How Artists Make Pictures
Yesterday, my brother, Ashley, shared how he comes up with ideas and brings them to life in children’s books. He shared that he knows how to figure out what words to use and what order those words should appear, but how has no idea how to create illustrations. There are several parts to creating images that […]
Behind the Scenes: How to Write a Children’s book
5 steps to consider when writing If you are like me, you never quite understand how artists think. How do they know which line to draw first, or even where to put the line? Or maybe even what part of an image is meant to draw the viewer’s attention compared to the images that play […]
Online Summer Art Courses
Special Announcement For years, you’ve been asking me to add other online art courses, not just AP, and it’s happening!! Due to COVID we’re continuing to see more schools and activities close or go online, so the demand for new classes is even more important. I know that what you planned to do this summer […]
Art Supplies for Making Art At Home
A lot of people are asking, how will students make art at home if they don’t have supplies? While this is a valid question, we also need to be willing to ask a few different questions. When we can’t come up with an answer to a question, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t an answer, […]
Tips and Tools to submit Your AP Art Portfolio
As I’m getting my students prepared to submit their AP portfolios, I’ve been making additional handouts and videos, so that everyone is able to access the information as long as they have internet connection. The first video walks students through the process of uploading and submitting their work. Even if they aren’t fully ready […]
3 Ways to Start Exploring Art History Today
When people discover that I offer online AP Art History and AP Art courses, they often wonder if I have anything that helps students get ready for those courses. And, for years the answer has been, no. This year, I’ve committed to creating some supports and courses (those are coming) to help students feel more […]
What is the Difference between the Scientific Method and the Creative Process?
Taking an art class is about gaining an understanding of how to use the elements and principles of design to communicate. It’s also about learning new techniques, how to use different mediums, and how to decide what medium and technique to use. When most people think of art class, they think of the latter, ie: […]
Learning How to Learn and Think
We often think of classes like Art and Art history as, “extra” “electives” or “specials”, I must admit, I’m not a big fan of any of those terms. They are subjects, things to learn about. Art is way of communicating, it’s a language. Art History is a way to learn about history. It’s also a […]
What if You Asked a Different Question
Why? Too often we make choices, choose answers, and follow processes because it’s what someone before us did. We’re doing what’s always been done. This often means that we aren’t making progress, and when it comes to problems, if we always ask the same question, we may always end up with the wrong answer. […]
Where We’re Going in 2020
As the year comes to a close I’ve been reflecting on my business. Thinking about how it started 8 years ago, where it is now, and where I want it to go. I started The Unstandardized Standard while I was teaching 9-12 grade art in the public school system. I loved my students but was growing […]