Kayla's AP Studio Art

AP has been an amazing experience. It has allowed me to have freedom in the work I do. I have learned a lot about how to work with the images to get them exactly how I want them. AP has given me the chance to see what I am capable of doing in certain amounts of time. Being the biggest critic of my work, it is hard to get things done as quick as they should be because I work with my things more than I should because I want them to be just right. In the end AP has made me realize how fun it is and how much of a reward it is to be in a class like this.

My concentration focuses on my childhood memories of growing up in a small town. The images show places I enjoyed while growing up and who I have become as a person today because of them. This project gave me a chance to reflect on my favorite memories while capturing the essence of those memories through the medium of digital photography. My childhood memories of experiences have shaped who I am today.    

My images show important memories and their effects on me as I transition into who I am today. My first image is of great importance because girl scouts helped my at a young age learn how to be a young lady and helped me become part of everyday life around me. The next few images are places form my childhood that I enjoyed playing at and remember with fond memory. Being outdoors is a big part of my life and always has been. These places taught me that it’s okay to just relax and have fun. It is the simplest of things that sometimes matter the most. Whether it is camping, fishing, or simply just being outside, I always found a way to have fun. That all has made me realize that we don’t need electronics and things society deems important just to have fun. The fifth image is a transition into who I am today. Everyone goes through their share of ups and downs to get to where they want to be.  That is exactly what I did. I believe this image portrays that very well. The last few images show me and the struggles and happiness in my life and within myself today.  I know I am a better person because of my experiences.

Low Budget Lighting Effects with Big Results

With school budgets decreasing daily and art curriculum expanding to incorporate more of the media arts we find ourselves in a constant budgeting dilemma.  I question every purchase..."Do we really need it?...or can we get by with something else?" Teaching digital photography can be taxing on the expense account of an Art Department. For those of you who teach digital photography or even take photos on a regular basis of student work will understand how incredibly important it is to understand basic lighting effects and have the opportunity to take your camera off of auto. So important that I couldn't justify ignoring or avoiding it altogether because of cost. With that being said, I am proud as pie when I find DIY ways to solve expensive equipment needs. With the help of Pinterest, informative websites, and creative students I've developed an inexpensive yet effective way for students to experience the indoor photo booth shoot.

For an indoor photo booth shoot you need a backdrop, lighting, reflectors, a tripod, camera, something to defuse the light and a subject.

I spend the money on a nicer camera/tripod so the students can control the settings and understand how to use the manual settings to capture just the right effect. I hang the backdrop up with bulldog clips, vice clamps, and/or velcro depending on the area.

Inexpensive clamp lights work for basic lighting.

Cardboard covered with foil works for reflectors

Sheets, curtains, or an inexpensive cotton fabric are great for back drops.  Place the lights on either side and/or above behind the fabric to defuse the harsh light.  You can also place a small piece of fabric over the light itself to defuse the light.  Just be careful it might get hot after a little while.

A subject to photograph is usually pretty easy to find.

You can also create a smaller photo booth for objects or art projects you wish to photograph. We have created box type photo booths out of foam core board and tissue paper or fabric. Even a cardboard box painted white with sections cut out of the sides and top covered with fabric works great. Here is a great post on DIY Photo Box on Ninth & Bird with directions that are easy to understand.  

For lighting techniques checkout Simple Lighting Techniques at www.digitalcameraworld.com

Student Photographs using DIY photo booths

Emily M. AP Studio Art

My senior year has been quite hectic. College apps, AP exams and activities have made this year especially important for my future. The one thing I ever turned to for relaxation was my art class. Whether it be sketching or painting, creating art gave me the opportunity to get away from the world and focus on what I was creating.
This year I wanted to create a diverse portfolio and expand my repertoire of mediums. so, I used everything from graphite to watercolor, and drew anything from coins to portraits.

My concentration focuses on women from different places around the world facing adversity. It is dedicated to their strength and courage to face those adversities every day. The project gave me the opportunity to express my love for world cultures, and also sends an important message about the strength of women in overcoming their challenges in life. I, too, have faced challenges. I used that inner strength to overcome my challenges, and changed my life completely for the better.
My works depict women from various places around the world. The backgrounds are comprised of patterns and colors associated with their particular cultures. On each card I focused on representing the person’s personality and culture. The size is intended to be small, as I wanted the viewer to be able to hold it in their hands, to make it almost personal. Additionally, I envisioned the size to be symbolic, like a tarot card, intended to reveal something to the viewer about herself. By seeing the card, she will see one word: “courageous”, written in each individual language. I chose this particular word because all women, no matter where they live, share a common thread of inner courage. Whatever path in life a woman takes, she will need that courage. Around the world women are treated as inferior, and are burdened with countless expectations. I want to show that Women can do anything they set their mind to if they have courage. In the process of creating these pieces, I followed my own personal journey to overcome obstacles in my life, which made this intended message all the more personally fulfilling.

Savannah L's AP Art Studio

I have always had an obsession with putting my thoughts down into an art journal. My concentration focuses on my journey through journal pages I have made throughout the year. It is a reflection of my year as a whole through my personal journal and photography. I started with the idea of a blossoming young love and continued through the representation of that relationship. Which then leads through the ups and downs every person feels when they are experiencing that tremendous first love.

My idea in my pictures was to showcase and emphasize the feeling from the journal page. When you look at the photo and the journal separately, there is no real uniformity, it doesn’t make sense. Layer them together and you can honestly see what the intent is. It’s not a picture you’re looking at, it’s a feeling. My intent is for the viewer to feel what I felt or sympathize with my emotions. Image twelve displays this, the girl, isolated and lonely underneath a journal page about sadness and how serene it is. Each page I have made reflected all of the emotional challenges I have faced through the year. Such as image six, the theme of freedom and flying away shows just how I felt stuck and wanted to be free. Followed by image seven which has that air of acceptance and knowing that while you may not be the happiest you’ve ever been right now, you know you are free. My emotional rollercoaster through the year in a few photos doesn’t completely show everything I went through, but reflects it best.

My Amazing AP Art Studio Students

It's that time of year again. Over the next few days my amazing AP Art Studio students will each take a turn at posting their favorite pictures and explaining some of their work from their AP Art Studio 2013-14 entries. They have each worked hard to develop their Breadth (12 works), Concentration(12 works)with a short essay, and Quality (5 works)for their AP Art Studio Portfolio Exam. Check back each day and Enjoy!

FREE Online Photo Editing Resources for Class

Here is the list of free online editing resources that my students found and presented to their classmates.
Check them out and find the one that works for you.
Online photo editing sites:
www.gimp.org
www.befunky.com
www.picmonkey.com
www.pixlr.com
www.lunapic.com
www.fotoflexer.com
www.fotor.com
www.ipiccy.com
www.phixr.com
www.ribbet.com
www.pizap.com

Drawing & Design Resource

I've recently started teaching a Foundations Drawing & Design course.  Since I've spent the past 6 years teaching mostly Digital Photography, Fibers, and AP Art I felt I needed to look for some solid resources to freshen up my old curriculum.  I've been pleasantly surprised by all the online resources available.  One in particular I really like is http://www.drawspace.com/ .  Brenda Hoddinott does a wonderful job of organizing and developing lessons for drawing students.   Check it out. 

Nick's AP Studio Art Blog

At the beginning of the year, I experimented with other mediums like drawing and layering. Although I had some mild successes with my experimentation, at the end of the year I chose to come back to photography. After being inspired by various street and candid photographers I took my camera and went out to Madison and downtown Beaver Dam to capture the urban scenes that dot the country. My breadth was a collection of random street scenes that played with different geometries and positioning. My quality showed off my special attention to color in a photo. Finally, my concentration was about the geometry of urban scenes. I showcased the different lines and textures that work collectively to build the marvel that is the American city. Together my AP portfolio works as a grandiose collective of different patterns and themes, to magnificently pay homage to the American urban scene. Here is a snippet of my AP concentration write-up:

The geometry of urban landscapes is all around us, but the inhabitants of these cities take the awe-inspiring lines and shapes for granted. I took it upon myself to document the art of urban biomes with my camera. The lost treasure of the American city is the alleyways. These rustic lanes are overwhelmed with metropolitan detail work that uses parallel and perpendicular lines to give the city motion. The vivid oranges and browns of rust on the iron metalwork make brilliant contrast with the faded colors of the backsides of antique domiciles. Powers of metropolitan landscapes come through in the repetition of simple patterns that create ominous cityscapes. The delicate angles and busy structures move me to more simple scenes. Textures of the omnipresent walls and walkways become the main attraction against the monochromatic backgrounds, outlining the elegance of these urban mystiques...

I'm hoping to pursue photography as a hobby in the future. I find taking pictures very enjoyable and I believe I have a good eye. Though I am not going to pursue a career in art, I am glad that I had the opportunity to take AP Art Studio, because It has definitely helped me learn and grow as a young artist.

Emily N's AP Studio Art Blog

It's been a long year in AP Studio Art. It was all worth the worries, all the things that we've had to do and all the projects. This has been one of the best classes that I've had it was well worth taking. It's made me a stronger photographer adn I've learned a lot of new things along the way through this journey. My pictures all have a story behind htem. I love taking pictures of old things outside. I never thought you could capture such good pictures from just the simple little things you find laying around. Something that was fun was finding things I liked and that I wanted to take pictures of. I found that I love weird angles and that my images come out better that way that thats my way of expressing myself in them. I also found out that I have to take pictures alone, I cant have anyone around.  I like the old rustic things and barn wood and the color that it is. All my photos have to do with things that are around me everyday and things that I see all the time. I'd like to keep photography in my life after high school. Maybe as a side job or as a full time job, you never know.