Digital Media: 3D Printing

In Digital Media we are going to begin our 3D Printing unit by remixing a design for a 3d puzzle shown above.  We are each going to create an individual piece that can be interlocked with each other to make a large sculptural form.  We'll look at Morphi's  Modular Art Disks and then use that as a starting place for our own unique designs.

Art Honor Society: 2020

It's a new year so we will begin to plan our upcoming National Art Honor Society Induction this week.  We will also begin working on the sets for the Tackan Elementary Play and continue work on our mural designs in school.  We will also continue work on our Sketchbook Project under the MONOchromatic theme.

We were also invited this week to display our Wyland mural in Smithtown Town Hall by the town supervisor so it will go on view next week with the names of everyone who worked on it.

Today we met with #Smithtown supervisor Edward Wehrheim & EPA director David Barnes to discuss our town’s environmental actions & the #StormDrain collaborative #mural project @williamsocnwld & I have been working on with our classes & artist Susan Buroker, great #STEAM learning! pic.twitter.com/27AJ1FuakE

— Tim Needles (@timneedles) January 24, 2020

Film: The Film Press

Today in Film class we will look at how the Film Press operates and different avenues that students might begin to get involved in the process in order to take advantage of opportunities in college and professionally.  I'll share some of my experience and we'll look at some of the ways to get involved and the expectations.

AP Art: Sustained Investigation

We are moving along with the AP Art test after our midterm and below are the due dates for the sustained investigation pieces that are due this quarter. We will review and critique them weekly.

• 1/31- Work 5
• 2/7- Work 6
• 2/14- Work 7
• 2/28- Work 8
• 3/6- Work 9
• 3/13- Work 10
• 3/19- Work 11
• 3/27- Work 12
• 4/3- Work 13

AP Art: Long Island's Best competition for the Heckscher Museum

This Month we will be working on the Long Island's Best competition for the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington.  The Entry Forms must be completed in February and the work must be framed and deliver in person in March.  We'll review some of the museums art and discuss the process this week.

Drawing: Last Day of the Semester Class

Today it's the Last Day of the Semester which means it's our last day of Drawing.  We will be collecting the final CHOICE assignment and choosing Artist Trading Cards from our partner classes in Idaho and Wisconsin.

Digital Media: OKgo Sandbox Project- Needing Getting

We are going to take the next step in our OKgo Sandbox Needing/Getting project and learn how to create rudimentary instruments out of materials we have in the classroom and that will include our own smartphones.  We will continue to practice making music together and keeping time as well as working on building a song with the various sounds we record. We will be downloading a free app called Google Science Journal that makes use of the existing sensors in your phone and adding an audio element to make them playable as an instrument.  We will also look at ways the song Needing/Getting has been covered by different people to inspire our own rendition. Here's a look back on the work we have done so far in the project. Tomorrow we'll try recording a full track!

Using @okgo’s #OKgoSandbox to inspire some #STEAM fun for #media students this week! Making #creative instruments & music based on the @OKGoSandbox lesson on #NeedingGetting w/ found objects & @google’s Science Journal while trying to teach #art students to #sing & keep time! pic.twitter.com/u1wwQ4rGtO

— Tim Needles (@timneedles) January 16, 2020

AP Art: The Storytelling of Art

In AP Art we are focusing on writing about our art this week, specifically looking at the Storytelling of Art.  Today we look further at the work of artist  Olafur Eliasson and see how he discusses his own work as an example.

0:06 / 11:0

AP Art: 2020 Competitions

SCALA ALL COUNTY
Grades 9-12. Only 3 students per high school building may be entered into the All County show. CATEGORIES: Drawing, Painting, 3D, Photography, Mixed Media and Digital Media. AWARDS: Best in Show - $100.00, Each Category - $50.00, 3 Honorable Mentions – $25.00 gift cards ​ 

SCALA SCHOLARSHIP 
This portion of the show is open to SENIORS who will be attending a collegiate art program in the Fall of 2020. Students are required to submit 3 pieces of artwork along with a typed written essay. The theme for the essay is “What inspires you as an artist?” The essay must be typed. Only 1 senior per high school building is permitted to enter. The same display and eligibility requirements apply to the SCALA scholarship application. First place $750, second place $500.00, third place $250.00.

COLORS OF LONG ISLAND
Students, parents and teachers are invited to a reception honoring the artists. The museum extends free admission to teachers, school staff and students. Students will be given passes that entitle them to bring two free guests, as well. Passes for reception & information for teachers and students will be handed out or mailed when artwork is received by the museum.

• Receptions for Eastern Suffolk students: Sunday, March 8, 12-2pm & 2-4pm
• Reception for Western Suffolk students: Sunday, March 22, 12-2pm

Digital Media: Film Editing

In Digital Media class we are beginning to learn the basics of Film Editing and our first project with be based on the video Needing/Getting from a favorite band OKgo.  In the video the band uses everyday objects to make sound as they drive by in a car and that is paired with instruments to create their song.  If you're not aware of OKgo, they are known for their creative music videos and unique approach, I once saw them perform at a This American Life event in NYC and was able to be part of a song thanks to an app they created that let the audience be part of the song.

We are going to collaborate on this project thanks to their OKgo SANDBOX which gives some insight into their creative process.  We will use their approach to making a song with everyday sounds but edit it together on video in the style of Eclectic Method who sample sounds and edit them together with video to make music.  Our goal is to create a song collaboratively by having each student create video clip samples of sounds taken from objects in the classroom.  It's a great creative challenge that will help build our video editing skills while we create a song together.

National Art Honor Society: 2020 Sketchbook Project

We will be starting our 2020 Sketchbook Project this week and today we decide on our theme.  we've created a collaborative book annually for a number of years and they travel the US then reside at the Brooklyn Art Library in Williamsburg.

Just received our 2020 #SketchbookProject so I'm sharing some past examples with my #Art Honor Society for #creative inspiration, here's a look at a #sketchbook I created during a 2017 trip to #Barcelona & #Bilbao #Spain: https://t.co/AAcDiP1Ec1 pic.twitter.com/NgJHkN3QZb

— Tim Needles (@timneedles) January 8, 2020

We will also begin preparing for our induction ceremony next month and collecting the annual dues for the Honor Society.   The current projected date is on February 6, 2020 in the Little Theater.  We will also create a short video of our year so far so be sure to share artwork, video, or photographs from 2019.

Adopt-A-Family Holiday Cards

The holiday cards we created for the Adopt-A-Family were delivered over the break to families in the area so thanks to everyone who created a card, they were appreciated!

Above you can see the cards along with the gift cards and other holiday gifts that were given to the family.

Created handmade #holiday cards for each of the Adopt-A-Family packages that our guidance department sends out to the help families in need throughout our community, great way to wrap up 2019! Here’s a few of my favorites from National #Art Honor Society! pic.twitter.com/uuddERLI2Y

— Tim Needles (@timneedles) December 22, 2019

Drawing: Mini-Comics

This week we are drawing and designing Mini-Comics in Studio Art and Drawing class.  We will learn about the basic elements of a story, the folding techniques, and the variations in the media.  Then we will brainstorm ideas and begin drawing and designing our own.  You can base you comic on the character you created in our warm-up cartooning activities or start create new original characters but the final comic should include 8 pages including a cover with your name and a title and a back with Smithtown High School East, the year, and Mr. Needles written.

We will begin learning how to fold the paper and create the book then sketching out a simple storyboard like the student example seen above.  Once we have a storyboard in full color we'll create the final min-comic like the examples seen below.

After you comic is shaded, toned, and/or colored you should open it back up to one piece of paper and scan it.  We will be scanning these comics after they are completed to show and trade them. The cover and back should be fully toned and colored with the title and your name. Below are a few finished student comics from previous classes.

A number of former students have become comic book artists and work in the film industry creating films based on comics.  We'll take a look at a few during the process of this assignment.

Remembering John Baldessari

A Brief History of John Baldessari from Supermarché: Henry & Rel on Vimeo.

On Thursday we lost John Baldessari, a radically influential Conceptual artist who passed away at 88 years old so I wanted to share some of his work and life.  The short video above is a great look at his most important work in a creative way.  Below are examples of some of my favorite, works of his.

NYCB ART SERIES PRESENTS LAUREN REDNISS

The NYC Ballet's art series was announced recently and this year it will feature the work of artist and author LAUREN REDNISS.  Redniss is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and was Artist-in-Residence at the American Museum of Natural History. She teaches at the Parsons School of Design. Her installation for this year’s Art Series celebrates the many people whose behind-the- scenes efforts are the lifeblood of the theater. She will create a 360-degree panorama of portraits depicting more than 100 people who work at New York City Ballet.

Welcome to 2020

Welcome to 2020! I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year! We'll spend the first two days of the school year focusing and setting goals for the remainder of the year and reflecting on what we've done so far! Our Artist Trading Cards are now all sent out so we will be receiving the last few packages back shortly.

Sent out our last envelope of 2019 #Artist Trading Cards to #APart students in @bellafiore3’s class in Wisconsin for our annual #art swap! Fun way to start the New Year with #creativity! pic.twitter.com/Slb4tbFYAk

— Tim Needles (@timneedles) December 27, 2019

Today we'll learn a bit about author Dan Pink and what motivates us as people and author Jon Gordon who came from Smithtown and introduced the One Word idea!