10/26/11... a new group at Lee Elementary.

(By Devon, age 7.)
Hello this is my life in art afterschool. Ms. Brigit printed us a blog. Today is our first day in art class. We made portraits. We all took a picture of ourselves. We used the screen to see where we were. If you want to  make a portrait you have to not use any words just the picture.
We also learned when we make mistakes we can fix it or not be mad. I think you should try drawing on the back. When you're done, paint it! Sculpt it! See what it is! If it's a big mistake don't just take it apart just keep working on it!
I'm looking forward to drawing dinosaurs.

Devon.

This week the artists used photography to make self portraits. We looked at some books with portraits and talked about a few of the choices the artist makes: Composition, Pose, Expression, and Gaze. Each student had a turn setting up their own shot of themselves using the LED viewing screen on the camera, facing them. They could ask the Materials Specialist of the day to assist them with a background if they wanted one (I brought in a white sheet and a black furry cloth). They told me where in the room they wanted to be, using what light, where I should move the camera/tripod, then where they wanted to be in the frame ("No, I want to be over on the side. Keep going. Keep going. Go Back! Wait, back more...") and if they wanted a close-up or a full body shot to capture a pose. Once that was sorted out they thought about their expression and decided where to look. After we snapped the picture, the artist had to review the shot and choose the one they wanted to keep if there were several tries - but most of them had beautiful pictures the first try! Can't wait to post them - they are truly amazing, and each artists' personality shines right through! Devon asked his friends to hold up the black backdrop, looked at the camera, stepped to the side of the frame, and watched himself as he turned away. He considered a profile shot before asking me to take the picture. Upon review of the shot he said, "Yup. Perfect. Thank you!" All of the artists were extremely thoughtful and most had their unique shot planned before their turn. Their innate sense of composition really blew me away. They were also really supportive of each other's ideas and images when looking at them on the camera. Wait till they see the prints! - Bridget