2009 AP Studio Art Summer Assignments

Below are the assignments for students who are enrolled in the 2009-2010 AP Art class. We'll be meeting as a group on June 4 to go over the assignments and I'll be posting a few examples from the current AP art students shortly. If you have any questions dont hestitate to email me ans ask.


Due August 1
2 Completed Breadth pieces: Self Portrait Collage & Black & White "Grid"
2 Thematic works: Fabulous & Juxtaposition

Due September 7
20 complete sketchbook pages
2 Thematic works: Resonance, & Where I'm At

The nature of design

As we have been discussing the nature of design in class, I thought I would share this TED talk from Niels Diffrient with you for inspiration. Below are some addition links to some great design inspiration for the web and school based architecture to aid you with your current assignments.
Cool Design Ideas Blog
Innovative School Architectural Design

Concentration Examples

Here's a few examples of concentration portfolios along with the writing samples:

2D Exam

Drawing Exam

LACMA's 11

AP Studio Art Digital Submission

Here's a link to the Studio Art Digital Submission webpage. Please be sure to get online and begin uploading you're work this week so that you don't fall behind. On Monday next week we'll have a session in class going over more of the details but most of the important information can be found via the link above.

Strictly Students Film Festival Call for Entries 2009

It's time for this year's Call for Entries for the 5th Anniversary Strictly Students Film Festival and the deadline for films is April 3 and it's free to enter so check out the website for more information: www.strictlystudentsfest.com.

Shepard Fairey lawsuit

This week there came news of a lawsuit between one of the artists we spoke about in class, Shepard Fairey (of OBEY), and the Associated Press. Fairey's poster was based on a photograph taken by AP photographer Mannie Garcia. The question at hand is whether or not Fairey altered the image enough to (in a sense) make it an original piece of work.

Sometime this week take a moment to read the following 2 articles so that we can discuss it in class when we return from vacation.

NY Times Article and PRINT magazine

Scott McCloud

Here's an interesting video from Scott McCloud who is a terrific animator and author discussing art, life, and cartooning.

Two important things to note:

first: how Scott gives some of his personal background and how that relates to his concepts and art (remember pulling from your own experience generally results in the most original and interesting work you have to offer)

second: how Scott's "out of the box" narrative style of presentation reflects the "out of the box" variations in cartooning that he discusses (like he mentions this is just his nature- getting in touch with your own instincts and nature will inform your art and in a larger sense your choices and views in life)

As an extra credit assignment try to create an "out of the box" comic that uses space and direction in an interesting way (due when we return from break)

Barack Obama's Inauguration Day

Having an opportunity to watch the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama in class on our SMARTboard today was really a sign of how far technology has come (and I suppose having the signal drop out so often was a sign of where technology needs to go).

As a homework assignment this week I'd like all of you to think about what you heard in class (and the issues that surround it) and create a work in any media that reflects your feelings on it. Here's a link to the New York Times which has a transcription of the speech along with every presidential inauguration speech (it also has the words that were used repeatedly tagged with the amount of times it was used)- 2009 Inauguration Day Speech

We have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly." -Barack Obama

It's also important to note that President Obama made an interesting choice in using the artist we spoke about earlier in the year- Shepard Fairey, a modern graffiti artist (and creator of OBEY), to create his signature icon shown above. What do you think about that choice? What does that say to the art world?

Andrew Wyeth 1917-2009

Painter Andrew Wyeth died today in his home in Chadds Ford, Pa. at the age of 91. He is a monumental figure in American art best known for his 1948 painting "Christina's World". Ironically, he was an anti-establishment artist who became the establishment.

There's nothing else quite like Andrew's gritty, gorgeous brushwork and desolate, haunting imagery. I grew up with "Christina's World" hanging on my parents bedroom wall so as an artist and art educator it was one of my first influences. If you enjoy his work I strongly suggest visiting the Brandywine River Museum in Pennsylvania and the Wyeth Center in Rockland, Maine.

“What you have to do is break all the rules.”
Andrew Wyeth, July 12, 1917 – January 16, 2009

Modern Art Film Clips

Now that we are wrapping up our discussion about modern art history I wanted to share a few interesting film clips that we spoke about but didn't have time to see in class.


This clip is the commercial Marilyn Minter produced for her art show 100 Food Porn, a revolutionary idea at the time and I'm not just saying that because she was my teacher.


This is an interesting clip with Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat showing some of their collaborations and the two artists speaking about their work.


Here's a story about Damien Hirst's Shark at the Metropolitan Museum.


Finally, here's a story that actually shows graffiti artist Bansky working as he stencils the wall separating Israel from Palestine (which may be even more relevant lately due to the recent increased fighting).

Summer Assignments: Part I

Hey APs! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and relaxing! Remember the first half of the Summer assignments will be due posted up on this blog sometime next week. If you forgot which are which the assignments that are due are listed below:

Assignment #1: Create 10 sketchbook pages based on themes that you are interested in pursuing. The works should all be thematically united but can be in different media. Feel free to experiment with the theme with in the 10 works.

Assignment #2: Create 10 sketchbook pages based on observation from life. These must direct observations from life (not from photographs). Try to be creative angles or media if you like.

Assignment #4: A Self-portrait WITHOUT Showing Your Likeness
This can be done in monochrome (black, white, gray) or in color using any medium, technique and style you desire. The important thing here is to reveal something about yourself without using your face. In fact, you need not use any part of your body at all in this assignment. Instead, you are challenged to portray who you are in some alternative way. What image can you create or invent that would tell us something about you - your personality, your interests, your character, your inclinations, your talents, your passions, your obsessions, your desires, your needs, your likes and dislikes, your essence? This should be a 2-D work (flat) not 3-D.

Assignment #5: A Self-portrait WITH Showing Your Likeness
In this assignment create a more traditional self portrait but find a creative way of showing your personality in the work. You may want to include a background that reflects who you are or an interesting reflective surface to work from. Feel free to work in any media but again no 3-D works.

Welcome New AP Artists!

Hello, I just wanted to welcome all the new AP artists to our blog. Once you set up an account please just post a hello with a sample of your work(and please dont use your first and last name or mention any specifics about where you live, et.- try to keep it either your first name or make up a name for yourself). You can use this program to post work via the little picture icon or a different program such as photobucket or flickr- it's up to you. Remember to put fear behind you and have fun creating work this summer. I look forward to working with all of you and best of luck in your art!

Macgritte

This is for my "famous art piece done in my style" thingy.
I'd just like to say, that shading on the Apple logo was all me. The rest was mostly inverting colors, obviously. This was just for the hell of it, it doesn't mean anything, my feelings toward Apple aren't super-strong either way.

Old Masters Painting Re-done

Hey Mr. Needles,
For the assignment that we have to do our own rendition of an artist's piece, when's that due?

Keith Haring website

http://www.haring.com/ - Keith Haring website

just checking in..

What exactly are our assignments for over the break? is it just conscious/sub-conscious?

Either, or, both ... or any close variation (as long as it's excellent work) - Mr. Needles

munch.

so...needles...

i need more info on the project with the artists

please

Scholastic Art

Here's the registration link for the art contest I mentioned in class:
scholastic art and writing awards

Here's the link for supplies:
Dick Blick

Here's a link to the IF blog:
Illustration Friday

"Scales" and a triptic

For Scales. =3

I like showing it this way so that the map is the right way, but you can hold it any way you like. XD It's a triptic I was gonna do for the printing, but then colored and made its own thing. Done in colored pencil.

There is absolutly no reason for me to post this. But this is my dog Daisy, she may be retarded.

I'm posting these on behalf of Jen Yu.
And because looking at Daisy makes me laugh.

CerealKiller, The Birth Of Venus

the pictures look really crappy, sorry. my mom broke my camera a while ago so i ended up using my laptop's photo booth :[ :/

literal word

Chuck Close Questions

(sorry this is so late. i just got back home.)

1. you have an abstract style of working. ergo, would you consider your work to be photo realism? or a seperate genre to photorealism?
2. of your own work, do favor one peice in particular?
3. of your friends or family, whom did you make your first portrait?
4. be my friend?

heyy needles

i never got a phone call from the ny times.. and when is that digital long island thing? am i supposed to go? is that today?

Lashes ( isolation vs. Embrace)

I'm going to start posting all my pieces up...

its missing a more vivid background . i might change the paintings tone towards a more golden yellow look...like the 2nd. ialso have to fix the hand..etc.

any other suggestions?

Web design and you... a digital road to hapiness

Take a look at the following websites for this weeks assignment. We are going to base the next assignment on it. We are going to discuss the basics of web and logo design in next weeks class so make sure you have comments about what you like and don't like about the sites.

Smithtown District Website

Smithtown HS East Website

Mr. Needles School website

Mr. Needles Art Website

Bookmark

Two Things

Okay, I know this is fully two weeks late now, and I know I stole some elements from Kim, but this is a preview of my Peace Quest poster, please have mercy on me. Come on, it's my birthday!

It looks better in person. Also, for extra brownie points (Please forgive me, Oh Great Needles!) here is a preview of my ultra-kick-ass bookmark, which took me several straight hours to make, and totally from scratch, btw.

Juggle *~*

A is for ... < @_@ >

Regular ^_^

i come bearing late assignments

first is my "a is for".

in this case, a is for "are you kidding me?!" haha and his body is kind of bent in the shape of an a. i love street performers.
and now for my juggling assignment. i believe juggling involves a lot of balancing and keeping up what's being juggled.
you can definitely juggle yourself, when you're climbing and swinging yourself about, and that's my interpretation of it. =)


i definitely realized i enjoy photographing people in motion the most out of everything. getting good shots is so satisfying.

back from boston/salem

hey!!! sorry im posting now but i literrally came home and downloaded pictures from my camera!!! im completely in love with salem and boston was really nice too.
yeaa so im in boston and there happens to be this crazy guy juggling on top of this giant stand 8 ft. up in the air. and he juggled red balls.. and knifes. so i felt this was a sign from above that i didnt need to draw my hwk assignments this week!!! and you know knifes were more hxc than the classic red balls. soo !

yeaa and another a is for ARBOUR

and just one of my favorite pictures from the trip.. i got extremely bored during the 6 hour car ride home.. and these migrating birds caught my attention

Juggle

I felt like taking a break from my usual realistic drawings and go for something for design based with black and white (sharpies)

Juggle

A is for

Attitude ....

Juggle

A is for: alone/afraid

A is for.... + Juggle

Someone went on Youtube in Gessler's class 2nd period and looked up sharks jumping and attacking seals :3 They juggle with their teeth don'tcha know.

A is for Ambystoma tigrinum! They go 'rawr' and 'rofl' lots.

A is for...

"We saw the countess from the midst of the gloom. Small
and fragile-looking, she wielded a small dagger, its
blade red from the blood of her prey. I couldn't move -
to think she would turn on us like that!
I looked at Lucius, his face pale in fright of the
monster approaching us with death in her eyes. As
her wavy locks of black hair bounced and curled over
her now pointed, bat ears, I knew my young companion's
thoughts. She had been Lady Truman and he still loved
her as if her canines hadn't elongated into the
pointed daggers they were now.
"Can't be..." he murmured, still in awe as her
small feet graced the mansion tile floor. Her eyes shone
an icy blue and her dark, dead lips curled into a devilish
grin I will never forget. It's for that one night I don't
trust those that call themselves an... ARISTOCRAT. "

Just in case anyone wanted to know what it says behind her - yes, I wrote it, I didn't take it from anywhere. *is now thinking of writing a story with this vamp* Anyway, it's an aristocratic vampire...that's what A is for! >o<

'A' is for...

Aaron Gillespie of the Almost!
I saw this band at the Crazy Donkey a few days before school started.

"A" is for...

Apathy!
Okay, so I took too long on the face and had to rush the background, which came out like crap, and didn't even get around to the window scene, so i stole it from Google. But this is only because I DON'T CARE (Get it? Apathy! Come on people, this is comic gold!

A is for... Addiction

a is forr...

APPLEEE


AHAH and umm aerosmith!! was amazing so i figured it started with an a i should put it up there. even though my seats prevented me from getting a really good picture =/

a "regular" day at the beach (late, sorry)

it's gonna be too cold to go soon =(

I screwed up the resolution on this one so it's tiny >_<

transform (very late) and regular (also late)

so sorry these are both late, i finally figured out my new computer at least!

regular:



transform:

ahh

I just got a new computer (macbook pro it's AWESOME) and my new printer/scanner i have yet to figure out yet i'll post it as soon as i figure it out!!!

Regular

Was working on writing college essay instead of working on art homework D: Shame on me.

But now I know my tablet still works and photoshop doesn't hate me anymore :D

Regular

sorry it's late, needles. i almost forgot there was one assignment left

vombie business man!

i was finsihing up 1984 this break and i was thinking about big brother and how everyone was like a thoughtless vombie kinda lke frankenstein!

Regular

Regular

More tabletness. I swear I'll start trying harder once the year gets into full swing

What Is "Regular?"

I had some difficulty trying to figure out what it was I was going to do for this assignment so I started thinking about what makes me "regular." I then decided what makes everyone else "regular" in that we're the same... I realized then that there is no such thing as a universal "regular" or normal for anybody, that what one person views as regular/normal, might be new and different to someone else. So I decided to go with two opposite ideas of what might be regular for different individuals.

(anti)Regular

I didnt really know what i was going to do for this assignment, so i starting thinking of what make me "regular." A bed to sleep in, comfortable living, so then i decided to do my anti regularr. Someone who has to worry from meal to meal and where to sleep at night: