1.1 Blog post one - Implied grids in Art - T-shaped literacy format 1 - Shane Cotton

2021: Kia ora level one students. This is a 4 credit literacy standard, so we do it carefully in terms of showing reading and writing aspects. 

The first thing you will be doing is choosing an artist as your muse. BUT you will also be working with Tracey Tawhiao as a seed of creativity. this means there is choice, as well as carefully chosen direction from us to ensure you pass your standard AND integrate this research into your art making. 

Blog post one will be in three of four parts; Here is part one (mine, not yours, as if I were in level one art and 15). 

How does my mind deal with heaps of information at once? I often wonder this. I have a lot on my mind a lot of the time. I try and do possibly too much at times in an effort to keep busy. Hence losing my keys, phone, favourite lipstick which I then replace and then find the last one, as there are other things that are just more important going on at the same time. I also analyse things more than one probably should. I reimagine conversations, try and notice new things I missed and constantly wonder what would have happened if I acted slightly differently at the time. 

All of these things are reasons why when I look at the work of Shane Cotton, I find myself drawn to wanting to know more about why it is the way it is. "Loci" is all about compartments - boxes to put stuff in, which is how I imagine my head space. My teacher tells me this is a 'grid' device and that it is important. This is why I have chosen this T-shape to complete my 1.1 assessment from. 

  

"Loci" 2011, Acrylic on Board, Shane Cotton

So here is my reasoning as to why I chose Shane cotton to start with. You could also write this up as a bullet pointed list:

- Boxes - compartments

- Organised, when I'm not always as I should be

- Mysterious combination - like my head at times

- Floating bits make me feel like its inside my head

- Grid - strong structure like a map

- Red/orange against navy blue - I like this contrast

- Māori pieces - relate to me?

My list could go on and would potentially provide a good amount of information for why I have chosen this work. 

The next part of your blog post is 'note-taking'. This is you working through an article of written information (there are more pictures than writing in this first one) and listing the important parts. Often we would take to a paper version with a highlighter and note book. This article is a digital web page based one, so I'm expecting you to read it and take notes as you go, even if they are rough.

We can talk through how we do this next bit during class time.  

Here is part two: Taking notes:

1) Start with the article title, author, date and URL.

2) What is the article's main point?

You should be able to sum this up in a few words, and it will possibly be obvious in the introduction.

3) Skim the whole article. This means read over the words quickly, and try and get the gist of it. Put down some words that make sense of that understanding next.

4) There will be some words you don't understand. Make a list, look them up, put their definitions with these words. 

5) Read each section/paragraph. What is the point it is making? Write it down starting with a keyword (use a table if you want). Do you need to use an image to make the point? Are your new words affecting your understanding? 

DONE. 

Year 9 semester two 2020 Hannah Hoch and photography

Welcome to semester two with Whaea Rowena. I really enjoyed our class today and thought I would take some time to clarify a few points today and make sure we had something rewindable from the day. 

Our Learning outcome was to make sure we had a basic understanding of Photomontage and what it was. We got so immersed in doing the work, I'm not sure we actually got back to that!

You possibly all know what a collage is:

Here is the definition I found online for it:

a piece of art made by sticking various different materials such as photographs and pieces of paper or fabric on to a backing.

• the art of making collages.
• a collection or combination of various things.

  "a collage of musical genres"

Here is an example of COLLAGE. 

Photomontage is just the same in many ways, but you limit yourself (place a constraint) to printed media (materials for art). 

"Photo" indicates its mostly photographic printed media, but you can incorporate a few other bits and pieces and have it still considered a photomontage artwork; book pages, newspaper images. 

Here are some more examples of Hannah Hoch's photomontage work:

"Da-Dandy" 1919 by Hannah Hoch

"Die Braut" 1927 by Hannah Hoch

1930, "Untitled (Large Hand Over Woman’s Head)" by Hannah Hoch

The second thing I wanted to go back over, because I feel like it was too brief, is that we always make our files for art from within our art folder on google. That means they are 'born' there! This art folder 9Art-2 is shared directly to me, so I can always see your progress. It will look something like this:

or 

If you haven't made your google doc poster from today in that folder, can you please move it there before Tuesday. 

On the google site over the weekend, I will put up a screencastify going back over the way we made the poster today. It would be fantastic if they were all finished by Tuesday, as I want you to get them up on your blog, with an explanation in that first 20 minutes of class so you can get straight into the practical work. 

Level two and three photography post lock down moving forward

1) Completing your Photography bingo tasks. 

Several tasks were placed online for you to complete as basic and quick photos that could even be taken on your cell phone. These didn't need to be great or hugely technical, but even at a 'just complete' level would generate enough evidence for 2.2. Please continue to work on these over the course of the year. 

2) Making these tasks relate back to your kaupapa

If your kaupapa is distilled down to one to two words, how does this then translate into the following:

-Focal point

-Leading lines

-Gestalt

-Space

What have you got as photographic 'drawings' (quick snaps essentially) that actually represents these things from a more abstract point of view?

Sally Mann outside her photo studio on the family farm in Virginia.Credit...Leslye Davis for the The New York Times 2015

-Focal point - eyes of the subject

-Leading lines - blurred and then slowly in focus foliage, the way her hair frames her face on the right-hand side

-Gestalt - by using monochrome (black and white) and by placing the subject in an  over lengthened landscape format, close up, and by using a low aperture number, the gestalt is quite intimate, we are being slowly welcomed into her thoughts

-Space - Because there is texture in those blurred leaves, it feels quite 'full'. However, the clarity of the face gives you a clear understanding of what is positive and what is negative space. 

kaupapa = you are invited into her thoughts. It's an invitation to understand her better.

I make this presumption knowing it is the header image chosen for a story that the subject (Sally Mann) wrote about her own work for the New York Times in 2015. I have used prior knowledge along with my short analysis. 

IOKA 2004, Edith Amituanai, c-type photograph

-Focal point - the girl/subject

-Leading lines - the shadows cast by the doorway onto the ceiling above her head, echoed asymmetrically by the dark tone of the door on the left-hand side. 

-Gestalt - the candid nature of the photograph, the bright colours of the subject contrasted against the grey sombre tones of the room around her, her sideways downcast eyes avoiding the camera and consequently, the viewers gaze, the presumption that she is serving someone tea, a normal household duty presumably. 

-Space - the subject is centrally placed and holding two cups. she rises from the base of the image and 

Kaupapa = Everyday life in Ioka's family. Her role, her place her walking forward into it. 

3) Moving forward with your folio work using the internals to justify it. 

Make sure every time you plan work, your focal point, leading lines, gestalt and use of space all count towards how your kaupapa speaks. These should all originate from the photographers you have already studied. Make it all link together. 

Level Two/Three Painting next steps post lock down

1) Completing your Painting bingo tasks. 

Several tasks were placed online for you to complete as basic and quick drawings. These didn't need to be great or hugely technical, but even at a 'just complete' level would generate enough evidence for 2.2. Please continue to work on these over the course of the year. 

2) Making these tasks relate back to your kaupapa

If your kaupapa is distilled down to one to two words, how does this then translate into the following:

-Line

-Mark-making

-Colour

-Space

What have you got as drawings that actually represents these things from a more abstract point of view?

"On the wire" by Harvey Thomas Dunn 1917 oil on board

Space - eerie

Mark making - patchy, bitsy

Colour - fairly monochrome

Line - undefined, quite smudged. 

kaupapa = World war one and the desperation of the war, hopelessness, the loneliness felt by the average soldier. 

"Les Demoiselles D'Avignon" Picasso, 1906-07, oil on canvas

Space - tilted up, shallow

Mark making - bold, unrefined, not neat, but not messy. Really confident as it is.

Colour - fairly simple, defies the colour theory of warm in front, cool in the back.

Line - sharp and angular

Kaupapa = presentation of prostitutes upfront and in your face (these women were, in fact, prostitutes, who were considered less-than). Their 'primitive' appearance with the tribal mask on one (wouldn't be acceptable in today's climate) speaks to the primitive nature of sex, sexual need/desire and yet societies inability to accept these women or their work as it was. Generally, they were meant to be hidden away not paraded as proud, strong, and right 'there'. Lack of space within the picture space could represent that there is no room to run away from this truth of who they are and where they are. 

3) Moving forward with your folio work using the internals to justify it. 

Make sure every time you plan a work, your lines, marking, colour, space all count towards how your kaupapa speaks. these should all originate from the Artists you have already studied. Make it all link together. 

Wet media works - using water colour to draw with

This idea is around being expressive and showing you have learnt your subject. It takes confidence in your mark-making decisions, as you cant erase them!

The first rendition here would achieve excellence, the other two (which are just additions to the first one) would also be suitable for excellence. any could feature on your folio. 

Natural colours haven't been used, dark, mid and light tones within a triadic colour scheme however, have been used. 

Where the points on the triangle sit are where you find a triadic colour scheme. It is a way of plotting a consistently good colour scheme when you know you want a balance of warm, cool and neutral. 

What can you do with your subject matter that presents these opportunities? This will be evidence for 1.2 and your folio. 

Level one charcoal drawing

Using charcoal can be messy, and gaining detail can feel almost impossible.

You have to remember it is NOT like drawing with pencil. Shade, tone and texture are way more important. 

The images of the cone and cylinder for your 1.2 are done from a mid-tone point of view. this means you add highlights and depth, not mid-tones and depth of tone, like you would if you were starting on plain white paper. 

 

 

For points of detail, use a charcoal pencil. For areas you want whiter than you can achieve with an eraser, use the white charcoal pencils. 

Experiment with the media you have rather than just trying to achieve realistic detail. 

Year 9 manga pasifika doodle turns into a painting

Working from what we have from lockdown to turn it into our actual outcome by the end of teh semester.

Those of you who have posted your lockdown work on your blog, it looks fantastic and gives us a great base to work from. those of you who made a start but were too scared to go further, we have that opportunity now. those of you who haven't had a go at this, you have a starting point on my site. We start today. 

Starting point one: The beginning:

You need to have a go at some of the zen doodle techniques. You can use pencil.

Starting point two: using a string and developing your own ideas

You are able to start on some of your own ideas. use a string that is Art nouveau based (whiplash). Add horizontal and vertical lines to create structure and 'tie' the image to the edges of your picture frame.

Use the spaces and gaps you have to fill up with pattern; your own combinations of Pasifika patterns, Manga, Kowhawhai and Art nouveau. USE your research and my site to find these. 

Starting point three:

You have thumbnails and just don't know which one to use for your painting. Literally, CHOOSE one. what do you feel the best about? what is going to translate well into a painting?

Try adding areas of black or white space to calm your idea down. Rest areas help you read your image better. Zendoodle is super fun but full-on. That may help you 'like' on your images better if you can increase it's readability. 

Starting point four:

You have a coloured version of your final idea and we are ready to draw it up.

Draw CAREFULLY. The time you spend here matters in terms of a finished product:

From this:

Aili during lockdown Year 9 2020

To this:

Aili  during Art class Year 9 2020

Your next steps are around paint technique and colour theory. 

Level Three What is my kaupapa - exemplar blog post

I think most of you AVOIDED blogs last year, or did the bare minimum when pushed. 

Your labels will be added as you write your first post like this. These labels will be five in total and you will be expected to use at least two each time you post:

3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4(folio) and Art 2019. The following is an exemplar of what your first blog should look like in a total of 150 + words:

Make sure you answer the following in your post:

1) What is your field? 
2) Why are you working on this field
3) What well last year? what didn't go so well last year?
4) What are you planning to do differently?
5) What have your two brainstorms revealed so far? (add a photo of both of them)
6) Why did your teacher get you to make a digital mood board? (download it as a JPEG and insert it here too)
7) Identify something that is new to you from completing the mood board - like knowing about a particular artist for instance and making a connection now, to your kaupapa that is forming.
8) Who are the three artists (one from each of contemporary, traditional and Aotearoa) have you chosen? (insert TWO art images from each artist,  with name, date, media)
9) Why have you chosen these three artists? 

The above will form a paragraph that is an introduction. It outlines my field choice for the year and explains why you have chosen your theme to base your kaupapa upon. 

Before you publish, spell-check, get a friend to read it through and ADD labels, which you will make under the word labels on the right-hand side:

Level two - what is my kaupapa? Example blog for 2020 to start you off.

I think most of you got the idea of the blogs by the end of the year and we have some great examples of blogging by the time you did. However, we want to start great and finish great this year. 

Your labels will be added as you write your first post like this. These labels will be five in total and you will be expected to use at least two each time you post:

2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4(folio) and Art 2019. The following is an exemplar of what your first blog should look like in a total of 150 + words:

My Visual Arts course this year will be focussed on painting (or photography or design, you choose this bit and adjust). I enjoyed painting last year because I felt like I could do it easily/is a challenge for me/will be the most useful tool to help me express my ideas/is a passion of mine (this is your thoughts, not mine, and there is no real wrong. But, here may be the odd cop-out, which we would rather not have). My kaupapa for the year will be based upon spiritual and cultural development. This is something that interests me because my family lineage is so mixed and generations back of my family denied a great deal of their own history in order to fit into pākeha dominated culture. I felt like it would be something that I could work on for an entire year.

The above paragraph is an introduction. It outlines my field choice for the year and explains why I have chosen spiritual and cultural development to base my kaupapa upon. So far, for my actual 'post' as a student, I am at 111 words. 

I have gone through the artists in my theme from the matrix on Ako and created my mood board here:

From here, I have decided on Mick Namarari, Faith Ring gold and Robyn Kahukiwa as my artist models for 2.1. These artists will also help me get started with 2.2 which is also going ot be the start of my folio.

I have just copied and pasted these artists off the matrix, which keeps the hyperlinks intact for my post. 

My kaupapa based on this theme is looking like this:

 (Image of the brainstorm you will do in class inserted here). 

Typed words at this point are 184. However, when you take into account what you will have on your brainstorm it is likely to be closer to 250. 

(a summing up of what is on the brainstorm here will be useful)

Level One Art What is my Art Kaupapa? (Level one example first blog post)

This is an example of what your first blog post for 2020 should look like. Its the BASIC version. I am imagining that I am a Level One student while I write this. Anything in green is meant to help you better understand what it is I am doing. 

This year I will be focussing on Feminism and Equality as my kaupapa.

I have chosen this theme because it is something I identify with as a woman and as someone who feels strongly about just practices in our community.

The media I will work with are Paint and Design.

The two artists I have selected for 1.1 are: Lisa Reihana and Sofia Minson from list one, and Banksy and Shepard Fairey from list two.

Insert your Moodboard here. Make it (it will have 39 Artworks on it) and then download it as a JPEG. Inserting it into your blog from there should be easy. 

(Here is exactly what I mean for this, don't include this part in your blog, this is just to explain to you... I went to the AKO matrix for level one and collected up my Artist model mood board. Then I was able to clearly state that I was looking at the artists I have listed above. )

:
This is the matrix from the AKO section of our site. You MUST choose two artists from list one, two from list two and then one other from the third lists for 1.2 and 1.4. A total of five artists). 

The artist I am interested in for my kaupapa is John Heartfield.

Here are my notes about my thinking for my kaupapa:

(photo of your brainstorm here)

I want to use self-portraiture from selfies, river stones and lego pieces as my subject matter. I think I can show meaning and visual metaphors for my ideas with these three things.

This amount of writing is 130 words. It is the first post. It sets the scene. If you do only this much, you have reached our target. Add Labels on the right-hand side as clearly explained already! EVERYTHING needs to have at least 2 of those 4 labels this year. 

Year 10 progress on double page spreads (DPS)

Kia ora koutou

I have updated the site with another screencastify of good and bad DPS, and hopefully, you all have a handle on clipping masks and using the opaque/transparency function.

A couple of things I covered with individual groups during the lesson were:

themes; what is your basic theme? does your design represent it? Te puna auaha - spring of creativity. can I see anything that visually represents this? if not, what can you do about that? Does your font relate to your topic you are writing about? And with Molly, Natasha and co, what can you take from Wassily Kandinsky and Tchaikovsky to your work?  That was a big leap by the way.

For any of you who are interested in going off on a tangent; Kandinsky had synaesthesia. It means he would hear stuff and then see shapes and colours in response to what he heard. It is very rare.

Kandinsky, who was from Russia, loved art and music.

Tchaikovsky was a highly passionate composer of classical music and he was also from Russia:

The richness of the layers in the music lends itself well to how a synaesthetic artist could work. 

A modern day version of this kind of composer would be Freddie Mercury. I wonder what would happen if someone drew and painted to the music of queen in a similar manner? 

Once downloaded, there are a couple of videos of our lovely senior voices with soul vocalists I will share that illustrate the layers and complexity of the music, which would translate beautifully into art if someone chose to do so. 

Year 10 Orphism final prints