Digital Art
Memento Mori Photoshop Collage9-12th Grade
Jones College Prep Fall 2015 |
The inspiration for this project was Dutch vanitas paintings from the 1600s, and contemporary memento mori artworks. Memento mori translates to "remember that you must die." Artworks done in this theme remind the viewer of the brevity of life as a reason to live morally or seize the day.
Students learned how to make still life photos using studio lights (seen in the bottom slideshow), and then used their photos in combination with appropriated imagery in Photoshop to make their own memento mori collages (seen in the top slideshow). |
Animated GIFs9-12th Grade
Jones College Prep Fall 2015 |
This was the first unit I taught while student teaching in a Digital Imaging I class. Students learned about the context of GIFs as a contemporary art medium, and how to use Photoshop to create animated GIFs. Students were each required to make a trippy GIF, an appropriation GIF, and a self-portrait transformation GIF.
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Analog Photography
Intro to Darkroom Photography:
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In this introductory darkroom photography class, students explored different ways to photograph people, places, and things. After having critiques of student work, viewing the work of other photographers, and discussing major conceptual themes, photo techniques, and formal elements, students wrote short artist statements to accompany their work.
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Altering the Negative9-12th Grade
Marwen Summer 2015 |
This darkroom photography class was held at the University of Illinois at Chicago because Marwen was in the process of being renovated. With the exciting opportunity to use a much bigger darkroom, students experimented with many different ways to manipulate the 35mm negative in the darkroom, including drawing and scratching on the negative, sandwiching the negative, dodging and burning, selective blurring, solarization, and more. With the freedom to explore techniques and ideas, each student developed a unique style.
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Black & White Photobooks9-12th Grade
Marwen Summer 2014 |
In this class each student made accordion books that focused on a theme that they focused on. Some students had more visual themes while others focused on the content of their photographs, but all the students developed a style by making a photo series rather than single images.
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Neighborhood Portraits6-8th Grade
Marwen Summer 2013 |
In this class we went took the CTA to different neighborhoods in Chicago. Students captured what made each neighborhood unique with their pictures.
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Drawn Negatives6-8th Grade
Marwen Winter 2013 |
In this darkroom photography class, students scratched and drew on 35mm film negatives to combine photographic and drawn imagery. Students also experimented by using drawings on transparencies while printing in the darkroom.
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Photographic Treasures of the City6-8th Grade
Marwen Summer 2012 |
In this darkroom photo course, students used 35mm cameras as a tool to search for treasures as we explored the streets Chicago. Students used the photo skills they learned to transform ordinary findings on the street into beautiful photographs.
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Digital Photography
Digital Light Painting6-8th Grade
Marwen Fall 2012 |
In this digital photography course, students experimented with long exposure photos, which was a way to take advantage of classes starting later and the lack of sunlight in the Fall. Students learned to take control of the digital SLR settings, and used both flashlights that they controlled and ambient light outside from cars and buildings to make otherworldly images.
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Mixed Media
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Color Theory1st Grade
Goudy Technology Academy 2016 |
Students learned about the color wheel and different color relationships.
They made collages with colored construction paper to show complementary colors, warm colors, and cool colors. They also gained skills in tracing and cutting geometric and organic shapes. |
Bizarre Creatures2nd Grade
Prairieview-Ogden North Fall 2014 |
In this 9-week teaching practicum in central Illinois, students explored the "bizarre" by designing creatures in variety of mediums and techniques, including exquisite corpse drawings, making "creature cards," printmaking creature footprints, writing and illustrating stories incorporating multiple creatures designed by their peers, and sculpting their creatures.
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Art in the Everyday
6th Grade
Prairieview-Ogden South Spring 2015 |
In this 5-week teaching practicum, students explored how everyday life can be filled with artistic experiences if we train ourselves to see and experience it. Students did a variety of activities related to the theme, such as performing happenings based on their daily lives, writing fantastical stories about banal things, and making photo sequences where each photo relates to the next.
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Printmaking
Printmaking a Message7th Graders
Goudy Technology Academy 2016 |
Seventh graders designed, carved, and printed their own stamps with a message. We looked at examples of posters and other public art as inspiration. The text had to be reversed when carving the stamps, because when they are printed they get reversed again to be read the correct way. While printing, students chose various colored inks and paper to suit their designs.
Here are some quotes from students about their experiences making the posters: “Designing the words is the part that I was enjoyed of because I can design anything that I wanted to to make it look better.” “I enjoyed carving the design, even though it didn't turn out well the first couple times. I also enjoyed printing it out on the white slips of paper.” “I enjoyed getting to choose my quote and getting to design my stamp whichever way I wanted to.” “I enjoyed how it's different from painting or drawing.” “I enjoyed went we started printing the text with the paint. There were a variety of colors that could be mixed to make a nice print on the paper.” “I enjoy trying out a new art project I had not done.” “I enjoyed using the carving tool so I can carve into the pad. It was almost like creating a sculpture.” “It was challenging to imagine how it will look like when carving it out and then not knowing what the outcome would either look good or bad.” “The cutting and the sculpturing was the hardest challenge I have done in this project.” “Something I felt challenging about this printmaking project was when we were carving out our artwork. I couldn't carve out the smaller gaps with the carving tool.” “Carving took a long time.” “It was challenging to carve it with the tool. Curves were the worst.” |
Self Portrait Block Printing
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Students in this introductory art class for non-art-major college students made self portrait block prints. They combined their understanding of art elements and principles with the carving and printing skills they learned.
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Painting
Contemporary Issue in the style of a 20th century artist
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Students in this introductory art class for non-majors made acrylic paintings that explored a contemporary social issue of their choice, and mimicked of a 20th century artist for the style of their painting.
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Other
Think of ways you can be a better friend.
Make a decision in one minute.
Write a thank you note to your best friend.
Write a creepy story.
Draw your feelings.
Make “9+10” into a shape.
Take a video of someone doing a cool trick.
Go run a mile without any water.
Try to eat nothing but veggies for lunch for a month.
Write a letter to yourself and then don’t get it sent back until you’re in college.
Take pictures of pictures.
Write a story about what keeps you awake. Tell about what you hear and why.
Find a random person and ask them for their autograph.
Act like you are an alien from another planet.
Tell friend you’re in front of house when you’re actually not.
Teach a dog to play piano.
Pretend you are a famous celebrity from a different country.
1. Make something awesome. 2. Not destroy it!
Go to a foreign restaurant. Order what you want in a different language, like French.
Eat a food you hate for a whole day. Don’t cheat by eating something else.
Make 5 labels: nerd, geek, athletic, rich, and poor. Give one to every person you meet.
Lick your elbow
Count to ten in one second.
EAT A WHOLE BIRTHDAY CAKE.
Eat a mixed shake of the hottest (spiciest) things in the world.
Try to convince everyone that you made the first time machine.
Murder a teddy bear.
Spend a day with a hobo.
Use double negatives in every sentence.
Write someone an anonymous note. (Hopefully a nice note.)
Go and give the first 10 people you see hot chocolate.
Cover your hands in red paint.
Ride a pink fluffy unicorn that’s dancing on rainbows.
1. Cut out your power. 2. Try to find people.
Leave a trail of pennies everywhere you go for one day.
Ask the performers to do everything. Leave the room and see what has happened when you come back.
Put your hands in a bottle of glue. Play the piano. When you are done lick your hands and dip them in paint. Pick a random person and put your hands on their cheeks.
Untie shoelaces, tie them together and count how many people stare at you.
Have a fruit piñata at your party.
Throw a paint-filled balloon at the wall.
Pretend you are homeless for one day.
Make a sculpture only out of yarn.
Go to a restaurant, stand on a chair, say that you have an announcement to make, and ask a random person to marry you.
(This will work on people who are anti-social and are geeks.) Is mind messages real? No, they are sci-fi but not if you use your brain to talk. 1. Stand by someone. 2. Speak out loud so you can “send the message” (your partner will do the same.) 3. Keep on doing this and this will make people talk!
Read Harry Potter books over over over over and over again for the rest of your life.
Live in a porta potty for a week.
Reserve a big table at a restaurant that is packed and don’t show up.
Dance with a mannequin in a cocktail dress after writing Tom Cruise on its forehead, then put it in front of a school with a bottle of whip cream in its hand.
Sing about random things like you’re in a musical.
Shout, “I love me some milk.”
Turn into a wolf.
Hide.
Swim with babies at the mall.
Sit on an up side down clown chair and sing.
Teach someone a word in another language you know.
Blind fold one eye so you can only see black in that eye and walk across a tight rope.
Go to the mall and sing everything you say.
Play a hand game with a fish.
Go to the mall dressed as a barbarian.
Try to do a robot dance.
Go sledding wearing nothing but a swimsuit and put boxers on your head.
Play 5 nights at Freddy’s without screaming! I dare you!
Play goat simulator and don’t laugh.
1. Spray paint every inch of your enemy’s house. 2. Avoid your enemy.
Tie up all of your fingers with yarn so you can’t move your fingers. Write an essay about life (with your fingers still tied).
Use vegetable juice to paint a scene.
Take balloons and float up in the air.
Buy a meal from a restaurant. Eat one bite each hour.
Stick our head out of a window and say help to every single tree or plant you see. Do this until you can’t do it anymore.
1. Get a piece of chalk. 2. Get a chalk board. 3. Draw random lines.
Pay a rich person minimum wage.
Make a bouquet of flowers from your garden and put them on someone’s doorstep.
Go to the store or road and put coins in the parking meter or shopping cart.
Tie two people together and give them 3 minutes to discover what they have in common and then 2 minutes to get untied.
Take a dog and dress the dog up as a cat then the dog and go to a store where dogs are not allowed.
Throw a taco in a fan.
Try to talk like a person from the 18th century for a week.
Pay a store in the mall, take a random mannequin, place it in the middle of the mall, and repeatedly stab it and squirt ketchup onto it.
Scream and run for no apparent reason.
1. Make a life-size house out of paper only. 2. Live in it for a week or at least 3 days.
1. Spread butcher paper on the floor. 2. Have everyone in the room draw random stuff on it. 3. Hang the paper on the wall.
Must talk like Arnold Schwarzenegger the whole time in the art show.
Baby talk to your pet in public.
Make a life-size bridge out of yarn that holds a person’s weight.
Find a random person. Sing “happy birthday” to them. Squirt them with ketchup and lick them clean. Then tell them how kind they are and pat them on the back. You can also use paint if you have no ketchup.
Make a decision in one minute.
Write a thank you note to your best friend.
Write a creepy story.
Draw your feelings.
Make “9+10” into a shape.
Take a video of someone doing a cool trick.
Go run a mile without any water.
Try to eat nothing but veggies for lunch for a month.
Write a letter to yourself and then don’t get it sent back until you’re in college.
Take pictures of pictures.
Write a story about what keeps you awake. Tell about what you hear and why.
Find a random person and ask them for their autograph.
Act like you are an alien from another planet.
Tell friend you’re in front of house when you’re actually not.
Teach a dog to play piano.
Pretend you are a famous celebrity from a different country.
1. Make something awesome. 2. Not destroy it!
Go to a foreign restaurant. Order what you want in a different language, like French.
Eat a food you hate for a whole day. Don’t cheat by eating something else.
Make 5 labels: nerd, geek, athletic, rich, and poor. Give one to every person you meet.
Lick your elbow
Count to ten in one second.
EAT A WHOLE BIRTHDAY CAKE.
Eat a mixed shake of the hottest (spiciest) things in the world.
Try to convince everyone that you made the first time machine.
Murder a teddy bear.
Spend a day with a hobo.
Use double negatives in every sentence.
Write someone an anonymous note. (Hopefully a nice note.)
Go and give the first 10 people you see hot chocolate.
Cover your hands in red paint.
Ride a pink fluffy unicorn that’s dancing on rainbows.
1. Cut out your power. 2. Try to find people.
Leave a trail of pennies everywhere you go for one day.
Ask the performers to do everything. Leave the room and see what has happened when you come back.
Put your hands in a bottle of glue. Play the piano. When you are done lick your hands and dip them in paint. Pick a random person and put your hands on their cheeks.
Untie shoelaces, tie them together and count how many people stare at you.
Have a fruit piñata at your party.
Throw a paint-filled balloon at the wall.
Pretend you are homeless for one day.
Make a sculpture only out of yarn.
Go to a restaurant, stand on a chair, say that you have an announcement to make, and ask a random person to marry you.
(This will work on people who are anti-social and are geeks.) Is mind messages real? No, they are sci-fi but not if you use your brain to talk. 1. Stand by someone. 2. Speak out loud so you can “send the message” (your partner will do the same.) 3. Keep on doing this and this will make people talk!
Read Harry Potter books over over over over and over again for the rest of your life.
Live in a porta potty for a week.
Reserve a big table at a restaurant that is packed and don’t show up.
Dance with a mannequin in a cocktail dress after writing Tom Cruise on its forehead, then put it in front of a school with a bottle of whip cream in its hand.
Sing about random things like you’re in a musical.
Shout, “I love me some milk.”
Turn into a wolf.
Hide.
Swim with babies at the mall.
Sit on an up side down clown chair and sing.
Teach someone a word in another language you know.
Blind fold one eye so you can only see black in that eye and walk across a tight rope.
Go to the mall and sing everything you say.
Play a hand game with a fish.
Go to the mall dressed as a barbarian.
Try to do a robot dance.
Go sledding wearing nothing but a swimsuit and put boxers on your head.
Play 5 nights at Freddy’s without screaming! I dare you!
Play goat simulator and don’t laugh.
1. Spray paint every inch of your enemy’s house. 2. Avoid your enemy.
Tie up all of your fingers with yarn so you can’t move your fingers. Write an essay about life (with your fingers still tied).
Use vegetable juice to paint a scene.
Take balloons and float up in the air.
Buy a meal from a restaurant. Eat one bite each hour.
Stick our head out of a window and say help to every single tree or plant you see. Do this until you can’t do it anymore.
1. Get a piece of chalk. 2. Get a chalk board. 3. Draw random lines.
Pay a rich person minimum wage.
Make a bouquet of flowers from your garden and put them on someone’s doorstep.
Go to the store or road and put coins in the parking meter or shopping cart.
Tie two people together and give them 3 minutes to discover what they have in common and then 2 minutes to get untied.
Take a dog and dress the dog up as a cat then the dog and go to a store where dogs are not allowed.
Throw a taco in a fan.
Try to talk like a person from the 18th century for a week.
Pay a store in the mall, take a random mannequin, place it in the middle of the mall, and repeatedly stab it and squirt ketchup onto it.
Scream and run for no apparent reason.
1. Make a life-size house out of paper only. 2. Live in it for a week or at least 3 days.
1. Spread butcher paper on the floor. 2. Have everyone in the room draw random stuff on it. 3. Hang the paper on the wall.
Must talk like Arnold Schwarzenegger the whole time in the art show.
Baby talk to your pet in public.
Make a life-size bridge out of yarn that holds a person’s weight.
Find a random person. Sing “happy birthday” to them. Squirt them with ketchup and lick them clean. Then tell them how kind they are and pat them on the back. You can also use paint if you have no ketchup.
Student-Made Assignments
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These are directives written by my students. I asked different classes to write them in different contexts, whether we were talking about Happenings, assignments in general, or art-specific assignments. After asking a couple groups of students to write them, I now want to do this in every class and update this collection. I think they reveal things that students think are important. And some are just plain fun.
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