VCD Blog - ARTSURFSOUL Positive Change Through Action and Design

Saturday

12Dec2009

Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 1:42PM

VCD8 T-shirt Conclusion

Having finished 8 weeks of Friday insturuction in Ms. Smith's advanced 8th grade art class, Adam and I were able to return with our promised gifts to the students. Based on artwork submitted by the students, Adam and I produced a T-shirt design that we felt the students would be excited about - themselves having played a vital role in the outcome of the final product. We were so encouraged by the creativity that the students put forth in their work, it became a priority for us to maintain the integrity and honesty of their work in the final design. It was indeed a challenge to figure out how to combine 33+ individual artworks into one cohesive design, but we feel we were successful in providing a great shirt that everyone involved in the program could feel proud of.

Special thanks to Eastwind Screenprints for donating the shirts and their wonderful printing services. We look forward to working with them more as our VCD8 curriculum continues to grow.

-Matt Lawler

Progress Report: Lettering

In preparing for teaching today's lesson in "lettering", I initially found myself getting very theoretical about letters, words, and the way in which we use them to communicate. I quickly realized that 8th graders care very little about theory, so I planned my lesson to accomodate a more hands on and tangible approach. It is indeed a challenge to simplify the infinite topic of communication with letters into a fun, meaningful, and practical 55 minute time slot, while also leaving room for the students to work and be creative on their own.

Despite my desire to teach and excite students about all of the wonderful idiosyncrasy's of art and design, it seems important to remember that they are operating on a much more fundamental level, and we need to meet them there. After getting lost in theory, I had to remind myself that 8th graders simply need to be introduced to the fun and pleasure that is art... and they need to be encouraged more than corrected.

It was lovely to see the students interest peaked as they realized they were surrounded by expressive letters...particularly on all of their t-shirts. The wonderful thing about design is that it relates to everybody... and relating is empowering.

-Matt Lawler

Progress Report at the conclusion of week 2

Adam and I have completed our first two lessons now: illustration and Perspective. Teaching the illustration lesson was a smashing good time for all of us. As I gave step by step instructions on how to go about creating a character and setting it into a scene, students were able to engage in directing many of the character elements. We discussed how to incorporate different emotions through facial expressions, as well as how to communicate a message using visual imagery. It was fascinating to see the students minds open up as they creativily considered different intended purposes for their cartoon creations.

I was able to watch from the 'backseat' today as Adam taught his lesson in one and two point perspective to the students. I was impressed with the students ability to focus on the lesson and understand what we were teaching them. It was clear that the students did not have a lot of previous experience with drawing things in perspective, but they remained engaged were eager to correct their mistakes, which is always encouraging to see.

I'm excited to teach our next lesson in "Lettering" next week. We will be exploring how letters, as a medium, communicate to us far beyond the actual content.

-Matt Lawler