Technology Fine Arts

Cartooning Faculty

2012-01-31T13:24:00.000-08:00

As the last project of 6th grade fine art, Photoshop, students were required to take a portrait of a person they would like to turn into a cartoon. They chose the theme this quarter as "faculty at Calvert." Students were required to take their own original creative image of the faculty memeber. Then, they then imported that picture into Adobe Photoshop. It is not an easy process; one that includes many of the skills they had learned over the quarter. They used filters, adjustments, blurs, and various different tools to create the look you see exhibited here. They completed over 100 steps to turn their photograph into a cartoon. Each picture has about 20-30 layers that create the image you see. The process was arduous but the results are very satisfying!

Juxtaposition and Surrealism

2012-01-24T18:50:00.000-08:00

We have finished the last batch of juxtaposition projects in Photoshop class. The students get very creative as they put themselves in unusual settings. They are working on their cartoon images, so stay tuned for those next week!

Fine Arts Night -January 2012

2012-01-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

Our second Fine Arts Night took place in the Black Box Theater last night, Wednesday, January 11th. If you missed this semester, stay tuned for the spring version! You won't want to miss it. Our very talented students in grades 5 through 8 read short stories & essays, performed skits from the plays, played in bands, sang, danced, all while a slideshow of the visual arts played in the background. Once again, our students shine! They were amazing and made all their fine art teacher proud! It's such an honor to inspire them and then stand back and watch what they can do!

Hi-Ho, HI-Ho....Students are off to work they go.

2012-01-08T19:58:00.001-08:00

Students are working hard on their next projects. They are finishing up juxtaposition projects and beginning to take pictures to cartoon a faculty or staff member at Calvert. They will strip the color out of the photograph, so they create a black and white lined image - similar to a coloring book. Then, they will recolor the image to their liking. It creates a more cartooned-like image. Keep an eye out for the projects to be posted!

Morphing - Quarter 2!

2011-12-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes (or morphs) one image into another through a seamless transition. Most often it is used to depict one person turning into another through technological means or as part of a fantasy or surreal sequence. Traditionally such a depiction would be achieved through cross-fading techniques on film. Since the early 1990s, this has been replaced by computer software to create more realistic transitions. Students in 6th grade Photoshop class morphed themselves and an animal of their choosing to create an interesting and realistic new image

Steppin' in Style at Calvert! Quarter 2!

2011-11-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

In the American culture the sneaker is an icon. Famous sports players have shoes designed just for them. So, to introduce students to layers, brushes, patterns, and fills in Photoshop, students had the opportunity to design their own unique tennis shoe. They were quite creative! Click on any shoe to see it enlarged.

Althought the students really love designing tennis shoes, I think next year to change it up, I'm hoping to have them design guitars or surfboards! We'll see - the future is full of possibilities!

Digital Surrealist Juxtaposition

2011-11-03T13:08:00.001-07:00

A very few students were able to complete the juxtaposition project, as we ran out of time together in 1st quarter. Unfortunately, we missed a lot of days together and have to share computers, so we were slowed down. Several industrious students are working in study hall to complete this project, so stay tuned for me to come! Students love this project!

Morphing Project Complete!

2011-10-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Morphing

2011-10-11T07:55:00.001-07:00

Students have begun their next project - morphing an animal with themselves. After a long vacay away from Photoshop due to Echo Hill, students hit the ground running yesterday! They searched for high-quality (high-res) images of the animal with which they wish to morph themselves. They'll take pictures on Wednesday and then beginning the careful morphing of two images to create one new realistic image. Stay tuned!

Steppin' in Style at Calvert!

2011-10-03T09:28:00.000-07:00

Photoshop has begun once again, and students have finished their custom tennis shoes.In the American culture the sneaker is an icon. Famous sports players have shoes designed just for them. So, to introduce students to layers, brushes, patterns, and fills in Photoshop, students had the opportunity to design their own unique tennis shoe. They were quite creative! Click on any shoe to see it enlarged.

Althought the students really love designing tennis shoes, I think next year to change it up, I'm hoping to have them design guitars or surfboards! We'll see - the future is full of possibilities!

Welcome Back!

2011-09-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

This year, Calvert Middle School will continue to offer a Photoshop class to all 6th grade students. They have had their first class and are beginning to learn about the functions, tools, and resources within Photoshop. They will begin work on their first project tomorrow. Please check back to see student work! You'll be impressed by what they will create!

Collage Fun!

2011-05-27T08:28:00.001-07:00

Remember the days of making photo collages at school or home when you were a kid? How many of you remember the famous ‘instamatic’ called the Polaroid camera? We liked cropping pictures, letters and patterns, and then sticking them all on a poster board to create a truly original piece of art. But times have changed and technology has evolved, which means we’ve replaced scissors and glue with virtual cropping tools, effects, and layers. So today, instead of a paper composition, 7th Grade Digital Photography students created a Polaroid photo collage using their own images. However, with modern technology, they can make it look as though the whole image is made of separate cropped Polaroid photos!

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Cartooning the Famous!

2011-05-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

This quarter, we decided to mix it up a bit. The students love to do the cartooning project, even as extensive and time-consuming as it is. However, this quarter, they chose to do someone famous. They imported that picture into Adobe Photoshop. It is not an easy process; one that includes many of the skills they had learned over the quarter. They used filters, adjustments, blurs, and various different tools to create the look you see exhibited here. They completed over 100 steps to turn their photograph into a cartoon. Each picture has about 20-30 layers that create the image you see. The process was arduous but the results are very satisfying!

Morphing Photographs

2011-05-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Take a Closer Look!

2011-05-06T13:23:00.000-07:00

Macro photography is the art of taking close-up pictures to reveal details which can’t be seen with the naked eye. These images are highly focused and detailed and are often used for nature shots.

In this project, students walked around the campus of Calvert to take macro photos of their own using the macro camera setting. They focused on interesting shapes and forms while paying close attention to color, lighting, and composition. After selecting their favorite photo, they used Photoshop to crop out part of the image, considering how it could be manipulated. Then, they designed a tiled image by rotating, flipping, and duplicating the cropped tile an abstracted kaleidoscope image. They have illustrated the process for one of their pieces so you can see the original photo, their cropped tile, and their kaleidoscope image.

Take me to the Pictures!

2011-04-27T10:57:00.000-07:00

In 7th grade Digital Photography, students were challenged with creating their own movie poster. They used their prowess and understanding of Photoshop and with an introduction to Adobe InDesign designed a movie poster. They were not allowed to base the design on existing movie posters. They could choose to create a modern twist on a classic or redesign a new release. We took time to look at movie posters to decide what they were conveying, why they chose the images they had, and what important elements had to be there to persuade a person to see the movie. There was a great deal of discussion about how to keep it simple, and yet draw people in so they want to see the movie. After all, that is the only way a movie can make money! So, we looked through movie poster websites to look at some classic posters for inspiration. There were several elements that had to include; a piece of their own photography, title of the movie, and using a Photoshop tutorial, they had to choose one of six special effects to include in their posters.
Students had to research for a movie that they had seen before, and collect 15-20 high-res images from that movie. Then they brainstormed ideas by sketching movie posters on paper, If the movie poster was too busy, they were asked to simplify it to ensure the poster was clear and conveyed the intended message. Once the sketch was approved, they began designing in Photoshop and InDesign. Although the special effects looked easy that actually had about twenty to thirty steps for each. Some possible effects that could have been chosen are the punch through effect, the blur effect, and the 3-D effect. We took time to peer edit each poster, giving feedback and offering suggestions, before they completed their final draft.

Steppin' in Style at Calvert!

2011-04-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

My last quarter of Photoshop for 2011 have finished their custom tennis shoes.In the American culture the sneaker is an icon. Famous sports players have shoes designed just for them. So, to introduce students to layers, brushes, patterns, and fills in Photoshop, students had the opportunity to design their own unique tennis shoe. They were quite creative! Click on any shoe to see it enlarged.
Althought the students really love designing tennis shoes, I think next year to change it up, I'm hoping to have them design guitars or surfboards! We'll see - the future is full of possibilities!

A Photograph becomes a CARTOON!

2011-04-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

As the last project of 6th grade fine art, Photoshop, students were required to take a portrait of a person they would like to turn into a cartoon. They then imported that picture into Adobe Photoshop. It is not an easy process; one that includes many of the skills they had learned over the quarter. They used filters, adjustments, blurs, and various different tools to create the look you see exhibited here. They completed over 100 steps to turn their photograph into a cartoon. Each picture has about 20-30 layers that create the image you see. The process was arduous but the results are very satisfying!

Mosaic Portraits

2011-03-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Seventh grade Digital Photography class created a new image from several images that they took. They created an optical illusion, filling one photo with many smaller photos, or at least many copies of smaller photos. The number of small photos used for this effect was totally up to them. They created three different sized tiles – 200 pixels, 300 pixels, and 400 pixels, then tiled them to achieve the look they wanted. They were initially tasked with taking a portrait picture of themselves, whether it be serious or fun, then were asked to take pictures of two to four items that defined them or had some meaning for them to be used as the tiles. If you view the photo from a distance, you’ll see the larger main photo, and if you view it up close, you’ll see the smaller photos inside it, showing the viewer what is meaningful to these students. Enjoy!

Morphing

2011-03-03T07:49:00.001-08:00

Juxtaposition

2011-02-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

Seventh Grade Digital Photography began again last month. We reviewed some of the basic terminology and tools which they learned last year in Photoshop. We also discussed what elements of photography improve their photographs and help them to be more artistic. Then, we began our first project. Students began their first project which involved juxtaposition. They had to take a realistic setting for their photograph, and incorporate an unrealistic representation of themselves. Then they learned about shading to make the final result seem a bit more realistic. We are currently working on a ‘face shatter effect’ in Photoshop. It is the first time I have tried this project, but they are bravely and willingly giving it a try. They have taken pictures of themselves or someone else, and through working with tools in Photoshop will create a photograph, in which half of the face will look like it is shattering into pieces. Please check back often to see student work! They are very creative and enjoy taking risks!

Say it with....Text!

2011-02-18T12:01:00.000-08:00

Sixth graders have just completed a text and pictures project where students had to enhance their original photograph using text, or to make text have more meaning using a picture. Students were very creative! They were asked as much as possible to use their own images to create their projects. They used the Horizontal Mask Tool to create these images. They did a great job!

Cartooning Faculty and Students

2011-02-08T09:44:00.001-08:00

2011-01-21T09:35:00.000-08:00

Steppin' in Style at Calvert!

2010-11-23T06:13:00.001-08:00

In the American culture the sneaker is an icon. Famous sports players have shoes designed just for them. In this project, 6th grade Digital Photography students had the opportunity to design their own unique tennis shoe. Students chose a shoe template and worked in Adobe Photoshop with layers, brushes, patterns, and fills to design their own tennis shoe. They were quite creative! Click on any shoe to see it enlarged.

Student -Animal Morphing

2010-11-03T06:46:00.001-07:00

Steppin' in Style!

2010-10-05T12:03:00.001-07:00

Cartooning

2010-05-21T10:21:00.001-07:00

Stop Action Animation

2010-05-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

This year's spring digital arts class created stop action animation videos in Windows Movie Maker. They were given a choice to make an inanimate object move using over 150 pictures to show movement. The students shared with me that they learned a great deal from this project. Primarily - PATIENCE! It take a lot of patience to take that many pictures and try to maintain a smooth appearance. They learned that using a tripod or table to steady the camera may have helped them. The following are the student's videos that are complete.

Morphing

2010-05-21T08:08:00.001-07:00

Steppin' in Style - 4th Quarter

2010-04-22T08:40:00.001-07:00

Cartooning

2010-04-22T07:30:00.001-07:00

I'm A Believer

2010-03-28T15:13:00.001-07:00

During music class, twelve 6th graders learned and recorded the song, “I’m A Believer” with Mr. Hardesty during their quarter of music class. So, while in Mrs. Frederick’s Photoshop class, they designed an original CD cover to insert in their jewel case. They were allowed to use stock photos, but had to incorporate at least one original artwork or photograph of their own. They designed the front and back of the cover of jewel case. The class brainstormed and even gave themselves a band name – SHOCKERS!

Steppin' Style - 3rd Quarter

2010-03-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

Comic Books and Characters

2010-01-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

Cartooning
In the last project for 8th grade Digital Arts, students looked at different types of comics and comic books to discuss what makes up a comic strip and cover. Students were required to design, sketch, and then sculpt a cartoon character out of Sculpey Polymer clay, which were then baked to harden. They used Photoshop to extract their character from a picture and then designed a comic book cover or strip in Adobe InDesign starring their character. Students were sure to utilize the different elements of a successful comic strip or cover.

Cartoons

2010-01-25T11:38:00.001-08:00

Cartooning
As the last project of 6th grade fine art, Photoshop, students were required to take a portrait of a person they would like to turn into a cartoon. They then imported that picture into Adobe Photoshop. It is not an easy process; one that includes many of the skills they had learned over the quarter. They used filters, adjustments, blurs, and various different tools to create the look you see exhibited here. They completed over 100 steps to turn their photograph into a cartoon. Each picture has about 20-30 layers that create the image you see. The process was arduous but the results are very satisfying!

Steppin' Out in Style

2009-12-16T10:03:00.000-08:00

8th grade whiteboard projects

2009-12-16T09:26:00.001-08:00

After learning a great deal about keeping the camera still and stationary and have patience, students wanted to give another try at stop action animation. So, students put together a story and drew pictures on the whiteboard. They took photographs and using Windows Movie Maker created their second stop-action animation movies. The details are amazing! Enjoy!

Cartooning

2009-11-24T06:57:00.000-08:00

Some students in 1st Quarter Photoshop wanted to complete what was to be the final project for the class. However, we did not have time to complete it during the quarter, so they agreed to come in after school and during study hall. It was not an easy process; one that included many skills they had learned over the quarter. They completed over 100 steps to turn their photograph into a cartoon. Each picture has about 20-30 layers to create the images you see. The process was arduous, but the results are extremely satisfying!

Surrealism and Impressionism

2009-11-10T08:47:00.000-08:00

The project was introduced with a quick overview of the characteristics of Impressionist and Surrealist paintings. We discussed how Surrealism captures the artist’s ability to take objects from the real world and set them in a dreamlike state that catches the viewer off guard and whose works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions. We also explored how Impressionist paintings were in an unfinished style or even a little blurry, and tried to capture how things looked at a glance. Impressionist liked to paint outdoors and use bold colors.
Afterward, students took pictures of nature, ensuring there was interesting lighting in the photograph, which was very important to Impressionist, or they took various images that they felt could combined to create a surrealist painting. Students were then asked to take their original photographs, and using filters and effects, create images that looked like either an Impressionist or Surrealist painting.

Text and Pictures

2009-10-15T11:41:00.001-07:00

Stop Action Animation Movies

2009-10-15T11:35:00.000-07:00

This year's digital arts class created stop action animation videos in Windows Movie Maker. They were given a choice to make an inanimate object move or create a claymation video. The goal was to create a video using over 150 pictures to show movement of an inanimate object. The students share with me that they learned a great deal from this project. Primarily - PATIENCE! It take a lot of patience to take that many pictures and try to maintain a smooth appearance. They learned that using a tripod or table to steady the camera may have helped them. To practice some of what they learned, they are creating whiteboard animation as the next project! So, keep an eye out for those! The following are the student's videos that are complete.

History of Calvert School | View timeline

2009-10-15T11:08:00.001-07:00

History of Calvert School | View timeline

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8th Grade - Typography

2009-09-30T09:26:00.000-07:00

We began our semester with a discussion and study of typography. Students were then asked to illustrate a common phrase using typefaces and colors only. They chose a phrase that had visual opportunities to uniquely interpret it. The goal was to come up with an interpretation that explains the phrase, adds a new level of meaning to it, or makes the audience think about it differently than when it is simply spoken. Students have shared why they chose the colors and fonts they did for their projects.

6th Grade Photoshop - Steppin' In Style

2009-09-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

What Makes a Good Photograph?

2009-09-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

In the first few weeks of Photoshop class, we discussed photograhic terms and elements of a good photograph. Then, we kicked off the class with a Digital Scavenger Hunt. Students had a list of questions that they had to answer by taking pictures of their answers. They couldn't take any cheesy grins and had to be creative with how they answered the questions using pictures. They were asked to keep the elements of a good photograph in mind:

Rule of Thirds

Uncluttering

Framing your view

Getting up close

Changing settings on your camera to suit the situation

Together as a class, we put together a Powerpoint using different pictures that the students thought best represented the answer, were the most creative, and demonstrated the elements listed above. Below is the result! ENJOY!

6th Grade Digital Scavenger Hunt PowerPoint

Welcome Back!

2009-09-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

This year, we are excited to offer technology fine arts in 6th through 8th grade. Mrs. McGraw is teaching 7th grade Digital Photography in the fall and 8th grade Digital Arts in the spring. Mrs. Frederick is teaching 6th grade Photoshop all year and 8th grade Digital Arts both semesters. You will see some examples of student projects throughout the year on this blog from all three fine arts, as well as, some integrated projects that the 5th grade will create in their Technology class with Mrs. Frederick.