Last Day of Class!

Last Day of Class, congratulations!  Here's one of our last projects, the Dunny designs from AP Art.

One Day Left of Class!

A post shared by Tim Needles (@timneedles) on Jun 6, 2017 at 4:26pm PDT

We are down to just 1 day left of class! All project are due today as well as the portfolios in Studio Art.

Film: TV Pitch treatments

In Film class we are looking at the process of pitching tv shows and films and using producer/writers like Brian Koppelman as an example.  Above are some of his best pieces of advise from his yearlong Vine series on screenwriting to use as inspiration as you write you treatments.  The final treatments are due on Wednesday.

Digital Media: Little Bits Doodle Wizards

Our last week of Digital Media will be focused on creating Doodle Wizards Robots with Little Bits and creating a portfolio of work from the year.  Each group should design and create their own Doodle Wizard that can draw then we will film them with time lapse photography to see and share what they create.

After we have worked with the Doodle Wizards we will design our own custom 3D printed elements for them like this 3 marker arm.  Once you have customized and pimped out your Doodle Wizard we'll draw and film them once again.

Art Honor Society: 2017 Collaborative Sketchbook Project

Our 2017 collaborative Sketchbook Project we created in Art Honor Society earlier this year is now digitized and available to view online here: The Telephone Game. The sketchbook is now on view at Brooklyn Art Library and will go on tour across the United States this summer!
The Sketchbook Project Mobile Library from Art House Co-op on Vimeo.

Film: Understanding the Hero's Journey and Applying it to Film

In Film class we learned about Joseph Campbell's concept of the Hero's Journey and we are now using that structure to build a short tv treatment.



We'll continue to reference loglines and Save the Cat and learn about the Story Beats that you can see in the video below then we'll start our first draft.

2017-2018 AP Art Summer Assignments

Summer Assignments:

All assignments can be done in any medium, technique and style you desire but should be entirely original (do not use other people’s pictures, characters, or content in any way) and fit the AP Test you are planning on taking (Drawing, 2D, or 3D).  Part I and II should be shared before August 1 if you want feedback and Part III can be shared when school begins.

Part I: Breadth Assignments:

(these assignments should be shared with me via social media (twitter/instagram to @timneedles with #NeedlesClass) or email tneedles@smithtown.k12.ny.us by August 1 at the latest for feedback. These works will also  be critiqued during the first weeks of classes.)

1. A mixed-media portrait – Create a portrait using various media in monochrome or in color. Feel free to use any medium you desire (ink, collage, newspaper, paint, & other mixed media) and as many media as you like. The style may be handled in any way you wish: realistic, abstract, expressive, impressionistic or cubistic, etc. This portrait should reveal something significant about the model. Hands, torso and face are important features and should be included in the work. Try an unusual surface. The portrait may be done on any flat smooth unbreakable surface such as cardboard, mural paper, plywood, masonite, plexiglass, homasote board, etc.

2Antediluvian- Read the definition below and create a work that has a theme of Antediluvian in some way. 

adjective “of or belonging to the time before the biblical Flood.” meaning: outdated, outmoded, old-fashioned, antiquated, behind the times, passé, ex: Humorous ridiculously old-fashioned."they maintain antediluvian sex-role stereotypes"

3. Man vs. Self- Create a work showing the contrast between man vs self. This too can be personal or social (environmentally, philosophically, ect) and literal or figurative. Try to stay away from the cliché imagery and find a unique take on a very ancient theme.

4. Inspiration- Take a look at this catalog of art from the 2016 Armory Show in NYC from Art.sy and choose any artist that interests you then create a piece responding to (not copying or in their style) their work.  The list includes everyone from artist who use traditional media such as: Andy Warhol, Joan Miró and Marcel Duchamp to contemporary artists like: Douglas Coupland, Marina Abramović, Francisco Vidal, William Kentridge, Jim Campbell, and Claire Tabouret .

5. “INVISIBLE CITIES” - A Strange Relationship With Memory

In the book entitled, Invisible Cities,the author, Italo Calvino, beautifully spins a tale of an imaginary encounter between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan, in which Polo describes all the cities of his long travels.  "Kublai Khan does not necessarily believe everything Marco Polo says when he describes the cities visited on his expeditions, but the emperor of the Tartars does continue listening to the young Venetian with greater attention and curiosity than he shows any other messenger or explorer."

So begins Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities, a compilation of fragmentary urban images. As Marco tells the khan about the marvelous places he has seen or visited, it may be that he is actually creating them all out of his imagination, or perhaps he is recreating details of his native Venice over and over again, or perhaps he is simply recounting some of the myriad possible forms that a city might take.

In truth, the book is a magnificent study or examination of our strange relationship with memory. As Polo tells Khan, "It is not the voice that tells the story, but the ear." The author of the book notes that the best way to really maintain and preserve our memories is to leave them be. Only in this way can we avoid the temptation of returning to them and likely distorting and warping them from their original state. As Italo Calvino skillfully reveals the slow and hidden crumbling of our memories. Create a piece of art in any media based on this without using words.

Part II: Choice Assignments:

Create a series of 65 works (about 1 piece a day during the summer).  Feel free to experiment creatively and use different media, the subject matter is also your choice but I'd suggest that you both work from life and you imagination.  If you get stuck and are at a loss for what to do I suggest using creative promts such as my own #TERPart or some of my favorites like JJCommunity for photography and Illustration Friday for drawing or #31nights which can work for anything!

If you use a sketchbook that would mean 65 pages or if it's photography that would mean 65 images.  This work shows process so not every piece would be totally completed but rather a resource to pull from for ideas and creative experiments in the future.

Studio art: Final Portfolio and Assessment

There are just 8 days left of class so this week we will finish the cardboard project and focus on the Studio Art Final Portfolio and Assessment.  The quizlet is an easy way to review and the link is here is this post.  There will be a short writing segment on Wednesday, a short answer segment on Thursday, and the portfolio segment on Friday.  Below are some links to what we cover:

• Studio Art: Drawing
• Studio Art: 2D Art Terms
• Studio Art: Street Art
• Studio Art: Art History
• Studio Art Final Review

Studio Art: Cardboard Project

In Studio Art we are finishing up our Cardboard Project which is due on Wednesday May 31.  All painting and gluing should be finished by Tuesday so we have time to work on the last details before photographing them!

We use these mask to march in local parades like the St. Patrick's Day parade with Mr. Needles shown above walking with the Mr. Needles cardboard mask.  We'll post some of the most creative and interesting cardboard masks on the blog here as well.

Art Honor Society: NAHS News

Our Smithtown HS East Chapter of the National Art Honor Society was featured in the recent national edition of NAHS News.

There was a story on our mural collaboration with artist Jon Burgerman and the student art from members Luke and Kayla.

Wednesday Work

I am in school Wednesday but not in class so below is work for each class so have a great day and remember to clean up all of your supplies!

Studio Art: Continue working on your cardboard masks

Digital Media: Continue working on your augmented reality works

AP Art: Continue working on your Dunny designs

Film: Write you final film pitch and share it on Google docs

Digital Media: Augmented Reality Gallery with Aurasma

In Digital Media we are progressing with our use of Augmented Reality to create a Gallery of images that come alive with Aurasma.  Today we will create our first triggers in class and later this week each student will create 3 Augmented Reality images featuring the themes below:

• National Poetry Month- Digital Poet Drawing/Digital Haiku
• Nature- Digital Photograph/Serene Digital Video
• Timelapse- Digital Photograph or Drawing/ Hyperlapse Digital Video

All 3 trigger images should be printed and presented for the gallery by the end of class of Friday.  Above is a short demonstration of how to effectively use the Aurasma app.  Here's a link to the AR art of Stu Campbell who does some amazing work with AR as you can see below!

2017 AP Art Spring Exhibits

This week's AP Art exhibit features a cool trio of creative student #art w/ conceptual fashion elements! pic.twitter.com/04eYF5K6ym

— Tim Needles (@timneedles) May 21, 2017

 We have had some terrific AP Art Spring Exhibits so far this year with Ariel, Nicole, and Kayla's show this week and Anthony and Erin's show last week.  There are just 3 shows lwft this year so let's make them great!

Digital Media: Art Trivia App Design

Today in Digital Media class we are completing our Art Trivia App Design and Coding.  Every student should have created and coded their artist questions and forwarded them both to me to grade and Billy to combine into our collaborative app.  The example above by Erin is the proper format and layout for the questions.  Today we will finish all the coding and beta test it with students in other classes next week.

Studio Art: Dunny Package Design

In Studio Art we will move on to the 2nd phase of our Dunny project and create the Package Design for the Dunny we created like the professional example above.  the packaging should fit with the Dunny you created and be creative itself, below is a great example from Kelsey.

The package design above is a good fit for her Dunny which is pictured below and it's also fully rendered and has the title on it.

The Andy Warhol dunny above is a good example because it references some of the packaging that he worked with in his art and also clearly shows what the Dunnys look like and the Sriracha dunny below adds another dimension with a logo.

Digital Media: Art Trivia Code Game

In Digital Media class we are collaborating on creating and coding an Art Trivia Game that will aid Mr. needles Studio Art classes in studying artists. Below is a breakdown of the different art periods (levels) we'll cover and the artists each student will be responsible for.

Every student will create a question for each artist and include a school-appropriate image of their work. Billy will be doing all the structural coding and Amber will design the cover page. The final app is due for Beta testing beginning of next week in class on Monday morning May 22.

Renaissance

Erin- Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Raphael

Romanticism

Aline- Francisco Goya, Eugene Delacroix, JMW Turner

Alexa- William Blake, John Constable, Sir Thomas Lawrence

Impressionism

Dan- Edouard Manet, Camille Pissaro, Berthe Morisot

Hanna- Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Mary Cassatt, Claude Monet

Expressionism

Ethan- Edvard Munch, Marc Chagall, Egon Schiele

Surrealism

Ben- MC Escher, Rene Magritte, Salvador Dali

Fauvism

Derek- Andre Derain, Henri Matisse, Raoul Dufy

Post Impressionism

Amber- Cover, Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Hunter-Auguste Rodin, Amedeo Modigliani, Paul Cézanne

Cubism

Josh- Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, Piet Mondrian

Abstract Expressionism

Christian- Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning

Pop Art

Jonathan- Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol

Stephen- David Hockney, Jeff Koons, Claes Oldenburg

Photorealism

Jack- Richard Estes, Ralph Goings, Chuck Close

Street Art

Michael- Banksy, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Swoon

Kelsey- Obey, Keith Haring, Os Gemeos, Mr. Brainwash

Nicholas- BLU, Cope2, Faile

Studio Art: Creating and designing a Dunny

Today we will learn about a new street artist, Tristan Eaton, and his creation the Dunny.  We are each going to design a unique Dunny then sculpt and paint it.  today we will look at a variety of different artists designs and look at examples from Kid Robot's collections.  The example above is by artist Tara McPherson.

Street artists who we've learned about like OBEY (example shown above) and Ron English (example shown below) have created popular Dunny's.

Artists like Jon Burgerman, who we worked with last year on our Earth Day mural, also have created a number of different Dunny designs like the example below.

So we are going to begin by sketching out ideas the sculpting the Dunny using a 3D printed mold created in my digital media class.

There is a huge variety in Dunny style and modifications so we really want to find a creative and unique approach and those elements will feature heavily in the grade.

The we will paint the Dunny and create any necessary accessories- look at the professional example below by artist SEKURE D.

After learning about the basics we will start sketching out ideas and coloring them, this part of the process is due on Wednesday.

Studio Art: Street Art Quiz

Today in Studio Art we will discuss the Banky's documentary and take our Street Art Quiz to set us up for our next project on Monday.  The Quizlet outlines a few of the most important street artists that we learned about here: Street Art Quizlet.  Posted above is Banksy's intro for The Simpsons and below is the ad for his Dismaland Park which came out after the film.

Film: The Animation Studios

In Film class we just finished learning about the creative process and organizational structure of the different major animation studios so today we will review and tomorrow take a short test on the subject before we move on to our own group animation.  Below is a list of the animation studios that we covered in class this year:

• Disney Animation Studios
• Warner Brothers
• Hanna Barbera
• South Park Studios 
• PIXAR Animation Studios
• Aardman Animations
• DreamWorks Animation
• Studio Ghibli 

Digital Media: Triva Game App

In Digital Media class we are working on learning how to create an app and we will begin with an experiment to create a very simple triva game app on code.org like the example above from Amber that you can play here: Mr. Needles Trivia Game App.  We will then work on combining forces to create our group app together from concept to design to coding to beta testing to finished product!

Studio Art: Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop

In Studio Art we are preparing for our collaborative mural project by watching parts of Banksy's Oscar nominated documentary 'Exit Through The Gift Shop'.  We will also have a short quiz on the film on Friday.

Film: PIXAR Animation Studios

In Film class we will finish examining Disney Animation Studios and look at Warner Brothers/Hanna Barbera, South Park Studios and PIXAR Animation Studios this week with a look at their director John Lasseter and the inner workings of the studio.  We will also review what we learned about Aardman Animations/DreamWorks Animation and Studio Ghibli before taking a quiz on Animation on Friday.

AP Art: AP Art Test

Today we will be taking the  AP art test and we will begin by uploading the AP Studio Art Submissions then complete the paperwork and submit the portfolios. Below is the information you need to know to "forward your portfolio to teacher":

School Code: 335001
School: SMITHTOWN HIGH SCH E CAMPUS
Teacher Key: xwt0100

Here are 2 examples of completed portfolios and what they look like.  Each work should be matted and AP stickers placed on the back.

Friday Advice: Carrie Fisher- May the 4th Be With You

Happy May 4th Smithtown, here's a re-post of my interview segment with the recently departed Carrie Fisher in honor of Star Wars Day- May the 4th Be With You!

"Even when you don’t feel inspired, do it anyway"

This week's advice comes from an actress we are all familiar with, Carrie Fisher. She is known for her iconic roles in films such as the Star Wars trilogy, The Blues Brothers, When Harry Met Sally, Austin Powers, and recently on the cartoon Family Guy but in addition to acting Fisher has written a number of plays and books such as Postcards from the Edge which was made into a film directed by Mike Nichols as well as working on screenplays such as Sister Act and The Wedding Singer. I had a chance to interview her while she was working on her most recent play, the autobiographical Wishful Drinking which was recently made into a documentary film which aired on HBO is September.

Mr.Needles: I teach high school and I teach film, screenwriting, and acting. What advice would you give to young creative people in terms of them wanting a career in a creative industry whether it’s writing or acting?
Carrie Fisher: Well it’s a big difference between whether it’s writing or acting. The important thing is to learn as much as you can and to write even when you don’t feel inspired, you know, to do it anyway. Do everything anyway whether you feel confident or not it’s worth going for.

Full Interview: Short & Sweet NYC

Art Honor Society: Open Studios Brooklyn

In Art Honor Society this week we discussed this weekends open Invisible Dog Studios in Brooklyn with Oliver Jeffers and Jon Burgerman.



Here are some links about the artists and to more information about the events.  We worked with Jon Burgerman here at the school on collaborative art project last April and he also talked to students about having a career in the arts.



He was not only a terrific artist but fun and funny so take a look at his doodling lesson above and a little more about his process below.

Digital Media: Creating an App

In Digital Media class we are begining to work on our culmination project of creating our own app in class.  This week we are experimenting with making a simple, fun trivia game that is a shareable app and next week we will combine our efforts to make a Beta test and troubleshoout any issues that arise.  Once it is working we will get to work on our big collaborative app project.  Above are the simple steps in creating the app on code.org and below is some more detailed information about how the process really works and what's happening while we are coding.

AP Art: AP Test Week

Today in AP art class we will continue uploading the AP Studio Art Submissions for the AP test.  By midnight on Wednesday each student should have all 12 breadth and 12 concentration statements digital posted on the online website like Sara's example above.  It should also include the 2 concentration questions answered and proofread online then you may hit the "forward your portfolio to teacher" button so I can make sure everything is in order before we submit the digital portion of the exam.  Make sure all the work is sized and the media is stated and the sizes are set before submitting your work to me.  Thursday we will complete the matting of the 5 Quality works and the last steps of the test are on May 5 when we will add stickers and paperwork and enclose the art in the portfolio cases.  

Good luck, we're almost there!