​Project:
On a piece of watercolor paper, create a design that considers the Principles of Art, and use that to experiment with different mark-making using watercolors. Apply your understanding of Unity, Emphasis, Balance, Harmony, and Variety in the design.

What you will need:

• Watercolor set (pan or tubes)
• Watercolor palette / plastic watercolor pan (for color mixing)
• Two cups of water (one for cleaning brushes, one for adding to and mixing colors)
• Sable brushes
• Paper towel
• Watercolor paper
• Pencil (HB)
• (Salt)
• (Crayons)
• (Artist's tape, or masking tape)

Objectives:

• Learn to control the watercolor medium to mix a wide range of specific colors.
• Develop skill with watercolor to paint both larger areas and small details.
• Create depth using atmospheric perspective through color shifts -- More vibrant, and usually warmer, as the objects are closer to you; less saturated, less intense, and cooler as they move away.
• Learn to paint gradations/transitions of color
• ​Experiment with the medium

Process:

1. For inspiration on your composition, look at the work of abstract painters Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky.
   
2. Create a drawing/design in light pencil line that is composed of at least 20 closed organic and geometric shapes. Compose the image by applying what you know about the Principles of Art, specifically Unity, Emphasis, Balance, Harmony, and Variety.
3. Then, paint the design using watercolor so that it includes:

• At least 10 mixed colors (Colors not straight from the tubes, but mixed together.)
• Washes
• Smooth, flat color swatches with crisp edges
• Pale colors
• Intense colors
• Gradations of dark to light
• Gradations of one color changing to another
• Lines, both thin and broad
• Points, dashes, and other marks
• Layers of colors (painting transparent colors over dry colors)
• All other basic techniques described in this handout (Burlington access only)

If you can't fit all these techniques into a single design, create a second design to try out the remaining techniques.

Due:
One Week

Project:
Create an artwork describing what it feels like for you to get up in the morning.

Media: Any (May be 2D or 3D)

Size: Any

Objectives:

• Develop a creative, unique way of visualizing and representing a real experience.
• Challenge yourself to make a finished, well-developed, high-quality showpiece (Not a sketch or rough draft.)

Grading Criteria:

• Creativity - Quality of Idea and Artistic Approach to Representing the Idea
• Expressiveness/Communication of the Idea
• Quality of Design/Composition
• Craftsmanship - Skillfulness with the art technique

As an alternative to this project, you may do one of the following:

This is an artwork that you will submit to The Massachusetts Partnership for Youth, Inc., for their annual poster competition.

Due:
​One week: Friday, January 29

1. Turn in your poster design to Mr. Ratkevich via Google Classroom
2. Submit your poster to the MPY competition using this form

               Posters must be one page and submitted electronically.
               Each poster must have a title.

Project Description:
Create a full-color, well-design, well-crafted poster that effectively communicates the theme described below: We Stand Together (Full description below.)

Size: Sketchbook size or larger

Media: Any

Objectives:

• Develop a creative, unique way of visualizing and representing a personal or social statement.
• Incorporate well-designed, well-crafted text/lettering into your artwork
• Apply your understanding of composition, particularly visual UNITY.
• Challenge yourself to make a finished, well-developed, high-quality showpiece (Not a sketch or rough draft.)

Grading Criteria:

• Creativity - Quality of Idea and Artistic Approach
• Expressiveness/Communication of the Idea
• Quality of Design/Composition
• Craftsmanship - Skillfulness with the art technique

To Start:

1. Read the full text below. Think deeply about the theme and the topics.
2. Consider symbolism, metaphor, and other possibilities of representing these ideals.

​
MPY’s Poster and PSA theme for 2020-2021 is

"We Stand Together"

This theme is inspired by Black Lives Matter at School (https://blacklivesmatteratschool.com), a national committee of educators organizing for anti-racism and racial justice in education. The following suggested topics for “We Stand Together” are taken from Black Lives Matter Guiding Principles: 


Restorative Justice: the commitment to build a beloved and loving community that is sustainable and growing. 

“We know that if you knock down someone's block building, you have to help them rebuild it, you can't just say, ‘Sorry’ and walk away. Another way to say that is ‘restorative justice’ and it's the idea that we have to help people when something happens to them, even if it was by accident.”  

Empathy: one’s ability to connect with others by building relationships built on mutual trust and understanding.

“It’s so important to think about how other people feel, because different people have different feelings. Sometimes it helps to think about how you would feel if the same thing that happened to your friend happened to you. Another way say that is empathy.”                      

Loving Engagement: the commitment to practice justice, liberation, and peace.

“It’s so important to make sure that we are always trying to be fair and peaceful. We have to keep practicing this so that we can get better and better at it. Another way to say that is loving engagement.”

Diversity: the celebration and acknowledgment of differences and commonalities across cultures.

“Different people do different things and have different feelings. It’s so important that we have lots of different kinds of people in our community and that everyone feels safe. Another way to say that is diversity.”

____________________________________________________________________

The deadline for POSTER submissions is January 29, 2021.

Submission form can be found HERE

All students who attend schools that are members of Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) are eligible.
Click here for membership information.
​

Due:
Second Wednesday of January (remote work and homework)

Project:
Create a narrative composition that uses subject and color to express a mood. You are telling part of a "story" of some kind. This is to be a completely original, well-designed and well-crafted portfolio piece, rich in color and refined in technique.

Medium:

• Primarily oil pastels, but you may also include paint, color tissue paper, and/or other materials (may include "unusual" materials)
• Work large, up to 18 x 24" - Paper could be white, toned, or color
• First draft with pencil

Objectives:

• Generate ideas/theme for personally expressive artwork.
• Improve your skills with composition to grab and hold people's attention.
• Use color expressively. Create a mood through color.
• Experiment with design, with materials and technique, and with style. Try things out. Take risks.

Tip:
Think about how SIZE and PLACEMENT can help to emphasize the most important things in your narrative.

Learn from the Masters:

Notice how these artists use color expressively. Before beginning your own artwork, look up these artists and read about their work.

(Below) Vincent van Gogh was what we now call a Post-Impressionist painter:

​(Below) These are all oil paintings from Pablo Picasso's Blue Period:

​(Below) These are from Picasso's Rose Period:

​(Below) Oil paintings by Henri Matisse:

(Above) The Kiss, by Gustav Klimt.

​(Below) Oil paintings by Marc Chagall:

The image below is from studiobinder.com, which has informative articles and videos on the expressive powers of color in movies.

And click this link for Part 2 of The Psychology of Color: Movie Color Scheme Cheat Sheet.
​

And here's a quick guide from nofilmschool.com.:
Within each color are a multitude of hues you can break down to specifically hone in on the exact level of emotion you're seeking. 

• RED – anger, passion, rage, desire, excitement, energy, speed, strength, power, heat, love, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence
• PINK – love, innocence, healthy, happy, content, romantic, charming, playfulness, soft, delicate, feminine
• YELLOW – wisdom, knowledge, relaxation, joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, dishonesty, cowardice, betrayal, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard
• ORANGE – humor, energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant
• GREEN – healing, soothing, perseverance, tenacity, self-awareness, proud, unchanging nature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, vigor, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy
• BLUE – faith, spirituality, contentment, loyalty, fulfillment peace, tranquility, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, sky, water, cold, technology, depression
• PURPLE/VIOLET – royalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning, power, sensitive, intimacy
• BROWN – materialistic, sensation, earth, home, outdoors, reliability, comfort, endurance, stability, simplicity
• BLACK – No, power, sophistication, formality, elegance, wealth, mystery, fear, anonymity, unhappiness, depth, style, evil, sadness, remorse, anger
• WHITE – Yes, protection, love, reverence, purity, simplicity, cleanliness, peace, humility, precision, innocence, youth, birth, winter, snow, good, sterility, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cold, clinical, sterile
• SILVER – riches, glamorous, distinguished, earthy, natural, sleek, elegant, high-tech
• GOLD – precious, riches, extravagance. warm, wealth, prosperity, grandeur

GLOSSARY OF COLOR
​
Color Slideshow Presentation

Hue
Classification of a color as red, blue, green, or yellow in reference to the spectrum.

Chroma
1. The purity of a color, or its freedom from white or gray.
2. Intensity of distinctive hue; saturation of a color.

Create a landscape, portrait, still life, political or social statement, fantasy art, or greeting card with unusual materials. That is, use something other than simply pencil or paint. Experiment with materials.

Before beginning, research possibilities for materials and techniques.

Bring this to a quality that it can be put in your portfolio, college applications, and/or your AP exam.

The artwork does not have to be large, but be creative in how you use materials and think about good design.

Due:
One week (If you choose to design a greeting card, please bring the physical greeting card to the box in the guidance office by your last day in the building before vacation, and send a good photo of it to Mr. Ratkevich. The actual, physical card will be gifted to the Burlington Senior Center.)

Grading:
Studio Habits of Mind Rubric

​
Here are some sources for inspiration for this week's outside assignment: Art from

Maps

• https://www.pinterest.com/BohemianBabeArt/maps-as-art/
• https://www.google.com/search?safe=strict&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS918US918&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=art+from+maps&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihvP_Oy9ftAhUlwVkKHWo2DVgQjJkEegQIAhAB&biw=1001&bih=595

Art from Food

• https://www.google.com/search?safe=strict&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS918US918&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=art+from+food&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwin89WSzNftAhUo11kKHUtgDC0QjJkEegQIARAB&biw=1001&bih=595
• https://www.pinterest.com/buzzfeedfood/food-as-art/

Art from Toys 7 Artists Who Created Inventive Toys

• https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-paul-klee-alexander-calder-7-artists-created-inventive-toys

Art from Recycled Materials 10 Artists Working in Recycled Art

• https://blog.artsper.com/en/get-inspired/top-10-of-recycled-art/

SALUTATIONS FOR SENIORS:
"WELL WISHES"/GREETING CARD AS FINE ART

A BHS sophomore is requesting help with Salutations for Seniors. They are seeking student artist volunteers to create artistic well wishes / greeting cards for senior citizens at the Burlington Senior Center. There will be a collection bin in the BHS Counseling Office until vacation. These cards are meant to spread happiness to senior citizens in a time when they are not able to see their families.

Some guidelines for these cards:

• Avoid religion and politics
• Exclude the date (day, month, year)
• Writing must be legible
• Be creative!

 
Objectives:

• BE INVENTIVE WITH MATERIALS AND TECHNIQUE
• Apply your understanding of color, composition and technique to an artwork with an expressive purpose.
• Create a unified, cohesive design that conveys the spirit of a special event or season.
• Be artistically expressive - Convey mood through color, style, and lettering.
• Be original and unique. Take risks. Do something inventive.

 
Medium:
Something that would not ordinarily be used to create such a thing.

Size:
Any
 
Grading Criteria:

• Originality, Innovation
  • How unique is this?
  • How special is it?
  • Expressiveness
  • How well does it convey the mood and message?
• Design (Visual Impact)
  • Is it visually complex?
  • Is it composed well?
  • Will it catch and hold a viewer’s attention?
  • Does it apply the Principles of Design?
• Craftsmanship --
  • Technical quality
  • Cleanliness, neatness
  • Quality of construction

See professional examples here:
http://burlingtonhighschoolart.org/portfoliocourse/Galleries/Pages/Greeting_Card_Design.html

​LANDSCAPE CREATED WITH UNUSUAL MATERIALS

• You should start from direct observation of the world immediately around you, but it may change as you work.
• It must show a sense of depth, with foreground, middle-ground, and background. 
• Consider atmospheric perspective.
• Strive for a strong composition; well-designed.

Sarah Schissler:

​
​Kevin Buxton:
Click here for a video of the development of Kevin's VR landscape created with Oculus Rift.

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, oil paint on poplar wood panel, c. 1503-1517

https://www.leonardodavinci.net/

Due:
One month

Project
Draw or paint a large self-portrait from the waist up, using the medium of your choice. Include at least one of your hands. Integrate the figure into an environment for a strong figure-ground relationship.

• Three-quarter length self portrait (head, neck, shoulders, arm, down to waist)
• Three-quarter view (from side of head, both eyes, side of nose, one ear showing)
• Head, neck, shoulders, at least one arm and one hand fully visible.
• Environment
• Evident light source

Objectives:

• Improve skills with composition and design
• Improve observational accuracy
• Establish form via chiaroscuro
• Improve your ability to create a rich range of tonal value and color

Materials:

• Large Mirror (Bring in your own)
• Large (30 x 40") canvas
• Easel
• Acrylic paints
• Brushes, palette, water container, rags, and other painting supplies

Grading Criteria:

• Strength of Composition
• Figure Ground Relationship - figure and surroundings working together to improve the design
• Accuracy of Proportion
• Likeness
• Establishment of Structure - Planes of Face and Figure
• Establishment of Form -- Three Dimensionality through Chiaroscuro
• Three-Dimensional Space (Foreground, Middle Ground, Background)
• Nuances of Value and Color
• Technical Quality

References and Exemplars
See this Galleries page for examples of portraits by masters as well as by high school students.

Ian Factor, Burlington High School Alumnus:

• Quarantine Self Portrait Process (time-lapse video demonstration)
• Portrait Painting Demonstration (time-lapse video)

George Ratkevich

• Self Portrait in Studio (from college)
• Portrait series

Examples for student artists taking the AP Drawing Portfolio/Exam:

• Daily Art Magazine: 10 of the Most Famous Female Artist Self Portraits
• Artsy: 10 Masters of the Self Portrait
• Frida Kahlo
• Look also to other masters such as Abrecht Durer, Max Beckmann, Lucien Freud, and Kehinde Wiley

Examples for student artists taking the AP 2D Design Portfolio/Exam

• Alphonse Mucha (Art Nouveau)
• Gustav Klimt
• Egon Schiele (See slideshow below)
• Kehinde Wiley
• Alyssa Monks (recent works)
  • https://www.forumgallery.com/exhibitions/in-person?view=slider#11

Examples for student artists taking the AP 3D Design Portfolio/Exam

• Auguste Rodin
• Robert Arneson
• John Wilson (sculptor)

Art 21: Cindy Sherman (photographer): A contemporary approach to “self portraiture”

Some master portrait painters from art history and the contemporary art world.

​

Work from Burlington High School students from years past. Most of the paintings above incorporate an environment. The artists of the self portraits below have worked out different ways to meet the challenge of including a hand.

Gam Dhliwayo's self portrait (below) incorporates design elements.

FIRST STEPS

Prepare:

• Bring in a large mirror and any objects/symbols you'd like to include in the painting.
• Decide what you'll wear. Should be the same each day.

Set up:

• Private space
• Must not block off access to exits
• Not blocking photography area
• Not blocking scanning area or sink
• Painting table with palette, water container, brushes, rags
• Mirror
• Canvas
• Easels (2: one for mirror and one for canvas)
• Must see almost all of yourself (at least to waist)
• Must be able to move arm from palette to painting without the rest of you moving too much.
• Must be able to see mirror and canvas without your head moving too much.
• Cover floor if there’s a risk of getting paint on it (i.e. hallway)

​Ground - Cover the canvas with a neutral ground (a thin wash of color - acrylic and water)

Block in - With the same neutral color as your ground, draw guidelines to establish placement of basic shapes - accurate proportion and placement

Johannes, Jan or Johan Vermeer (baptized in Delft on 31 October 1632 as Johannis, and buried in the same city under the name Jan on 16 December 1675) was a Dutch Baroque painter who specialized in exquisite, domestic interior scenes of middle class life. Vermeer was a moderately successful provincial genre painter in his lifetime.

Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes.

(The above entries are taken from Wikipedia: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Vermeer )

Due: 
One week

Project Description: 
Using oil pastel or another rich color medium, draw a traditional self-portrait in the style of Johannes Vermeer's genre paintings.

Medium:
Oil pastel OR a color medium of your choice


Objectives: 

• Draw figure with accurate proportion and gesture
• Suggest likeness in the absence of facial detail
• Organize a composition with strong formal (abstract) qualities
• Consider figure/ground relationship in composition
• Create sense of form in the human figure
• Create color harmony
• Hone technical skills with the medium

Grading Criteria:

• Composition
• Realism of Figure/Ground Relationship
• Realism of Proportion and Gesture
• Likeness
• Light and Form
• Color
• Craftsmanship

To Start:

1. Study portraits by Johannes Vermeer
2. The room should be lit naturally, with side light
3. Position yourself so that you can see your full figure in the mirror in a naturalistic pose, and so that you can still access your paper and materials.
4. Establish the horizon line and vanishing points if linear perspective is necessary.
5. Establish the figure/ground relationship by blocking out placement of major shapes.

More on Vermeer

LOOK: Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring
Google Arts & Culture is an incredible website with so much to see! Try the “Explore” button, and in Google Art Project, you can zoom into the finest details on some of the most famous artworks in the world. The site features “tours” of many masterworks, in which you are guided (by scrolling down) to zoom into details of the artwork and learn how the artist created the work. This one was featured today (but they are all in their online catalogs by museum, so they are always available): Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer, one of my all time favorite painters.

WATCH: Girl with a Pearl Earring (the movie)
If you like the painting as much as I do, you may want to check out the movie Girl with a Pearl Earring, starring Scarlett Johannson. It’s a completely fictional account of Vermeer and his subject (Little is really known about the artist.), but you get a sense of how artists lived and worked during the Dutch Golden Age (mid-1600s). The movie is based on a novel by Tracy Chevalier, and it's sometimes available to stream on Netflix, STARZ, etc.

LOOK
Vermeer created The Art of Painting. By clicking on the picture at this link, then scrolling down with two fingers, you can zoom in to an extraordinary degree.

WATCH
To follow up on what you've learned about Vermeer, watch this short video from TEDEd on the artist and his painting:
https://youtu.be/pM_IzEAv5d4

Additionally, this other TEDEd page answers the question Why is Vermeer's "Girl with the Pearl Earring" considered a masterpiece? Click on the Think tab on the right to take a short quiz on the work, Dig Deeper to access other resources, and DIscuss Vermeer’s work.