Laptop paintings.All of the seventh-grade students in my school have laptop computers. I wanted them to use the computers not just as a research tool, but also as a tool for artistic expression. Since Impressionism impressionism, in painting impressionism, in painting, late-19th-century French school that was generally characterized by the attempt to depict transitory visual impressions, often painted directly from nature, and by the use of pure, broken color to is part of the seventh-grade curriculum, we identified parallels between the Impressionists' use of technology and artists' use of computers today. This lesson requires students to demonstrate and interpret the use of technology to create a work of art. Students examine the artists and analyze the characteristics of Impressionist art through Internet research This article is about using the Internet for research; for the field of research about the Internet, see Internet studies. Internet research is the practice of using the Internet, especially the World Wide Web, for research. , classroom visuals, and discussion. Understanding Impressionism My first challenge to students--to paint an exact copy of Goya's Don Manuel Manrique de Zuniga--was a setup. Students quickly realized that the painting was far too difficult to copy. This led them to understand what it was like to be an artist before Impressionism. Next I showed them Manet's Luncheon on the Grass. Some students felt uncomfortable, much like the first viewers of Impressionist paintings. This showed them how people felt when looking at Impressionist art for the first time. I presented a slide show of pre-Impressionist and Impressionist paintings. We described and analyzed the works in terms of subject matter, color, composition, and brushwork brush·work n. 1. Work done with a brush. 2. The manner in which a painter applies paint with a brush. brushwork Noun . I also gave biographical information about the artists. I projected more slides of Impressionist paintings on a white board and analyzed how the artists achieved depth through use of color not of the white race; - commonly meaning, esp. in the United States, of negro blood, pure or mixed. See also: Color , shape, space, value, and emphasis. I used a dry-erase marker to outline foreground foreground - (Unix) On a time-sharing system, a task executing in foreground is one able to accept input from and return output to the user in contrast to one running in the background. , middle ground, and background shapes/areas on the board. Then I moved the projected image to the side to allow students to see the shapes left behind. Students were able to see how to break down a painting into simplified shapes. Finally, students viewed the website, www.impressionism.org, and responded to a series of questions, based on the website, to increase their understanding of Impressionism. (This website is very informative, engaging, and age-appropriate for middle school.) Painting on the Computer I outlined expectations on the board: the subject matter had to relate to their contemporary world; the composition had to effectively use color, value, shape, space, movement, balance, and emphasis. Students opened a new "paint" document in the AppleWorks program. The square tool gave students a defined area to work within. After they created the shape of the virtual canvas they selected a light gray color and the pencil tool. With the pencil tool, they drew out the foreground, middle ground, and background shapes. They made sure the pencil lines touched the edge of their rectangle. (If the line does not touch the edge, it will allow other colors to bleed Printing at the very edge of the paper. Many laser printers, including all LaserJets up to the 11x17" 4V, cannot print to the very edge, leaving a border of approximately 1/4". In commercial printing, bleeding is generally more expensive, because wider paper is often used, which is later into that shape.) After completing the basic outlines, students used the paint bucket tool to dump color into large areas. They also used the color pattern and colored textures in the tool box for added effects. They added lighter and darker colors for shadowing and highlights. They changed the size and shape of the paintbrush (graphics, tool) Paintbrush - A Microsoft Windows tool for creating bitmap graphics. as well. In the effects under the paintbrush tool, students could change the brush to blend. This created virtual brushstrokes. The more students blended the colors, the more the work looked as if it were painted by hand. By enlarging the size of the painting, students could see the pixels being blended and see exactly what parts of the work they were manipulating. The completed paintings were printed on a color printer A printer that prints in color using three (CMY) or four (CMYK) colors of ink, toner or dye. Four color ribbons have been used in dot matrix printers, but these are rare today. See color laser printer and printer. . Students used only small amounts of glue to mat their work, so it wouldn't soak through Verb 1. soak through - be or become thoroughly soaked or saturated with a liquid sop ooze through - run slowly and gradually; "Blood oozed through the bandage" the paper. Assessment I assessed students using a four-point rubric RUBRIC, civil law. The title or inscription of any law or statute, because the copyists formerly drew and painted the title of laws and statutes rubro colore, in red letters. Ayl. Pand. B. 1, t. 8; Diet. do Juris. h.t. . The rubric allowed both students and teachers to grade the work. The criteria addressed use of color, value, shape, space, balance, and emphasis, creative expression, manipulation of media, technique, effort, and perseverance Perseverance See also Determination. Ainsworth redid dictionary manuscript burnt in fire. [Br. Hist.: Brewer Handbook, 752] Call of the Wild, The dogs trail steadfastly through Alaska’s tundra. [Am. Lit. . Students were expected to complete the assignment without frequent redirection Diverting data from their normal destination to another; for example, to a disk file instead of the printer, or to a server's disk instead of the local disk. See virtual directory, symbolic link, shortcut, redirector and DOS redirection. 1. , to stay on task, to give their best, and to work diligently. Conclusion Laptop painting required students to demonstrate an understanding of a traditional style of art and revise it with modern techniques. The technique used in creating the painting required learners to expand and broaden their use of the computer as an art medium. Students had an opportunity to experiment with technology while pursuing their own ideas, much like the Impressionists. Lisa Gilman is a middle-school art teacher in Richmond, Maine Richmond is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,298 at the 2000 census. Richmond is the departure point for state boat service to Swan Island, site of the Steve Powell Refuge and Wildlife Management Area. . lgilmanwtp@ middlemaine.org NATIONAL STANDARD Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of their experiences and ideas. WEB LINK www.impressionism.org |
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