April 30

What fun it was to hear about your Special Features! They are gonna be so great in your magazines!  We can't wait to see them!

I was so glad we had the time in class today to explore Blurb a little more. I really hope it made each of you feel a little more comfortable using it. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or email me. I'm so happy to help you succeed! 
Just remember: 

You will be SO glad you created your magazine, so stay with it!!!

In order to have your magazine printed and delivered in time to show it at the ASA End of Year Awards Banquet, you'll need to for sure place your order by next Thursday, April 30 - maybe even Friday, May 1. That gives you one more week. 

Here's a couple of things I found on Blurb that you may be interested in:
How to delete, add, or edit page numbers in BookWright
How to rotate text in BookWright


NEXT WEEK: We'll be going on a field trip to a local artist's studio during class time. It will be so great! I'll send out an email with more information.

And for those of you who wanted cool pull quotes for your mags, here you go:

We also talked about Wordle.net, and PicMonkey.com = awesome fun-ness!  

Now, GO AND MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!

April 23

Well folks, this is it! This is the BIG week!

There are only 3 assignments this week:

1. Your magazines need to be completed and ordered by this Thursday to ensure they get printed and mailed to you in time to show them in our class magazine showcase on May 7.  (Remember, if you go over 20 pages to do so in multiples of 4 so Blurb doesn't give you a couple of blank pages in your magazine.)

YOU CAN DO IT!

2. Since you'll all have your Special Features done for your magazines, you'll each be doing a presentation in class on your Special Feature this Thursday. You can present it however you'd like, and you are most welcome to bring visuals. :) We can't wait to see what you've done!  

3. Bring your self-portraits to class this week!  Sister Miller will have your original self-portraits for you to compare with and see how far you've come!!!

See you Thursday!

April 16

There's lots of information in this blog post (images mostly) so be sure to read to the end! First is info on your Art assignments, then down below that is info about your Magazine assignments.

In class we practiced drawing eggs lighted from above to learn the principle of Perception of Lights and Shadows.  You all did so great! It's challenging to learn to 'draw' with your eraser more than your pencil, isn't it! :)  If you want more practice on that go to pages 110-113 in your manual.  

Two Assignments for Art:
1. We encourage you to do the lesson on page 116-117, "Proportions of the Head in Full-Face View" in preparation for your final drawing exercise for the class, which will be

2."Drawing Your Self-Portrait in Lights and Shadows," on pages 122-127. We'd like everyone to bring their Self-Portrait to class with them on April 23 to show everyone, and we will also give you your original self-portrait then so you can see the progress you've made!

Heads Up!
During our next class time, on April 16, we will be watching the movie "The Monuments Men." The movie is PG-13 "for some images of war violence and historical smoking." Here is a description of the movie:

"During World War II, the Nazis steal countless pieces of art and hide them away. Some over-the-hill art scholars, historians, architects and other experts form a unit to retrieve as many of the stolen masterpieces as possible. The mission becomes even more urgent when the team learns about Hitler's "Nero Decree," which orders destruction of the artworks if the Third Reich falls. Caught in a race against time, the men risk their lives to protect some of mankind's greatest achievements."

****Please know on that day you will need to grab your scholar snack quickly and head to the Miller's basement to get the movie started asap. It is two hours long and will take part of your lunchtime. You will be welcome to eat your lunch during the movie. 

Magazines:
We have just less than 3 weeks to get our magazines done and ordered!!! You can do it!!!!!

1. Keep gathering and putting things into Blurb for your Magazines. (You can refer to the schedule here.) 

2. Remember: You will each be doing an in-class presentation on your Special Feature on April 23.

Sister Miller gave a great lecture in class on Typography. Below are the resources and images she used.

The History of Typography - Animated Short

What Type Are You video

And here is the article that Sister Miller based her lecture of Typography on.  

April 2

Wow, it has sure been great to see all the things you've been creating!! From your drawings in and out of class, to all of your awesome artist trading cards! What a talented and creative bunch!

Well, we are fast approaching the end of this semester and we still have Lots to do!

Keep your foot on the gas peddle and let's finish with gusto!!!!

You have 4 weeks to do the first two assignments, so be sure to work hard so you will be pleased with your efforts!

Both are DUE April 23rd!

1.) Keep gathering and putting things into Blurb for your Magazines. (You can refer to the schedule here.)  A great suggestion is to spend some time spiritually creating your magazine. Imagine what you want it to look like - what things you want to include. You've been learning how to 'see' like an artist in the drawings you've been doing, use that skill to 'see' what you'd like your magazine to look like. Two definitions of 'see' are:

• to perceive (things) mentally; discern; understand
• to construct a mental image of; visualize 

How do you want to feel about your magazine once it's created and in your hands?  Really take time to think about it and you'll be amazed at what your creative heart will come up with! You can roughly draw it out on paper like the one I showed you in class that I did. I promise you I felt a whole lot better about this whole thing after I had done a lot of the creation in my mind and drawn it out on paper. After you do this it will be much easier to actually create the layout on Blurb. Trust me!! (Below is a copy of my 'story board' for my magazine that I showed you in class.) 

2.) REMEMBER: You will each be doing an in-class presentation on your Special Feature on April 23, which is only 4 weeks away. In this presentation you'll be telling us about your topic as well as showing us any visual aids about it.  April 23 is also THE BIG DAY as it's the LAST DAY to order your magazine!!! 

3.) Several of you said you'd like to continue doing Artist Trading Cards this week. Keep 'em coming! It's so fun to see them and to trade!