Art Honor Society: Underwater Museum of Art

Today we'll collaborate on an entry for the UMA Underwater Museum in Florida.  We'll design a sculpture to be places at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean like the example below.  We will also learn about designing in 3D and using programs like Morphi and Tinkercad and the 3D printer to materialize our design.

Studio Art: Vans Shoe Design Contest

Well continue our design unit in Studio Art in 3rd quarter by working on creating designs for the 2019 Vans Custom Culture Contest.  Above are four shoe designs that were entered last year that were created by students then painted by AP art class and National art Honor Society.  Below is a closer look at our final collaborative ART shoe.

The contest this year has specific rules and themes so each student should create a design on the shoe templates for the three themes: OFF THE WALL, LOCAL FLAVOR & ART in color.  You can add any elements to the shoe you wish (they don't need to be wearable) but can't include any copyrighted materials like logos. Below are some examples of winning shoe designs that incorporated other elements.

The 3 designs will be due on Friday when we will vote for our favorites to submit to the first round.  If we are one of the 500 schools chosen as finalists we will once again get the free shoes that we must paint and create the final designs.  There are a number of great prizes, see the link above for more information.  Below is a short video showing finalist designs from 2016 showing their creative process.

Digital Media: Film Editing

In Digital Media we are learning Film Editing with Adobe Premiere and our first assignment is creating a short montage with film clips supplied in class.  You should use the cut, zoom, and time stretch features as well as the copy and paste tools and the filters in your clip which is due as a mpeg on Wednesday.

Computer Art: Welcome!

Today is the first day of Semester 2 so welcome to new students in Computer Art class! This class has been evolving over the years along with the technology so we will begin with a short introduction, a link to the Google Classroom, and an assessment to see what skills students have from their previous varied classes.  Below is a short film from a few years ago that gives you an idea of the types of work we do in class.

Film: Refection

A short post-it note #animation created by a student in my film class- I'm working with the students to incorporate the "squash & stretch" technique while also learning how to animate and digitize frames into a GIF! pic.twitter.com/OyxfojxyTY

— Tim Needles (@timneedles) January 22, 2019

We just concluded our semester long film class so this week I'll be sharing some of the work we did on social media in anticipation of the Scholastic Art Awards that we entered which announce first round winners next week! Above is a post showing off Greg's post-it note animation.

End of Semester 1

Congratulations! We have arrived at the end of the first semester.  Please make sure all work is handed in and you remain seated in an upright position during landing...

Media Art: Digital Haiku Video Poem

My school day #Haiku video #art for #NationalHaikuPoetryDay & #NationalPoetryMonth pic.twitter.com/Cr5n2ORaOo

— Tim Needles (@timneedles) April 17, 2017

In Digital media we will begin our film unit with a short video poem project. We will be writing and filming a haiku poem. A haiku is a poem with 3 lines (5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables). Below is a short video about Haiku and it's history in Japan.


The Digital haiku can be created with pictures, drawings, or video but the video should include the haiku with written or spoken and be at least 7 seconds long with original imagery.  We will begin by writing 5 haiku's in class and submitting them.  We will then work on creating the video and learning how to edit, add audio, and create different effects.  Above and below are example digital haiku I created as examples.

Created another digital #Haiku video for our #NationalPoetryMonth #art project pic.twitter.com/MYeVeO78VY

— Tim Needles (@timneedles) April 25, 2017

You can be as creative or literal as you like when filming, take a look as some of my favorite video poems from professionals below for inspiration.

Film: Film Editing

As we are wrapping up the Film I class we are completing a short 30 second editing montage in class using Adobe Premiere.  Take a look at the professional advice from a few Oscar nominated editors in the video above for inspiration.  Make sure you edit and final film are done and submitted by Friday, it's the last day of class!

Studio Art: Typography

In Studio Art class we started working on a Typography design project yesterday and the terminology that goes along with it.  We learned some of the basic terms involved with type that you can review on our quizlet here- Typography terms


We also learned a bit about the history of type to understand better where it might go next. Remember it's not just an alphabet we are dealing with its a living language that is constructed through design and usage. We will continue by creating a letterform design this week (like example below) until we have a full set and then I will show you how you can digitize them and create a font. 

We are completing our Typography this week as the last project of the quarter.  Make sure you font designs are complete for Friday in class as it's the last day grades will be inputted before midterm week.

Extra Credit: Scholastic PSA Contest

The final extra credit assignment for the quarter is the Scholastic PSA Contest.  Below are the basics but you cans follow the link above to find more information and see last years winners.  Here is a link to the ENTRY FORM. To receive extra credit for this semester make sure it's handed in and submitted to the contest by Friday (otherwise it will count towards quarter 3)!

Contest Deadline

Entries must be postmarked by February 4, 2019, and received by February 18, 2019.

Contest Overview

• Entries must be storyboards or written scripts on 8.5 x 11-inch paper that reflect the PSA topic—preventing drowsy driving—and should be 30 seconds in length.
• Only individual entries will be accepted—no group entries.
• No videos, discs, or digital submissions.
• Teachers may mail all students’ entries in one envelope for the class—each entry does not need to be in a separate envelope.
• Each entry must have a completed and signed contest entry form stapled to it. Download the entry form above. (Note: You may want to print and complete the teacher portion of the entry form before copying it to distribute to students.)
• Online submissions are not permitted.
• Entries with completed entry forms must be mailed to: 

Drive2Life Contest
Scholastic Inc.
Attention: M. Tulley
557 Broadway
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10012

Judging Criteria

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

1. Originality and creativity [30 points] (Is the PSA unique and creative?)
2. PSA concept [30 points] (Does the PSA clearly and accurately address the contest topic—to help prevent drowsy driving? Are the message and concept effective?)
3. Clarity of message [30 points] (Is the idea communicated clearly? Is the PSA well organized?)
4. Quality of writing [10 points] (Does the PSA reflect proper spelling and grammar?)

Prizes

Student Prizes

The Grand Prize winner receives $1,000 and a trip to New York City, where a professional film crew will transform the student’s entry into a 30-second video! The winner and PSA video will be featured on Teen Kids News and in select Scholastic magazines.

Four runners-up (two from grades 6–8 and two from grades 9–12) will receive $500 each.

Film: light painting

There is one week left of film class and we are completing out light painting film today.  Next week you will work on creating the final film for class.  Make sure all you work is in by next Friday, I hope to see you all in film 2.  Below is our quick class demo.

AP ART: Final Portfolio Deadline Tomorrow

Anyone who is interested in applying to AP ART remember that the Final Portfolio Deadline is Tomorrow, Friday January 9!  Scheduling is occurring this week and only students with portfolios submitted will be able to enroll in the class for next year. 

Digital Media: 2019 Doodle for Google

In Digital Media class we are working on creating designs for the 2019 Doodle for Google contest.  The theme is:

When I grow up, I hope…

This year’s theme invites you to show us what you hope for in your future. Male sure to be creative and you the strengths and skills you developed in class this semester.  Below is a recent Google doodle celebrating artist Paul Klee's 139th Birthday that I loved (can you find the word Google inside?) 

Film: Cinematography

This week we are exploring cinematography and we'll be learning some of the basics such as the 13 standard camera shots and we'll be using the DSLR camera simulator to apply what we learned about camera settings. We'll also be looking into the careers of some Smithtown alumni such as cinematographer Mike McSweeney pictured with me below at his film's premiere in the Hamptons Film Festival.

End of Semester

There are 10 days left till the End of Semester so make sure all your assignments and extra credit is completed and turned in! It will be midterm week before you know it.  This also means the semester classes are ending so lets enjoy the end of the classes.

Film: DSLR Cameras for Film

In Film we are going to explore using DSLR Cameras for Film which is a growing trend for filmmakers.

Studio Art: One Word 2019

Happy New Year everyone! This week we are going to work one creating a #OneWord resolution for 2019 and making it a graphic image we can use for inspiration.  This concept comes from author and speaker Jon Gordon who came from Smithtown along with Jimmy Page (not the Led Zeppelin guitarist) and Dan Britton who wrote the book One Word that Will Change Your Life.  Jon Gordon returned to Smithtown speak here a few years ago and was inspirational, below is a look at his Football highlight reel from the late 1980's which appears to be taken here at Smithtown East at points.



The idea behind choosing one word is that it's simple, memorable, and more realistic as a driving force for you but it's important to be authentic and think about what you really need in your life before choosing a word.  Here's a clip of Jon on the Today Show talking about the process and the questions to ask yourself when considering your word.  I chose my word. CREATE, early this year and painted it on the classroom wall as a daily reminder which has made an impact.

We are going to talk about how to choose your one word then you will create an 8"x10" design incorporating the word to use for inspiration.  Tomorrow we'll finish our designs and then Wednesday we'll share our work and talk about our goals and why we choose the words we did. Remember to keep it positive and focused, we are starting out on a blank slate in 2016!

Below is a short animation I made yesterday in my film class with the word I choose for 2019, focus.  Choose your word and we'll share the results tomorrow!

Digital Media: Flextangles

In Digital Media we will be working with the STEAM projects Flextangles and taking them to the next level with digital media.  The Flextangle template is in the assignment drive or here online and we will use digital media such as digital drawing and photography to create our Flextangles in Adobe Photoshop.  The completed Flextangle should have 4 separate lines of images that correspond like a kaleidoscope.  We will design them then print and construct them as 3D objects.  The final product will be due on Thursday April 7.  Above is an example of what they look like and below is a video showing how they work from Babble Dabble Do.

Here is a demonstration that I created in class using street art I photographed in Brooklyn.  As you can see below the sections need to correspond to work properly as a 3D object.

Each student should use ORIGINAL images (your photographs) or drawings to create a creative flextangle in Photoshop one layer at a time.  When you are finished be sure to use the text tool and add your name in as well the we will print them out and assemble them in class later in the week. The last step is to follow the steps on the template and make it a 3D object which will be graded on Wednesday 1/17

The demonstration I made in class using photographs of street art that I took at 5 Pointz in Queens can be seen above, think of a fun and interesting way that you can design a flextangle that reflects your interests!