robot tiles - looks like a circuit board

I brought my ceramics homework with me to work on and started carving away at the robot tiles. I wanted to show the range of work I have produced in the last year and... lemme just say sometimes I really impress myself with output!

The kids' work was pretty impressive and I think I made some friends.. a few of the students got me a balloon flower from the Very. Scary. clowns at the fair. It was pretty funny - I brought my self portrait with my snake and the principal was getting queasy. 

"You're afraid of clowns but you're not afraid of snakes?!"

"Fear is relative, sir."

"Let's Photobomb her!"

and again...

 It was fun to meet some of the students at the elementary school - I even ran into some of my campers and their siblings! They were happy to hear craft lady will be back this summer :)

pretty sweet set up - right by the kitchen

 In addition to that I had been working on glaze experiments and I fired those this week. I am so pleased with the results!

Favorite ever - bottom center tile

another cool result

swirly twirly glazes

love the contrast on this one

Wow Wednesday... we are supposed to get -40 degree weather tomorrow. HOPING for a snow day so I can start to pack for break and organize my life a bit. This week has been nutty so far - two news stations visiting the gallery, glaze experiments, animation critiques... Sign me up for a day IN.

Until next time,

Ms. K

In A Natural Fashion: Lesson Plan

In a Natural Fashion

Antoine Helbert

How does nature influence fashion and visual culture? How does nature inform contemporary fashion culture? How does nature influence you?

Nature has been interwoven with the history of human culture and art production for millions of years. Students will view the work of contemporary artists and fashion designers to reveal personal connections to nature in their own lives.

Some important questions for students to consider: how does an animal’s appearance set it apart from other animals? Does their appearance or skin (size, shape, fur, scales, fins, claws) have a specific function or message? Why do you think some fashion designers draw upon the influence of nature in their designs? What animal do you identify with the most in terms of visual appearance? What animal do you identify with the most in terms of personality? WHY?

In this project you will create a fashion headshot or figure drawing of yourself with animal attributes. You are not limited to one animal for your portrait however you will be creating a fashion design for your portrait, so keep in mind function and appearances. The goal of the project is to appropriate attributes and components of animals that inspire you and with which you relate. There will be a rationale/artist statement component required for this project.

Objectives

a View contemporary artists and fashion designers.

a Discuss how nature influences our visual (fashion) culture.

a Discuss why visual culture is important in nature.

a Facilitate the creation of parallels between students and animals with which they identify.

a Teach students to use limited color schemes.

a Teach students about appropriation in relation to identity.

a Teach students to draw figures and faces, which are not entirely based in visual realism.

Key Concepts for Lesson

1.    Nature and culture interact with and impact each other.

2.    Nature informs culture.

3.    Nature and culture have their own visual cultures.

4.    Nature and culture are full of diversity.

Essential Questions for Lesson:

1.    How does Nature inform or influence Culture?

2.    What effect does visual culture have on daily life?

Dan Hillier

Lesson Plan

Explore

Comparison and Appropriation: Animals and fashion. Consider fashion designs by Alexander McQueen, Stefanie Nieuwenhuyse and how the designers are influenced by nature. Think about the use of pattern, texture, and function in the animal world and the visual impact they have on fashion designs. Discuss the parallels between natural elements and the attributes of animals and their use in fashion designs. You are not limited to one animal for your portrait however you will be creating a fashion design for your portrait, so keep in mind function and appearances.

Identity: What animal(s) do you relate to? Consider illustrations by Dan Hillier and Antoine Helbert and sculpture by Liu Xue and how they utilize different postures of the human form to communicate attitudes, ideas, and personalities. Does the animal used in the ‘humanimal’ form tell you something about the human figure? In this project you will create a fashion headshot or figure drawing of yourself with animal attributes. You will appropriate attributes and components of animals that inspire you and with which you relate. We will brainstorm in class about animals and have periodic assessments of progress and idea development.

Visual Culture: How is marketing influenced by nature? As part of an inspiration board we will individually seek out advertisements that utilize animals, plants, patterns, and other imagery found in nature. We will discuss how advertisements transfer animal qualities to human models and personalities. Personification and anthropomorphism will also be discussed and explored through imagery and personal connections.

Artists

Pinterest page “Au Naturale”: http://www.pinterest.com/jamic/au-naturale/

Alexander McQueen

Liu Xue

Stefanie Nieuwenhuyse: http://www.behance.net/gallery/Biomimicry-MA-Fashion-2011/2056440

Dan Hillier: http://www.danhillier.com

Antoine Helbert: http://www.antoine-helbert.com/fr/portfolio/illustration/

Gather

We will sort images of fashion designs/runway styles according to animal type and discuss reasoning for each visual and design choice. As a class we will create an inspiration wall of found images and inspirational words to motivate and stimulate ideas for everyone in the class.

After brainstorming in class, students will choose one or more animals with which they relate on a personal, visual, or some other level. We will each create a concept map of personality ‘quirks’, fashion preferences, animal experiences, and rationales for each decision. Rationales will be helpful for the final written response.

Draw

Make sketches of classmates in various postures and poses to practice figure drawing. Draw from model photographs and inspiration board images to refine understanding of process. Draw images of yourself in your sketchbook and become familiar with your OWN proportions and features.

Begin

Begin with an 18 x 24 white or black paper.

Do a pre-drawing of your figure or portrait – keep in mind the usage of space on your drawing surface. Think ahead: do you want to be recognizable in your portrait or figure study?

Use pastels, colored pencils, pencil, marker – any drawing medium is allowed. However, only choose ONE after you start.

Elaborate

After drawing the figure or portrait begin to add natural attributes to your human form.

Think ahead: will you be creating a realistic or conceptual representation of your animal(s)? Utilize your media accordingly.

Add details and identifying characteristics for your animals AND your personal appearance.  

           

Write and Record

            As you create your image you may find that your ideas change.

            Write: your concepts, your inspirations, your reasons for decisions, and your steps to completion of the work. Were you inspired by a classmate’s words or ideas? Do you want to evoke a mood or feeling in your work?

            Remember: a written response is required for this piece. Taking notes and making observations during the creative process will organize your thoughts for the response.

Share and Reflect

Display the finished work in the classroom for peer critique. Each student will review a work that is not their own according to the following criteria: Originality, content, observational skills (technical skills). Students will write their responses to their work from information gathered during the creative process as well as reflections after completion.

This lesson is going to be part of my larger unit plan, Nature and Culture.. Planning planning planning! I have big plans for the rest of this unit and I will post my ideas on here as I go. :)

Ms. K

Wow Wednesday: Cinema4D and After Effects Animation UPDATED

Hello Internet! 
I have decided to try and post two entries on Wednesdays (truly a WOW moment when I hit 'publish').

Beware, this post has a lot of caps lock.

This semester has been BUSY. Like WHOA crazy nuts.. but I am keeping it together, mostly. The big project I have been working on lately was an animation for my Computer Art: Motion class. You wanna talk about time-consuming work... holy geeze. Between modeling in Cinema4D (which is a CRAZY awesome program, by the way), setting key frames, taking the work into post-production and LET US NOT FORGET RENDERING... I would say I spent 11 days averaging 4-6 hours per day on this project. I am really pleased with it! If I had access to the software and programs I might consider teaching a similar lesson to high school students... but that's a tall order. Considering how much time the project took, critique, and the option for edits I am looking at nearly three weeks for this animation alone! SO much respect for computer animators everywhere.

 Here's the assignment parameters from my professor:
Create an animation using Cinema4D that explores the idea of cause and effect. The basic premise of the animation is that a single action will have consequences. The technical and visual components of the animation should stress realistic movement, so the content of the animation should be chosen appropriately. [Realistic movement does not necessarily mean realistic situations... sci-fi robots can move realistically.] Appropriate acceleration, deceleration, anticipation/follow-through, and overlapping action is expected.

Feb 6 (Thu) - Project Assigned.
Feb 13 (Thu) - Models, textures, and lighting completed.
Feb 20 (Thu) - 60+% of animation completed. 
Feb 25 (Tue) - Due. 

My first idea for the animation was to animate ice cream falling out of a cone.. That was shot down because of modeling time, my personal capabilities for animation and modeling, and other complications. Then I decided.. I wanted to create some semblance of spring in my mind's eye because I have not seen grass since almost October! So I modeled a picnic scene (a messy one) in a warm-colored field. I wanted to try my hand at modeling more natural objects so I whipped together a tree with bark material and some picnic tables...I am pretty pleased with it.. though there are some aspects I would change if I had even MORE time. But here it is!




Professor Comments:

The infinite horizon is odd, maybe a closer horizon and clouds? It tends to show repetitions in the grass texture too much and a lot of visual vibration as the camera moves.

(motion blur)

The bounces are a bit inconsistent -- the first one seem to not decelerate enough at the top of the bounces and the one that knocks the cup has a similar problem... they almost stick to the surface as they bounce. (The second orange bounces well, so look to that one for the motion.)

Refraction in the glass bowl transparency?

The cup seems to accelerate to get to the edge of the table as opposed to being consistent or slowing down (it should slow down)... mostly in the very last rotation before falling off.

Nice tree!



After work this evening I will go try and make some of the edits suggested - I agree with most of them. It's hard to do edits in such a small amount of time, taking into consideration time requirements for rendering and processing. That's my only REAL issue with the entire process and media - time time time! 

More soon - I have a lesson plan I am really excited about to post next :)

UPDATE

I made revisions to my animation! Here they are :)



Ms. K

Circle Books: Poetry and Abstract Paper Cutting

Today is a two-fer! Here's another lesson plan I worked on this week in class :) Circle Books!

Circle Books

Activity: 

Brainstorm ideas and words focused around "forces of nature" on the blackboard. Theme: Forces of Nature and Identity.

Students choose a term off the list on the board and use it to write an 8 line poem. The poem should be reflective of the student's personality and form a sort of self portrait.

Rhyme and structure are not important so long as the poem is 8 lines long!

Here's mine! Being from Illinois in Chicago we have a ridiculous weather phenomenon called Thunder Snow. Yes, this is a thing, and yes I chose it for my personality word. THUNDER SNOW IS REAL and mostly hilarious

Thunder Snow:

Thunder Snow

Booming, Crashing,

lightly Resting.

Blanketing, Destroying.

Warming, feeling heavy...

but also light.

Made of Light and Movement.

Finding Common Ground.

I chose a word that would describe both aspects of my personality - comforting and warm (Snow) vs. destructive and impulsive (Thunder/lightning). 

To Create Book:

Watch this video! There are lots of variation on the process and final product. I only did the simple version of the circle book but there could be many layers and 3D effects incorporated.

What To Teach...
In my own circle book I used symbolism (lightning bolts and snowflakes), symmetry, color scheme, accent colors, and repetition. Looking back on the complexity of my teacher sample I think I would narrow down the principles I wanted to cover depending on age group and how engaged the students were. The books could be used as an early finisher, review tool, or a way to explore different media techniques. Some of my classmates had ideas like using a different watercolor resist on each page. Another chose to focus on having students "pick one element of art to demonstrate one principle of art". All valid ideas! And I wish I had snapped some pictures of my classmates' work.. maybe next time.

I will definitely be incorporating this lesson into my teaching. I really enjoyed working on it and I'm sure students would come up with some interesting ways to incorporate text, image, abstraction, and color into such a small space.

Ms. K

Huichol Yarn Paintings - AKA continuing yarn-based obsession

Hey there! It's been a couple weeks and I would like to reassure you that I am still here.. gathering ideas.. plotting. Okay, not really plotting, but I really AM working on things when I am not blogging.

I will do my best to make posts weekly from now on. The semester is already to midpoint and I am kiiind of freaking out a little bit.. Spring break is after next week. No panicking, Kanak!

In my Art Education class (the final one, by the way.. after this I only have painting and review courses..eeeeeeeee) we are working on Huichol yarn paintings. I LOVE THIS PROJECT SO MUCH.

Background: We started our exploration into the traditional craft of yarn paintings by learning about the Huichol people. The Huichol Indians are a very small tribe living near the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico.
Traditionally the paintings depict myths and ceremonies but in modern day Huichol art the scenes are more expressionist and fantastical in nature.

The Huichol people have certain symbols and motifs in most of their art. We learned about the 'trinity' of the Huichol religion.

Deer: the most sacred of the animals - blood of the deer symbolizes fertility.

Corn: corn is the source of all life

Peyote: how the Huichol people communicate with their gods. Older yarn paintings often depict peyote visions and ceremonies with shamans and gods.

These three elements together create and support all life in Huichol culture and religion.

Our professor wanted us to focus on three elements similar to those the Huichol revere: Man, Nature, and the Environment. This created relevance for the lesson and provided opportunity for brainstorming. We had to create an image and tell a story with our design in the style of Huichol yarn paintings. **I can't believe this type of art only started in the '50s. Pretty astounding, and refreshing to see the 'old' images and symbols retained in more modern art.

Visual requirements:
1. Outlines of all shapes must be in contrasting colors
2. The border color must be contrasting from surrounding colors
3. Create rhythm with yarn direction and orientation (also creates texture and patterns)
4. Tell a story with your shapes and designs

Materials:
1. Cut particle board (or wood) squares/rectangles to size
2. Wax (my teacher was utilizing toilet rings which are made of wax and CHEAP as a replacement for beeswax)
3. Crock pot or hot plate for melting wax
4. Paint brushes for wax
5. Yarn of all colors, shapes, sizes, glitter (NO), you name it
6. Scissors
7. Paper
8. Pencil

Hope and Rascal - coming together again!

Process:
1. Our first step was to write up a story that we wanted to depict. I wrote about when I  witnessed the birth of a horse. In typical little girl fashion the horse and I became friends and I called him 'Rascal' (even though his name was Braveheart and he was a PRIZED foal). I wanted to commemorate that amazing event in my yarn painting... so I am :)

2. Draw out the story you chose to depict. Using pencil, create large shapes to tell the story. Remember: these shapes will be outlined so leave adequate space for background elements, details, and of course experimentation.

3. Apply heated wax to one side of board. Try to apply even amounts of wax, focusing more wax on the edges and corners. Yarn tends to pull away from those parts more often than from inside the borders.

4. Trace drawing on top of cooling wax with pencil. If you didn't do a preliminary sketch you can also draw directly onto the wax to create designs and shapes (pretty cooool).

5. Begin applying yarn to border. The border serves as a good starting point because students will be very tempted to pull the yarn taut and that is not going to hold to the board. (I've made that mistake plenty of times already). Students will also get 'a feel' for how fast they can work without pulling yarn off the wax or stretching their yarn too far.

6. This is where finesse comes in.. instead of merely outlining shapes try wrapping the yarn in circles, following inner lines, going in patterns and so forth. Yarn movement and orientation creates texture. I wanted a smoother finish so I have been following my guidelines with the yarn. Everyone is different but the process is essentially the same. I see lots of potential for this project with students with special needs and as an aid to develop fine motor function.

Day two: Making progress! Rascal is looking radiant :)

I haven't gotten very far on mine.. I'm kind of a detail freak and I want things to look just so, but I can see students really enjoying this activity and loving it as well. AND I am going to bring it up to my camp director this summer because we only have LIKE 500 POUNDS of yarn in the craft cabin... Weaving and Huichols? I think yes. Luckily we also have wax from candle making and batik - It's a very real possibility for an activity. 

I would LOVE to do this with campers :) It would be something more thought-out to take home to mom and dad... and I could learn a bit more about each kid. They would have to tell me their stories. I'm getting excited just typing this!

Here are some more resources on the Huichol people:

Shamanism and the Huichol Culture

The Huichol Center for Cultural Survival and Visual Arts

Abbreviated history of Huichol yarn paintings

As a side note, we have been doing much more hands-on activities in my ArtEd class and I am LOVING it. I get to go directly from ceramics (which I consider very much a learning curve.. but I'm getting used to it) to craft, drawing, and collage projects which are my strength. It's been a good week thus far. I feel revitalized and I am of course excited to be making ponies because I am a ridiculous person.

Another post is on the way... get ready!

Ms. K

Representing Art Ed.. Ms. K at NMU :)

So this is a delayed post that I have been meaning to write but life is insane and we all know that feeling... excuses are bad. I need a schedule for this blogbeastie.. Also I don't think there are enough abbreviations going on in that title?

Anyway! Mr. Tim Bogatz of East Art Room (also recently named one of the Art Ed Blogs of the Year) asked me to complete an interview for his "14 for 2014" feature.
What is that, you ask? Mr. Bogatz is interviewing practicing art teachers and art education students (hey, that's meeee) to provide perspective and a view into what the art teacher actually does. I have read some of the other interviews and there are very impressive educators on his list! I hope his students enjoyed reading about my exploits and many, many quirks :)

Clicking on the Twitter information should take you to Tim's blog where you can read the interview. If that doesn't work I have also included it here.

A little ambition and a lot of excitement in today's 14 for 2014--an interview with Art Ed student @MsBreKArt. http://t.co/iffkOE8gWK

— Tim Bogatz (@eastartroom) February 6, 2014

A very proud and puffed up,
Ms. K

Phil Hansen: Embrace the Shake

Hey all! It's been a spell but I am back and ready to rumble.. or to write. Either way, I am ready!

Last Tuesday I had the great pleasure of listening to and meeting Phil Hansen, a contemporary mixed media artist and storyteller. Hansen was invited to my university by a group on campus and MAN did he have a lot of positive insight to share with us Wildcats!

For starters, Hansen shared with us how he became interested in art -- of all things, Pointillism was his inspiration and means of expression. (Specifically La Grande Jatte).

By utilizing pointillism and 'dot density drawings' (which I love but also hate with a fiery passion) Hansen explored gradients and creating brightness changes, or shading. His story took us through his childhood and into the reasoning for the title of his talk, "Embrace the Shake".

Hansen has irreparable nerve damage from all those years of pointillist.. point-making. His efforts to create clean, clear dots were creating too much tension in his fingers and hand, which led to a tremor.
Hansen and I have common ground; I, too, have unsteady hands. Whether it is from nerve damage or just not having enough waffles for breakfast (acute hyperglycemia) is hard to say, but for many years I have struggled with shaky hands and unruly nerves. I have to steady my hand when painting or drawing precise lines - it's a definite problem sometimes, but one I have learned to live with. As did Hansen! He shared with us the long road to his self re-discovery, as it were. Going from the very precise, delicate, and measured dots of pointillism to experimenting with scribble pictures, painting with his feet, 2D and 3D experimentations and video accompaniments to artwork. One of the coolest ideas he mentioned was "Goodbye Art" which were pieces that were destroyed after their creation. "Destruction brought me back to a neutral place... I had to let go of outcomes, failures, and imperfections.." I kind of ADORE this idea.

Jimi Hendrix, 2007 - matches

Having students create work only to destroy it and start anew on a different project is a HUGE risk to take with kids. Sometimes they get so attached to their work.. can you imagine? It would go a long way in discussing waste, reuse and the beauty in the breakdown.. I am getting tingly just thinking about it. And I really like breaking things.

Hansen is currently pursuing 'text art' in many forms. I remember some of my peers in high school doing a project similar to Hansen's text portraits but instead of changing the size or boldness of the font they had to follow directional lines to create images. There is so much to be said about process in Hansen's work... I really enjoyed learning more about this talented individual. He takes a very genuine interest in the stories of others and creates beautiful renditions using line thickness and type as media.

Quotes:
“How we see a limitation determines how it affects us”

Made me think of when I work with the students with special needs and even the kids who are just suffering from learned helplessness. He emphasized the need to evaluate limitations and if they ARE actually limitations at all. 

His classification (as re-stated below): Limitations are from an outside force or action or situation. Self-limiting beliefs (learned helplessness or 'giving up') are something we have manifested or put in our own way which stops us from asking 'what if?' EXACTLY! Such powerful and simple statements can make all the difference with students.. or people in general. It definitely made me think about how I limit myself from completing or accomplishing what I want in my life... that was a very cool and very honest realization.

Influence, 2007 -- painted onto Hansen's body/animated

“We need to first be limited in order to become limitless”

Limitation: something that has been put in our way

Self-limiting belief: something we have put in our own way

“How can I ____ with ____?”

This was an important idea that has also come up with students with special needs and especially handicaps. Hansen provided an example of a friend of his who plays guitar:

“I can’t play guitar loud enough and no one has amps”

“Are there small amps?”

“Would people really care if I plugged in?!”

-- If we are so inhibited by what we think we cannot do we will never realize what we CAN do -- I think that speaks volumes for students, teachers, and people in general. I loved the analogy :)

Daudi, 2007 - Starbucks coffee cups

Other memorable quotes:

“If we only do things logically we are only going to get logical results” 

Have the materials inform the subject. Work in iterations.

20% unexpected actions

 “We can’t always predict how people will respond to our work”

And I think one of my other favorites was:

The secret of being an adult is: “we don’t know anything”

1400 Celsius -- 2x4s blow torched

I am a pretty nosy person sometimes so, naturally, I had been visiting Hansen's website before the talk began. Art Educators Wanted! I'm not sure how much I am allowed to say about this plan buuut.... Hansen is working on a sort of Khan Academy for art! (If you are unfamiliar with KA, you should probably check it out. It is doing WONDERS in changing instruction for both educators and students.. I AM SO EXCITED). You know I signed up for that... but here's the simple breakdown:

Khan Academy for Arts will include:

- artist biographies

- art history (background)

- creative confidence (brainstorming, ideas, planning)

- overviews and 20-minute (in-depth) walk-thrus on projects and lessons

I can't wait to see what else Hansen comes up with in the years ahead... such an inspirational, original, and approachable artist. Check him out when you have time! (He's also on Twitter!) I have so many new ideas and questions because of his talk and his work... Already brainstorming lessons and themes, because I am a huge nerd.

Back to the books and probably some ice cream,

Ms. K

**All images borrowed from http://www.philinthecircle.com/index.html **