TheVirtualInstructor Blog

It seems all educators hear about these days is “21st Century skills” and training students for the 21st Century.  The irony in this statement, of course, is that we have been in the 21st Century for over a decade.  I think this exemplifies the divide that we have in education.  This divide is evidenced in technology and it’s use in classrooms.

There is a divide among most in education and the world of technology.  If this divide is not narrowed, traditional education will undoubtedly suffer.

When you speak to some (often those that make decisions about education) about technology, you will most likely hear about PowerPoints or perhaps document cameras.  True, these are uses of technology in a classroom, but these technologies are already becoming antiquated.  Additionally, these technologies only make a teacher’s presentations more appealing.  They do little to really prepare students for a world dominated by the actual use of technology.  This is where we need to be focused as educators if we are truly preparing students for the 21st Century (again the majority of these students’ lives have been lived in the 21st Century, some entirely in the 21st Century).  Some teachers and districts have recognized this and are taking steps to really change the way information is consumed in the classroom.  Unfortunately though, many are not.

Technology changes, it seems, overnight.  It is a daunting task to stay on top of it.  But we, as educators, owe it to our students and communities to stay on top it.  We actually need to stay ahead of it, if we are to succeed in educating this generation of students.  We need to do more than just make PowerPoints and use document cameras in our classrooms.  We need to use or develop ways to help our students consume information in school in the same way that they consume information out of school.

So how do our students consume information? Apps, tablets, and interactivity.

Apple has already taken a giant leap in the direction of preparing students with the iBooks textbook program.  In this program, anyone can design an interactive textbook for the iPad.  Teachers can use this, design an interactive textbook for their class and give it away to students.  The limitation here, of course, is that every student needs to have an iPad.  But despite the limitation, it is a step in the right direction.

Teachers need to be innovators here.  We need more programs like this.  Workshops in school districts should focus on app development, interactive textbook design, and web design.  We need to prepare our teachers to teach the way that students learn.  The old way of standing up in front of a crowded class and speaking is inefficient.

Often times it can be difficult brainstorming ideas for our sketchbooks. We can all agree that the more we draw, the better we’ll get. This is just one of the many reasons that keeping a sketchbook is important. But deciding what to draw in those sketchbooks can sometimes be a challenge. So I decided to the brainstorming for you and create a list of 101 sketchbook ideas. The items on this list are meant to challenge you a bit, but can still be completed in a short amount of time, making them perfect subjects for any sketchbook.

101 Sketchbook Ideas

1. draw old shoes

2. draw a glass of water

3. draw a pile of unfolded laundry

4. draw your non-dominant hand

5. draw a scene in a restaurant

6. draw a stack of books

7. draw a view out of a window

8. draw your art supplies

9. draw wine bottles

10. draw children’s toys

11. draw a person laying down

12. draw a person sitting in a chair

13. design a typeface

14. draw different types of trees

15. draw objects in your pocket

16. draw game pieces

17. draw a caricature of yourself

18. draw the same object drawn with different techniques (hatching, cross hatching, stippling, etc.)

19. draw your favorite pet

20. draw a copy of your favorite Master’s painting

21. draw a crumpled piece of paper

22. draw a brown paper bag

23. draw an old chair

24. draw a person from history in which there is no photo reference

25. draw an old person’s face

26. draw a stapler

27. draw an old radio

28. draw an old car

29. draw an old camera

30. draw a pair of glasses

31. draw an open book

32. draw a bicycle

33. draw anything made out of metal

34. draw a hammer

35. draw tree bark up close

36. draw ocean waves

37. draw a pile of rocks

38. draw a cup of pencils

39. draw hard candy

40. draw any fruit (sliced open)

41. draw any vegetable (sliced open)

42. draw a reel mower (tough one)

43. draw a pine cone

44. draw a seashell

45. draw a banana peel

46. draw an old cabin

47. draw an old factory

48. draw flowers in a vase

49. draw simple forms (cube, sphere, cylinder, etc.)

50. draw old farm equipment

51. draw a sailboat

52. draw people standing in a line

53. draw a bowl of peanuts

54. draw a bowl of nails

55. draw bushes or shrubbery

56. draw several eggs on a surface

57. draw your favorite insect

58. draw a flower up close

59. draw a thumb drive

60. draw an exotic fish

61. draw a scene from history

62. draw a feather

63. draw any detailed machine

64. draw the insides of a watch or clock

65. draw a skull

66. draw an apple

67. draw a portrait of someone that is a different race from you

68. draw water coming from the faucet

69. draw a creek in the woods

70. draw a pair of socks

71. draw an object that is moving

72. draw a Cubist portrait

73. draw a view from a window

74. draw a candle in the dark

75. draw three random objects from your refrigerator

76. draw a bowl of popcorn

77. draw a set of keys

78. draw someone peeling off their skin

79. draw your hand holding an apple (or other object)

80. draw your feet

81. draw yourself as a cartoon character

82. draw a patterned cloth on a table

83. draw a wine cork

84. draw a face in profile

85. draw a candlestick

86. draw a fictional woodland creature

87. draw a close up of grass

88. draw an object three times in different lighting

89. draw a pile of  jewelry

90. draw a close up of someone’s hair

91. draw a doorknob

92. draw a bird in flight

93. draw a video game controller

94. draw a pile of yarn

95. draw a stack of dinner plates

96. draw a trompe l’oeil image

97. draw hung drapery

98. draw a water sprinkler

99. draw calm water that is reflective

100. draw a person falling

101. just draw something!

Ever wanted to learn how to create 3D animation like you see in Pixar or Dreamworks movies? Of course you probably have.  Who wouldn’t when 3D animation can produce such realistic animation.  And using the programs that create these illusions can be a lot of fun. (Once you learn how to navigate the interface, of course)  There are two major roadblocks however that stop us from using and learning these programs.  But with Blender 3D, there is hope!

The first thing that keeps us from using and learning 3D animation software is money.  Professional 3D animation programs like Autodesk’s Maya or NewTek’s Lightwave are expensive.  These programs can cost thousands of dollars to purchase, not to mention the cost of the hardware that is takes to run the software.  Who wants to drop thousands of dollars on software that you don’t even know how to use?  Especially, considering that the learning curve with these programs is pretty high.

The second thing that usually keeps us from using 3D animation software is the learning curve.  Because of all of the options within a 3D animation program, the interface can be quite intimidating.  Most of us don’t want to waste time poking around to figure out how to use a program.  Instead, we simply want someone to instruct us on the basics.  Most people incorrectly believe that in order to learn a 3D animation program, you need to attend a school for that.  This may have been true in the past, but this belief is changing.

So, where can you get 3D animation software for cheap and learn how to use it?

Well, instead of cheap, how about free?

Blender 3D is a free 3D animation program that is surprisingly powerful.  It has come quite a long way in the past few years and is now starting to be a real competitor with the expensive big boys.  And since Blender has a huge community and open source support, the sky really is the limit.  Best of all, Blender.org is totally supportive to teaching people their program.  You can be “blending” in no time by visiting the site and taking a look at several of the tutorials.   Blender 3D is also great for teachers on tight budgets that want their students to experience 3D animation.

Check out the video below to see just what is possible in Blender 3D…

Movement can be a bit tricky to teach to art students. Movement, a principle of art, can take on several forms in a work of art. It can refer to eye movement, or the way a viewer’s eye moves through a work of art. Or movement can refer to the actual feeling of movement that is created by the application of material on the surface. Van Gogh definitely falls into the category of an artist that used brushstrokes to convey movement in his art. The large directional brushstrokes forces your eye to follow patterns, while at the same time coveys the feeling of physical movement in the artwork. Teaching this concept to students can, at times, be difficult. Recently, however, a Greek Digital artist, Petros Vrellis has made teaching this concept a bit easier with his interactive Starry Night.

His creation is a fully interactive digital version of Van Gogh’s famous work.  When someone runs their hand or fingers over the surface, the digital interface reacts, producing a change in sounds and brushstrokes.  The painting then returns to it’s original state, but the brushstrokes continue to swirl in the direction that were painted by Van Gogh.  The painting literally moves, helping students to actually see the movement inherent in Van Gogh’s brushstrokes.

So, how does this work? Well, the short answer is probably with some complicated coding. For more information about the technical aspects involved visit creativeapplications.net

Drawing well requires learning to see to the shapes that make up an object. In order to draw realistically, we must  also learn to draw basic forms from these shapes.  All objects can be broken down into these basic forms.  When we are able to put these basic forms together to create the illusion of an object, our drawing improves. In fact, better drawing skills come from understanding the structure of the objects that we are drawing.

Sculptors must understand the objects that they are emulating in order to create a representational sculpture.  They must understand the forms, create the forms and then mold the forms further.  Drawing is similar to sculpture in many ways, but two similarities stick out to me…

1. Sculptors that use modeling techniques start loosely-  Modeling is a sculpture technique in which soft, pliable material is molded into shape.  Clay hand-building is an example of modeling.  Sculptors that use this technique start with very loose forms and slowly form them into the finished sculpture.  Successful drawing often mimics this technique.  We may start with loose lines designed to “find” the shape.  Once the shape is defined, it is modeled using value until the final illusion of form is achieved.

2. Sculptors put simple forms together to create the finished, more complex sculpture- The second similarity between drawing and sculpture can found in how these two types of artists approach the creation of the artwork.  Sculptors observe and find the forms of the object that they are sculpting and then create forms to mimic what they observe.  When drawing, we do the same.  We find the shapes and then draw the shapes that we see.  When we are successful in putting the shapes together, we are successful with our drawings.

Take a look at the following video and watch how the sculptor does these things.  She starts with loose forms, then adds to them to create the finished, well-developed sculpture.  Think like a sculptor when drawing, and your drawing skills will improve.

David Hockney is a British painter.  He is considered by many to one of the most influential British artists of this century.  Painting is not all he is known for.  He also is an accomplished photographer and recently, digital artist.

Many artists have already embraced the digital age by creating paintings on digital devices.  The most popular devices for creating digital paintings are the iPhone and the iPad.  The most popular app for this is “Brushes” , which can be purchased through the Apple App Store for just under six dollars.  (Try buying a quality tube of paint for six dollars.)

Hockney has embraced this new and exciting medium for creating art.  He currently has a show entitled “Fresh Flowers” that features over a hundred digital paintings created on the iPad or iPhone.

Hockney’s digital paintings are much in line with his recent style.  Bright colors and deliberate lines are featured in the paintings.  But what makes Hockney’s embrace of the new technology exciting to me is his place in the art world.  You see, Hockney is well beyond established.  What is to be admired is Hockney’s ability to accept a new medium that many traditionalist would sneer at.

Knowing where colors are found on the color wheel is just one step to understanding color theory.  You must also understand practical applications of using color theory in your artworks and designs.  Seldom are colors used as their pure hue.  Most often, color combinations or color schemes, implore a variety of values and intensities of the colors used.  For example, if you were to use a complementary color scheme of red and green, you might use pink and a darker green.  Pink, you’ll recall is really the color red- a tint of red.    It seems that beginning artists really struggle with this concept.  It is hard for them to separate color and value. And understand that although related, color and value are different.  I found a great video that describes not only the basics of color theory, but also a clear explanation on how light affects the values of the colors that we perceive…

To better help my students understand the relationship between color and value, I decided to create a color wheel chart that demonstrates different values.  I put each range of value for each specific color at it’s native location on the color wheel.  This helped the students to see the color but also understand that each color also has a range of value. To see some of the other color wheel charts I created, visit color wheel charts for teacher and students.

Feel free to download this color wheel chart and use it for yourself or with your students.  (Just click on the image, then right click, save as.)

Each year my animation students create their own video games using Adobe Flash.  This assignment is coming up soon and each year I look for new ways to improve the assignment.  I also look for new tips and ways that I can improve my own coding skills.  My students create the games by designing the characters from scratch and writing the code to make the game work.  It can be a frustrating process, because one “.” in the wrong space in the coding can make the game not work properly.  So I have to be on my game as well as the teacher.  In my search for new codes and effects to share with the students I came across a really cool site.  This site allows you to create Flash video games online for free.  You have your choice from 4 different types of games, including a platform type game.  You can create these  games simply by clicking and dragging objects.  You are, of course limited a bit to using only what the website provides, but they have many, many options. You can create different levels and just about anything a good video game would have.  Read the rest of this entry »

A few posts ago, I shared a cool animation that showed what effect color can have on our minds.  This animation works because the colors used are complementary colors.  (You can see the animation by visiting Fun with Complementary Colors.)  Complementary colors are colors that are opposites on the color wheel.  Examples of complementary colors include blue and orange, purple and yellow, and red and green.  (To see more color schemes visit The Interactive Color Wheel )These types of color schemes are often used in sports team’s uniforms and logos because they demand instant attention.  This “eye catching” effect is achieved because of contrast.

I came across another example of how complementary colors can create a cool effect and thought I’d share it with you below.

Take a look at the circles.  If you move your eye from one set of circles to another, you might notice that the circles look like they are moving.  The circles, of course, are not moving.  Instead, they appear to be moving because the colors are of a high level of contrast.  Yellow and purple are complements and this effect is achieved because of this.

Color is such a strong tool.  Use it wisely!

The element “line” is considered by most to be the most basic element of art. It has an almost infinite number of uses when it comes to the creation of artwork. One of the most common uses of line is to show the viewer where an object or parts of an object ends. These types of lines are called contour lines, but most commonly called “outlines”. Line can also convey movement either through repetition or by showing lines coming off of the surface of an object that is moving. Line can also create the illusion of form through hatching or cross hatching. I could go on and on about the varied uses of line. I want to address one of the most overlooked uses of line. Line’s ability to be expressive Line is perhaps one of the most expressive elements of art. Color, of course is important as well.

We can prove line’s ability to communicate expression with a simple game. If you are teacher, this a great way to make a point about the expressive qualities of line. (Don’t look ahead to the drawings at the bottom of the page)

Here’s how the game works. Begin with a “happy line”. Just draw a line on your paper that you think would be happy. Not a happy face, mind you, but a “happy line”. Now put that paper to the side.

Next, draw an “angry line”. Just envision that the line you are drawing is really mad about something. What would it look like? Now put that drawing to the side.

The last line you should draw is a “confused line”. What would a line look like if it was confused?

Now, let’s discuss the results.

Look at your “happy line”. It is likely that your “happy line” has some type of curve in it. In fact it may be a complete curve, spiral, or circle. We associate curves or rounded lines with happiness. So, it makes sense to include curved lines in your drawings, paintings, or designs in which you want to express happiness.

Now, let’s take a look at the “angry line”. It is likely that your “angry line” has some type of jagged mark in it. Changing directions abruptly, like in the case of a jagged line, can communicate the sense of anger. Therefore, if you are trying to communicate anger in a work, it makes sense to include jagged lines.

Lastly, let’s take a look at the “confused line”. Here we tend to see the widest variety of interpretations, but often the “confused line” will include as many different lines as the artist can imagine. It may include a curve, a jagged line, spirals, light marks and dark marks. Very simply, it will include a broad variety.

So, we can safely conclude that line is much more that a device used to indicate where an object ends. It is also expressive. And when used intelligently and creatively, it can really spice up our artwork.

Expressive line examples…