Module 9 // Art Making/Material Exploration Drawings - Exploring Line

1. What was it like using your hand as subject matter for a drawing?

Drawing hands are quite fun, so I thought it was interesting and fun. I think hands have a lot of detail and everyone’s are different so it is neat to draw. It is kind of ironic too, drawing hands, because hands create art and we are drawing what creates art.

2. What media did you select - pencil or charcoal? Why?

I chose to use a pencil on this project because I had a pencil in easy access rather than the charcoal. Also, charcoal is very messy but easy to work with and I wanted to challenge myself with a more precise pencil.

3. How did it feel to create a drawing with your non-dominant hand?

It felt strange, but I have always been kind of ambidextrous since I was a kid and was able to write with both hands. It felt different and challenging, but easier than most people’s experiences though.

4. Compare and contrast your final drawings. Do you think they are successful studies?

I think I did an OK job. They are definitely not the most detailed, amazing drawings but they do look like hands and I tried my best that I could and put all the effort I could into them. I think they are quite successful studies.

5. Would you consider using your non-dominant hand to create artwork in the future?

Depends on the media/medium & supplies I use-- I definitely would for abstract paintings and such but probably not for very detailed drawings or pieces.. I think it would be quite challenging to try to do a piece of art extremely detailed and precise with my non-dominant hand, but for an abstract piece, I feel it would be good.

Module 9 // Video Review

1. Explain why you selected each of the TWO videos you choose from the selection listed above.

I chose these two videos because I have never heard any information in depth about the two artists. I have heard of them, but I did not learn anything quite deep about them. I wanted to expand my knowledge on different artists and I picked these two videos because I wanted to learn more about Durer & Velazquez.

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Velazquez:

• Learned about Velazquez and his life
• Velazquez studied Greek Mythology for his art
• He painted slowly, but that’s why his work are masterpieces 
• He was very educated
• He died a week after his wife
• Goes into depths about specific paintings he made
• He finds individuality beautiful and that nothing can be ugly
• He has his own sense of beauty
• In his paintings, he picks specific parts of his paintings that show emphasis

Albrecht Durer: Image of a Master:

• German painter
• He made a portrait of his father at age 19
• Enjoyed painting hands
• He has 17 siblings and his mother buried 15 of them
• Did a lot of travels
• Created prints
• Married a 15 year old named Agnes Frey
• He went to Italy for 4-5 months
• Talks about specific artworks of his
• Uses triangles, circles, and squares when creating his portraits
• Shows religion in his art

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The videos relate to the readings in the text by explaining and having a section on the Renaissance Era and showing the art that was created then. The text explains the art that was created during the Renaissance Era as well as the artists that lived then.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I believe that the films are very beneficial to my knowledge of art. They are full of information and they are interesting. I think they are good at teaching me a more in depth understanding to the readings and the art concepts.

Module 8 // Video Review

1. Explain why you selected the video you choose from the selection listed above.

I chose the video of Greek Awakening: Art from the 5th Century BC because I am currently in a Classical and Biblical literature class, in which we are reading Greek mythology, so this video in specific stood out to me. Greek art interests me. 

2. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

More Human Than Human:

• Human figures that are "perfect" are rarely ever created, for they are usually not symmetrical.
• Carvings are as old as 1000 years or more.
• The culture of the artists can be shown through their art.
• The background culture of artists is a widely studied through their art and is a huge reason why we study art.
• Drawings and art can give people in modern time clues and an insight on what was going on in the culture when the drawings and art were created.

The Greek Awakening:

• Art started to represent Greek culture once the Greeks started focusing on themselves.
• Parthenon is a temple in Athens, Greece which is still standing and is being preserved.
• Preservation of this temple is taken very seriously.
• Parthenon, the temple in Athens, Greece, is dedicated to the Greek goddess figure, Athena.
• Temples that stood before Parthenon did not hold up well and deteriorated mostly.
• Greek culture really adopted sculptures, so that's why Greek art is associated with sculptures mostly.

3. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The videos relate with the readings in the text because in the text, it goes into the philosophy and "why" artists create art. The focus of both the videos and texts is that in the art, the artist's culture is shown through the style of art and how it could be dated back to specific time periods. 

4. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the readings and art concepts?

I believe these videos were very informative and were beneficial to my understanding of art. It added depth to my understanding by showing images of certain art and going into depth of the culture of humans and Greeks.

Module 7 // Video Review

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

Prairie Style:

• Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect of the 1890's & early 1900's
• Liked long, natural surroundings in home design
• Harmony and nature
• Open spaces, so everything was connected 
• Lots of windows
• Good lighting and plants outside to add privacy
• Francis Sullivan, a Canadian architect, who was inspired by Wright
• Environmental harmony and organic
• Created the 1965 house design called "Frazier" which was inspired by Wright with lots of windows, open spaces and rooms, harmony and nature.
• Wright wanted to leave respect for open spaces and nature

Architecture: The Science of Design:

• Skyscraper designs
• The problems when designing tall buildings and skyscrapers
• Science behind wind and tall buildings, causes problems
• Wind makes buildings sway which can cause problems with elevators, structure, etc.
• Add trees so the problem can be helped
• Snow and air quality because of the tall buildings
• "Smart apartments" and the intelligent homes-- The science and technology behind making these overly intelligent homes that talk and do things for the person who lives in it, like open blinds in the morning, turn on the shower, make coffee, turn on lights, etc. 
• Concrete and cement-- the making of it and different kinds like Portland concrete, confined concrete, etc.
• The resistance of each and different kind of concrete and how metal bars are placed in concrete in case it cracks.

2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?

The videos relate to the text readings by them being primarily focused on architecture. The Prairie video explains Frank Lloyd Wright's work and in the text reading, there is a section about him. The videos go into depth about a lot of architecture and what it is all about, showing the viewer whereas the text explains facts with some photos.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of Architecture?

The films were nice. They were beneficial to me because I like how many visuals they had of each example. They were extremely educational and very to-the-point. They add depth to my understanding of architecture because I was taught a few new things I did not know before.

4. Why did you choose the films that you watched?

I chose these two videos because modern architecture sparks an interest in me, personally. I really enjoyed the layout of each of these videos and I found them the most interesting. HomeDesigns is interesting and shows the inside and out of houses which I really enjoy.

Module 6 // Blog: Reviewing Peer Responses to Artwork

Blog #1- http://dylangefert.blogspot.com/

Blog #2-  http://kellygandt.blogspot.com/


2. When looking at Project #1: (Elements and Principles), did you agree with the element or principle the artist listed with the images? Did you see other elements and principles in the images?

In Blog #1, I am not sure how Dylan did with connecting the elements and principles of art with his photos because when I go to his Photobucket page I cannot see elements he used for I can't see his titles. His photos were decent though and the cookie photo looks tasty. My favorite photo he took was the photo of fireworks because I love the lighting and the value in the photo. 

In Blog #2, Kelly did a excellent job with connecting the elements and principles of art with her photos. The photos were spot on with the principles and elements. I could add some more elements and principles to a few of his photos because her photos were just that good. Kelly seems very on top of it and organized, too, with this project and I think she did a really good job with it.

3. When looking at Project #2: Where there any images in the Peer Blogs the same as your own? If yes, what were they? Where the reasons the image was selected the same or different as your own?

In Blog #1, although I did view the Vega-Nor at the museum, I did not chose that to write about in my posting. None of our images were the same.

In Blog #2, none of our images were the same.

4. Where there any images that your Peers selected that pique your interest now? If yes, what are they and what is your connection with them? What would you want to know about them?

In Blog #1, I like the art piece Music and Literature, 1878 that Dylan included in his blog post. I want to learn more about this piece of art because my connection with it is how I love how abstract it looked. This piece of art looks so interesting honestly and I want to see what it is more about.

In Blog #2, I like the art piece Andy Warhol, 100 cans because pop art has always been so interesting and aesthetically pleasing to me. I love pop art. I think this piece in specific is interesting because of how plain it is, yet so vibrant and loud. I love that about this piece.

5. What do you think about  the process of reading your peers reflection? Do you find this to be a valuable in your learning?

I find peer evaluations and reflections important because it gives me an insight on how others are doing in the class. I also like getting feedback on my art and blog postings because it gives me a sense of what others are thinking about my work/thoughts. It is valuable in learning because peer interaction, especially over an online course, is extremely helpful.

6. Check your Blog and read comments posted by your Peers. Do you find their comments helpful?

I have received my comments and yes, I do find their comments extremely informative and helpful. It is very nice getting feedback and it is what I need to continue happily! I like getting comments on my work.

Module 6 // Blog: Video Review

1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
Glass/Ceramics video:
In this video I learned that glass is made from sand. I knew this, but I never put the two together for art reasoning or window reasoning. It is a viscous liquid that stiffens when cool. Glass is 60%-65% silica sand in which is composed of silicon dioxide or silica. When blowing glass, they use an object called a marver or wet newspaper to shape molten glass.
In this video, I also learned about how stain glass is made. They showed church like windows that were made out of stain glass and I learned about the process of the making of it. My aunt makes stain glass so I was pretty familiar with the process. The most common process used in making stain glass is lead and glass.
I also learned about ceramics. This topic of the video was the most interesting to me because I do not know much about ceramics and it was quite interesting. I learned that you must you raw materials including clay in order to make ceramics. Clay must be heated from 1100-1400 degrees Celsius in order to harden. The temperature at which clay is hardened to make ceramics is how durable and what kind of ceramics is made. Clay that is heated at 1100 degree Celsius is made for brick floor tiles. Slip is fine ground clay mixed with water that is then cooled in a cast or a mold. Glaze is a coating that makes the final product waterproof and a bit more durable. Ceramics is made not only for art, but for daily use like for medical reasons (hip replacements, teeth, etc.), cars, utilities (sinks, knobs, etc.), and much more. I also learned about architecture and PVB film. PVB film is a layer that goes over windows to make it so it does not shatter if it breaks. If a window with PVB film layered on top of it is hit hard enough to break, it will not shatter everywhere but will stay in place and shatter. This is good for clean up and safety purposes. It is kind of like tempered glass, which is another thing I learned about in this video. Tempered glass is heated at 640 degrees Celsius to make sure it does not break as easily. Typically, this glass is much more expensive but it is because it is made more precisely. Another interesting fact I learned while watching this video was that glass turns green after a while because of the ions breaking down, but glass makers made a solution to this so now glass is supposed to stay clear for life.

Through the Eyes of the Sculptor:
This video allowed me to view the world of sculpting through the eyes of the sculptor. This video focused on the life of sculptor Emmanuel Fillion, who has been sculpting since he was 15 years old. He was a carver before a sculptor. He has done his sculpting in a room that is 12 degrees Celsius. In this video, I learned that sculptors typically use limestone, which is a sedimentary rock that is formed at the bottom of the ocean, to sculpt the majorities of their art. Emmanuel first worked at restoring monuments. I learned at sculptors use plaster or silicone impressions to make the majority of their art. I always thought that sculptors sculpt alone, but they learn in sculpting crews and they teach students. These practices show very precise and detailing of the art.


2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text? 
These videos relate to the readings in the text by showing the types of materials used while creating glass, ceramics, and sculpting. It includes the definitions needed to know the gist of the material. Also, the reading includes artist's work and pictures of examples to show the reader what is what. That is important because the videos relate to the readings of the text giving me the full understanding of the topic.

3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics: Sculpture, Installation, and Craft?
I like the films a lot because they go in depth of the information needed to understand the topics fully. Using examples and the lives of different artists to show how to make the art is what really helps me fully understand the development of the art. The videos are a little outdated though but I think that is interesting because the information in the videos are still kind of the same in the modern world. Overall, the videos really helped me learn about sculpture, installation, and craft.