4/26/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- We were required to complete the student evaluations of the class, which the instructions specify should be done at the start of the class, so we opened with that.  By rules, I can't be present while students are filling those out, so I waited up in the department office until a student volunteer turned the envelope of forms over to the department secretary (wasn't going to ask a student to carry them across campus in a rain storm to deliver them to the dean's office), and with that done I could go back to the room and get on with the last portfolio exercise of the semester.

Today's topic was perspective in drawing. Perspective systems were developed during the Renaissance to bring some logic to drawings that included much space and many elements.  Any time a three dimensional object (such as a shoe, a bottle, or something more complex) is rendered on a two dimensions surface (such as paper), some distortion has to occur.  The more that is shown, the more distortion can occur.  This led artists to work out the rules of perspective, which provide a system to depict three dimensions in a way that still has distortions, but is logical and ordered, so that the results will make sense to any viewer.  It also makes use of physical laws, that show that objects diminish with mathematical regularity with distance.  This principle is demonstrated by the use of vanishing points, lines being oriented toward specific points. 

I showed this on the board with quick sketches and explanations of one and two point perspective, before I led the class through an exercise in two point perspective where they drew one of the interior corners of the classroom. Here is an example from a previous semester:

I worked my way around the room, assisting each student with doing such a drawing until everyone was done and had demonstrated knowledge of two point perspective.  This is a portfolio exercise, and can be made up for full credit any time before the end of the semester, but that comes in about two weeks.

The other main task today was to select themes for the final 3D project, nouns and modifying words drawn randomly from hats to create a concept.  Students will now have a week to think about what they might do with their ideas.

I also collected comic strips from the few students who had them, as they were due today, reviewed photo assignments from those who had them, and even a few museum papers.

How to make this up-  Students need to do a drawing on their 18" x 24" paper depicting the interior corner of a room in two point perspective.  The drawing should include a specific corner, clear ceiling and floor lines, two wall based elements (such as a doorway, a window, something framed and hanging, etc) and one free standing piece of furniture.  Those who do not know the rules of perspective might want to wait and talk to me in class next week. 

Homework- Those who have not yet turned in their comic strips or museum paper rough drafts should do so as soon as possible. These are individually graded assignments and each week they are delayed means losing points. If you missed the class where we printed the collagraphs (cardboard prints) and need me to do it for you, bring in the completed plate this week, I'll collect them and print them in my studio. If I don't have it by this week, you are responsible for printing it yourself.

For next class 5/3/19- We will officially start the 3D project, though those present today in both classes had the opportunity to select randomly generated topics. (the hats and words will be back next week for those who missed it today) Here are some student examples from previous semesters, along with the randomly chosen themes:

Appetite for Distraction

Impasse Changed

Planet Gone Wild

Plowing through the Nation

Troubled Uprising

The goal is to provide a visual depiction of the theme.  Students can interpret their topic phrases however they want.  Materials can be whatever the student chooses, and can include items molded or sculpted, as well as found objects.  Sculptures may be free standing or include a base, as in #1 and #5 above, or can make use of constructed boxes or shelves, as in examples #2 and #4 above. Because parts and completed pieces will need to be brought back and forth, I recommend a maximum size of one foot in any dimension.  

This is the last assignment of the semester, due the last day of class, and nothing new will be started after this. If you already picked your random topic, bring what you need to work on it, or materials to work on any back assignments you may need to complete.  

4/12/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Nothing new started today, but work continued on two things begun on other days.  Everyone worked on the 2D Final, the comic strip graded project begun the previous week. I posted several examples here last week, and here are a few more I have on the computer.

Full instructions for this graded assignment can be found in last week's blog post, as well as additional student examples from past semesters.

The other thing that was worked on in class today was the printing of the cardboard collagraph plates that were started a few weeks ago, with at least 8 textures in the images.  A printing station was set up and one by one each student who was prepared to print came to do so.  I had water soluble ink, brayers, an ink knife, and a palette and did the actual printing.  The resulting prints went right back to the students, who were given instructions to add elements to the printed paper after the ink dries (collage for sure, color is an option) to make it a more complete artwork.  Above are a few examples of student projects from last semester, examples of the last phase of this assignment.  All areas can be colored, which might better define the shapes in your composition, and both pastels and watercolors from your kit will work.  You must also have some collage, materials glued to the completed print, which may also add some color.  The goal is to make the whole piece more interesting, so use your knowledge of formal issues.

In a few cases I also discussed results of the museum rough draft assignments with the students, providing advice as to how to make them better before the final version.

How to make this up- Comic strip instructions can be found in  last week's blog post.  

Those who were not present today or weren't prepared to print their collagraph should bring the cardboard plate to class as soon as possible.  I won't be bringing all the printing materials back to class, but I will collect the the plates, print them in my studio, and return them the following week.

Homework- The completed autobiographical symbolic comic strip project is due at the start of class on April 26, 2019.  I will collect them that day, and return them graded the following week.

Those who have not yet turned in the rough draft of the museum assignment should do so as soon as possible.  This is a graded assignment, and the longer the delay in turning it in, the more points will be lost, and the less time you will have to work on the revised version.

********Easter Recess April 19 through April 21, 2019.  Kean University will be closed.  No class next week on April 19th.  As a result, the university will require us to have a Tuesday meeting in May.*********

For next class 4/26/19- Students will be filling out the course evaluation forms, and completing the last portfolio exercise of the semester involving perspective drawing.  Bring your 18"x 24" drawing pad, pencil and eraser.  A long straight edge (like a ruler) will be very helpful, or you will be forced to share one of the few I will have for the class to use. 

Make sure to have your completed comic strip project as well.

4/5/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today the main topic was narrative, the idea that artworks may have story telling as a focus.  I showed slides of about a dozen historical art examples from the past 1000 years, all of which told stories to the viewers, related to mythology, symbolism, and current events that would have been known to them.  In those eras when books and literacy were rare, images in art were a very important source of knowledge. It was only the examples from the last century where today's students had guesses as to the narrative.

Today we start our first individually graded project of the semester, the idea for which came from the comic strip/graphic novel MAUS.  In that 1980's publication, cartoonist Art Spiegelman tells the story of his father, moving back and forth between two periods of his life- reaching adulthood and having some success in his native Poland before being sent to a concentration camp by the Nazis, and as a sometimes cantankerous old man in America in the 1970's.  What made it unusual was that all people were portrayed as animals- Jewish people (of all nationalities) as mice, German soldiers who imprisoned them as cats, American soldiers who liberated the camp as dogs- standard cartoon hierarchy of conflict.  

How to make this up- Today's assignment is to create your own autobiographical symbolic comic strip.  Use two sheets of your 18"x24" paper (if you have smaller paper I will have to let you know how many sheets to use), and have a minimum of 12 panels.  It should be based on a true story from the student's life, but should be told with symbolic characters.  The symbols can relate to the story in some way, or just be personal symbols that have meaning to the artist, subjects, etc.  Below are some student examples from past semesters:

The comics should be in full color, except for objects that can/should be depicted as white, making use of your pastels.  Lettering may be done with pencils, pens, markers, or other things suitable for fine lines, and even for outlining if you like.  General comic book rules apply, so you may make use of dialogue balloons, thought balloons, caption boxes, sound effect words, but it can also be done without any words if you prefer.  Characters can be depicted as just objects, or be personified (arms, legs, facial expressions) if desired.  The focus in grading will be on telling the story, not on skill in drawing things and scenes.  

Homework- This is our first graded art project, and you will be given time to get it done.  We worked on it today in class, and will work on it in class next week.  We are off from school on April 19th for Good Friday, so these will be due at the beginning of class on April 26, 2019.  

The next phase of the collagraph project (cardboard printing) will be done during class next week (4/12/19), so your plate should be completed by then.  If you need to add to it to get to the required 8 textures, do it early enough to allow the glue to dry before Friday.

Those who have not yet turned in their rough draft of the museum assignment should do so as soon as possible. It is a graded assignment, so time is of the essence, and I can't advise you on how to revise it for the final draft until I have seen it, and the semester ends in 5 weeks.

For next class 4/12/19-  Two major things.  Students will continue on this comic strip project and can start as soon as they arrive, so bring the 18"x24" pad, pencil and eraser, and pastels.  During the class each student will be asked to take a few moments off to come get their collagraph plate printed. I'll have a station set up for that and provide the ink and tools to print with. We will print on paper from your large pad, so the only other thing you need is the cardboard printing plate itself.  

3/29/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today's topic was printmaking, the collective name for mediums that involve artworks derived from a previously made fixed matrix, resulting in identical copies.  I showed examples in both slide form and in actual prints of carved relief (woodcut, linoleum), metal plates (etching, engraving), stone processes (lithography).  I had no examples to show of silkscreen, which uses a stencil on fabric mesh.  The method that we will be using for an exercise in this class is collagraph, where a collage of materials is built up on a surface, which we will print as a relief print in a future class.

How to make this up- There are many ways and materials that can be used to create a collagraph plate, but the one we employed used cardboard and found objects to build a printing surface that will be used in a future project.   Everyone was given a flat piece of cardboard, the large panel from a cereal or cracker box.  For materials I had bags of scrounged material discarded by our school's interior design department, though students may provide additional materials later.  Students could use scissors to cut the materials to various sizes and shapes, and white glue was use to glue them to the cardboard plates.  Later when dried, the plates will be used by students to print collagraphs.  

Two rules for this assignment- at least 8 different textures must be used in the final print, and the image must be something recognizable to a typical viewer.  I showed physical examples of student prints from previous semesters and the plates that made them.  Here are additional examples:

Some things to be noted- the color of the objects used to make the collagraph plate have no effect on the resuting print, which will be made with black relief ink in a few weeks. Also the print is a mirror image of the plate- everything is reversed.  Not an issue for pictures, but if you decide to use letters or numbers in your print, they will have to be backwards on your plate to print correctly in the resulting print. 

The collagraphs will be printed with black water based relief ink in two weeks during class, and color may be added to the final print with watercolors or pastels (as in the last one above) or with collaged materials.  But we'll talk about that again when we get to that point.

This is a portfolio exercise, and the resulting art will be part of your portfolio grade for the class.

Homework- The finished collagraph plate will be printed in class on April 12, 2019, so you have until that day to finish it or make changes to what you have.  Some students have their plates ready to go after today's class, while others will be adding additional materials, and those who missed class will have to do the whole thing on their own, but this is within the capabilities of all students.  If you have questions about materials or the process, ask me in class next week.

Those who did not turn in a rough draft of the museum assignment today (when they were due) should complete it and get it to me as soon as possible.  Longer delays will result in more points lost, and until I review your first draft, I can't give you notes on what you need to make you best possible version of the final museum paper, due the last day of class and worth 20% of the final class grade.

For next class 4/5/19- We will start the first individually graded art project of the semester (not portfolio), which will involve your pastels (from your list of class materials).  This is a multi-week project so you will need the same materials the following week as well.  Bring your 18"x 24" pad of paper, pencil and eraser, and your set of color pastels, which can either be oil or chalk based.  Both are messy.  

3/22/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today's topic was the idea of rhythm, which can be applied to visual art as much as sounds.  I talked a little about how rhythm can be found in relationships of shapes, colors, marks, spaces, objects, and other things that can be described visually, using terms that we use in describing audible rhythms that we might hear in music.  Then the class did a portfolio exercise relating to the idea of visual rhythm, involving making visual representations of musical rhythms- or art based on sounds we hear.  

How to make this up- I played recordings of various musics for the class, and had the students use watercolor paints to interpret the sounds visually, in the form of abstract representations of what they were hearing.  They could choose any colors, shapes, or visual characteristics that they wanted, as long as there were no recognizable images of things.  Here are some examples from past students:

Additional examples and the specifics of the class exercise can be found here.

This is a portfolio exercise that can be made up for full credit any time before the end the semester.

Homework- Nothing directly related to this assignment, but I reminded everyone that the rough draft of the museum assignment, our first graded item of the semester, is due at the start of our next class meeting- 3/29/16.  I handed out additional copies of the museum assignment to anyone who needed one, and there is a simplified list of the questions available on this blog by clicking on the "museum assignment" link at the top of the home page.  That also brings up a list of the pre-approved museums and active links to their websites.  As with any graded assignment, there are penalties for submitting things after the deadline.

For next class 3/29/19- We are starting a new portfolio exercise, our last new one before the first graded art project of the semester.  This next exercise relates to printmaking, a general medium that makes use of a created source to produce art.  The class will be creating collagraphs, a printing  plate built through the collaging of textural materials, which will eventually be rolled with ink and printed.  This can't be done until the glue holding it all together is dry, so that step will have to wait for a later week. Meanwhile, here is an example of a collagraph plate and a resulting print.  Note that the colors of the objects used to make the plate have no effect on the resulting artwork.  

I will provide cardboard for the plate base and bring in a variety of materials that students may cut up and attach to the bases as part of creating their plate.  The printing part of the process will be done a few weeks from now, so students will have the opportunity to add additional elements that could result in a preferred printed image.  For next week bring scissors and white glue, with flat items possessing textures an option.  We don't need the large pad of paper, so you can leave those home if you prefer.

3/8/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today our topic was photography, a relatively recent medium with roots in antiquity.  The ancients were aware of a device called a camera obscura from the Italian words for "dark room".  It allowed a three dimensional scene to be projected onto a flat wall, and artists could trace the scene onto a canvas or panel as part of the painting process.  However, many sought a way to affix such images directly to paper without the aid of an artist, and advances in chemistry and lens design eventually made this possible.

We looked at slides of the history of photography, from the early experiments of the 1820's to the late 20th century, and discussed some of the many ways it was used in art.  I distributed a written take home assignment in this medium, and showed student examples of the assignment from last semester to help explain the idea.  After that we left the classroom and worked our way down to the 1st floor of Vaughn-Eames, visiting classroom studios and the student art show along the way.   We dismissed from the 1st floor.

How to make this up- The photography exercise is a take home assignment, a list of types of photos that need to be taken, though there are many choices of subjects.  Students who were not present today can see examples of the exercise here, and can get the written version at our next class meeting.  I can also show you the same photo examples from last semester that students looked at today.

Homework- The photography take home assignment is a portfolio exercise, and can be made up at any time for full credit.  However I did put a deadline of April 26, 2019 on the assignment, just to encourage students to get it done sooner, and allow your classmates to see what you came up with.  Besides, you'll have other things in this class (and likely your other classes) due at the end of the semester, so it's best not to have to deal with this at that point.  

The photos need to be printed on paper, but it can be on photo paper or just on computer printer paper.  They can be black and white or color, and you may use a cell phone camera if that is what you have.  This is more about subjects and interpretation than it is about camera technique.

The first draft of the museum assignment is due in class on March 29, 2019.  All the information is available by clicking the "museum assignment" link at the top of the blog home page, including active links to the pre-approved museums.  If you wish to go to another museum, e-mail the information to me and I'll let you know.

****Spring Break March 11-17, 2019.  No class meeting that week.****

For next class 3/22/19- We will go back to color and the watercolors, with a more expressive portfolio exercise than the color theory stuff we did last time.  Bring your 18"x24" pad, watercolor paints, brushes, a water container, and a palette if you wish.  

3/1/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- We got back to color today with some basic color theory.  The class used watercolors to do two exercises that involved color mixing, using watercolors.  We also looked at some slides from art history, a brief look at how color has been used over the years, discussing sources and purposes of color.

How to make this up- The two exercises involved creating a 12 step color wheel, and mixing a set of complementary colors to create various neutrals.

Detailed instructions as to how to do these exercises, and an additional student example, can be found here.

This is a portfolio exercise and can be made up for full credit any time before the end of the semester, but color will be used again, so this experience will be helpful.  The watercolors will return again in a few weeks, in a rhythm related assignment. 

Homework- Nothing new today, but I'm reminding you that the first draft of your museum assignment is due on March 29, 2019, now less than a month away.  I recommend going on your museum visit soon if you haven't done so yet. Information about the written assignment can be found in the link at the top of the blog home page.  There are also links to the home pages of the pre-approved museums list, for quick access to a list of shows, hours, fees, policies, etc. 

For next class 3/8/19- Our topic is photography.  In class we will look at slides covering the history of photography, which starts with experiments hundreds of years ago, and really gets going in the 1800's, and continues into our lifetimes.  A related portfolio exercise will be completed on your time, from an assignment I will give you on paper in class, so you do not need to bring any materials to class next week, the only time that will happen this semester.  A chunk of the remainder of the class meeting time will be used to take a tour of the building, with looks at any studios we can get into that day and the current student art show in the gallery.

2/22/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today was our first exploration of color.  We eased in with an exercise that dealt with color matching, along with continuing our experiences with shapes, and introducing the medium of collage, and exposure to the concept of mosaic.

How to make this up- Start with a color photograph of something that exists in 3 dimensions.  (such as an object or a scene)  The source can be anything you want, but if it is digital you will need to eventually print it out so it can be compared to your artwork.  I provided cardboard templates of the minimum sizes- 6"x6" and 9"x4" (both 36 square inches), whichever shape makes more sense for your artwork.  You may make something larger than either of those if you choose- it is your artwork in the end.  You may crop your original photo and choose a portion of it to be in your new piece, but you must include everything in the portion you choose to depict.  Do a line sketch of the object or scene, large enough to fill the chosen minimum box, drawn on a page in your 18"x24" pad.  This piece will be more about color than anything else, but the more accurate the drawing, the easier it will be to match color shapes.

With the drawing completed, it's time to find the colors.  Go through old magazines, matching the colors from the original photo as closely as possible, including value changes.  Cut color pieces to a maximum of .5" square, though they can be any shape smaller than that.  Arrange them to fill the equivalent spaces in your drawing that they do in the source photo, and glue them in place with the adhesive of your choice.  There may be slight white space between them, or pieces may overlap.  It may be easier to glue very small pieces on top of other pieces.  Below are some student examples from previous semesters, showing the original photo and the new collage version:

Attach your original source photo to the page near your version, as in the above examples. This is a portfolio exercise and can be made up for full credit any time before the end of the semester, but I recommend not waiting too long.  In my experience, this is the one exercise in the portfolio that students are least likely to eventually finish.  It's not that difficult, but it is time consuming.

Homework- Nothing new yet, but keep in mind that the first draft of the museum assignment is due in late March.

For next class 3/1/19- Back to color, but something a little more involved this time.  We will cover some basic color theory, and make use of the watercolors for the first time.  Bring your 18"x24" pad, set of watercolor paints, watercolor brushes, some kind of water container (cup, can etc is fine), and a mixing palette (can be a fancy store bought kind with little wells to hold different colors, but anything relatively flat and waterproof, such as an aluminum pie plate, something plastic, will do the job).

2/15/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today the focus was on value, which is the official term for use of light and dark in art.  I started with a few dozen examples of historical art, showing some of the uses of value in art over time, such as showing form and volume, implying space and weight, directing attention, and declaring time of day.  Also showed a few examples of student charcoal drawings, since that was our medium of the day.  

How to make this up- Drape a low table with a white or very light colored cloth, and then arrange on and around it, four or more white or very light colored objects. Shine a directional light on the set up to create a variety of light and shadow in the still life.  Then use a full page in your 18"x 24" pad to depict a view of the set up.  You should include at least two objects, whatever parts of the cloth are between and around them, all using charcoal and attempting to match the relative light and dark of the still life. Here are some examples of student drawings from previous semesters.

In value drawings, lines should be eliminated when possible in favor of edges of shapes.  You may start the drawings with contour lines, but as the value shapes are established, the lines should become edges of shape, either hard or gradated.  Background tones are optional.   In the above cases, the students chose to put in a dark background, which helps to offset and contain light shapes, and makes the light areas feel lighter in comparison.  The best erasers for charcoal are the kneaded eraser (stretchy kind) and it can be blended with fingers, paper towels, or anything else you find useful.

Spend up to 45 minutes on the drawing.  For a second drawing, either replace some objects or rearrange them in the set up.  You are required to do at least one, but in class everyone did two and the practice can be helpful.

This is a portfolio exercise and can be made up for full credit any time before the end of the semester.

Homework- Still no new homework, but a reminder that the first draft of the museum assignment is due in class on March 29, 2019.

For next class 2/22/19- We will get our first taste of color with a portfolio exercise based on the traditional medium of mosaic.  The mosaic has been a part of the art world in many cultures going back thousands of years.  Flat images are created by attaching numerous small bits of stone, tiles, glass, etc to a flat surface, such as walls, ceilings, or floors.  Since the color pieces tend to be solid, the colors are permanent and the artworks can last indefinitely.  What we will do is use small pieces of colored paper and attach them to paper, using a design based on a color photograph of something real.  I showed a few examples from last semester in class, and here are a few other past examples:

In each case we have the original source photo, and the student mosaic style copy.  You must bring in a source photo, something you feel comfortable drawing (if digital, you will eventually need to have a printed copy), your 18"x24" pad, pencil and eraser, scissors, and a glue suitable for attaching paper to paper (glue stick, white glue, rubber cement, etc).  I will have a supply of old magazines that can be used for colors, but if you wish to bring in some for the class to use, they will be welcome.

2/8/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today we continued working with line, concentrating on the concept of positive and negative space. Last week we saw a cave painting of a horse, a simple exterior contour line that created the shape of a horse, or created a positive shape surrounded by negative space.  After a short brain-teaser exercise, the class completed two exercises in positive and negative space using pencil on paper.

How to make this up- First the class did an exercise in negative space drawing, where I placed an old wooden chair (seat removed) in the center of the room and asked the students to draw only the empty spaces in the chair, as in the student example below:

After a short break the chair was replaced with a small grouping of bottles of similar sizes. 

 This time the assignment was to draw the positive shapes of the actual bottles, but students were advised to use the negative spaces between and around them to aid in finding the shapes and spaces between them.  More detailed instructions and student examples can be found here.

Homework- Nothing new yet, but you don't want to wait too long to get your museum visit in.

For next class 2/15/19- We are going to start on the concept of value, using light and dark to build space and form, among other things.  Bring your 18"x24" pad, charcoal, and the kneaded eraser (the stretchy one).  I'll provide the subject and bring some good soap.  Charcoal can be a bit messy, so I strongly suggest wearing black or dark gray clothes, so that if you get charcoal on them it will be less noticeable.  Charcoal is mostly dust, no binder, so it will come out of clothes in the wash, but in the short term, it will make light or bright colors look a bit grubby.

2/1/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today we had our first real day of art activity, taking on the most basic of the formal art elements- the line.  We had a brief discussion of the way lines are used in art, followed by a brief set of historical slides showing how line has been used in art over the ages. After that a series of exercises in contour line.

How to make this up- Those present completed a series of contour line exercises built around the subject of shoes, one of the classic subjects for beginning art students.  

Students used the pencil(s) of their choice to complete a series of contour line exercises on 18" x 24" paper.  For those who have not yet been able to acquire a large pad, we scavenged some sheets from student pads unclaimed from last semester.  The list of exercises that need to be done, details, and student examples from previous semesters can be found here.

This is a portfolio exercise that can be made up any time before the end of the semester for full credit.

Homework- Nothing new, and the museum visit first draft isn't due until March.   Don't wait until the last minute to make your museum visits.

For next class 2/8/19- More work with line, but this time a look at the concept of positive and negative space, and no shoes will be involved.  Students should bring their 18" x 24" pad, pencils and eraser.  I will provide the subjects for the drawing exercises.

1/25/19 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today was our first meeting of the semester.  After attendance was taken, the syllabus was distributed and reviewed, the museum assignment was distributed and reviewed, and the students completed a survey regarding their art experience and knowledge.  This information was shared with the class, after which the instructor shared information about his background following the same questions .

How to make this up- Everyone was present today, nothing to make up.

Homework- No homework today, other than the museum assignment being given out, and the first draft of that isn't due until late March.

For next class 2/1/19- We begin some actual art.  We open with art at its most basic- the line.  A quick look at historical use of line in art, then exercises in contour lines, with shoes being our subject.  Bring your 18"x24" pad of drawing paper, pencils, and pencil eraser.  I will have a large bag of shoes that you may work from, or you are welcome to bring in one of your own if you prefer. Any style or material is fine, but closed shoes are best- avoid sandals or flip-flops.  You may take it off your foot or just bring in an extra.  

Welcome to the Spring 2019 Semester

This is the blog site I have set up for the spring 2019 semester.  I have two sections of FA 1000 Introduction to Art on Fridays.  Sec 07 (9:30 - 12:15 VE 306) and Sec 09 (12:30 - 3:15 VE 312)  The two sections will follow the same schedule, so one post will cover both sections on that date.  The blog post title will include the name of the class and the date.  Posts specific to the FA 1000 class will have text in red.  Posts about school related items not specific to this class will be in black.

Each week the post will include a brief description of what we did during the class, photos of student examples from previous semesters (if available), instructions for making up the class, due dates for assignments that have specific due dates (everything else is due the last day of class), and reminders of other related items.  Links to the museums can be found there.

This online blog is not a substitute for coming to class.  It is to provide information for registered students in the class who have missed a meeting, so they can make up what they missed and do it quickly, as well as be prepared for the next meeting. Even if you never miss a class, you may find it useful to see additional examples, or to verify a due date, or to get a reminder of what to bring to class next time. It is available 24/7 and will provide answers to most questions that students typically have, without the need to wait for a reply.  If you still need more information or have questions that go beyond what is written here, you are welcome to e-mail me and I will likely respond within 24 hours. 

12/21/18 Introduction to Art

Today's Class- Today was the final meeting of the semester.  Both sections met as scheduled, with most of the students showing up.  In each class we started by looking at the 3D projects, a quick group critique.  We then moved on to grading the semester portfolios, and final museum papers were collected, which will be graded in the coming days, first for the purposes of the class, and then for class learning outcomes evaluations.  

Some students returned to pick up the graded materials.  Work that was not collected by the students today was stacked on small tables near the front of the room (adjacent to the chalk board), one for large pads, one for 3D works.  How long they will stay there is up to the university. Below are some examples of 3D student projects shown today:

Against College

Pile Of Rubble

Dead Idol

Sting Despair

All student work will be graded in accordance with the system mentioned on the syllabus, within the next few days.  Calculated final class grades will then be submitted to the University.  When they make them available to the students is up to them.  The Student Leaning Outcome evaluations have nothing to do with how the grades will be calculated.

How to make this up- Nothing more to be done at this point.  


Homework- The semester is over.  Enjoy the break and the holidays.