tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28797581612663555012024-03-14T01:38:21.613-04:00Dream. Pray. Create.“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.” - Jonathon SwiftAndreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.comBlogger369125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-33616089773673783982015-04-19T10:29:00.000-04:002015-04-19T10:29:41.415-04:00Where I am instead...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello, kind and sweet and wonderful and lovely readers of this ridiculously neglected blogsite. Perhaps I should offer an apology (and further beg of your forgiveness) for not being here but I don't believe that to be acceptable since... I'm actually not sorry for being so very not here. And I say all of this not from lack of appreciation but much more of absolutely pure honesty. </div>
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Since last year about this time (maybe even a little earlier), I've had a great deal of challenge in my personal life. Much of this has to do with information I'm not at liberty to discuss openly (because it's information that technically belongs to other people) but some of it belongs to me as well as I have had my own share of some amazingly challenging health issues. This has included (but is not limited to) me having to see quite a number of medical professionals and even have to go through a biopsy in order to determine that I do not have cancer. (I repeat: I do NOT have cancer. PRAISE. THE. LORD.) I have been found to have other things though but... they aren't things that are new and are simply things that I've somehow always had but that still require some very focused, immediate, and steadfast medical attention. *sigh* It's not been fun or easy but I'm happy to report that I'm feeling so much better than I have in a very long while despite the toll it's clearly taken on me (and, in turn, this blog). </div>
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All of this said, I've not stopped teaching art and/or creating it myself. I've simply being doing it in a capacity that is not so openly shared here or other social media conduits I have previously kept up. While not sharing is not so much "fun," it's been enormously instrumental for me and the continued movement that I make toward greater wellness and more solid ground. Not having the requirement or feeling or urgency to share has helped me find much more very real joy in my life and helped me to invest in being less of a producer of moments and a better of enjoyer of them. I'm more truly invested in life and it's paid off in dividends beyond what I could ever count. Basically? I'm less wired into a virtual world and more connected to the real one that always immediately surrounds me which has created richer relationships and greater value across the board and what I do have in my life? None of it is superficial or in excess in a way that I either want to or need to purge to make things more "manageable" let alone more enjoyable. </div>
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The way it's all happened was certainly never planned (by me at least) but I'm happy that it has happened just the same. One any given day I can (and I do) look at my life and feel a beautiful and and wonderful peace which is always followed but a strong but quiet thankfulness. This is because I GET TO HAVE this life that I have. I've not been relegated to it and it's far and away from something that "is what it is." This is something that is beyond what could have been brought by mere luck or coincidental happenstance. Something this good can't and doesn't just happen - per my opinion or experience. And all of this brings me to the latest "development" of the place that I've been so blessed to find myself reveling in...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was done with prismacolor colored pencil (a 72-count set) and blended with gamsol and then defined and dimensioned with Micron pens. I did not prep the pages (though you can do that) but I did do a light sketch to layout what you see. Also, no - the image or mediums did not "shadow" or bleed through the pages so they are perfectly readable still!</td></tr>
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This is my Bible. And other than my family (which includes my husband, child, and our small menagerie of creatures), my Bible is the most treasured thing I own. I actually have a lot of Bibles but this one is very special to me because I bring it with me as much as I can in order to look at it whenever I might want to. Is it odd that it happens to have a huge illustration across the pages? Well... that's called Bible Journaling and it's something I have discovered over the past year where you study it in a way that allows you to visually illuminate the understanding (or even questions) you have right there in the place where it so originated.<br />
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Bible journaling is something that I'm only just starting. Prior to this I would highlight and annotate and do very quick drawings in the margins in pen for the sole purposes of explication. Bible journaling is something that I've been watching from the "sidelines" as it's been taking the world of social media by storm. (So... though I haven't been a participator and active contributor? I've still been reading blogs and such to not be totally out of "the loop" with things). In recent weeks though, I've decided to jump into Bible journaling myself and I gotta tell you - it's AMAZING and I love it SO Much because it's reinvigorated my understanding of scripture as well as ignited my enthusiasm to partake of The Word in ways that I don't think I have ever experienced in my whole life. This is something that I feel like I have been waiting for and I'm so glad that it's happened that it's now in my life.<br />
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So... this is what I'm doing these days and I'm still not sure that I will be sharing it on here the way I have today or that I will be returning to this blogsite any time soon but I just wanted to say "Hi" at least and say that I haven't totally forgotten about this place (where I once spent so much more time). Thanks so much for the patience, understanding, and support for me to have done what I have been able to do and keep doing as I am doing.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-42475734621476972762014-11-12T09:36:00.001-05:002014-11-12T09:36:33.424-05:00How to Draw Out the Very Best Artwork from Your Students<a href="http://www.teachkidsart.net/how-to-draw-out-the-very-best-artwork-from-your-students/">How to Draw Out the Very Best Artwork from Your Students</a><br /><br />
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I transitioned ALL the classes I'm teaching to something that is much more student-centered and promotes and allows greater range for individualized thinking, envisioning, and stretching. It's taken some real figuring out on my part but I'm happy to report that since doing this in the beginning of this year - it's going SWIMMINGLY. And why? Because I was able to figure out much of what (the above linked) notes is important within the new approach of teaching that I am not happily invested and engaged in with my BRILLIANT and adventurously thinking and imaginative students.<br /><br />
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The linked article totally sums up, qualifies, and validates my newly adopted strategizes in all of the classes I find myself in. And also - doing it this way wasn't that hard, it was only different than what I used to do! (And I consider the difference that now exists to be BETTER.)Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-58820457873469570042014-10-27T10:00:00.000-04:002014-10-27T10:00:06.970-04:00How the Walker System saved the student art gallery (and my sanity)<div style="text-align: left;">
Gotta love when I can review something and like it enough to say lots of good things about it. If you're an art teacher (or gallery manager) who has a love/hate relationship with displaying artwork, you gotta see this!!! </div>
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Don't mean to just put product reviews on here or even videos but I'm having such a good time figuring out iMovie as I've never really used it before. Also, videos are just kind of easier for me to do over written blog content. *shrug* Just tryin' to keep it real. ;)</div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-36657870459474734592014-09-26T17:51:00.000-04:002014-09-26T17:52:03.940-04:00It's official! And we even have the jacket to prove it...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's would just happen that I would go and make some proclamation on here about how I don't know the next time will be when I'm on here and then I'm just all of a sudden on here two days later all, "Hi! I have one more thing to say..."</div>
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*<i>insert awkward smile and wave from me here</i>*</div>
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*<i>shrug*</i></div>
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More than three years ago, I embarked on a journey that finally ended (with an unexpectedly beautiful flourish) TODAY. I cannot be more delighted and overjoyed to report the end of such an incredible... hmmm... fight? </div>
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To be completely fair, it's not been a fight so much as it's been me just persevering and seeing this all the way through. And that is? It's the jacket that you see me wearing as I'm doing something that I rarely (well, honestly more like never) do - a bathroom selfie. I honestly cannot even believe that I'm wearing this jacket because... well... it has taken me YEARS to be able to get this jacket approved in order for it to be made to begin with!</div>
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Here's the thing: Nearly EVERY student-interest group/team at my school is (very obviously) visibly represented when you gather our students together in a whole group. The athletics teams all have official jackets and other sorts of team apparel. The choral, performance arts, and instrumental art groups have matching (read: UNIFYING) apparel that they "sport" with great pride. There's even students of certain social studies classes that get matching shirts every year at the end of the course study as a way to celebrate the bond that they have formed together and the love that they have discovered for what/how they have studied it. But the VISUAL artists in my school? Well... we (because I include myself in this) have allowed our artwork to be seen but never ourselves and while being behind the scenes is something that we very much enjoy, we (meaning: the art students AND myself) have always wanted to have some matching (read: unifying) "gear" to sport in school colors and in solidarity with our brother and sister artists who we spend all of our time designing and creating alongside in our beloved art studio spaces. </div>
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I am a person of dreams as much as I am a person of prayers as much as I <strike>like</strike> LOVE to MAKE. THINGS. HAPPEN!!!! There have been SO many dreams that I have shared with the student artist community and we have always said, "Hey! Why can't WE get jackets too? We can even design better ones than *insert any other jacket that everyone else has here*..." (We really aren't trying to put other people's jackets down. Seriously.)</div>
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So after enough talking (and lots more praying), I got to work on trying to make an official jacket happen for the visual art student community. I drafted up a few designs, put out "feelers" for which ones were most preferred and then approached administration to get their blessing to do it. I was given a little bit of a maybe but ultimately a no. I was bummed but hardly discouraged because the issue was a matter of our uniform policy (that we have and try very hard to keep to for very good reasons). I went back to the drawing board in both literal and figurative ways and I tweaked the things that they said could stand to be tweaked and then I approached administration again. I was told maybe for even less time and then no even faster than the first time. I wasn't bummed though and instead I became very VERY determined to not take no for the final answer. </div>
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Time passed and administration changed and every time I approached them and asked again and almost always with the same outcome and (for me) the same determined response. The more I was told no, the more I believed this to be just a problem that required a more creative solution that needed to be thought through. It only took me YEARS to get to a point where administration stopped giving me no's after their maybe's and their maybe's started looking more like OK. I don't even think it's because I "wore them down" - though I'm sure my persistent did that a little bit - and it was more that prayer is a strong force to contend with AND I was also willing to flex and bend and compromise with what was being requested of me and the whole business of this jacket. </div>
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Long story a little longer, today I am wearing the OFFICIAL jacket that has been so many years in the works and at times that felt like a (pipe) dream more than anything. It's really only me and 11 other student artists wearing it but the offer was put out to everyone to join with us and we're all hoping that now that people are seeing the jacket? They will be encouraged to join us and get one for themselves and I will be more than happy to place a second and much larger order with <a href="http://www.customink.com/" target="_blank">Custom Ink</a>. Maybe the next order will be even cheaper than the $49 that it cost us since the more jackets you order at once, the more everyone saves!!!</div>
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I would love EVERYONE at my school to be able to wear this jacket if they want to because the way the visual arts works is that I get to see/meet/know nearly every student at my school. Some just take the visual art courses for the general education/graduation requirement but even those student artists really treasure their time in the art class they take and want to take more even if they don't intend on ever "doing" art again beyond their time at the school. </div>
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I also think that EVERYONE at my school ought to feel as if they can rightfully wear this jacket because I do believe that God has seeded the gift of creation within all of us because He truly did create us in His own image (and He is the master artist if there could ever be a master of the masters!) and because I believe we are called to be imitators of Him? Well... that means every last one of us is 1) called to create, 2) enabled to create when we seek to answer the call, and 3) CAN rightfully identify ourselves as ARTISTS because when we answer the call to create and then we create in His name and for Him - we are artists no matter where we come from who we think we were before we acknowledge and embrace ourselves as artists. </div>
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Today is a day when big prayers were answered and blessings were provided with abundance and I couldn't not mention it here on the blog no matter how flaky I've been and how many times I've promised you that I would be scarce here. I had to tell you about this day. I had to tell you about how great God is and show you how he delivers in mighty ways when you dream for Him, PRAY to Him, and then CREATE FOR HIM. </div>
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<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-91205420271750564082014-09-23T09:53:00.000-04:002014-10-26T19:30:45.522-04:00Do I have to go back to the future?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This morning (Tuesday, 9/23/14) in the studio classroom</td></tr>
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Clearly, I have not held up any bargain/promise/proposal I have previously made to resume blogging. I am not even going to try and apologize about it anymore because I'm actually not all that sorry.<br />
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I mean... this blogsite has been really important to me. (Don't get me wrong on that.) It has (more than) served its purpose of connecting me with other art teachers and working artists and designers. It's also been a terrific resource for folks if/when they have really REALLY needed it - be it for lesson plan ideas OR set/scene design ideas/how-to's/graphics for the many theater productions of which I have worked. I have gotten some awesome emails and comments from readers (about all of the aforementioned) and with every single one, I'm constantly humbled and amazed that anybody else thinks what I have done here has been useful or good.<br />
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(Please don't read all of this as a cry for validation and passive-aggressive request to feed my ego. I just seriously feel like I am 1) not that great of a writer to begin with, 2) OK enough at sharing what I have shared and 3) still learning so much myself that I am hesitant to "consult" because I'm still figuring things out myself/for myself - basically, I know I don't have the "answers" so I'm not trying to give anyone anything that is "half-baked.")<br />
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Related to all of the previous, the "fasting" I did years back from social media and then eventually from my electronic devices at large, I have found that since I have tried to return from that fasting, it's been hard for me to have very much of an appetite to keep up this particular blog anymore. I find that what I really crave (and am drawn to do) is to be more present in my classroom and with the incredibly talented (and hungry) student artists that I have been blessed to come to know. Despite how contradictory this sounds (especially since I am sharing this with you via digital social media), I find that one of the first things I want to do in order to start and end my days, are things that are not digital/virtual and are as tangible as possible.<br />
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In the past I used (and hated) using a teacher planning book/notebook. While I had lesson plans, I disliked writing them and I preferred using any (even every?) number of digital mediums/apps to write and archive them. Over at least half a decade later, I'm admitting that "my way" - of doing as many things digital as possible - is not nearly as productive or useful as I once thought. Through much too much trial and error, I've discovered that actually WRITING lesson plans in tangible ways (on real paper) has made teaching and learning (for both myself and my students) that much more tangible and REAL than it ever has been in digital format. This isn't to say that I have now decided that technology is bad but just... I have a new understanding of what it is good for and it's no longer as good for me (and my teaching efforts) as it once was.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">My very well used Teacher Planning notebook - NOT digital!!! Thank you, <a href="https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/andreaellwood0211-7505" target="_blank">Erin Condren</a> for this amazing teaching tool. </td></tr>
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I've applied the understanding of the need for tangible things and organization in other areas of my life too. While I still use iCal across all of my devices, I don't rely on it as my sole means to keep me on track and on time. I have alarms and reminders set for things but I don't require them because I am actually remembering things before they remind me to not forget them. This is all because I'm using a paper planner (also from <a href="https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/andreaellwood0211-7505" target="_blank">Erin Condren</a>) for my non-teaching life...<br />
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The above looks fancier and like it requires more work to maintain it (as seen above) than what it actually does and I'm so thankful for that. I've come to find that it is true that when I fail to plan, I plan to fail and this has a domino effect in every direction of my life. This isn't to say I've become this incredibly regimented and "by the [planner] book" type of person of routines that cannot be deviated from and structure that is so rigid it hurts. Quite the opposite, I'm more relaxed and at peace and fully present than I ever have been in all of my life. I don't get worked up over stupid things and I'm truly able to do things like keep little things little because I have taken the time to better know the size and weight and TIME that most things take up in my life. And if something unexpected arises? I know how much size/weight/TIME I have leftover (or not) in my life in order to be able to squeeze/fit it into the time and energy that I DO have because I can see it so clearly as it's laid out in my planning notebooks.<br />
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None of the previous was ever possible for me when I did things digitally. Perhaps there's something wrong with me that doing this digitally has worked like this but I have found I just can't do things digitally as much as I have thought I could. I feel like doing things digitally (and thus asking less physically and cognitively of myself) has ended up giving me less HEART and SOUL to actually LIVE life as I know I have been called to do rather than giving me "convenience" and saving me time, energy, or money the way I have thought it worked when digitizing is used to its greatest degree.<br />
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Anyway, all of this is to say that 1) I'm still not clear about what I'm to do with this here blogsite though I know I'm not taking it down and 2) I'm still choosing to be more present in my actual and physical life more which consequentially means I am also choosing to be less present here (on this blogsite) and until further notice.<br />
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I hope you all understand. I hope that even what I am sharing now (in addition to what I have already shared) is relevant and useful in the dreaming, Praying, and CREATING of your own decision. In the meanwhile, <a href="http://biblehub.com/psalms/46-10.htm" target="_blank">I am being still</a> and <a href="http://biblehub.com/john/15-7.htm" target="_blank">remaining</a> in a holding pattern where I'm praying for each and every one of you, this blogsite, and myself so that I can better understand where/what I should create next.<br />
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God bless you, all! Have a great rest of your week and see you whenever I see you...Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-63157130174693006272014-08-07T09:29:00.001-04:002014-08-07T09:29:06.603-04:00Let the planning commence!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
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My Erin Condren Teacher Planner arrived in yesterday's mail!!!! WOOO!!!!! Decided to do a video for the unboxing so you can see what I selected for my own customized Teacher Planner. </div>
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If YOU are interested in getting an Erin Condren Teacher Planner. I have some coupon codes that will save you $10 - that's about the cost of domestic shipping (that I got and is the cheapest option) + a few more bucks savings. Two of them are general use and one is a teacher coupon code that expires. Please see below for codes...</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>:: Coupon Codes for $10 off ::</u></b></span></div>
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Automated referral code so I can get product credits <a href="https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/andreaellwood0211-7505%C2%A0" target="_blank"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/andreaellwood0211-7505</span> </b></a></div>
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Teacher Coupon code, expires midnight PST on 10/15/2014 =><b>TLP1014TXG9EJWUL </b></div>
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First Time ordering code, no expiration date =><b>WELCOME10</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>[If you want to read the rest of my review that would have been included in my video, click through to get through the break! Thanks!]</b></span></div>
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<a name='more'></a>It took almost three exact weeks from the time I ordered to have it in my hands (shipped via First class mail from California). I've already started using it at least in the way of numbering the months using the removable (and I have discovered repositionable dots on the days) and I am so glad that I have those dots because I would have otherwise messed up at least every other month. The calendars are each set up to start with Monday (vs. Sunday) and then each week ends with a Saturday and Sunday split block. I never realized what a creature of habit I am but this has really messed me over when I was trying to number the months! But, like I said, I have the dots for the days and that has helped with me not having to cover up the days with white-out the way I otherwise would have had to do.<br />
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Some other things that I wasn't able to note in the video...</div>
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<li>The back cover looks pretty much the same as the front except the inside of it features the 2014 and 2015 mini calendars (vs. me having another picture of my family).</li>
<li>The sheets on the inside of the planner (other than the dividers and section pages) are laminated at the coil to help reduce ripping when you turn the pages and/or as time goes by. This is a nice way to reinforce the pages but it does make the pages kind of a pain when you try and turn them sometimes. </li>
<li>I have read reviews that the laminated covers bubble over time - and even as early as just a few months in! I understand that they still work just fine though and if you really care you can also order a new one for yourself. </li>
<li>I still don't know how I am going to set up the weekly lesson planning pages. I had an I idea (that I thought would work well) when I first considered this planner but for the life of me I cannot recall what it was. </li>
<li>I have a zippered pouch for my favorite pens - Pilot G2 retractable pens (in over seven colors) and I am using these to color code items on my monthly calendars. It's working out nicely and the ink doesn't bleed or smear too much. </li>
<li>The extra pen loop that I purchased? It doesn't fit any of my aforementioned pens but a capped Ultra Fine Black Sharpie does fit. Had I known that retractable pens don't fit that well, I probably would have saved a few bucks and not gotten in. I know that the little pen loop is elastic and will stretch but... well, I have the the zippered pouch for a lot more pens so why bother with the pen loop. (Oh well...)</li>
<li>It occurred to me that you could probably use the same planner for multiple years in a row (if you keep it nice unlike how I expect mine will end up). You could do this by just using post-it notes all over it. That would definitely make it thick and heavy but it could be done if you like the set-up and don't want to pay the price for it every year.</li>
<li>If you are a guy or tend to have more masculine preferences (in terms of design), Erin Condren doesn't make that much that would suit you. She clearly markets towards women more than men and to elementary and middle school teachers more than to high school. I say this strictly from a perspective of her visual design style. I think this is a shame because her products do seem well designed but they are rather "frilly" and fanciful looking. If I were a guy, I wouldn't be so inclined to get a planner from her and honestly? I was even a little hesitant because I typically like products tailored more towards the taste of men (meaning: less frilly and fanciful stuff because I'm not super girly).</li>
<li>Customer service for Erin Condren has been pretty sub-par and this same opinion is note throughout her company social media connections. I wrote them two emails through their website messaging system and it took me over a week to finally receive a reply. This wouldn't have been an issue if I had generic questions but one was one about their products that could have easily pushed me out at least a week from being able to finally place my order which would have meant I would have been pushed well into August before I could have gotten it. I did get my planner OK enough but if customer service is a concern of yours (which it always is for me) then Erin Condren might not be your best bet. </li>
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And I guess that's kind of it in terms of how I would have wrapped up my video of my review of the teacher planner. It would have made the video even longer than the eight minutes it turned out to be so this was probably a blessing in disguise for all of you to not be subjected to me rambling. Additionally, I ended up ordering another planner (as a gift) for a best friend but it's of the wedding planning variety rather than the teacher planning one. She should get hers within the week so if you are interested in her take on that, I will let you know an abbreviated review from her perspective. </div>
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My best intention (of course!) is to try and do at least one follow-up review about the planner once the school year starts and I am able to actually test it out and then I also want to do one more follow-up (Woo! Look at how ambitious and aspiring I am when the school year hasn't even officially started!!!) during the back half of the year to show you how the actual planner is holding up AND if I am still using it in the same way that I started out. </div>
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That about does it for me for the preliminary review of my new planner. I mentioned before that it took me about three months to find this product (sadly, that's not an exaggeration on my part!) and I am kind of jazzed that I finally have it in my hands and can try it out to see if it's worth all of the fluff and fuzz. Time to get to planning and finishing my supplies order for the year (I'm so behind)!!! </div>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-61330998848988708362014-07-26T16:41:00.001-04:002014-07-26T16:41:55.352-04:00Working my way back<center style="text-align: left;">
Hello everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your summer with however you are selecting to spend it. Despite my best intentions to spend my own summer doing things of relaxation and leisure, I have been doing nothing of the sort. :-p Sometimes divine callings and the complicated demands of life simply require things that deviate from your best laid plans. </center>
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Despite the aforementioned, I'm definitely thinking about the start of school (in less than 25 days!) and returning to the classroom AND blogging here. *YAY!* As always, I have grand dreams and great intentions. However... it's safe to say that that sort of stuff always lands me within my own embarrassing failures (AND in front of quite the audience at that). I'm doing my best to avoid the previous though and one way that I have learned aids in such prevention is coming up with a reasonably sound and executable plan. Does this make me sound like someone who lacks the ability to dream and spontaneously create? (Which is an individual who is far from the one I have known myself to be most of my life) I don't know. All I do know is that I have learned very much that it IS true that failure to plan all too often lends to me planning to fail no matter how/what I might intend, hope for, dream of, or scramble to make happen. </center>
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All of this said, this coming year marks the 9th year of my teaching career and the 7th year at my current school where I am in my 2nd year as department head but incidentally? It will be my FIRST year as the sole Visual Art Teacher and having my very own classroom (though I had my own classroom years ago when I was in public school). </center>
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It's all very exciting but also quite daunting at the same time. I'm going to be teaching all of the courses that I have been teaching in addition to three other intermediate/advanced courses. I will also be working closely with the principal and the academic dean to "chart" a better path for the visual art curriculum which will likely involve a huge overhaul of the courses offered (including new course descriptions, clearly defined and communicated study "paths" for art students to navigate, and other things that fall into the realms of "etc."). Does all of this sound a little like chaos waiting to happen? I am being realistic and saying that it quite possibly does. Still, I'm determined to take all of what I have learned and know I'm able to do in order to steady myself so that when the waters (that I'm metaphorically on) start becoming choppy, I don't end up so motion sick that I cannot do what I am determined to try and do - which is stay the course!</center>
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For the past couple of months, I've been anticipating all of the things that I know I will need to do better and one of those things is being more organized, concrete in my forward thinking ways, and documenting all of because my memory and retention isn't nearly what it used to be. Truth be told, I don't use a Teacher Planning book despite trying to use one year after year only to have the thing be crushed at the bottom of my teacher tote bag before even half the year has arrived. In thinking back on my failed attempts to do this better (because I NEED to do this and I don't deny it), I came to some conclusions about what my natural work habits are and how to adhere to those so that it's not such a chore to do classroom and teacher planning.</center>
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One thing in particular that I learned is that the teacher planners/organizers that I have used in the past aren't that well suited for the curriculum/content that I teach and/or the approach that I take in the classroom. I was able to identify the things that I believed would be essential for the unique things that I sort of require that seemed like they should be readily available. I set out to find a teacher planner that would as many of these things as possible and despite my best efforts (and they're pretty decent and it's safe to say that if something is out there I. WILL. FIND. IT.), I was turning up empty handed and becoming increasingly frustrated. </center>
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As things happened, I was about to give up after MONTHS of dealing with this and then I finally found what I believe is a bit of a "holy grail" for my finicky teacher planning needs... HELLO, ERIN CONDREN TEACHER PLANNERS!!!!!!</center>
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I don't know where these things have been and why I haven't ever heard of them before but I know about them now and I have already ordered my own planning book and I am IMPATIENTLY awaiting its arrival - that should come just in time for teachers work week a week and a half BEFORE the first day of school. </center>
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Please know that I'm not plugging this product because I'm getting any sort of compensation from them at all and I haven't even gotten mine yet (but I hope to share an initial review and then follow-up review eventually) about my thoughts on it. If you know anything about Erin Condren products, you might note that they are a bit on the pricy side but honestly? I am not a big shopper and so when I do spend money, I am always willing to have it be something that is worth the money (however much it might be) so that I don't have to spend any more money again because I have to replace what was supposed to work to begin with. </center>
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I've ordered my Erin Condren teacher planner and I'm so excited to get it soon!!! If you don't need a teacher planner, she also has a life planner (that's still pretty amazing if you ask me) and a wedding planner (also amazing and I recently bought one for a friend as her engagement gift). If you are interested in ordering an Erin Condren planner (of any type) too, you can do so and <a href="https://www.erincondren.com/referral/invite/andreaellwood0211-7505" target="_blank">get a $10 coupon toward it by way of THIS LINK</a> (which is a referral link from me and it allows me to accrue credits toward my next year's planner). </center>
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Anyway, I'll let you know when I get my planner but just wanted to pop on here to say hi with an update of how things are in my niche of the world and also let you know that I am certainly interested (and thinking deeply about!) how I will get back on here more often than not (at all). </center>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-35453094553075419472014-04-17T08:43:00.000-04:002014-04-17T08:43:37.353-04:00Please continue to hold -- Thank you!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-867xhHJA59k/U0_Haa41J9I/AAAAAAAAT3s/4X8UCy3SvTQ/s1600/IMG_5201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-867xhHJA59k/U0_Haa41J9I/AAAAAAAAT3s/4X8UCy3SvTQ/s1600/IMG_5201.JPG" height="451" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original works of art by my almost 6yo daughter (left) and an artist I just love named <a href="http://kmberggren.com/" target="_blank">Katie M. Berggren </a>(right)</td></tr>
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Popping on here to say hello just to see how you all are doing (albeit) without me.<br />
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Despite the quietness that has remained here on the blog, plenty has been going on for me! In my time away, I have still managed to occupy myself with more than enough that makes it even harder for me to want to come back - though I AM wanting to do that eventually and not just close this blog completely.<br />
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In my time away, I have come to realize how important it is to take the leave of absence that I have. I haven't been here on this blog and I even "pulled the plug" <a href="http://instagram.com/dreampraycreate" target="_blank">on my instagram</a> as well!! My pause in blogging was something that I knew I needed but doing so on instagram too? That's something that just ended up happening just because I must say, it's been really Really REALLY nice. It's given me back something that I have lacked for quite too long - which is the real opportunity to be much more fully present in my life. Just as blogging stole that from my teaching and professional life, instagram definitely did that in my personal and family life. By taking myself offline though, I have reclaimed all of the things that I so willfully gave up without realizing that I ever did so in the first place.<br />
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I have a little more than a month and a half of teaching left and then I will be brought right to the start of summer - which already is chock full of all sorts of things to do. It's a wonderful and glorious thing to realize not only how full my life has become but also to not feel like I can't fully enjoy any of what I have been so blessed to receive. If you have ever considered taking a "leave of absence" from the online world? I would encourage you to not be afraid to just go for it. It will give back you in dividends what you never realized you were already giving endlessly of yourself within the virtual realms.<br />
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<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-77380602257910880422014-01-04T17:17:00.002-05:002014-01-04T17:17:17.115-05:00What to do now and nextHi! Sorry for not being around for a long while. I don't have any good excuse of how/why it happened like this other than to just note that I really really needed a break from this blog.<br />
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I have been blogging on and off (but mostly on) for over a decade now and (if you've never tried to before) it can be quite a lot of work getting in the habit, staying in the habit, and delivering fresh content. This is especially true for content specific or niche blogging (which is what I do here). After I finished my masters degree (about October/November time) I found that I really and truly needed a mental break from writing papers and doing research and trying to get back on the metaphorical horse after doing such an amazing amount of blogging last year was only harder because of the break that I needed. So? I took the break and that's why it's been so radio silent here. <br />
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So I'm back here today to post this but honestly? I don't know when I will be back again and I am still trying to pray about what to keep doing beyond me just feeling like I need to be still and focus on other things (than this blog). I find that by not blogging here, I am much more connected and present with my 5.5 year old daughter and husband and students. I am thinking a lot less about how to churn the life and art teaching on my everyday into blog content and more about just being fully present and focused. This year for the One Little Word campaign I decided on the word "treasure" and I think it's going to work much better than last year's word of "joy" because it's been a focus of mine most recently in what I do, how I do things, and how I regard things before me. I've become so much more aware of the need for me to have less of a life virtually and more of a life actually.<br />
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I have loved this blog so much but I really and truly feel like I will probably not return to the posting schedule I had last year because it made it really difficult for me to have the time and energy I now know I want to have for my family and my students and to serve my school community. Blogging so much also makes it difficult for me to create artwork for my own professional development. I haven't painted in months and having realized this I decided that I needed to change that by trying to do something of my own art creation because I was starting to feel stagnant.<br />
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I have never kept up with a sketchbook OR done watercolor painting in all of my life but I recently started to do both in an effort to get beyond my own prejudices and learn something new that I had previously been so staunchly against. I got a visual sketchbook for both myself and my daughter and we have been trying to do a page a night in our books with either ink and watercolor or just plain watercolor. We both have less than a half dozen finished pages but it's been amazing so far and I am amazed that I was ever so against daily art creation (like in a sketchbook or visual journaling) OR watercolor. I have been "doing it wrong" the whole time. Thankfully, I have seen the light.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A page I finished last evening in my journal after everyone in the house was sound asleep.</td></tr>
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I know I don't want to abandon this blog but I also know that how I have done it in the past is not a way that I can keep doing it in the present or in the future. I have a lot of content on here and I am regularly getting unique hits because of people finding things I have archived in the way of art lesson project ideas. (I'm so glad that what I have shared continues to be so useful to others!) Still, well... maybe it's time for me to deliver less that ends up being much more because it has greater substance at least as it applies to what I originally create - either in my painted sketchbook or with my own explorations of the creative process, creative callings, or what I am learning about the art of teaching art.<br />
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In any case, I hope you all are doing well in your classrooms and with your own artwork. I have previously "preached" the importance of being an artist as being actively creating art pushing yourself to do better design and stretching your creativity. I think perhaps it's time for me to do that sort of thing rather than giving myself endlessly to the efforts of others, the development and understandings of their creative processes, and enabling them to create beautiful works of art. That's what I do every day and when I leave work, I need to do a better job of allowing myself the same sort of gift.<br />
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So, I'm not quitting this blog or even taking it offline in any way. It'll keep being here. I just might be here less often but perhaps at the same time with a more worthwhile presence. Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-27249505732975215492013-11-14T13:32:00.000-05:002013-11-14T13:32:45.557-05:00Save the Dry Erase Markers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />At my school, we don't have blackboards and instead we have white/dry-erase boards. When I first came to this school over five years ago I was really excited about this fact because in public school I had blackboards that I had a real love-hate feeling toward for all of the reasons you might imagine if you have any experience dealing with blackboards. Still, having white/dry-erase boards wasn't nearly as awesome as I thought it would be. They soon became just as annoying to me as the blackboards were but just in different ways.<br />
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(Now, I understand this is totally a "first world problem" that I am referencing but just please bear with me.)<br />
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One of my biggest issues with having a whiteboard in class is the marker issue. Markers go missing all the time but if they aren't missing, we have issues with them because the ink seems to run out very quickly. For this reason, I barely use my whiteboard and I'm almost always fussing about not being able to actually use it.<br />
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All of this in mind, a week or so ago, I started noticing that even though I wasn't using my board, the markers would always be arranged and positioned the way they are pictured above. While it seemed a little strange that they were like that (and seemed to always be put back to be like that), I didn't think much of it and I wouldn't disturb them either. Then the other day, I found the individual who was putting them like that! It was a STUDENT ARTIST!!! And almost every day, if the markers weren't like that, he would arrange and position them like that. While in the midst of him doing it, I commented and laughed and said, "Oh YOU'RE the one who is doing that! I was wondering what was going on!" The student artist, who is actually also one of our star football players and who is a really big and burly guy and sits very close to my teaching station in the front of the room, smiled sheepishly and said, "Yeah... it's me." And then I asked him why he was doing it and he said, "Well... Mr. *so-and-so* does it all the time and it makes a big difference and makes it so the markers always have ink. It really does make a difference so I was trying to help you to have markers that wouldn't be so hard to use."<br />
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I gotta tell you - when he said this and said why he was doing it? It just about made my whole month and I feel like it's one of the nicest things any student has ever done for me - however small it might seem because it makes such a big difference. And OF COURSE it works, y'know? Because it helps to keep the ink flowing toward the writing tip vs. having it settle in the middle of the marker. Why didn't I think of that?<br />
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Anyway, surely you all have been doing this and I am the only one not doing this but I just wanted to share this little "feel good" anecdote because this kind of stuff is always nice to hear about in my book. <br />
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<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-36820770620859308792013-11-13T07:00:00.000-05:002013-11-13T07:00:00.184-05:00A mini walking tour of the Digital Art Studio Lab ClassroomI always showcase things of the studio art classroom but rarely do you see anything of the digital art studio classroom/lab other than finished artwork on occasion. So, here is a mini walking tour of that classroom.<br />
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The two courses that I teach in the digital art studio computer lab classroom are Graphic Design (which utilizes Photoshop) and Digital Studio (which uses Illustrator). Despite what the names of the courses imply or suggest, the Graphic Design is basically Digital Art I and Digital Studio is Digital Art II. One of my goals for this year is to change that within the course catalog so it makes a little bit more sense and there is better clarity with regard to how the two classes are connected.<br />
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Something else that you might have noted from the video is that I use a classroom management tool that is something I found from Pinterest. It's an "am I done" sort of check-list and I have it printed in color and laminated and then tacked in strategically decided upon places all around the classroom. The art teacher who originally designed it deserves so much credit for it and MORE because it is beautifully designed and created and BRILLIANT for the purposes of answering the question that the students always have of, "Am I done (yet)?" If you are interested in it, I wish I had the direct link to it but I cannot find it but the blog is <a href="http://tabithaannthelostsock.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">HERE</a> and it's called "The Lost Sock." Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-83240813437772331522013-11-12T11:45:00.000-05:002013-11-12T11:45:06.737-05:00The things we all carry :: Arts Integration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What kind of <a href="http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/how-to/series/arts-integration-beta/arts-integration-beta.aspx" target="_blank">arts integration</a> are you doing these days? I mean, I know that you might be an art educator so art education is not only what you do but also what you do best but that wasn't my question. </div>
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One thing that I am very aware of as an artist is the importance of connections and relationships. In order to design and create a successful work of art, one element or principle is not nearly so effective or meaningful if it's standing completely on it's own. Pulling the different elements of art and principles of design together - even if it's done in simple ways - is so powerful, communicative, and amazing to behold. Artist and art educators know this as fact but if we don't share that with others by INTEGRATING what we know with what everyone else knows (apart from the arts), we are keeping the richness and beauty of the arts to ourselves. And what fun is that? Seriously. Misery might enjoy company but happiness and delightedness enjoys a big ol' party that everyone is invited to, RSVP's to, and actually shows up to. </div>
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<a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/11/teach-with-stories-of-your-life-art-of.html" target="_blank">I mentioned last week that I am embarking on a new project with the 2D Design students</a> that draws upon the power of using our lives to tell stories in order to explain how the sum of the parts is way more than the parts themselves. Every day I have been offering the students parts of myself and my story (as a way to practice what I both preach and TEACH) and I have shown them a different way to "read" things other than words on a page. Trying to do this on the daily has challenged me in all sorts of ways that I never thought it would because I'm literally trying to come up with more than a half dozen ways to say and show the exact same idea.</div>
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One of my favorite books that I have ever read is called "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Things_They_Carried" target="_blank">The Things They Carried</a>." I read the book in my college freshman English class and it was one of the most illuminating and illustrative writings that I have ever read took a very VERY abstract concept and put it in words very simply and in a way that was easy to understand. And this concept made me think about what I carry and what my students carry on the daily that offer very interesting perspectives of who, what, and how we are in our lives. Want to see what I have been carrying out so far this school year (at least)? Here are the contents of my crossbody/shoulder bag (basically a purse) that I don't leave home without. These are the contents of what is in that bag without editing (well, photo editing not withstanding)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HvRJc4pQ8R0/UoJR1zScG6I/AAAAAAAAS8M/fpAQWXLT65I/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HvRJc4pQ8R0/UoJR1zScG6I/AAAAAAAAS8M/fpAQWXLT65I/s640/photo.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The contents of your bag can tell all sorts of things about you. Here's mine! What? You don't carry a tiny hammer in your purse too?</td></tr>
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I have been hitting my student artists hard with the importance of reading beyond words on a page for the past week or so and while it's been incredibly taxing for me on any given day, it's been enormously rewarding for me to see their understandings and abilities "click" into place on the subject of non-verbal and written literacy. <br />
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-8521000836154392332013-11-08T07:00:00.000-05:002013-11-08T18:38:20.189-05:00Keep calm... and... what was the next thing?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aK-5ICk0Bf8/Um_3u6MAllI/AAAAAAAAS2Q/we1j58FBcm0/s1600/Keep-Calm-Design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aK-5ICk0Bf8/Um_3u6MAllI/AAAAAAAAS2Q/we1j58FBcm0/s400/Keep-Calm-Design.jpg" width="271" /></a></div>
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It's Friday. And I needed some serious comic relief because sometime life is so complicated for me that I have to make myself laugh so I don't explode instead.<br />
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Nothing like a little graphic design geekery to give me the hearty chuckle I needed. The only thing that would have made me laugh more would have been if there had been a mention or an appearance of Comic sans. <br />
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<a href="http://bancomicsans.com/main/" target="_blank">Actually, that might have made me feel even closer to exploding</a>. Nevermind. ;)<br />
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<br />Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-50270177653577898982013-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:002013-11-07T07:00:17.093-05:00Are you an ARTIST teacher? <div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This series of images documents the ongoing progress/process of a very large in-class demo of oil painting.</span></span></td></tr>
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Just this past summer, I had the great honor and pleasure to meet one of my blog readers (Hi, K!) in part because they were doing their graduate studies capstone research project on the matter of not just teaching art but being an artist who just as well teaches. The whole idea was so curious and intriguing to me because I never stopped to think about what kind of teacher I am and even seek to be other than just trying to be the best professional art educator myself. </div>
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Still, it got me thinking - have I been an artist teacher? What does it take to be an artist teacher if you aren't one? And, if you aren't an artist teacher, should you seek to be? And if you are an artist teacher, when do you stop being an artist and start being a teacher of art - or are those identities/roles so beautifully braided together that they don't beg to even try to be separated?</div>
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When I met with my blog reader, the intent was to be interviewed by them about the whole notion of being an artist teacher but it ended up turning into a very interesting and thought provoking conversation about that plus many other things. At one point they asked me something along the lines of if I wasn't an artist teacher or even an artist, what would I call myself. I sat and thought for a moment and then I declared that I am "curious" and that's what I believe that I am. Even now, months after that interview/conversation, I feel like "curious" is the best way for me to both explain, define, and identify myself. </div>
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Last year, I believe I struck upon something incredibly important that has truly changed the trajectory of what I was trying to do when I first became an art educator five years ago. I realized the importance of process within the creation of art and I also started making a great distinction between the notion of CREATING art vs. making art. I did this not only in my own life but I also stressed this within all that I was teaching my student artists. </div>
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I believe it's because of this that I finally started seeing more original, interesting, thought provoking, intentional and REMARKABLE artwork from my student artist more than I ever had before. It was incredible and the difference between what I did last year with my student artists and years before? You can totally see how much more on a different "level" it was and then continued to be with each next step they took with their learning and project endeavors. The difference between the two was that <a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/p/a-framework-for-teaching-visual-arts.html" target="_blank">I made my teaching objective and curriculum a lot more about them (so, student-centered and inquiry-based)</a> and a lot less about me (lecturing, deliberately steering each of them through very narrow paths of techniques for making things rather than creating them).</div>
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This year I tried something even more adventurous than what I did last year with an even greater emphasis on the importance of developing and having a creative process in order to be a more intentional artist and designer. While I have readily used in-class demos before, it's been in a way that kind of disconnects me from the process for the most part - meaning, I don't really show them much other than just demonstrating specific techniques. In my own experience as an artist though, I have learned that process isn't just figuring out and refining technique. It's about the perseverance, the critical thinking, deep emotional investment and personal connection with whatever work of art is currently in the works. All of that is even more integral to the creative process than refined technique but if I don't show the students that I go through this? I fail to show them some of the most important parts of the creative process and any finished work of art I might show them that I created seems to just appear vs. it being something that they truly see and understand was a labor of love (if you will). </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally got the stem and leaf (on the right) done the other day! Now to keep myself from going back and messing it up.</td></tr>
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I have been working on a giant oil painting of a <a href="http://vietnam-one-day-at-a-time.blogspot.com/2006/06/hoa-quynh.html" target="_blank">Hoa Quynh flower</a> for weeks and going on months at this point. To say that it's been slow going would be an understatement and this is as much because I can't spend a ton of class time on it because I am constantly circulating and interacting directly with the student artists and their artwork as much as I have been just avoiding painting as I am wont to do even in my home studio. I am committed to pushing the painting through to the end though and even though the students have now finished their oil paintings, I refuse to give up on finishing mine because there is still so much process to share with them for them to learn of that I know will help them in their own journey to find and use their unique artist voices. </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-56576825359351229562013-11-06T07:00:00.000-05:002013-11-06T07:00:17.876-05:00A walking tour of the set design for "Little Women" Yay for the set of "Little Women" being done!!!<br />
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Normally I share stills from the set design but thought you all might like to see it a little bit more in real-time with a walking tour of not only the set but also of the performing arts center at high school where I teach. The facility is really amazing and beautiful and I feel blessed every day that I come to work because of the facilities alone. Add my administration and faculty and staff coworkers to that mix and it makes me believe even that much more that I have the best job ever.<br />
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Anyway, enough of me bragging on my dream job. On with the tour...<br />
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Sorry this was done in portrait orientation. I took the video with my phone and it didn't even occur to me to rotate the phone in order to have a perspective that would make a little bit more sense. Clearly I should not call myself an artist of motion picture with the job I did with this. Also, in case you were wondering, I edited the video (added transitions and all) with iMovie. Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-57460636285976654562013-11-05T07:00:00.000-05:002013-11-06T06:12:13.153-05:00Following Directions is a Good Thing | Reading in Art Education<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A little more than a year ago I proudly proclaimed the fact that <a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2012/09/teaching-reading-in-visual-art-classroom.html" target="_blank">I, too, am a reading teacher</a> no matter how it much it might seem that reading in visual art and design does not naturally exist or belong. I'm happy to report that later I am still insistent on teaching reading in my content area!<br />
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One of my favorite ways to do this is to teach students to read directions and how to follow them exactly as they are written. I do this in graphic design by requiring them to do tutorials from one of my favorite photoshop reference books called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-CS3-CS4-Wow-Book/dp/0321514955/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1321466969&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Photoshop CS3/CS4 WOW! Book</a>. I have used this book for four years now and though that might seem like what it offers would be dated, I still feel like it's a great text to teach with. It offers all sorts of useful tricks, tips, and teaching of techniques in clear and concise ways that also include screen captures alongside the very technical but also user-friendly language.<br />
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It is chock full of ready made "lessons" for the purposes of teaching the student artist designers in my graphic design class not only how to follow directions more intentionally but also why it's important to follow directions more intentionally. I often draw a comparison of how getting through a photoshop tutorial is very much like following the order of operations in mathematics because if you miss one keystroke even? It can throw the whole rest of your photoshop process off either by halting the design and creation all together OR producing something far from what was intended from the beginning of the tutorial.<br />
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Anyway, the WOW! book is amazing so much that I have found we can even use the CS/CS2 version of the book and it still works reasonably well with the latest version of photoshop. I mean, it's not ideal but it still works fine which is nice since it saves my students and their parents/families money since that's one less book they have to buy brand new (unless they want to).<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zoY1WBysp_4/UnhDeCfWzAI/AAAAAAAAS5Y/vRzNYN6muhU/s1600/photo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zoY1WBysp_4/UnhDeCfWzAI/AAAAAAAAS5Y/vRzNYN6muhU/s640/photo_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's pretty standard that I have to indicate photoshop tutorial assignments on the different pages that they are found in both versions but that's hardly something to fuss about considering all that both versions of the book offer that are pretty much the same thing. If anything the slight differences within the same basics of the tutorial offer a little bit more student-centered learning so then I can tell them that they have two different versions (of the same tutorials) to choose from which makes it that much more interesting to them since they feel like they have a little more choice in how and what they are doing. I have found that the more I can help the students to feel like they are helping to steer what they create, the more invested they are and the less pushing and shoving I have to do to get them to do things like READ in a content area like mine where they don't expect to have to do so.<br />
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Something else I do with the tutorials is that I would have them do the tutorials and then have them go back and use the tutorials to do a "personal" version of it (with images of their own choosing) using the original directions that they learned from. They are usually very motivated and excited to do this and it's always fun to see how much they learn even in just a week's time total of the tutorial and then they personal spin they put on the tutorial.<br />
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I always expect there to be fussing when it comes to them being "forced" to read in order to be more effective, able, and intentional designers and artists but even in the midst of all of that, I will gradually start hearing them say, "This is so easy! You just have to follow the directions!!!" (Go figure, right?)<br />
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Currently the graphic design students are working on <a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2011/10/lesson-idea-photograph-to-painting.html" target="_blank">taking photographs and turning them into digital paintings</a> - a favorite project that I always keep around because it's just that popular and fun. I will try and post pictures of some of the really standout ones once they are all finished in about a week and a half.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-73835992501498917492013-11-04T07:00:00.001-05:002013-11-06T06:12:55.937-05:00Teach with [the stories of] your life :: The ART of a good storyYear after year, there are a few project ideas that I keep around because of how much students enjoy them. For 2D Design, the two that rarely get scrapped are <a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2012/10/lesson-idea-our-common-threads.html" target="_blank">the printmaking one</a> and <a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2011/10/lesson-idea-remarkable-macro.html" target="_blank">the fingerprint one.</a> This year I decided to do something unique with these two and instead of doing them separately, the students are going to do a hybrid of them. They are going to do macro fingerprint designs that will be carved into printing plates that they will use to make a set of limited edition prints.<br />
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To put an even crazier spin on this hybrid project I am having the students stretch themselves even further and instead of just using Bible verses within their prints, they are also going to integrate visual and typographic elements within the pattern of their macro fingerprint designs so that they are telling a bit of their own life stories. My motivation to do this is both because it will help to pull in some core content learning <a href="http://www.storyarts.org/classroom/" target="_blank">as well as it affording an opportunity (for my students) to become more effective at the art of storytelling</a> in order to evangelize the gospel in a more personal way.<br />
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I never realized it before but as things have worked out for me, story telling is quite an important part of my life. Long before blogging became a thing to do, I journaled about my life and tonight I even went back and looked at volumes of journals that I still have clear back to high school (which is over 15 years ago at this point). When I was in college and blogging still wasn't yet a "thing" I had discovered it and was a part of one of the earliest blogging communities ever <a href="https://medium.com/how-to-use-the-internet/15e3d1ffc7dc" target="_blank">where I actually met one of my most treasured friends</a> of my life (though we have been out of touch in recent years).<br />
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To date I have created, maintained, and closed upwards of 20 different blog-type web presences that have detailed all sorts of stages of my life (This doesn't count legit Dot coms which I have also established, maintained, and closed for both personal and business purposes.) And when I haven't been blogging and telling the stories of my life? I have told it in other ways like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395910/?ref_=tt_ov_inf" target="_blank">once when I was on national television for one of the most incredible milestones of my whole life</a> because my wedding coordinator sort of convinced me it was a good idea and (thankfully) I never regretted it and feel like I got a good deal since I got "free" videography from the arrangement. More recently, <a href="http://wgts.org/the-story-project/" target="_blank">I ended up online telling some of my story of the past few years of my life</a> and the crazy thing about that is that it totally was supposed to be my husband and not me and I was completely reluctant to be in front of any kind of camera at all.<br />
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The fact of the matter is this: storytelling is a powerful tool that I don't believe we use often enough in the classroom. For me? It's a natural thing as evidenced by all of the aforementioned and I gotta tell you that for as open and transparent as I am beyond the classroom? I am just as much open and transparent to my student artists with my stories <u><b>IN</b></u> the classroom, too. Just this evening, I fielded an email from an alumni that started out with them expressing gratitude for telling the stories I have because they are in a tough spot right now and it's those stories that have given them inspiration to reconnect with me. Coincidence that this happened right as I am on the verge of embarking on a whole unit study on visual storytelling and the importance of it and how to do it better and how it can change someone's life? I think not. I think it's much more of a "God thing" if you ask me.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-62306233638747929772013-11-01T07:00:00.001-04:002013-11-01T10:23:15.914-04:00Dream.Pray.Create. Giveaway :: And the winner is...<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Jen </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">of <a href="http://drawthelineat.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Draw The Line At (art ed blog)</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Congratulations, you have won the marker set!!! </span></div>
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Thank you for leaving this comment that was </div>
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randomly selected with the random.org randomized number picker. </div>
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(See the screenshot below)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mE8oJA3HHqg/UnMUMREmybI/AAAAAAAAS4k/GMwWFMiSCQY/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-10-31+at+10.37.27+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mE8oJA3HHqg/UnMUMREmybI/AAAAAAAAS4k/GMwWFMiSCQY/s640/Screen+Shot+2013-10-31+at+10.37.27+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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Please contact me directly (DreamPrayCreate::at::gmailDOTcom) and provide me with your direct contact information and shipping address so I can get the marker set to you ASAP!<br />
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Thank you, everyone, for participating and please come back and enter another of at least two giveaways that I will be doing in the coming months!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-64514950637250104012013-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:002013-10-31T07:00:08.872-04:00The Giant Paper Airplane Fly Off :: Just for Fun<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #f9cb9c;"><i>Don't forget to enter the "Giving YOU the good stuff" (from Prang) fine-line marker giveaway by this coming Thursday, October 31st, at midnight <a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/giving-you-good-stuff-prang-marker.html" target="_blank"><b>HERE </b></a><u>in the comments section</u>. </i><i>This isn't sponsored by Prang and is something that I just wanted to do because I like the Prang products so much after using them.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Remember: You don't have to tweet anything or follow me on any social networking conduits. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Just answer the question in the blog posting <b><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/giving-you-good-stuff-prang-marker.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> </b>in the corresponding comments section and I will pick a winner randomly and announce it on Friday, November 1st! Good luck to you in winning it the prize!</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FgXhP8h7ulA/UnGzz12d1xI/AAAAAAAAS30/7dMSeuK1KMA/s1600/photo_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FgXhP8h7ulA/UnGzz12d1xI/AAAAAAAAS30/7dMSeuK1KMA/s320/photo_2.jpg" width="240" /></a>One of the greatest art ed resources that I think I might have at any given time is something I call "back pocket" project ideas. Are you familiar with these? Perhaps you know them by a different name. Perhaps you call them "plan D" or "the plan you have when all else fails." *ha!*<br />
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Seriously though. For me, "back pocket" project ideas are those that add in plenty of learning but also allow for just as much fun just for the pure fun of it. They are also good for those times when scheduling is tight and doesn't allow for longer running projects OR for when you need a "filler" but you don't want to use fluffy filler because... well... why just fill time, y'know?<br />
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Last year at the tail end of the year, I did two "back pocket" ideas that were a huge hit. This one actually was inspired by the fact that I was slightly annoyed with the fact that a paper airplane craze got kicked off among the students and they would be flying across the room at any given time and most of them were not even that well designed enough for them to fly even part way across the room! I was constantly saying to the students that if they were going to endeavor to throw paper airplanes, they should at least design and make them well enough that they could actually fly right! All of this got me thinking that perhaps I could take my personal irritation of poorly designed (and made) paper airplanes and allow for a real teachable moment.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I gave the students one solid week to research paper airplane designs, make small prototypes for testing (and they did this in the class) and then make giant ones out of poster board that was the same proportions of the prototypes and then we would have a giant fly off in the athletics field house on the turf field. The winner from each class got a gift card from Chipotle (that I provided). They also had to do some sort of visual design on the airplane in order for it to look physically appealing and this too was something where a winner was determined from a 2-man judging panel of which voluntary colleagues of mine who were willing to give me a little of their planning periods.<br />
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I must say, the students took this week long endeavor VERY seriously. They were watching crazy amounts of youtube videos and some were even attempting to calculate ways to ensure their airplanes would fly longer distances!!! I was SO proud of them and the way they were really investing themselves and not hesitating to connect what they were doing in art with other content areas like math and science! And you should have seen some of the impressive visual design of some of the planes. Check out these incredible ones.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It might be hard to tell but the design on this one was on the underside so you could see it as it flew!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one was VERY impressive. They used toilet paper rolls to make cannons on the sides!</td></tr>
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The fly off was pretty exciting and the way it worked out was kind of surprising and some of the students that expected to win actually didn't have that much of a chance compared to the real winners. I started all of the kids from one line and then they all threw their planes in the same direction and the winner in each "heat" (until we got to one final winner) was the plane that traveled the farthest distance from the starting line. They were allowed to do a few practice throws with their planes before the final fly off and that was helpful for them to figure out the way to throw their planes in order to gain the most distance that they could.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The indoor turf field is used mostly for practice purposes and it's rented out often by outside groups.</td></tr>
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Two of my colleagues are shown here doing the judging of the visual design of the planes and they really are quite hilarious guys and had some awesome commentary and reasoning for which planes were picked to win the prize for "prettiest" (if you will).<br />
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I had no plans on doing this project idea even two weeks before it happened but I must say that it was one of the most successful and memorable project endeavors of my whole last year. I will definitely be keeping it around and I might even do it every year because it really was that much fun to do!Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-6655371103073850122013-10-30T09:49:00.000-04:002013-10-30T09:50:26.691-04:00Lesson Idea: All Creatures Great and Small | 2D Design <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This work was done almost three semesters ago by the 2D art and design students and I never got around to sharing it with you all! While it didn't pan out entirely as I had planned it would, I feel like the final works are still interesting and provided a great in depth study of lots of the principles of design and elements of art. I called this project endeavor "All Creatures Great and Small" since the subject matter was animals.<br />
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The inspiration of this project endeavor came from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/HeatherGallerArt?ref=l2-shopheader-name" target="_blank">Heather Galler's Art</a> on etsy. Clearly the students saw what Ms. Galler did and took a whole lot of creative liberties but I didn't have the heart to tell them not to be quite so ambitious and adventurous.<br />
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The students worked on poster board support and then used solvent based pens and markers to draw and color each of their works. I stressed the importance of using the positioning and arrangements of the patterns in order to show correct form as much as possible.<br />
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I don't know that I will be doing this assignment again but it was a good final assessment to be able to evaluate a myriad of skills and knowledge built up through a whole semester of 2D Design study. If I were to revisit this idea, I would change it by using bristol board (vellum texture) instead of doing the cheap poster board I hand-cut and used only because so much drawing, patterning, and drawing really broke down the rigidity of the cheap poster board (I buy in bulk) over time.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-70370707796717229222013-10-29T07:00:00.001-04:002013-10-30T09:51:03.877-04:00It's that time again :: Set Design :: Little Women - Fall 2013<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #f9cb9c;"><i>Don't forget to enter the "Giving YOU the good stuff" (from Prang) fine-line marker giveaway by this coming Thursday, October 31st, at midnight <a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/giving-you-good-stuff-prang-marker.html" target="_blank"><b>HERE </b></a><u>in the comments section</u>. </i><i>This isn't sponsored by Prang and is something that I just wanted to do because I like the Prang products so much after using them.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Remember: You don't have to tweet anything or follow me on any social networking conduits. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Just answer the question in the blog posting <b><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/giving-you-good-stuff-prang-marker.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> </b>in the corresponding comments section and I will pick a winner randomly and announce it on Friday, November 1st! Good luck to you in winning it the prize!</span></i></div>
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One of my major responsibilities annually is handling the artistic direction of some of the major<br />
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dramatic performance productions at my school. While this used to just entail set painting and dressing and prop creation and making, it's also become an even bigger task because I sometimes even draw up set plans for the faculty directors/producers/set building crews as informed by multiple meetings and "visions" that any involved might have for the finished show. This is what the aforementioned looks like...</div>
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To date, I have done the artistic direction for the following productions:</div>
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<li><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2012/02/throwback-my-first-endeavor-into-set.html" target="_blank"><b>Godspell</b></a> - a musical done in a modern and urban setting utilizing grafitti art in Roscoe brand stage/set paints and black lighting for effects</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2011/11/do-what-you-love-love-what-you-do.html" target="_blank"><b>Diary of Anne Frank</b></a> - a play done with a very open and multi-level layout to accommodate the open/ampitheater-like performance arts space that has little to not backstage area and no curtain to close so all scene and set changes must be done with lighting</li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2012/03/set-design-scenes-of-sights-of-sound-of.html" target="_blank">The Sound of Music</a> </b>- a traditional presentation of the musical done with a modular set design utilizing large flats and lighting for scene and set changes</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2012/11/the-crucible-of-painting-for-crucible.html" target="_blank"><b>The Crucible</b></a> - presentation was stylized with an off kilter feel in order to suggest major and continuing discord and disharmony across and connective in the whole performance</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/search?q=hairspray" target="_blank"><b>Hairspray</b></a> - a traditional presenatation of the music done with modular parts of the set in order to facilitate scene and set changes against a stationary background</li>
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As things go for me and mine, things are always hectic and requiring lots of going with the flow right about now and in the spring time (when the musical happens). My 5 yo daughter has pretty much been raised around set design, construction, and dressing at this point which is quite something else. The students and their families (who all pitch in for all of the productions) have pretty much watched my daughter grow up from when she had her own little pack and play set up back along the side wings to now when she can not only hold a paintbrush but insist on using it to so that she can "help"get the work done in time for opening night. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her work orders were to use a monochromatic palette to show a "pretty" scene to help keep things happy back there</td></tr>
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As things go, I always end up with the most tedious and time consuming task on the list of things to be done. *shrug* It's always something different and for this year's production it's stenciling wallpaper print on the huge stretched canvas flats that we reuse for every single production. </div>
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While it might seem there is a smarter and not harder way to do this? I have actually figured out the most efficient way to get the job done and the reason why we aren't just getting wallpaper and doing it that way? Our budget might not be able to accommodate that in addition to the fact that we can't wallpaper the flats because it will damage them to the point where we won't be able to recover or absorb the damages in time for us to turn around and use them for the spring musical. Painting (with stencils) is cheaper to deal with even though it takes a lot more elbow grease on my part. Thank goodness for my incredible student aides this semester!! </div>
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Anyway, the show opens this coming weekend and while I have a lot of stenciling still left to do, we are actually getting a lot of it done every day and we are right on schedule to be done in time. I'll try and share some pictures of the finished set before the show opens!</div>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-91122074773298593152013-10-28T07:00:00.000-04:002013-10-30T09:51:26.811-04:00The All-You-Can-Color Bar :: Student-centered Art Education<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #f9cb9c;"><i>Don't forget to enter the "Giving YOU the good stuff" (from Prang) fine-line marker giveaway by this coming Thursday, October 31st, at midnight <a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/giving-you-good-stuff-prang-marker.html" target="_blank"><b>HERE </b></a><u>in the comments section</u>. </i><i>This isn't sponsored by Prang and is something that I just wanted to do because I like the Prang products so much after using them.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Remember: You don't have to tweet anything or follow me on any social networking conduits. </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">Just answer the question in the blog posting <b><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/giving-you-good-stuff-prang-marker.html" target="_blank">HERE</a> </b>in the corresponding comments section and I will pick a winner randomly and announce it on Friday, November 1st! Good luck to you in winning it the prize!</span></i></div>
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I teach all of the foundational level studio art courses at my school and I also serve as the department head of the visual arts and in my time leading to me taking the leadership role I now have, I have found that the best way to facilitate the foundational level art courses is by allowing them to be exploratory in nature.<br />
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I can't tell you how many times I have heard the student artists that come through my class ask things like, "Can I use *insert any color here*?" or (during a mixed media project) "Am I allowed to use *insert any dry medium here*?" While it might seem exasperating for me to field these questions, I actually don't get exasperated. More than anything, it breaks my heart to hear the student artists ask these things in their obviously timid ways.<br />
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I always start the year with a pre-assessment assignment that allows me to see how much they might already know/can do as well as gauge how confident (or not usually) they are starting out. My favorite type or pre-assessment is one that employs mixed-media approaches. <a href="http://artroom104.blogspot.com/2013/08/studio-art-elements-of-art-and-prang.html" target="_blank">This year I took some brilliant notes from a fellow art education blogger and made oversized foldables telling and and showing the elements of art.</a> (I will be sharing these with you hopefully soon even though they are weeks overdue for this.) The endeavor worked out really well because it allowed me to preview some curriculum I would be instructing upon for this whole semester and it also allowed me to do one of my favorite things which was to set up a "color bar" for them to just dig right into.<br />
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It's taken me some years to figure out brands/types and then amass the wide array of dry media that you see above. For your convenience, here are links and more detailed descriptions of each of the things that are pictured above:<br />
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<li><a href="http://www.dickblick.com/products/prismacolor-scholar-art-pencils/" target="_blank">Prismacolor Scholar Colored Pencils</a> in a classpack of 288 count</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dickblick.com/products/mr-sketch-unscented-markers/" target="_blank">Mr. Sketch Unscented Broad tipped markers</a> in a classpack</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dickblick.com/products/sharpie-ultra-fine-point-marker/" target="_blank">Sharpie Ultra-Fine tip pens in the "80s Glam"palette</a> taken from many packages</li>
<li><a href="http://www.dickblick.com/products/crayola-construction-paper-crayon-packs/" target="_blank">Crayola Construction Paper Crayons</a> in a 16-color classpack</li>
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Now, just from the links, you might note that everything that I have here is quite high dollar and I just want to be clear and say that I didn't buy all of these just this year and what you see is replenished/replaced on a rotating basis. The Mr. Sketch classpack is one that was purchased two years ago. The Sharpie packs were purchased on major markdown two and three years ago. The Prismacolor classpack and Crayola crayon sets were purchased this year but that's only because they were up for that since I haven't bought either in three years. Rotating the stock so it is replenished in this way takes patience and plenty of time but I have found that it pays off because it allows for us to have higher quality materials that actually will last longer amounts of time. The other thing is that sometimes when the rotation to replenish/replace things comes up for something, there is almost always room in the budget to do so and we can pass down materials to other content areas - like the Social Studies or Science departments that have their students do lots of coloring of maps, diagrams, etc. </div>
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Anyway, I got very much off focus for why I even brought this up but my point was to show you a little bit of what I do in my art classroom with the whole business of just about opening my art supply cabinets to them and just letting the student artists use whatever they want of their heart's desire. I really REALLY like doing things in this very student-centered way because it encourages and supports them to be more personally invested since they are making even more of the major decisions in the creative process of their work. They get excited when I don't tell them what they can't do and instead tell them and SHOW them that I really mean it that they can do a whole lot of what they wanted to do to begin with. </div>
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I have also found that giving them the reigns in their own creativity actually wastes less supplies/materials because they know that if they are wasted they won't be there for them to use to begin with in addition to the fact that keeping them neat and tidy will provide for a much easier navigation of them. The whole "a place for everything and everything in its place" rules in the art classroom because the students realize the value of taking care of things by putting them back! One last thing that makes the all-you-can-color bar even more incredible? I am convinced that it helps the students to learn WAY more because I am holding them back (or things in the art studio back from them) way less. Keep in mind that I do this not just for "free art" days but also for major projects.</div>
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If you have never tried an "all-you-can-color" bar before, I encourage you to try it at least once! You might be surprised how much easier it is to manage than you anticipated and you might be even more surprised at how your students react to it (both in behavior and with class performance) in incredibly positive ways. </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-84039387029046152742013-10-25T07:00:00.000-04:002013-10-25T07:00:01.455-04:00Giving YOU the good stuff :: Prang Marker GiveawayThanks so much for sticking with me through this week of belated Dixon Ticonderoga's Prang product reviews. As promised in all of my reviews, I have a giveaway for you of my most favorite Prang product that I was so blessed to have try this week. And it is? The markers!!!<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/814y91k7gwL._SL1500_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/814y91k7gwL._SL1500_.jpg" width="299" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Prang-Markers-Washable-Assorted-80796/dp/B006TIIUMW" target="_blank">via</a></td></tr>
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Just to be completely clear, this is not a giveaway sponsored by Prang (meaning: they did not give this to me to giveaway) and rather it was inspired by my experience with all of the Prang products that I reviewed. Also, to clarify things, I did not review the fine line markers but I do own them at my home studio (shared with my 5 yo daughter) and I made the decision to buy them for our supply inventory because of <a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/too-good-to-keep-to-myself-prang.html" target="_blank">my very positive experience with the Prang broad tipped markers</a>.<br />
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Anyway, I am giving away the 96-set of Prang fine line markers just as you see them above to anyone who wants them whether you are an art teacher, working artist, homeschooling teacher, etc.<br />
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<u>Here's how you enter to win them! Leave a comment on this posting telling me the following: </u></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">What was your favorite product from Prang/Dixon Ticonderoga that I reviewed this week and why?</span></div>
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And that's it. That's all you have to do. You don't have to tweet anything or follow me on any social networking conduits. Just answer that question in the comments below and then I will pick a winner randomly next Friday. That means if you missed this whole week of of reviews and and need to go back and read them all then you have time to do that and then still enter the contest!</div>
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For your convenience, here are links to all of the reviews that I did this week:</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/maybe-i-do-like-watercolor-painting.html" target="_blank">Prang watercolor paints vs. Rose Art watercolor paints</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/too-good-to-keep-to-myself-prang.html" target="_blank">Prang broad-tipped markers vs. Crayola broad-tipped markers</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/this-showdown-of-two-pencils-was-almost.html" target="_blank">Dixon Ticonderoga standard pencils vs. Wal-mart standard pencils</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.dreampraycreate.com/2013/10/apples-and-oranges-sure-are-hard-to.html" target="_blank">Prang colored pencils vs. Crayola colored pencils</a></li>
</ul>
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And that's that! It's been a long while since I have done a giveaway on here and I hope that this isn't the last one for a long while but it honestly all depends on you! If it seems that you all are receptive, perhaps I can manage to do some more and more often. Remember! You have until next Thursday at midnight to enter the contest and I will announce the winner next Friday, November 1, 2013 at 7am Eastern Standard Time. </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-51689972961408779062013-10-24T07:00:00.000-04:002013-10-24T15:23:17.203-04:00Apples and Oranges sure are hard to compare :: Prang Ticonderoga Product Review<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;">Disclosure: Compensation was provided <a href="http://www.dixonticonderoga.com/">Dixon Ticonderoga company</a>. </span></i></div>
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;">Opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative </span></i></div>
<div style="color: red; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;">of the opinions or positions of Dixon Ticonderoga.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i></div>
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So, I might have hinted to much of what conclusions were drawn with this review simply by the very cliched title I selected but... well... here's the review. </div>
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It's another Prang vs. Crayola showdown and I am impressed (yet again) that Prang opted to send me a Crayola brand product instead of Rose Art or something. I feel like this says a lot about Prang's confidence in their product and I really appreciate that. Upon initial inspection of the packaging it's almost like looking at some throwback (of just a couple days but still) pictures of the marker review. Everything I noted before of the packaging is about the same but this time Prang didn't trump Crayola's palette by more colors... or wait... does it actually?</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vsReFVjNx0s/Umh3aPa0qoI/AAAAAAAASww/hqDqPXlUKBw/s1600/IMG_3856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vsReFVjNx0s/Umh3aPa0qoI/AAAAAAAASww/hqDqPXlUKBw/s400/IMG_3856.jpg" width="266" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hdA7OPFtxlQ/Umh3Zn31pyI/AAAAAAAASws/n6Ugp9dsH0Y/s1600/IMG_3860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hdA7OPFtxlQ/Umh3Zn31pyI/AAAAAAAASws/n6Ugp9dsH0Y/s400/IMG_3860.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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It's kind of hard to tell but Prang actually does have two more colors than Crayola has because the Prang set has metallic pencils that they included. In the picture below you can only see the silver but they also included gold. Crayola also had a white pencil and Prang didn't have that but I could do without a white pencil if I can get TWO metallics instead.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYcGNH1bILE/Umh3yZnsmrI/AAAAAAAASxQ/RX56UYgUkFk/s1600/IMG_3862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nYcGNH1bILE/Umh3yZnsmrI/AAAAAAAASxQ/RX56UYgUkFk/s640/IMG_3862.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The Prang pencils are obviously larger than the Crayola ones. I thought the larger size would bother me but I actually didn't mind it at all. It did make me feel like I was back in kindergarten writing with a "chubby" pencil though.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iaXZITu5y-8/Umh3uu1BwWI/AAAAAAAASxE/ndy2U-xzGJ4/s1600/IMG_3863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iaXZITu5y-8/Umh3uu1BwWI/AAAAAAAASxE/ndy2U-xzGJ4/s640/IMG_3863.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Something else interesting about the Prang pencils are that they are triangular in shape rather than being perfectly round. I mean, they are more like rounded and triangular but still? They have three sides (even though the picture below makes it hard to see that) and this design makes it less likely that they will roll around the table. I like this A LOT. Crayola, take notes from Prang because this is a very good idea!!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0d3085ccdwI/Umh40IyscMI/AAAAAAAASyE/5bHUEsUAdRI/s1600/IMG_3864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="506" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0d3085ccdwI/Umh40IyscMI/AAAAAAAASyE/5bHUEsUAdRI/s640/IMG_3864.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Another thing I noticed about both coloring pencils was the fact that while Prang had multiple languages/translations on their packaging, both companies had multiple languages stamped on their actual pencils indicating the color names.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7VtJRzG6so/Umh4FHZjHrI/AAAAAAAASxc/OiwYhvC360Y/s1600/IMG_3865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q7VtJRzG6so/Umh4FHZjHrI/AAAAAAAASxc/OiwYhvC360Y/s640/IMG_3865.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Moving on, here are the pencil sets in action. The color written indicates the color used from each palette. Prang is on the left and Crayola is on the right. If there is a color that seems to be missing (and corresponds with the opposing palette) it's not there because the set didn't include it.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SLCa18Yjldg/Umh4LLAvG_I/AAAAAAAASxs/frPUzQC3uqo/s1600/IMG_3866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SLCa18Yjldg/Umh4LLAvG_I/AAAAAAAASxs/frPUzQC3uqo/s640/IMG_3866.jpg" width="510" /></a></div>
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Right off the bat I will note that the colored lead from Prang lays itself down on the paper almost like crayon does. This is a weird way to describe this but I don't know how else to say it. I guess perhaps the Prang lead is a little bit softer? That makes a little more sense in terms of me describing colored pencils, I guess. Care to see them in action more than just in writing? I thought so. Here is something more in order to see the colors and how they perform on paper...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7XivSnO--7A/UmiAmmvI9XI/AAAAAAAASyk/baRdb-Mj1Gc/s1600/IMG_3878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7XivSnO--7A/UmiAmmvI9XI/AAAAAAAASyk/baRdb-Mj1Gc/s640/IMG_3878.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pardon the wonky-ness of the Crayola side. It was supposed to be symmetrical over the whole rainbow. </td></tr>
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While it's hard to see the colors for what they really look like, immediately it should be noticeable that the violets are very different from one another. The other colors? I feel like they look pretty close to the same. The greens and blues have a different sort of color tone to them and the marks that were made? Well, the Crayola seemed to lay out in a more smooth way but the Prang allowed for building of color to happen a lot more quickly and easily. Let's look at how they work when coloring colors over colors.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYYBA18jCrs/UmiBuMVIkzI/AAAAAAAASys/wzjtZZ-3VmE/s1600/IMG_3874.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HYYBA18jCrs/UmiBuMVIkzI/AAAAAAAASys/wzjtZZ-3VmE/s640/IMG_3874.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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For this, I used red on the bottom layer and blue on the top layer for both. As you can see, the Prang seems to color over the red and still maintain it's original color better than the Crayola does. Prang's layer is also much more dense in person to the point where (again) it reminds me of a good quality crayon.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xZfr-Mlyk1c/Umh5J7UD67I/AAAAAAAASyQ/w2mNjrcH6yY/s1600/IMG_3867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xZfr-Mlyk1c/Umh5J7UD67I/AAAAAAAASyQ/w2mNjrcH6yY/s640/IMG_3867.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I also tried out the pencil sharpener that came in the Prang pack. It's actually pretty decent little hand sharpener and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was a standard size/shape and I had no issue sharpening the triangular and larger Prang colored pencils. You can also see that I got a pretty impressive point on the Prang pencil without it breaking off in the sharpener - which is what Crayola's did which is why it looks so dull and short even though it was just sharpened.<br />
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One last thing that I did was to test out the gold and silver metallic pencils from the Prang set. I don't have anything from Crayola to compare it to otherwise I would have included them in this color off as well!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__gz-GqNvDk/UmiC2TfmNZI/AAAAAAAASy0/gDwreC1Yg5M/s1600/IMG_3873.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__gz-GqNvDk/UmiC2TfmNZI/AAAAAAAASy0/gDwreC1Yg5M/s640/IMG_3873.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The gold is on the left and the silver is on the right. I couldn't get the image color corrected the way I wanted it but know that in person these metallics are pretty decent for all accounts and purposes. This alone makes me that much more of a fan of the Prang set over the Crayola set but if this is saying that Prang won? It was only barely I feel like.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KJy4jTvGXIs/UmiDWcBZbII/AAAAAAAASy8/LCPJ8uh8adc/s1600/IMG_3640.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KJy4jTvGXIs/UmiDWcBZbII/AAAAAAAASy8/LCPJ8uh8adc/s640/IMG_3640.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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If I were to pick a winner for this one, I would say that Prang would get it and for reasons that Crayola wasn't even able to "compete" with like the fact that the free sharpener from Prang was a pretty decent little hand sharpener or the pencils are triangular so they don't roll all around the table or Prang had metallics and Crayola didn't. In terms of everything else though - color and line/mark quality from the pencils themselves. *shrug* I guess it depends on what is more important to you to decide which one is better. I am ALL about the extra swag (can I say that?) which Prang brought. I mean even the extra colored pencils to make it an even more open palette of colors were METALLICS and I love metallics. Is it unfair to judge Crayola on elements that they didn't even have a way to compete? All's fair in love and art. </div>
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And that's the end of the reviews! Tomorrow I'm doing a giveaway of one specific thing that I bought (and was not compensated with_ to share with YOU of Prang products and I only now love them because Dixon Ticonderoga (Prang) was so kind to send them to me to review in the first place. Come back tomorrow to see what's up for grabs and how to enter and win!</div>
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<i><span style="color: red;">Disclosure: Compensation was provided <a href="http://www.dixonticonderoga.com/">Dixon Ticonderoga company</a>. </span></i></div>
<div style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;">Opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative </span></i></div>
<div style="color: red; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;">of the opinions or positions of Dixon Ticonderoga.</span></i></div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2879758161266355501.post-84090258232442495732013-10-23T07:00:00.000-04:002013-10-23T07:00:06.951-04:00This showdown (of two pencils) was almost a DRAW :: Dixon Ticonderoga Product Review<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;">Disclosure: Compensation was provided </span><a href="http://www.dixonticonderoga.com/">Dixon Ticonderoga company</a><span style="color: red;">. </span></i></div>
<span style="color: red;"><i><div style="text-align: center;">
Opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
of the opinions or positions of Dixon Ticonderoga.</div>
</i></span><div>
<br />To be quite honest, I almost didn't want to do this particular review. This is because I pretty much already have my own opinions formed of Ticonderoga pencils (which is that they are the best pencils EVER) and this isn't for lack of experience with them. I've had quite a number of experiences with standard wood and graphite pencils and I have yet to find any other pencil/brand that can come even close to touching the awesomeness of Ticonderoga pencils. And for all of these reasons I haven't wanted to really review the pencils. I mean, clearly I am biased toward them on top of the fact that I am a brand loyalist on top of the fact that Ticonderoga pencils are the best! (Period)</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9QfR2KSqZJ8/UmcJe3dY9CI/AAAAAAAASvQ/GSphzlMpgh4/s1600/photo_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9QfR2KSqZJ8/UmcJe3dY9CI/AAAAAAAASvQ/GSphzlMpgh4/s640/photo_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's like a duel of the most unexpected two subjects ever. Who will be the winner and who will be the lose?</td></tr>
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All of this said, I still did the review and I must say... I was quite surprised by my findings about how a Walmart brand (of all brands!) was able to stand quite strong up against the ever favorite and popular Ticonderoga brand. <a name='more'></a></div>
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Let's first just inspect the pencils as they are. I apologize that I don't have pictures of them in their original packaging. Know this: the Ticonderoga brand came in a flexible plastic pack of 30 that were pre-sharpened and the Walmart brand came in a cellophane wrapped pack of 10(?) that were unsharpened. (Pencil) point number one goes to Ticonderoga for the fact that it had way more that came in the pack AND they were pre-sharpened. </div>
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(And also, if you want to, you can count how many terrible pencil-themed puns I use during this review. So far I have used far too many!)</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Znr9CN6H1dg/UmcLBvgMvpI/AAAAAAAASvY/k1fsOGsfxOE/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Znr9CN6H1dg/UmcLBvgMvpI/AAAAAAAASvY/k1fsOGsfxOE/s400/photo.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Now, despite the fact that the Ticonderoga brand did come sharpened, I wanted to see how well both would sharpen in an electrical sharpener because in my experience with pencils, how they sharpen is very indicative of their quality. The Walmart pencil didn't sharpen to quite the point that Ticonderoga did and I wonder if it was because the graphite is so much harder than the Ticonderoga one. *Hmmmm...* I don't know. And honestly? It didn't bother me all that much. The Walmart one still was pretty sharp as much as you would want it to be. </div>
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Now let's look at the other end because the build of the erasers can be just as telling as how well a pencil sharpens.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BzpF_kuJTnE/UmcLBhsdWoI/AAAAAAAASvk/wg8c1rARqjs/s1600/photo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BzpF_kuJTnE/UmcLBhsdWoI/AAAAAAAASvk/wg8c1rARqjs/s320/photo_1.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h7HtCMpELoU/UmcL3CshhTI/AAAAAAAASvo/cqq6Sg5XzCU/s1600/photo_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h7HtCMpELoU/UmcL3CshhTI/AAAAAAAASvo/cqq6Sg5XzCU/s320/photo_2.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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One thing I noticed almost immediately was the fact that the eraser are very different shades of pink. The Ticonderoga eraser also seems a lot softer and cushiony to the touch. The ferrules of the pencil (is that even something on a pencil? Well.. that's what the metal part is of a paintbrush. *shrug*) were two different colors and the Walmart one didn't crimp and fit so perfectly around the eraser (to hold it on and into place) as well as the Ticonderoga one was. You can even see the slight gap between the ferrule and the Walmart brand pencil's eraser. (Excuse my oil paint-stained hand. We are focusing on oil painting in 2D Design currently. Also, whenever I work with paint, I purposefully do a poor job at washing the paint stains off because I actually feel better having paint stains on my person and my clothing.) </div>
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Anyway... let's look at something else of the pencils now. How do they write and what do they look like on paper? Check it out...</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfocD9dQiCA/UmcNPItzKjI/AAAAAAAASv0/-GKw1yhI8W0/s1600/photo_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cfocD9dQiCA/UmcNPItzKjI/AAAAAAAASv0/-GKw1yhI8W0/s640/photo_4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hmmm... pretty close but you can tell a difference in the line quality of the Ticonderoga one. See where there are some places (like on the C and D) where the line looks like it is a little different - like, it's more intense in some places when compared to others? The Walmart brand didn't have that so much. I surmise that it happened like that because the Ticonderoga #2 graphite is much softer than the Walmart brand. </div>
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OK. So now that we have continued to see how soft the lead is, let's see how it works in something other than drawing. How about some quick shading?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MmtGY5r9ax4/UmcOmh23AxI/AAAAAAAASv8/HB46V6ZSVZ4/s1600/photo_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MmtGY5r9ax4/UmcOmh23AxI/AAAAAAAASv8/HB46V6ZSVZ4/s640/photo_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Edited this into grayscale to be able to neutralize the effects of weird lighting/coloring</td></tr>
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Now, I had previously been biased against the Walmart brand and more toward Ticonderoga but after doing the written comparison, I started thinking that maybe the Walmart brand wasn't so bad. I even forgot (for this part) that I was using the Walmart brand and I was earnestly trying to shade (quickly though) each of the cylinders with as much of the same effort as possible with BOTH pencils. I mean, yeah, it's easy to see that the Walmart brand has that one really intense stripe of dark grey while the Ticonderoga one is clearly more evenly shaded but still? I don't know. I feel like the Walmart brand is holding up a lot better than I expected it to. I'd even say it's putting up a good fight! (Y'know... I mean, if pencils DID fight all by themselves and not with like how students use them to see who can get whose to break first.)</div>
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I checked out the erasers next and what I found there was more interesting than everything else so far. (At least in my opinion)</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hh5bvCuwNmY/UmcP1EcUWLI/AAAAAAAASwI/qEFR3YUWzow/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hh5bvCuwNmY/UmcP1EcUWLI/AAAAAAAASwI/qEFR3YUWzow/s640/photo.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walmart on top, Ticonderoga on the bottom. You can see the Ticonderoga has a richer graphite but the erasers? Close. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OiO8FNO7B8A/UmcP1HE6utI/AAAAAAAASwE/UVs_uByj1dM/s1600/photo_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OiO8FNO7B8A/UmcP1HE6utI/AAAAAAAASwE/UVs_uByj1dM/s640/photo_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of that eraser "dust" is from Ticonderoga's eraser and NOT Walmart. HMMM.</td></tr>
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One of the things I have always loved about Ticonderoga and what I feel like makes the pencils so superior is the eraser. The eraser is designed in such a way that it just erasers marks in a more clean fashion than every other eraser - even kneaded erasers or art gum erasers! There is one problem with the erasers though. THIS:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sjpDAAh-qKw/UmcQleSWDNI/AAAAAAAASwU/ZWG7z2vljnQ/s1600/photo_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sjpDAAh-qKw/UmcQleSWDNI/AAAAAAAASwU/ZWG7z2vljnQ/s640/photo_3.jpg" width="412" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is barely any Ticonderoga eraser left! </td></tr>
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Now, to be fair, I really REALLY put these two pencils through some things they probably wouldn't go through in a span of 15 minutes of use. I was extra hard on them and really tried to use them in ways that I felt would showcase how durable and tough that they are. I genuinely thought that the Ticonderoga would "school" the Walmart brand one but honestly? I feel like after seeing how much of the eraser disappeared in comparison to the Walmart one that had a lot more left of it? Well... Ticonderoga, you weren't nearly the competitor that I thought you would be. *shrug*</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v0dJsiVOX5s/UmcRYYz7FzI/AAAAAAAASwc/aK5QawRZVBI/s1600/photo_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v0dJsiVOX5s/UmcRYYz7FzI/AAAAAAAASwc/aK5QawRZVBI/s640/photo_4.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The end of the duel and I feel like both competitors fought quite a good fight. </td></tr>
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After doing this review, I still feel like Ticonderoga is one of the best pencils out there but I don't know that I feel like it wins by as much as I used to think it did. Something that surprises me even more is the fact that the Walmart pencils was the one that made me reconsider how awesome Ticonderoga is compared to other brands. Did I get a really good batch of Walmart pencils? Dixon Ticonderoga sent me the pack of competing products so did they know that Walmart would do this well but that Ticonderoga pencils would still have the edge in the end? I don't know that information either. *shrug* </div>
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I will continue to buy Ticonderoga pencils for my classroom despite the fact that the erasers disappear so quickly with regular use and this is because (from experience) I know that they last longer than other brands that I might normally order. Perhaps though I should start taking trips to Walmart and putting them in my stock next to the Ticonderoga. </div>
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And that finished my review on the standard graphite pencils from Dixon Ticonderoga. Come back tomorrow because I am looking at the colored pencil set that are up against a Crayola pack. We've already seen Crayola get beat once with the marker set, perhaps that sort of thing will happen again! Or... similar to today's review... the Prang (Dixon Ticonderoga) coloring pencils will have some real competition by way of Crayola. Too bad I don't have a Walmart brand instead. It would be nice to see if it was fluke that they won this one alone. </div>
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Also, don't forget that on FRIDAY of this week I will be giving away one of my most favorite things (that I reviewed) to one lucky individual who is (perhaps) sold on Dixon Ticonderoga (Prang) products after vicariously living through my reviews this week! </div>
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<i><span style="color: red;">Disclosure: Compensation was provided <a href="http://www.dixonticonderoga.com/">Dixon Ticonderoga company</a>. </span></i></div>
<i><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;">Opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative </span></i></div>
<span style="color: red;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: red;">of the opinions or positions of Dixon Ticonderoga.</span></i></div>
</span></i>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17492749097146998056noreply@blogger.com0