Research

Keywords for Google Images search:

found objects art

found object sculpture

altered skull sculpture

dia de los muertos

day of the dead

collage sculpture

decoupage

above image from:

http://creatingthehive.com/blog-post/15365/skull-art

Specs

For your own skull, you may choose to physically alter it (as above with antlers) or simply paint it (top, in pink). You MUST keep your skull on its stick, but you may embellish the stick as long as at least ONE INCH remains untouched at the bottom (for display purposes).

YOU MAY:

add to your skull

open your skull

paper your skull

paint your skull

coat your skull

YOU MAY NOT:

lose the shape of your skull... it must read as a skull when you are done with it!

More from the Vader Project

You may be able to check out all the images here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/starwarsblog/tags/vaderproject/

The Skull Project

Our new project is a mixed media installation. You will all be given the same object to transform. We will explore several works by artists who transform the mundane, work with multiples or participate in group installations.

The inspiration for The Skull Project is The Vader Project. Though we are not working with a pop culture icon like Darth Vader, the skull is a very recognizable and symbolic object. It is something that we all have within us, and something that every person and every culture interprets differently.

Visit:

http://www.thevaderproject.com/

http://thevaderproject.com/archive.php

Wow...

Many of you have completed your Self Portraits. I am very impressed with the range of drawing styles within our class. You have tackled a very challenging and tricky project head on. I am proud of you for working with the grid system to improve your drawing abilities. Your work will be posted here soon.

Great work, grade 11s!

Teresa Burrows

Teresa Burrows stopped by the Visual Arts room on Friday. October 8th at the request of Ms. Karlinsky. Teresa not only brought samples of her intricate beadwork for the students to examine, but a wealth of slides featuring her phenomenal talent working with paint, sculpture and mixed media.

Jennifer S. pointed out that the stories behind the images added to the pieces. Students were impressed with the artist's patience in working on a single piece for 3 years! Students found the artist's use of animal imagery, cultural tales and current events intriguing.

We were lucky to have such a strong and intelligent artist share her unique perspective with us.

Thank you Teresa! We hope to see you again!

Above: Strange Angel by Teresa Burrows

Conceptual Art

Today we talked about big ideas in the art world. We examined the work of artists who made bold and sometimes shocking statements about how they perceive the world around them. From the Dadaists at the turn of the last century to 90s icon Damien Hirst, we looked at gallery installations and environmental art.

Above:

The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, Damien Hirst, 1992

Fountain by Marcel Duchamp, 1917

Jim Henson vs. James Cameron

Today we watched the first part of The Dark Crystal. Directed and designed by Jim Henson et. al. in 1982, The Dark Crystal is so much more than a Muppet movie. Topic of discussion: Would CGI exist as it does today if Jim Henson hadn't died young?

Keep the Skeksis, Mystics and Gelflings in mind while working on our next project!

Shout Out!

Thank you very much to Chantel H. for sending me such great links! We will watch some of the tutorials and videos in class for sure.

Ms. T

Of Course It's Art... It's Vector Park!

Is it Art? Friday ended with a trip to Vector Park!

Visit: http://www.vectorpark.com/

Lovely!

Nice work with Watercolour Pencil Crayon

Chantel H. (top) and Raezavel A. (bottom)

First Student Work from Drawing Studio!

Please follow the blog to see more student work postings as we progress through our numerous projects for the semester.

The drawings above are from the first week of class. Grade 11s participated in a Drawing Studio and Media Workshop. They experimented with different media while drawing from life.

Above:

Chalk Pastel Apple Study - Stephan G.

Watercolour Pencil Crayon Monkey Skull - Danielle B.

Watercolour Pencil Crayon Vintage Monkey - Josh G.

Charcoal Chalk Pastel Apple Study - Destiny R.

Watercolour Pencil Crayon "Dead Monkey" - Erica W.

Yes, but... Is it Art?

On Fridays we take a look at a work or exhibit and it is up to you to decide... Is it Art?

Today we watched: Larytta - Souvernir de Chine directed by Korner Union, a group of artists from Switzerland. There was a mixed reaction to the video.

Watch it again at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=306MUlh054Y

See more of Korner Union at http://www.fette-gallery.com/artists/korner_union.php

Coming Up with a Great Concept

I am glad that you are finding the grid system helpful! Most of you are coming along with your portraits and some of you are moving onto your concept sketches. Today we looked at various ways to represent your chosen connection. Keep up the good work!

image taken from: http://www.behance.net/Gallery/ILLUSTRATIONS/60246

Our Land and Place

Today we looked at the work of Norval Morrisseau, the pioneer of the Woodlands style. We discussed how his art speaks of a connection to the land through his use of line and shape.

Work For Today...

Take a photo of yourself using Photo Booth. Make sure your expression relates to the Self-Portrait project Our Land and Place. Though a profile or 3/4 view of your face may be more appealing, it may be harder to draw. Try for a full-frontal if this is your first time working with pencil and the grid system!

Print out your selected image. We will be drawing from them beginning on Monday.

"Things Happen to Me as Written on High"

Albrecht Durer painted this at age 22. It is one of the very first independent self-portraits in Western Art. Durer was a real "renaissance man". He was extremely gifted and worked using a range of media including oil painting, print making and drawing.

This oil painting, dated 1493, is inscribed with the words MIN SACH DIE, GAT ALS ES OBEN SCHTAT. Translation: "Things Happen to Me as Written on High". What do you think that means? Please explain.

Shout Out!

Thank you so much to Paula and to Veronica for helping out with Welcome Night! You did a fabulous job with the face-painting!

Facial Proportions

Size of Head: The distance from the chin to the crown is the same as from the back of the head to the front. The mid-point of the face, when measured from chin to crown, is at the base of the eyes or eye sockets.
Eyes: The space between the eyes is about the same width as one eye. If the width of eye is used as a unit of measurement, the head is five eyes wide.
Eyebrows: Extend beyond the eyes on both sides.
Ears: The top of the ears line up with the brow of the nose and the eyebrows, and the bottom of the ears with the tip of the nose.
Nose: The bottom of the nose is the midpoint between the eyes and the chin.
Mouth: The corners of the mouth align with the center of the eyes (if you're not smiling). The line where the two lips meet is slightly above the halfway point between the end of the nose and the chin.
Chin: The mound of the chin starts at the inner corners of the eyes.

from: http://www.drawspace.com/lessons/h01/horizontal-facial-proportions-of-adults and http://painting.about.com/od/figuresportraits/ss/figure_class_2.htm

Project # 1 Self-Portraiture: Our Land and Place

This project will be a multi-layered self-portrait combining a pencil drawing portrait with drawings of objects or images that represent a connection with our land. While we begin studying facial proportion and pencil drawing, we will also take a look at what connects us to where we are and what we consider to be our place.

We will look at the work of several artists who consider the land in their artwork and examine several self-portraits from art history.

Self-Portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci

Yes, but... Is it Art?

Is it Art? Fridays began with a look at the upcoming Bodies Exhibition at the new MTS Exhibition Hall.

Visit http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/winnipeg/ for more information.

Is it Art? A resounding Yes from Josh and an equally heartfelt No from Michael.

When they find these polymer bodies in hundreds of years, will they assume our burial rituals involved reproducing key movements from team sports? What would the Egyptians think?

Line and Value

Line - A mark made by a pencil or brush...
You looked at various objects and used both contour and blind contour techniques in your drawings.
Value - The lightness or darkness of a colour...
You experimented with chalk pastel and collage to create Value in gray scale and in colour.

Our First Week - Drawing Studio

This week you participated in a Drawing Studio. Experimenting with media including watercolour pencil, chalk pastel, collage and India ink, you successfully created various still life images demonstrating both LINE and VALUE.

Grade 11s, you worked as hard as anyone in a University drawing program! Your work will soon be posted!

Welcome to Grade 11 Visual Arts!

Hello Grade 11s! Welcome to your class blog. Here you will find links to topics that we cover in class and other course material. Everyone will have the opportunity to display their artwork, either in our classroom, within the school or on this blog.