Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Pinterest for the Visual Art Education classroom

How do you feel about social networking? What's your favorite avenue for that? Are you a Facebooker? I recently decided not to be for my own personal interests and concerns. I used to be an avid Facebook user but it just seemed like it was counterintuitive and counterproductive to actually connecting people as it supposedly seeks to do. So... I quit it. (Facebook.) Despite what this might suggest, I am not against social networking. I mean, I'm an avid blogger (obviously) and I am questionably addicted to instagram. Another type of social networking I know and love? It's Pinterest!

I have been on Pinterest since it first started. I am blessed enough to be very well networked and so I got one of the earlier invitations that were given out. As Pinterest has grown and more people have discovered it, it has been exciting to sometimes even stumble upon people's pins made from my very own website!!! I know a ton of teachers who use it for lesson planning and classroom organization and I have used it for that very same purpose. Recently though, it occurred to me to use it for something other than just inspiring my curriculum and instruction.

The 2D Design class is starting a new project of painting where they are learning how to paint from/by photo and image reference. This endeavor was NOT planned and I had much different plans but I veered from them about two weeks ago and I have been praying about it and knowing that I need to make it happen for my student artists. Trouble with all of this is that teaching painting is something I am definitely NOT (entirely) confident or properly trained to do. Still... that isn't stopping me. *wink*

Taking notes from my amazing painting professor from the summer course I just took, I am crash coursing my students on understanding how to use visual composition in order to help them intentionally design and thoughtfully create works of high quality and successful visual art. One thing that has really helped me is the book called Mastering Composition. Another thing I am doing? I am looking at a TON of different types of visual art examples (masterworks, pins from people on Pinterest, personal works, etc.) with the students. AND(!) I am encouraging the students to DRAW on them in order to help "unpack" how and why the composition on each piece is either really successful or not so much.

Last week I projected one of my Pinterest boards up for my classes and we went through multiple photographs and I had draw on the white board all of the leading lines, forms, and space that helped to contribute to the successful visual composition. The goal is that by doing this, they will learn to read composition so that they can translate what they read to be strong composition into their own work. 

6 comments:

  1. This is such a fantastic idea! The concept of composition can be so multifaceted that it becomes complicated to explain. What a great visual exercise to help concretize this principle. And to think it wasn't even part of your original plan. Sometimes our best ideas are spur of the moment problem solving. Very cool.

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    1. I have continued to do mini exercises every day - not just with Pinterest - and I have really seen the students understand AND apply what they are learning. It is really amazing to see them intentionally design and create. :)

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  2. This is really brilliant!

    I actually have my blog pins bookmarked so I can check easily to see what might be popular or what is bringing traffic to my blog.

    This is what is looks like:

    http://pinterest.com/source/drawthelineat.blogspot.com/

    You just need to put in your blog url at the end.

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    1. Oooh! I have checked in on the pinterest source address but I never even thought about bookmarking it. Great idea! And since I changed my address from .blogspot to .com I found out that I have been pinned in even more ways by checking both extensions. Thanks for enlightening me on this!

      I check my stats frequently and the most popular posting is the Ombre Experience installation art study. I almost feel bad that it is because it's actually not my original idea and one I put my own spin on from Princetenol. *shrug* I think I said it wasn't my original idea in the write up but I don't want people thinking I am taking credit for something not really all together mine.

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    2. Don't sweat it. I find stuff and pin it from Artsonia all the time...then end up recreating it myself. I usually link the pin. It will all be fine though. Super cool that you went to .com So if someone typed in blogspot, would they be directed to the .com site?

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    3. The blogspot domain extension redirects to the .com so it doesn't matter what people put in. :)

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