Student artwork from October and November

Sorry it's been a long time since I posted. Here is some student artwork from first quarter.

In AP art we drew a still life on top of a painted patterned background.

Liana

Devin

Traci

Sarah

In Pre IB art 1 students worked with scratchboard to create work that focused on implied texture with animals as the subject matter.

David

Samantha

Meagan

Logan A.

IB juniors created work exploring texture while IB seniors continued work in their independent investigations.

Ornella

Kayen

Kristina

Paige

Veronica

Stephanie

Haley

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Pre IB Art 1 - Line, Shape, Pattern

Art 1 students have completed their first assignment of the year.  Students used their first name as the main part of a composition including lines and shapes.  They used repetition to unify their designs while using many different types of lines and shapes to add variety.

Brianna

Grace

Lena

Cassidy

Kirshten

Zack

Sara

Angelica

Riane

David

Logan M.

Logan A.

We finished this assignment with a post-it-note class critique.  Students responded to prompts by leaving comments for others by their artwork.

IB Juniors presentations.

In case you missed them or lost your notes, here are the presentations from Friday.

Intro to ib junior year from Michelle Debello

Mechanical object from Michelle Debello

Amazing Scores!

Last Friday our seniors from last year got their IB scores back. This year every IB art senior passed art! I'm excited because this is the first year I have had a 100% pass rate :)

The students put in two years of hard work and they deserve these scores. I am so proud of them.


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Encaustics

This was the second year of experimenting with encaustics, painting with melted wax pigments. I use this as my "after AP project" the portfolios have been submitted but we still have about a month of school so we need to do something fun.





This year we tried using other media with the wax. To start with, we added color to our boards with DynaFlow. You can't use acrylics with the wax because it needs an absorbent surface. Watercolors might work but I haven't tried them yet.












To melt the wax pigments, wax medium, and beeswax I use these metal tins and an electric griddle. Next year I'm getting a small crock pot for the medium.





Students add the wax in layers.






Between each layer the piece needs to be fused with the heat gun.






This year we tried out powdered pigments with the wax. I have metallics, some colors that were donated, and graphite powder. After the wax layer cools, pigments can be brushed on. Depending on how close you hold the heat gun to your work when you fuse this layer, you can get some neat effects.






The other media we used is oil paint. You can incise lines and texture into the cooled wax then rub oil paint into the lines. We used vegetable oil and paper towels to remove the excess.





Some students also embedded string into the layers of wax.






We used clay tools and razor blades to cut into the wax or smooth out the surface. When the wax is completely cooled we buff the piece with paper towels to make them shiny.





The students were quite successful with this project. My focus with this is experimentation rather than a perfect finished product, this allows the students to have fun with it.

My next post will have student examples.

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Guest Post: Andrea

The following is a guest post by Andrea sharing why she has chosen the college she will be going to next year.

After four challenging, yet rewarding years of high school, I refuse to treat college as just another building, a simple change of setting. For college to be a truly transformative experience, it must create the foundations from which I carve my dreams. I cannot say that ‘art’ was my first word. (It was ‘uh-oh.’) However, when paper and pencil are more appealing to a child than a stack of blocks or a bag of candy, I think that is called a sign.
Regretfully, I cannot recall how I felt the first time a stroke of lead caressed the thin surface of a page. But now, drawing is far more than a simple hobby. It is my center of personal expression, my source of empowerment, and my cherished haven of rest. This sensation may seem incomprehensible, but this is a passion Ringing College of Art and Design both understands and seeks to nurture. The aspect which distinguishes Ringling from all other is its resources.

As the #1 Most Wired Campus, I can look up information on artists and art movements at any time. With a vast array of digital computer programs and professional media, I will always be equipped to create. Lastly, the frequent recruiter visits from major animation studios will inform me of the essential responsibilities and skills involved in the production process.

Despite all of these resources, countless people have dismissed art as an illegitimate career. They scoffed at my dream, calling it childish and unrealistic. However, Ringling’s very existence validates my dream. So for every sketchbook that burst from all my lovingly hand drawn images, for every pencil sharpener whose blade went dull, for every pile of shavings that was formerly an eraser, for every festering blister that pulsed beneath the fierce grip of my pencil, for every paint stained shirt and lead covered desk, I choose to attend Ringling and make all those long hours of drawing worthwhile.

scholarship is sponsored by CenturyLinkQuote.com

Another Successful Senior Class

Tomorrow is the senior's last day before they leave for exams. Their art exam is done, we had a great show with an excellent turn out for the opening. It's really something to see all the artwork mounted and hung together. It's a great end to 2 years of hard work to see the portfolios like that. Even though IB is moving to a digital format for exams, the senior show is an important part of the process that won't go away.

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Central Park Art Festival

The Central Park Art Festival in downtown Winter Haven is this weekend.  You'll find lots of local artists and most are very nice and love meeting students.  I'll be there Saturday afternoon.

If you want extra credit for going:

1. find an artist you like (hopefully it is one whose artwork relates to yours in some way, for IB juniors and seniors)
2. talk to the artist, get a picture with them, ask them about their work, tell them about your work
3. do a page in your IWB about the artist and your conversation with them

If you want this credit to be on third quarter you need to show me your work before March 26.