The Fine Print

Visual Arts Department:

OBSERVING, QUESTIONING, EXPERIMENTING, ENJOYING. BEING CREATIVE. BECOMING THE BEST WE CAN BE

Aims to be a unique, stimulating and constantly evolving creative environment where students and staff are: 

• Appreciated as individuals
• Encouraged to express themselves as individuals
• Given opportunities to discover, explore, experiment, take risks and make mistakes
• Challenged and ‘provoked’ outside of comfort zones
• Encouraged, supported and cared for
• Taught, inspired, motivated and guided towards being ‘the best that they can be’
• Led towards ambitious further study and future employment opportunities
• Provided with opportunities to work with others
• Provided with creative experiences beyond the classroom
• Led towards a life long appreciation and value of the arts and creativity 

Expectations & Behavior

• You should be on time EVERYDAY and prepared for class. 
• You will be respectful towards one another. Any form of disrespect will not be tolerated. 
• You will participate in critiques by showing your work as well as discussing the work of others. 
• Complete all homework by the assigned due date. If you complete an assignment before the end of class, you may work in your sketchbook or other art assignments. 
• You are NOT to work on homework from other classes. If you are doing work from another class, you will lose participation credit for the day.

Our Daily Routine & Class Rules

• When you arrive to class, get to your assigned seat and begin the Do Now.
• It is your responsibility to check the board to see the daily objectives and begin the Do Now.
• When I address the class, you should end your own conversations and give me your complete attention.
• When discussing work, you will give your full attention to the student speaking.
• During class, I will be walking around the room speaking to students individually. When I am working with another student, please do not interrupt. There are many students and only one teacher.
• Raise your hands when asking questions or answering them. Calling out or yelling will not be tolerated.
• While the art room is more relaxed than other classes, there should not be loud talking or yelling across the room. You can talk with the students at your table in a low tone.
• All JFK High School rules are the same in the art room as they would be in any classroom. No drinking, eating or gum chewing allowed. Any cell phones seen out during class will be taken to the main office. A parent or guardian will be called to retrieve it.
• This design studio is not a basketball court. If you shoot ANYTHING in the garbage like a basketball star and make it, I will only take off 50 points for participation for the day. If you miss, you get a 0.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS & EXPECTATIONS:

• SUPPLIES:  You must have a 9x12 inch SKETCHBOOK with at least 100 Blank pages.
• You do not need an expensive camera or graphic design software at home for this course. Students can succeed with a ‘compact’ camera or a smart phone with a decent camera - providing imagination, energy and persistence are on hand.
• The emphasis of the course is on developing highly personal, creative work that can be justified through excellent understanding – whether visually, technically, contextually and/or conceptually.
• You must make distinctions between researched images and your own photographs. An alternative way of doing this is to print your own images on photo paper, with researched images on standard paper.
• In class we will use mainly Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Illustrator, which are (expensive) industry standard editing software. Photoshop Elements is a more affordable version. There are also an increasing amount of good quality online editing tools available.
• IMPORTANT NOTE: It has been known for students to have expensive resources but outcomes can still be limited by a lack of technical understanding, for example, poor understanding of resolution or print quality settings. All easily solved with practice, good quality research, and asking for help.
• BRING CAMERAS, NOTEBOOKS / SKETCHBOOKS TO EACH CLASS. 

THE BASICS

• You are encouraged to produce highly personal responses. This means set tasks can often be ‘open-ended’ (which you might find vague to start with). It is always better to try something original and learn from this, rather than work within your comfort zone. 
• ‘I didn’t understand the task’ is not an acceptable excuse. Ask if unsure, but don’t expect to be told exactly what to do! 
• There is always the potential for extra credit work. This might be wider research, reading, personal projects, or practical experimenting with Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. 

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT 

• Take opportunities for new and diverse experiences and cultural visits such as the theater, galleries, museums, cinema etc. 
• Have a questioning approach to everything. Be curious, nosey and suspicious! 
• Try to keep up with arts news and also wider current affairs. Provoke discussions and question the thoughts and opinions of others. 
• Take opportunities for quiet reflection and creative time alone. 
• Organize your creative working space. Make it easy to access resources such as photography equipment, notebooks and sketchbooks so you can get started immediately. 
• Form relationships that ensure high quality feedback on your ideas and work. Actively seek informed opinions - whether from friends, family or teachers. 
• Be aware of pressures to conform and the limits that others might place on you. Consider your creative development to date. Identify both positive and negative factors that have impacted upon your creativity. 
• Look to make connections across subjects. Develop your ‘contextual’ approach to being creative. The best work is supported with good understanding of its place in a wider context. 

TOP TIPS 

• Communicate and be Proactive 
• Share successes, ideas, or concerns – talk to your teachers, support staff and classmates. Use email too. 
• Take an active interest in the work of others and contribute to discussions 
• Look for opportunities during and outside of class to contribute 
• Be helpful and nice! 
• Don’t create work for others – Put resources back and tidy up properly 
• Offer to help. 
• Be organized - Set up good storage systems at home and school for course information and practical work. Identify distractions and plan efficient working time - use lists and keep a diary, phone reminders, calenders etc. 
• Use resources that suit you best – work in sketchbooks, on paper or computer. 
• Use online resources and tools such as Twitter, RSS feeds, Favorites, Email addresses, etc. 
• Set up a professional, creative online identity; lay the foundations for future contacts now. 
• Seek help if needed 

PRESENTATION TIPS 

• Develop a love for your sketchbook and /or blogs. They should be important to you, be proud of them 
• Avoid fragmented presentations with empty pages and gaps 
• Strive for subtlety and originality with your work 
• The print quality / display resolution of your images is important. Ask if unsure. 
• When cutting images out or cropping photos always ensure straight edges – don’t use scissors but a rotary cutter or craft knife. 
• Be wary of too much decoration or elaborate titles distracting from quality images 
• Writing should be thoughtful, spell checked and neat. It is better to write a short thought provoking sentence, question or even bullet-points, rather than long, rambling page filling. Resources to help literacy are available. 
• Remember personal work outside of school can contribute towards your grade. Discuss with your teacher how this might be included 

Work hard, be playful, take creative risks. Try your best and have a good time doing it. 

Please sign and return the following form with your signature and your parent/guardians signature by Thursday, Sept. 6th (HW Grade)

DOWNLOAD and PRINT, SIGN and RETURN: