Homework 6-5: Impact 100 Status Update

I have been working with Samantha Berman on our Impact 100 project and we are progressing along quite well. For our project, we are creating a Digital Time Capsule. We are requesting participants to submit an image or video, and to include their age, gender, and location. The submissions are being posted at DigitalTimeCapsule2016.blogspot.com. 

We have just started soliciting submissions, but they are beginning to flow in. The request for submissions has been posted on Facebook, Instagram, Craigslist (New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Mumbai), Reddit, and has been emailed to a number of contacts. We would like to continue posting in places that may offer a more global reach.

Homework 6-4: Scanography Lesson Plan

Lesson Title: Self Portrait Collage through Scanography

Age Group: 11th - 12th Graders, High School Digital Arts Course (previous experience with Photoshop)

Learning Objective: Through arranging and scanning items and images that are considered important to the student, he or she student will create a collage that represents a portrait of themselves through metaphor.

Materials: Scanner, found items, Photoshop

Motivation: What are your most special belongings? Think about why those items are important to you? How do those items reflect who you are? How can you use these items to create an image? Do you want to distort them? Is it important to see the item clearly? Do you relate more to specific shapes or colors, rather than specific items?    

Demonstration: Use student volunteers to create scans that show how movement, light, and depth affect the resulting image. Encourage students to experiment and explore the properties of scanography as much as possible.

Reflection: Discuss what process each student explored in order to create their scans. Request the students elaborate on how their scan reflects their identity and values. Discuss how the students could take their work further.

Homework 6-3: Research

Adam Elliot has been one of my favorite artists and filmmakers for many years. I was first introduced to his works Uncle, Cousin, and Brother many years ago through a collection of short films called The Animation Show (2003, curated by Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt). Elliot's three short claymation films are among the most touching films I have ever seen. They are extremely sincere, and extremely heart-wrenching. The following year, Elliot won an Academy Award for his short animated film Harvie Krumpet, and then later created the feature length film Mary and Max in 2009. 

Please check his website to see these wonderful films!

Homework 6-2: Stop Motion Process

Carianna and I worked together on our stop motion film. I think the collaboration was hugely beneficial not only to the creative process, but also to the logistical elements of what stop motion entails. It was a much smoother production to have one person control the clay figures, while the other person controls the camera and computer responsibilities. 

Firstly, Carianna and I decided we wanted to work with clay that was available in the Meyers studio.

After reviewing the homework and thinking about the project from a lesson planning perspective, we decided to create a scene the mirrored a color mixing lesson. We wanted to have two different colored figures come together to create a new figure in the resulting color. We then got to work and each sculpted figures for the scene. 

In setting up the scene, we used two pieces of white paper for the background. We felt the white background was the best choice so that it would not distract from the color mixing element of the film.

One of the greatest challenges in the process was the lighting in the Meyers Media Art Studio. We did not have access to an additional light source, and used only the room lighting. However, since it was not a very strong light, there are variations across each shot.

We elected to embrace the primitive aspects of our film and starting shooting. We worked together in directing the characters and planning how they would come together and mix. We took two shots per scene and created a Gif of 197 shots. Although it was a very difficult project, it was also quite a satisfying process to see the film come together. I would certainly consider creating another film for future blank projects. 

Homework 6-1: Stop Motion Animation

(created with Carianna)

In Class iBook

Dinosaur by Casey Gallagher

Homework 5-3: Blank Assignment

Prior to working on the scanography homework, I intended to create another digital painting or collage. I wanted to pursue digital painting further, and after completing the additional previously posted piece for my diversity class, I was excited to keep moving in that direction. However, once we started scanning, I couldn’t stop. Between the time spent scanning in the Meyers studio at at my own home, I completed well over a hundred scans. While scanning at my home I was able to play with factors such as light and other materials that may have compromised the scanners at school. I scanned everything I thought could be interesting- my clothing, my jewelry, my books- I even scanned my cat! It was so interesting to see how the slightest change in light or speed could change a picture so drastically. For my blank assignment I included another series of the dinosaur scans. I felt that this series best exemplified the changes that can occur by adjusting one element, which in this case was light. The scans posted earlier were completed in a completely dark room, while the scans below were in the same room with bright lights on. I chose the scans that featured only the single item of the dinosaur, rather than the various other items I scanned with the dinosaur. I appreciate the simplicity of these images. I’m excited that this class is offering such great opportunities for material exploration and I’m looking forward to learning what else scanners are capable of.   

Homework 5-2: Research

Rebecca Wild is a British painter, scanographer, and self proclaimed “experimentalist.” Her scanography work blends methods of painting and scanning, and features imagery of fluids and bright colors. Her scans are very complex and have qualities that are both organic and celestial- reminiscent of underwater photography, or Hubble telescope images. Rebecca creates her work by applying liquids (or painting) directly to the glass of the scanner. She protects the scanner by sealing the edges with tape. She then adds layers of glass on top of the paint to create air bubbles, and applies additional layers of paint.

Homework 5-1: Scanography

 Series 1: Bags

Series 2: Dinosaur

Online Assignment 8: Research a Photographer

Elena Kalis is an underwater photographer. She has become well known on the internet due to her fairy tale portraits that feature characters such as Alice in Wonderland and Sailor Mars. She uses the properties of the water to create magical scenes that are both bold and ethereal. While much of her work is quite playful, I am more interested in her darker portraits, which evoke a very creepy or somber feeling. I first came across Elena’s work while researching images for a series of oil paintings I was working on. I was looking for images related to drowning- I have been fascinated with underwater photography since.

http://www.elenakalisphoto.com

Online Assignment 2: Revisit Digital Painting

I was very impressed with the wide range of results the digital painting/collage assignment yielded. I think everyone approached the assignment differently and used a variety of skills and techniques. It’s very interesting to see how the works produced in this new media vary from the traditional works I’ve seen my classmates previously create.

If I was to return to the digital piece I created, the first adjustment I would make is to work more with digital painting. On this assignment, I did not use the painting tools to their fullest. However, I was so interested in trying them out that I elected to create a digital piece for another class- which is not a choice I would have ever anticipated making a few months ago! I am really looking forward to working more with these materials and seeing where they take me and how they get incorporated into my other art processes.

Online Assignment 1: Revisit Homework

I commented on the following student blogs: Anita, Leying, Hannah, Vanessa, Carianna, Ava, and Nina.
I received comments from: Gina and Ava.

I think commenting on each other's work is not only helpful, but also very satisfying. Reflection is a crucial part of any lesson, and I think acknowledging the work of our peers and sharing comments is a productive use of time. I believe it helps generate new ideas and build a stronger sense of community within the classroom.

Online Assignment 9: Connecting Photography to the Classroom

It is very natural to make connections between digital photography and children because cameras and photos have become such an important element of the American lifestyle. I cannot think of a child over the age of 5 who is either unfamiliar with photography or doesn't know how to take a photo themselves. I think photography can be used an art form for children in many ways:

1) Composite photos of the student, their friends, and family: By having the student take many portraits of their friends and family, they could then manipulate the photos digitally, or print them on translucent paper in order to create an image made up of their loved ones.

2) Portrait as Superhero: Students could turn themselves or their friends into a superhero by dressing up and creating a photo shoot, and could also digitally manipulate the setting or image further.

3) Time Lapse Project: By having the students take a daily photo of themselves, a plant, or any other stationary object, they could compile the photos into a video or GIF to create a time lapsed image.

Online Assignment 5: Digital Photography II

Idea #1: Due to the layered and transparent nature of my photo, I would love to see it turned into a 3D form. I think this image could create an interesting sculpture if the photo was broken down into various planes and layers, and then printed on a translucent material such as vellum or mylar. If each later was attached to plexi and then stacked equidistant apart from each other, I think it would create an interesting space a distorted view. 

Idea #2: Conversely, I would also be interested in visually compacting the image and flattening it out in a program such as Illustrator. If the spaces were broken down into harsh monotone color blocks, I think it would create an interesting abstract pice. I am traditionally a painter, and would love to see that transformed into a large scale abstract oil painting.

Online Assignment 4: Explore Digital Photography I

I took this photo at the bus stop today. I left my apartment a little early so that I could look around in search of a photo before having to catch the bus. As I walked around a few blocks, some things caught my eye, but nothing that was too inspiring- especially knowing we could take only one photo. I resolved that I would take a closer look at my apartment when I got home, and walked to the bus stop. 

As I was sitting at the stop, I took my phone out to see when the bus was coming. However, before I pressed any buttons, there seemed to be a very interesting reflection on the black screen. Without moving the phone, I turned the phone on and put the camera in selfie-mode. After looking for a while I decided to take this photo. I thought the reflections through the glass were very interesting, almost as if the photo was already photoshopped in some way. 

What you are looking at is the glass ceiling of the bus stop, diffusing the blue sky. Then, there is a large tree and church behind the bus stop, with some glares. Below that you can see the circles etched onto the bus stop, and the beige and red buildings at the bottom are reflections from across the street.  

Online Assignment 3: Digital Drawing in the Classroom

I think a good way to incorporate digital drawing in the classroom is by combining it with traditional approaches. For example, you could use digital drawing while working with the figure, or a still life. I think this would create a good bridge between the students who are more experienced with traditional drawing materials, and those who are familiar with digital materials.

Lesson Tite: Exploring Digital Drawing and Photoshop through Figure Drawing
Activity: Students will use drawing tablets to explore photoshop as well as begin to understand elements of drawing the human form
Learning Objective: Through creating and digitally manipulating various gesture drawings, using tablets and photoshop, students will learn that digital materials can transform images beyond what we know traditional materials can do.
Materials: Photoshop, Baboo drawing tablets

Homework 3-4: Social Media Artist

Tim Manley is an artist, author, and storyteller who has found a great deal of success through social media. His internet presence grew significantly when his Tumblr, “Fairy Tales for Twenty-Somethings” was ultimately published as the small novel Alice in Tumblr-land- which features short vignettes and original drawings of new twists on old classics. Additionally, he has done a variety of art projects that focus on being more present in the world, and learning how to love and appreciate yourself and others. Tim continues to use Tumblr as his main avenue for sharing ideas and connecting with other artists: Tim Manley

Tim Manley's Tumblr

Alice In Tumblr-land and Other Fairy Tales for a New Generation

Advice To Myself

100 Reasons To Be Happy

I Need You To Know How Much I Love You

   

Homework 3-3: Digital Drawing Artist

I chose to write about Sam Brown, also known as ExplodingDog. Sam creates artwork through his website explodingdog.com. The premise of the work is that people from all over the world submit to him a phrase, or question, or sentence- and he creates an image based on the submission. His process is not very cerebral, or affluent, or even difficult, but it is very genuine and in turn, charming. 

Sam is a very simple person who somehow found a way to turn a small idea of drawing pictures for people into a self-supporting career. Even his “bio” says nothing more than, ”hi my name is Sam, I draw pictures, from your titles. send me a title to sambrown@explodingdog.com.” Sam has been doing this for over fifteen years and in that time he has produced various books, gallery shows, and a large digital community.    

The Awakening of The Soul, 2015

I Don't Feel Like Being Here Right Now, 2009

We're All In The Same Boat, 2004

Homework 3-2: Digital Collage

“We’ll Always Have Paris”

I chose to create a digital collage by manipulating images, rather than work with the digital painting. The main reason for this choice is because I did not have a chance to get to the studio and work with the tablets. Going forward, I would like to work more with digital painting though. I do not have any experience with that media and I would certainly like to change that. For the collage above, I used a combination of my own photos and images from the internet. The collage had 34 layers, and I mostly used transform tools, level adjustments, and dodge/burn.

Homework 3-1: E-Etiquette Quotes

I particularly liked this quote because I feel that handwritten thank you notes are one of the last bastions of traditional forms of communication. I write out thank you’s as often as possible and as a result, many friends have told me that they often write thank  you emails but will still send me a written letter- which I very much appreciate!

I think this “rule” is something that I personally have to work on and improve. I very often respond to work and school emails very quickly, but leave the personal emails until later, or until I get home, or until I have free time… but those times never come. Too many of my emails to friends start with “I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write back” and that’s definitely a pattern I would like to stop.

I found this tip particularly funny because it reminded me of my last job. I was the executive assistant to the president of a financial firm. Although the woman I worked for was one of the most successful financial advisors in the country, she insisted on wearing her telephone headset while she used the bathroom. We could hear everything- it was always awkward.  

Homework 2 - 4: Technology in the Classroom

I brought a small X-Mini Speaker to the class. This is certainly something I hope to explore in this class, as I would like to do a project involving the theme of storytelling. When we first learned about the final project dice, I immediately found myself hoping to get something with Audio and Storytelling. I am very interested in exploring how storytelling can be utilized in the classroom, and believe the  benefits are almost limitless. Storytelling can be an avenue to practice public speaking skills, to learn oral histories, to explore theater, comedy, creative writing, etc.

Homework 2 - 3: On/Off Experiment Part 2

Drawing of a sculpture of a heart made of wires and twine.

Loki, my cat.

Homework 2 - 2: On/Off Experiment Part 1

For the On/Off Experiment, I chose to cut my access to the internet for 12 hours. I did not use the web in any way- no email, no netflix, no social media, etc. This project was successful in many ways, but it was not as “artful” as I would have hoped. I was very grateful for this chunk of time because I was really able to get a lot of things done. I vacuumed, did the dishes, reorganized my refrigerator… all great things that I had been meaning to do, but not very artistic. During the experiment I was able to draw for a brief period of time, but I would certainly like to do this project again when I can focus more on the artful experience and less on the distractions of daily life. 

Additionally, one aspect of the experiment I found especially interesting was the genuine difficulties I experienced in trying to truly abandon the internet. Firstly, I still had my cell phone on. Although I turned the wifi off, I left the cellular service on because that is my only phone (in case of emergencies). I think the moment I decided to shut my internet down, I must have received a dozen facebook messages. I didn’t read the messages until after the 12 hours, but I failed at not reading the notifications on my phone. I also did take a moment to quickly check my email 6 hours into the experiment. While I did not read any of my emails, I needed to check and see if I received an email I had been waiting on from a professor. I justified this as “professionalism.” I couldn’t help but think about how the world has changed in regards to the instant satisfaction of electronic communication- to the point where if I do not respond to a work related email within 24 hours, it’s considered unprofessional… but that is another conversation.

Homework 2 - 1: Technology Discussion

Our relationship with technology is quite complex. In my opinion, there is a duality that exists wherein we both appreciate and fear technology in every moment of our interactions with it. I do believe the merits of technology are infinite, especially in fields such as medicine, communications, and of course- the arts. However, I am also a traditionalist and feel that for every technological advancement, there is a human cost- rather a cost of humanity. While I would not consider leaving my home without my iPhone, or not check my email at least twice a day- I am also constantly aware of the depreciation of aspects of my humanity such as my attention span, social skills, short-term memory, and my ever evaporating grasp of the english language.    

That being said, I felt that the class discussion on our relationship with technology had a much more positive approach than what I usually experience. I was very excited to see words like “magic” up on the board. This class offers a space where I can focus on the benefits and possibilities that technology offers, and and attempt to abandon my concerns about devaluing traditional artmaking. I am very excited to not only explore the new media in this class, but also reassign the role technology plays in my life to create a more positive and productive art practice.