Have A Great Summer!

This has been a really positive year and I'm so glad we were all able to learn so much and produce some great work together- Have A Great Summer!

Digital Media: Meet Me In DC

Gina from the Digital Media class was the grand prize winner of PBS Learning Media contest- Meet Me In DC.  In addition to winning a round trip for 2 to Washington DC to visit the White House, a session of Congress, the National Archives, and the PBS studios we were interviewed yesterday in NYC by Thirteen WNET for Metro Focus and WLIW's Arts Beat.

Digital Media: Visit from the Creator of the Morphi App

We welcomed guest speaker Sophia Georgiou, the Creator of the Morphi App, in Digital Media class this week and learned about the amazing possibilities for 3D printing, design, and animation with the app as well as the fascinating process of how the app was designed.  It was a great opportunity to bring together all of our learning in design, coding, 3D printing, collaboration, and the creative process.



We learned about a few really cool features of the app and even created a great 3D model of the 'Mouse-fish' character from our recently completed collaboration mural painting with Jon Burgerman!

Studio Art: 3D Cardboard Figures

In Studio Art we are closing out the year with our famous 3D cardboard puppet project and this year we are creating 'Bulls On Parade'- 3D Cardboard Figures of the school mascot which will be used in our homecoming parade.  We will finish up the art tomorrow and Thursday we will have a short final assessment which will show what we've learned together this year.

You can review some of the basics of what we've learned this year on my Quizlet study guide.

Art Honor Society: Final Meeting

 This week is our last week of classes so the final Art Honor Society meeting will be on Wednesday where we will go over the AP assignments for summer, finish up the murals, and share some of the work we've created! The final art gallery opening will start us out and we'll end with a party!

Digital Media: Vexillological Augmented Reality

To begin working with Augmented Reality we are going to take a note from Roman Mars, host of the 99% Invisible (one of my favorite design podcasts), and work to create a better flag for our town, Smithtown.  We are going to watch his TED talk and learn about vexillology, the study of flags, and then critique our town flag based on the basic design rules that he shares written below.

1. Keep it simple. (The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory.)
2. Use meaningful symbolism.
3. Use two to three basic colors.
4. No lettering or seals. Never use writing of any kind.
5. Be distinctive


Our flag is definitely what we learned Vexillologists would call a "SOB" (a seal on a bedsheet) so we are going to help our town out by creating a new flag design that represents the 21st Century.  We are also going to use the Quiver app to create a virtual augmented reality video show off how great our new flag designs would look flying over the school and in town.  Be creative, be original, and be timely because we are in the last few days of school and this project is due on Tuesday 6/2!

UPDATE: Here's a few of my favorite flag redesigns so far, there are some really great designs!

The last step of the project is to record your flag design with augmented reality with the Quiver app and their flag template and share it, below is an example from Jak.

Digital Media: Portrait Photography

Today in Digital Media we are finishing the Photoshop work on our 10 portraits from last week so they should all be edited with copyright and borders for tomorrow.  You should have at least 2 different subjects and close-ups as well as medium or wide angle shots that show enviornment.

AP Studio Art: Summer Assignments

The 2016-2017 AP Art class will have a short meeting next Wednesday June 8 at 2:05pm in room 161 to discuss the schedule and summer assignments which are posted below. If you cannot attend for any reason make sure you see Mr.Needles and complete the 20 assignments by the first week of class because they are potentially a large part of the AP test itself. 

If you have any questions about the assignments feel free to email me or come speak with me, other than that remember to enjoy the work and don't stress out because it usually means death to creativity!

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 twitter instagram- #NeedlesAP 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. Self Portrait (without showing your face)- 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? 

2. Noir- Read the definition below and create a work that has a theme of noir in some way.
(adjective French: Black; noting the black numbers in roulette or the film noir style which incorporates deep shadows and a grim urban setting, photographed in somber tones and permeated by a feeling of disillusionment, pessimism, and despair.)

3. Man vs. Nature- Create a work showing the contrast between man and nature. 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 list of NYC East Village Artists from Art.sy and choose any artist that intrests 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: Jean Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring to artist like: Jeff Koons, Doze Green, and David Wojnarowicz who do mixed media pieces. 

5. Shanti Peace Poster-  Create a 8"x10' poster for the Shanti Peace Poster Contest, the theme is peace and you are free to use quotes from Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and/or John Lennon if you wish. Here's a link to the three previous winning Smithtown designs: 2011 Peace Poster

Part II: TERPart:
Create 5 works from prompts of The Everyday Renaissance Project.  There is a creative prompt for each day in June so choose 5 that interest you and create work for them.  If you want to share them on social media use the hashtag share them with #TERPart.

Part III: Concentration Assignments
Create 10 works in a theme of your choice in a medium that you want to work with for the AP test (pencil, photography, mixed media, ect.). Examples from the past include "A Day In The Life", "A Reinterpretation of the Past through Steam technology", "and "Perspectives of the Brooklyn Bridge" so it's really wide open but if you want to run your idea past me before you begin I'd love to hear it. Here's a link to the College Board website which has information about the test with examples of Concentration pieces that have scored well in the past: AP: Studio Art.


Part IV: Contests
The Young Arts art contest is open and I suggest submitting work for a chance to win a large scholarship and a chance to attend their renowned master classes with well know artist and become eligible for nomination as a US Presidential Scholar in the Arts.