Where Does a Story Start?
Where does the story come from? How do you find your inspiration and ideas?These are not easy questions to answer and the process cannot be boiled down into a simple list, but I will attempt to allow you to peek into the window and get a glimpse of the process. My children both have enjoyed […]
10 Steps to Revision
Nobody likes revision. Revision is often viewed in negative terms. We often think of revision as an indicator of failure, because we have to start over or make adjustments to our work. Revision isn’t bad, it’s a natural part of the creative process. Over a year ago I started working on illustrations for a children’s […]
Plagiarism and Appropriation in Art
AP Studio Art data reflects that a large group of students was caught plagiarizing or inappropriately appropriating works of art. While many quickly jumped to conclusions about students being lazy or taking advantage of online learning due to the pandemic, there is a more important and meaningful conversation to have about cheating. Do students understand […]
Materials Inspire
In a previous post, Materials Matter, I discussed the connection between the materials that you select to create your work and the message that you’re trying to convey. Synthesizing materials, processes, and ideas, is something that students often don’t think about, but is an important part of the art-making process. Even more important if you’re […]
Materials Matter
Do you think about the role that your material selection plays in communicating your ideas? When Meret Oppenheim, created Object, in 1936, choosing to cover a teacup and saucer in fur, caught viewers’ attention. The artist’s choice of materials changed how the object was viewed and used. I don’t know about you, but I don’t […]
What AP Studio Art Course is Right for Me?
AP 2D Design vs. AP Drawing When you’re thinking about taking an Advanced Placement studio art course, you may find yourself confused when you try to determine if the 2D or Drawing portfolio is right for you. The first thing to do is to ask yourself if you’re interested in having photography as part of […]
How to use Reference Images in your artwork
Before we talk about how to use reference images, let’s start by talking about what a reference image is. A reference image is one or more images that you’re looking at to help guide a work of art that you’re creating. You may have reference images that you took or ones that you found. Today, […]
How to Find inspiration for your artwork
Sketchbook: Part 2 Before you jump in, make sure that you’ve gone through the steps in part 1. Now that you have that done, let’s look for interesting details in your selected object, and think about how to use them as inspiration in your sketch. Look closely at your selected object, what textures do you […]
Getting Started with Your Sketchbook When You Don’t Have any Ideas
Part 1 1. Find an object Find an object that is interesting to you. For me, that was a tomato plant. 2. Blind Contour Draw the entire object, or choose a section that you like, and complete 15 blind contour drawings. I choose to draw one of the leaves. If you’ve never done a blind […]
8 Ways to Prepare for AP Studio Art
Many students that are interested in taking AP Drawing or AP 2D Design have reached out to ask if there are things that they can work on over the summer to get prepared for the class. 8 Ways to Prepare for AP Art Class. Visit art museums and/or galleries. In-person is always the best, but […]