Self Portrait Collages

A collage is a work of art made from a collection of items that, when placed together, creates a completely different masterpiece.


Students in the 7th Grade Digital Photography class created collages consisting of original digital photos, found art (3-d objects you can photograph), and stock images (found on the internet). Rather than creating a traditional self portrait that represents one’s likeness, the students were challenged to express his or her own personality, interests, and philosophies through the use of their various collage elements. Using Adobe Photoshop, the 7th Graders learned how to extract and manipulate images, cast shadows, add text, adjust color, and more. These full-color posters exhibit thoughtful composition and unbelievable creativity! Using our large-scale printer, the final products are 18 x 24 and are displayed in the 2nd floor lobby of the Middle School. Please come by for a visit! It is worth the trip!

Digi Photo

What a pleasure it was to teach our 8th graders this past semester. The projects were outstanding, and I hope that a love of design and multi-media production stays with them for years to come.

We are now starting something new! Our seventh graders are now exploring the fascinating world of Digital Photography. This new offering is taught by Mrs. McGraw, Technology Specialist & Mrs. Kamp, MS Art Teacher.

Our first project is titled "Self Portrait Collage." Students were asked to use photos, stock images, and found art and incorporate them into an 18 x 24 inch poster. In the process, we learned about Adobe Photoshop, an industry standard image editing program. We've learned more from the kids than they've learned from us! They are not afraid to experiment with different effects and tools, and the results are stunning.

We will post the finished products sometime next week. Stay with us to learn more about what we're creating in this new class!

White Board, Camera, Action!

Have you ever seen the UPS White Board commercials? You know the ones where the guy draws on the board to illustrate how packages travel from place to place? Well, our class decided to tell their own White Board stories, except, they added a technical element (after all, this is Digital Arts)!

The students worked in groups of two or three to make a stop animation video! They took hundreds of photos and pieced them together to create action and movement, which you will see in the clips provided below. Even though our movies are only 30-45 seconds long, the students can tell you all of the work they put into this assignment to make their story come alive. Take a look and talk to some our class members if you want to learn how to make your own stop action video!

We're Heading to Hollywood!

We now have seven serious movie producers in our class! For assignment #3, students were asked to create a "How-To" video containing orignial photography, title slides, video transitions and effects, and scrolling credits. This project seemed to be a big hit with everyone because the finished products look fantastic! Some incorporate still shots, rolling film, and quite a bit of humor. Enjoy our productions below!

Project #2 is Ready for Your Viewing Pleasure!

For our second project of the semester, students were asked to develop an advertisement for placement in a magazine. We discussed the basics of a grid and how to design an ad using lines and bounding boxes as guides. The main idea behind grid-based designs is to keep your text and imagery balanced and organized. Professional designers begin every project by setting up a grid, and our students are becoming quite the professionals themselves! We used Adobe InDesign to create the project and even used Photoshop to edit some of the artwork. Take a look at our work below!

Keep checking back with us! Our third project is nearing completion. Students created a "How-To" video using photographs they took themselves. We used Windows MovieMaker to create a story line with transitions, video effects, and music!

Project #1 Is In the Books!

Our class just completed their first assignment. After several rounds of peer reviews and revisions, the projects look fantastic! Mrs. Frederick and I were very impressed with the creativity and attention to detail that our students showed throughout the course design process. Take a look at the samples below! We are now printing these projects on our large-scale plotter. All pieces will be displayed in Room 203 of the Middle School.



We look forward tackling the next project which will involve designing an advertisement or a magazine spread.

Assignment #1: Illustrate a Phrase Typographically

When you hear the word "illustrate," you probably think of using images to paint a picture of a thought or idea. Well, in Digital Arts, we're going to use that word a bit differently.

Students will illustrate a phrase of their choice using type ONLY! We can't wait to see the creativity flow for this exercise. A few examples are below, but we encourage you to be original and stretch your designs to the limit. You can consult a phrase or quote reference book or discuss this with your family. Choose a phrase carefully and be certain you truly understand its meaning before you decide to typographically interpret it. The goal is to come up with an interpretation that explains the phrase, adds a new level of meaning to it, or makes the audience think about it differently than when it is simply spoken. Be creative and have fun!