HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Today is the last class day of 2018 so I want to wish everyone and terrific holiday and winter break!  Make sure all assignments are submitted by today for credit because we only have 12 class days left of the semester.  Enjoy the time off and have fun!

National Art Honor Society: Holiday Party

Today is our last National Art and Media Art Honor Society meeting of 2018 and we'll celebrate with a holiday party afterschool!  We'll end at 3pm and have a short officers meeting to plan the new year.

Film- Squash and Stretch Animation Challenge

In Film class we are wrapping up the basics of animation and focusing on Frank & Ollie's Twelve Basic Principles of Animation.  We watched how of the the rules of animation apply and what happens when you don't follow the rules.  We will now incorporate the learning into our animation challenges.  The squash & stretch challenge can be done on paper or digitally or even with post-it notes if you're up for the challenge!  It's due Friday.

Digital Media: Digital Zentangle

In Digital Media class this week we will be drawing and designing Digital Zentangles in Adobe Photoshop.  The file size should be 8" x 8" and students can create any kind of ORIGINAL design (don't copy and paste other people's work) to fill the page.  They work best with a central design element (shape or word) but feel free to be creative!

Art Honor Society: Japan Society Junior Fellows Program 2019

We will once again take part in the Japan Society Program in 2019 so any students interested in hosting Junior Fellows at Smithtown High School East in March can talk to me about the program if you are interested.  I've taken part in the program along with other Smithtown teachers, administrators, and students.  You would host a student that is matched up with your interests for a little under 2 weeks and they would follow you to classes.

If you take part in the program you can also apply to travel to Japan in the summer and be hosted by a Japanese student for a week:

Deadline for Application: Friday, February 15, 2019 (Postmarked)
Program Schedule for U.S. to Japan Trip: July 8–28, 2019 

Studio Art: LI's Best Art Competition

In Studio Art we are beginning work on the LI's Best Art Competition which is due on Wednesday next week.  Below is a link to the artworks you can base your work on- it should be used as an inspiration for your piece, don't copy the work directly.  You can use any media and it can be any size smaller than 20".  Above are some winning examples from last year.

LI Best Exhibition Artwork

Studio Art: Hour of Code Week

In Studio Art we are finishing up Hour of Code Week today.  We did 3 short coding assignments: Artist, Frozen, and Intro to App Lab.  When you are finished you will Beta Test 2 student created video games from my Digital Media class that are located (along with a rubric) in the Assignment drive.

AP Art: LI Best competition at the Heckscher Museum

In AP Art we are currently working on the entries for the LI Best competition at the Heckscher Museum.  Be sure to complete your entry and your artists statement about how your work was inspired from a the piece you chose which showed in the museum this year.  Below is a terrific example from Anna in last year's AP Art class that made it into the exhibition.  It was based on Rubens Santoro's painting Grand Canal, Venice on the left.

Here's the link to the works exhibited this year in the museum: 2017-2018 Museum Art

Art Honor Society: Murals and Classroom Re-design

I'm proud to share my latest article on our Classroom Re-Design Project which was published in this year's issue of the TAEA TRENDS Journal.  Today we will be continuing the re-design project in our new classroom space room 157, measuring and preparing for the twin zen gardens, and completing the Art mural in the hallway!  We will also begin working on our Sketchbook Project and planning and going over the AP Art course guidelines.

Studio Art: Artist Inspiration

This week in Studio Art we will complete our first art history unit by creating a work of art in our sketchbook inspired by one of the artists we learned about in class.  This is done by professionals as well such as the portraits above by Picasso and Matisse who showed their work to each other and were rivals and friends.  The piece is due today on Wednesday.

Media Art: Poster House + The Library of Congress Poster Animation Challenge

We are learning the history and basics of animation this month and creating animations for a Poster House + The Library of Congress competition which is asking for modern takes on historical designs like the one above.

After sifting through thousands of posters in the Library’s collection, Poster House selected 31 images that speak of ages past, are free of any copyright issues, and are ready to party. All you need to do is visit the Library of Congress online to download a high res version of the file, crop it as you see fit, and lend your creative touch by animating it in a unique, fun, and compelling way.

We will learn the basics of digital animation they create films using these historical posters by December 21.

Film: Scholastic Short Films

As we are working on our Scholastic Short Films we looked at director Spike Jonze and how he can tell a short story without works like the example above. Monday you have all class to edit your films and you can access free music to use in your films here: Bensound.