My name is Valerie
I am a valkyrie
and
I drive a pink Porche.
What do you do for a living?

My, isn't that interesting?
I swoop.

I understand you are mortal?
How's that working out for you?

( Phyllis )

Once again it's week 3 in Observational Drawing. 
The day we shine a bright single source light on a lemon and channel Caravaggio.

We missed last Monday due to the MLK holiday, so last night's class was a catch up class.  We whisked through the chapters on Unity and Emphasis including a great student report and a hallway scavenger hunt activity.

I was surprised when I looked at my watch and saw that we had an hour left.  I figured out a Mardi Gras activity grounded in the topic du jour. The activity was based on the games from last semester and turned out to be a hit.

Groups:  Tip:  Make groups in the beginning of the semester deliberately small so that students get comfortable using the vocabulary of design in conversations.  In this case, I made small groups composed of different majors.  Fashion with graphic design, photographer with animation, etc. 

Challenge:  Since it is near Carnival time I challenged each group to create a design for a Carnival or Mardi Gras poster, mask, or costume.  We covered the terms "source" and "subject" in the chapter so I pulled up some images of Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival in Venice, Italy and Rio de Janeiro.  We discussed the color theme of New Orleans Mardi Gras (green, purple, and gold) and looked to see if there was a color theme for Italy.  With this quick introduction to different styles for different Carnivals, student groups set to work with a specific audience in mind -- New Orleans, Venice, or Rio. 

Outcomes:  The students from different backgrounds really collaborated and listened to each other to produce a product that was the result of team effort.  Only one team came in under the 1/2 hour deadline and were awarded extra points.  The other teams hurried to meet the next deadline.  The students presented each design and discussed the unity and emphasis in their design as well as how it was appropriate for the specific Carnival audience.  Students also discussed how working with a team member from another department contributed to the design.

Student teams


1/2 Hour Collaborative Carnival Designs


Student comments

• Today I learned that team work and a view from another person can really help your design...
• I learned the great relevance of work in a team that streams different fields into the design process...
• I learned that there are so many different interpretations of kinds of unity... In my case, my ad showcased unity by repetition in the feathers of the dress...

Teacher Reflections
Students felt value in working in teams from different disciplines.  It is important to make sure that this teaming doesn't seem random to students, but representing the professional world in which many different types of designers come together to create products. Students talked over the nuanced different aspects of unity and emphasis in designs as they worked together.  The student presentations showed that students were increasingly comfortable using the vocabulary of design both visually and verbally.  Students readily adapted to the few materials available in the room and are reminded that each week there will be a hands on activity that will require them to be prepared.  It was lucky and funny that one team member came packing a whole palette of different colors of glitter as well as a squeeze bottle of glue.

Overall the games and activities that were designed by students at the end of the last term are effectively encouraging the new students to engage with the design fundamentals material.

Onward.

Teaching Reflections

 We started out by tracing two anatomical charts of the face and looking at a slide show of skull proportions.  When the model came we began with 1, 2, and 3 minute gesture drawings . 

GESTURE WARM UPS
These are 3 minute gesture drawings.  The model posed twice, once as a aggressor and one as the victim. After the live gesture I encourage students to add background and drama to gesture drawings.

    

Student Critique observations put together the elements in the drawing with the power of visual storytelling.

• The choice of lighting in the background increases the sense of fear and anxiety.  You really feel as through someone important is about to be killed.  The man cowers before the sword.

• It feels very excitable due to the warm colors and zigzagging lines in the background.  I could really feel the raw fear radiating from the victim.

Many of these students had never drawn with a live model before.  Their ability to grow as a class was absolutely amazing.

TWO PERSON CRITIQUES
I gave students a critique form to fill out and share with the student they are critiquing.  This two person team created a personal non public way for students to give feedback.  I will gradually increase the size of the groups giving feedback about the drawings so that students become more comfortable stating their ideas on the creative process, their own work, and the work of their peers.

ANATOMY OF THE HEAD
Class focus was the skull and facial muscles, on emotions and facial expressions.  Our model Shawn is an actor who is able to hold strong emotional expressions. He also brought a few helmets that added a martial air to some poses. We lit the figure with strong side light and as always turned off the overhead lighting.  After the pose I held up an anatomical chart next to the models head and discussed what muscles were contracting and what muscles were elongated in different expressions.

 

PROFESSIONAL MENTOR REFLECTIONS
To encourage a reflective practice I gave students the points sheet form with a new twist.  In the Leveling up in Learning section students are to envision a professional animation mentor (real or not, living or dead) and write a brief email about what they learned in class.

• Hello Mr. Rotnem,  Today was my first drawing day in class.  I've never done this (drawn from a live model) before and I'm eager for next week. I was taught many different shading techniques and highlighting.  I used charcoal for the firsts time ever.  I will buy some different supplies for next week. There are a lot of muscles in the face.  The one I saw most prominently in the model was the obicularis oculi because it stood out in the lighting. 

RESULTS I found that having the students write to another person, a pro of choice, in an informal email format composition loosens their writing style and helps them see their learning from a vantage point outside the classroom and in a professional context.

Overall I am thrilled with the first life model session in Anatomy this term.  The class has set a serious yet experimental and professional pace. Onward through the charcoal dust.

NOTE TO STUDENTS WHO REQUEST RECOMMENDATIONS

I love to write recommendations for your succes, but I want my recommendations to be personal and reflect your real achievements and goals.



Here are some guidelines for helping me to write the best recommendation targeted especially for you.
Please answer the following questions:


-- What class or classes of mine were you in and when?


-- What was/were your grades(s) in my class?


-- What drawings or designs from the class are you most proud of (attach images) and why?


-- What is your goal for this online recommendation (linked in) in your professional trajectory?


-- Where can I find your work online? Website? Resume? Portfolio? Deviantart gallery? etc.



The answers to these questions will give me an outline upon which to base my recommendation.


I look forward to hearing from you to give me information to write the most useful recommendation for your goals.

The lotus pond.


The cactus garden and the iris bed.


The dinosaur gardens.

A lovely sunny afternoon and we went to Zilker Botanical Gardens. 
Here is my sketchcrawl through the gardens with my iPad. 
Zenbrush drawings on the iPad 2.

    Photo roster design by Honoria Starbuck

PHOTO ROSTER

Purpose:  To better remember student names.  To have more fun when grading.

Photos: I take 2 photos of students on the first day. I call students up in groups of 4 in alphabetical order to pose in front of the whiteboard. I ask them to write their preferred first name and last initial on the board.  In the photo I also capture nick names. I ask students to do something silly in the second photo.

Grid: I select individual heads from the line up shots, adjust the contrast, then put each head in a grid template roster that I made in PowerPoint and can use for all classes. In the grid each weekly class has a spot for P or A for present or absent, daily points, and little notes.  The bottom line is for the semester report points.  All points get transferred from this manual daily portrait gradebook into the online gradebook in a way that helps me keep track of everyone as a person and not get lost in the numbers.   I used to have little lines inside the cells for points, homework, and attendance but I developed symbols for each and can put everything plus small notes on this grid.

Result: The silly pictures make calling the role more fun and when grading I am constantly reminded of how fun and creative my classes are.  Using the photo roster I am able to call students by name earlier in the term by referring to the photos.

iPad drawing app John Nack

http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2010/04/draw_share_with_adobe_ideas_for_ipad.html

Other blogs

Russell Brown Photoshop instructor

Bert Monry - pixel perfect photoshop tutorials - Bert's Art

Deke McClelland - Photoshop and Illustrator

Scott Kelby teaching photoshop class. Photoshop User.

Photoshop Lightroom on TB facebook.  Adobe Lab's free download good for 2 months.

The Skeleton Game
Students get a stack of cards with bones and have to organize their team to draw one bone each until the skeleton is created.
This task gets students learning about each other, digging into the textbook, and using anatomical terminology in a fun competitive activity.

Happy day 1 of Anatomy.  Onward to the muscles.

Art Supply Rodeo

On day one in observational drawing we have an Art Supply Rodeo. 

Purpose: 
To familiarize students with the tools of drawing in a non-judgmental sandbox atmosphere. 
To encourage students to interact with each other with a shared creative purpose.

Set up:
Students experiment with art supplies by taking a piece of paper from station to station in the drawing room. Each station features a different art supply to play with.  We have a table of free art supplies to select from during the semester.  I wander around randomly demonstrating various media.  Students try different media on their paper some create abstracts and some create objects.

When a student falls in love with a certain medium I encourage them to buy it so that they can be sure that they will always have access to it.

Outcome: When students are faced with drawing realistic objects later in the term they will know what properties of various media can bring to a composition. Students also get to know each other in an informal way at the same time focus discussions on drawings and tools.

Here are some of the papers that we hung up at the end of the station-to-station trail.