February 1 - 5

Unit 1 - What is Design?

Current Project: Matisse Cut-Out Style Collographs

Objectives: create a collograph with the following (click here for the project rubric)

• Apply different textures to create an exciting collograph
• Demonstrating an understanding of positive and negative space
• Choose at least two colors for the collograph using color theory to enhance the meaning of the collograph
• Develop the collograph design based on either an abstraction of nature or on a personal life-experience
• Formally present the best print to the class and defend the collograph design and color choice.

• Monday: Introduce printmaking techniques and complete definitions quiz. Complete jounals page by the end of class. Journal assignment due!
  
• Tuesday: Critique day for our Notan Compositions and our journal assignments. You can bring "snacks." Notan is due!
  
• Wednesday: Demo how a collagraph works. Continue working on our Matisse project plan (the enlargement). Project plan is due in color!
  
• Thursday: Begin creating collagraph plate.
  
• Friday: Journal Day!

Journal Assignment: Create a Matisse paper construction of your project plan. Use cut paper to create your project plan. Construct the paper in bright colors as Matisse would have. Due on Tuesday, February 16.

January 29

Journal Day. We are completing our word composition pages with colored pencil and watercolor.

Assignments due next week:

• Project Plan for Matisse-style cutouts, due Wednesday, February 3
• Notan Project for a class critique, due Tuesday, February 2
• Journal Pages, due Monday, February 1 (end of class)
  

For your Matisse-style project plan:

• Make three thumbnails of a natural environment, an event or place, or a story (no movies).
• Must include background shapes, overlapping shapes, no details.
• Remember you are trying to make sure other people don't guess right off the bat what your "theme" is - be secretive.

January 28, Thursday

View the Matisse Power Point. Look for connections between our last two projects and his work. Find what are the "hallmarks" of his cutout style.

Begin to plan for a collograph print using a Matisse theme: a natural environment or an event.

Use background shapes to create visual movement. Make organic shapes to convey expression and information about the concept.

Once you have designed the plate use color pencils to LIGHTLY color in the different areas that are related so it can be translated into a collograph print (we talk about that next week.)

Project Plan is due by next Monday, February 2nd.

January 25, Monday - January 27, Wednesday

Putting the Notan Together

1. Choose the BACKGROUND colored paper.
2. Cut out the RECTANGLES from your two other pieces of colored paper. Use a ruler to measure the rectangles according to the "Format" page in your folder (the "packet"). Cut the rectangles out with an exacto and a ruler. Remember neatness counts.
3. Cut your big template apart by rectangles and use them as a pattern for cutting out your mutations from the correct colored paper.
4. Place the pattern over the correct colored paper and cut out the mutation using an exacto (don't forget the cutting board).
5. Glue down the rectangles, then the mutations using small dots of glue. Don't forget to spread out the glue with your finger.

Last day to work on this project in class is Wednesday, January 27th. The project is due on Monday, Feb 2. We will have a class critique. You can bring "goodies" to eat, but they must have a unique label designed by you using some "descriptive" word to describe them.

When you are finished, work on your Journal Entries.

Quotes for the First Three Weeks

January 12: "A man paints with his brains and not his hands." - Michelangelo

January 19: "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." - Pablo Picasso

January 25: "The essence of drawing is line exploring space." - Andy Goldsworthy

January 25 - 29

January 19 - 22

Unit 1 - What is Design?

Current Project: Cut-Paper Notan

Objectives: create a cut-paper collage with the following (click here for the project rubric)

• Plan and create an interesting color scheme
• Creatively use and manipulate postive and negative spaces
• Utilize space, color, and direction to create visual movement
• Abstract a form through five different changes while mainting key identifiable elements
• Practice good craftsmanship by making clean cut edges and controlling the glue used

• Monday: Work on Notan paper construction.
• Tuesday: Glue and complete the Notan constructions.
• Wednesday: Registration Day! Today will be short. View Riverwood Visual Arts movie. Work on journal.
• Thursday: Critique Notan and view Matisse Power Point.
• Friday: Journal Day. Complete 2 journal pages with watercolor. Journals due at the end of period!

Journal Assignment: EXPRESSIVE WORD COMPOSITIONS. Choose an expressive word from class and demonstrate it. You are selling the work like a graphic designer. You can use color, shape, and the letters from the word you have chosen. For color you can use colored pencils and watercolor. Due on Thursday, January 28.

January 19 - 22

Unit 1 - What is Design?

Current Project: Cut-Paper Notan

Objectives: create a cut-paper collage with the following (click here for the project rubric)

• Plan and create an interesting color scheme
• Creatively use and manipulate postive and negative spaces
• Utilize space, color, and direction to create visual movement
• Abstract a form through five different changes while mainting key identifiable elements
• Practice good craftsmanship by making clean cut edges and controlling the glue used

• Monday: MLK Day!
• Tuesday: Complete the object abstractions and choose color schemes.
• Wednesday: Plan color schemes on main template and on the smaller format in the notan packet.
• Thursday: Journal Day!
• Friday: Begin cutting the "windows" of our objects into the compartments of our notan compositions.

Journal Assignment: EXPRESSIVE WORD COMPOSITIONS. Choose an expressive word from class and demonstrate it. You are selling the work like a graphic designer. You can use color, shape, and the letters from the word you have chosen. For color you can use colored pencils and watercolor. Due on Thursday, January 28.

January 11 - 15

Unit 1 - What is Design?

Current Project: Matisse Cut-Out Style Collographs

Objectives: create a collograph with the following (click here for the project rubric)

• Apply different textures to create an exciting collograph
• Demonstrating an understanding of positive and negative space
• Choose at least two colors for the collograph using color theory to enhance the meaning of the collograph
• Develop the collograph design based on either an abstraction of nature or on a personal life-experience
• Formally present the best print to the class and defend the collograph design and color choice.

• Monday: Finish working on black square project. Must complete two projects, or one complex project.
• Tuesday: Critique day for our Black Compositions.
  
• Wednesday: Introduce Notan project. Make drawings in journal from tools provided in class.
  
• Thursday: Abstract drawing and beginning planning your notan using the planner provided in class.
  
• Friday: Journal Day!

Journal Assignment: Last week's project was not done thanks to the lovely snow. EXPRESSIVE WORD COMPOSITIONS. Choose an expressive word from class and demonstrate it. You are selling the work like a graphic designer. You can use color, shape, and the letters from the word you have chosen. For color you can use colored pencils and watercolor. Due on Thursday, January 21.

January 5 - 8

Unit 1 - What is Design?

Current Project: Matisse Cut-Out Style Collographs

Objectives: create a collograph with the following (click here for the project rubric)

• Apply different textures to create an exciting collograph
• Demonstrating an understanding of positive and negative space
• Choose at least two colors for the collograph using color theory to enhance the meaning of the collograph
• Develop the collograph design based on either an abstraction of nature or on a personal life-experience
• Formally present the best print to the class and defend the collograph design and color choice.

• Tuesday: Introduce course syllabus and expectations. Begin repairing sculpture from last semester.
• Wednesday: Begin working on black square construction. Choose word and begin planning how shapes and lines can be expressive of the word chosen. Work on sculptures.
• Thursday: Work on black squares and sculptures.
• Friday: Journal Day!

Journal Assignment: Hand Designs. Using only black pen, design your hand to reflect your name and family background. You can use the letters of your name and any designs that are representative of your background. For example, if you are of Irish decent, you could use shamrocks as design elements. One good idea to begin with is to use pencil to sketch with and then follow it up with pen design.