Illustrating Principles with Principles

This covers two assignments. I'm having my HS Commercial Art class illustrate quotes, poems or songs. This is from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. My 8th Grade Art class is learning about the Principles of Design, I asked them to use visual principles to illustrate/express democratic principles ( I also teach their Civics class). This is my humble offering. I'm also going to make a stamp version (ink and rubber, instead of in photoshop).

Photo; Composition

Take the Photo-Composition quiz online By or Before Friday October 4th, whenever you feel you're ready.

Composition Terminology

You may need to look some of these up on your own if you can't find them in our book, because this is a supplemental unit. Tryhttp://photonotes.org/dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com, http://en.wikipedia.org or if all else fails, just try googling them. You may also pick-up some of these terms by reading the articles I've included links to on this page or by watching the videos I've embedded here.

• Principles of Design; Click here for a good explanation of the principles.
  • Balance, Symmetry, Asymmetry
  • Emphasis/Dominance
  • Unity
  • Rhythm
  • Eye-Flow
  • Leading Lines
  • Variety
  • Proportion
  • Hot-Spots
  • Horizontal 1/3 & 2/3 lines
  • Vertical 1/3 & 2/3 lines
  • Golden Mean/Golden Section
• Framing
• Cropping
• Placement
• 3/3, 2/3, 1/3, Tight
• Foreground, middle-ground, background
• Walk-Around
• Merging

Shooting Assignments

#10- Take some landscape or townscape pictures using the Rule-of-Thirds. Upload your 3 best to our Flickr group by or before October 4th. Actually, once you think you understand the Rule of Thirds, try taking almost all of your pictures from now on using the rule. Ideally it should become "second-nature" for you, so that you'll do it without even trying. Then, when you do deliberately break the rule, you're work will be even stronger. Click here to look through my 4-H Presentation for examples of how the Rule-of Thirds works, otherwise, be sure to watch the videos on the bottom of this page.

#11- Take some pictures using "Leading Lines." Click here to view some examples of leading lines from Flickr. Again, please upload 2 or 3 of them to our Flickr group by or before Friday October 4th.

#12- Shoot some subjects using framing. Make sure that you read pages 182-183 in our textbook (London/Stone) and take a look at Terry Eiler's photo at the old fiddler's convention (1978). Click here to view some examples of framing on Flikr.Upload your best 2-3 to our Flikr group by/before 
Friday October 4th.


#13- Point-of-View. Take some pictures from unusual angles. These may or may not end up being DOF, macro, or distorted perspective, and they don't have to follow the rule-of-thirds, but these should be from points of view that you don't usually use.Here are some examples of POV pictures on Flickr. As with all four of these assignments, you have about 2 weeks, to take them, please get them into our Flickr group by
Friday October 4th.
. Please feel free to get them there sooner! In fact, you may want to get each assignment uploaded as soon as you're done with them, instead of waiting until you have all 4 done.

Class Participation Grade

Every time you have a chance, go ahead and comment on the example pictures in the galleries (or on mine, if you want to) and more importantly, please leave comments on each other's pictures in the Group Pool. I give you credit every time you do, so if you're at all worried about your quiz grades, participating on Flickr can help raise your average.

Articles on Composition

• Top 10 Photo Composition Rules

Videos on the Rule of Thirds

How to Create Composition with the Rule of Thirds

Here's a video on how to compose with the Rule of Thirds from film makers

Rule of thirds from Jayne Whitelock on Vimeo.

Articles on the Rule of Thirds

• http://www.digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds
• http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelines_for_better_photographic_composition_rule_of_thirds.html
• About.com Rule of Thirds examples
• About.com Rule of Thirds article

Introduction to Art (9-12)

This class is designed for the student interested in learning more about art prior to graduation, but who was unable to take Drawing. Through lecture, classroom exercises, and projects students will be introduced to the visual elements and principles of design. Students will learn about the four disciplines of art; aesthetics, art history, art criticism, and art production. All students must have either this course or introduction or Drawing prior to any other art class.

Line, texture and optical illusions

Students are introduced to the concept of abstraction. In this assignment, they are asked to gradually abstract an image in stages, from only slightly stylized, to almost non-objective.


High school students are sometimes re-introduced to concepts from middle school, but are expected to produce a high caliber work.




Since Introduction to Art is a survey class, students have an opportunity to be exposed to clay too.