Welcome to Early Calendar Visual Arts 1 Module 15 Instructor: Brenda Taylor

Mixed media, in visual art, refers to an artwork in the making of which more than one medium has been employed. Click below to get started. (Image Source: http://moonstarsandpaper.blogspot.com/2007/01/altered-book-pages_15.html)   

Preview it…What is mixed media? This week you will: learn about mixed media art create a mixed media work of art using a variety of resources create a digital mixed media collage post to the discussion board about Rauschenberg take a photo of your workspace and a work in progress create an optional portfolio collage of the work you have done in this class so far visit some inspiring web sites and videos!

Explore it … How it started… Began around 1913 with experimental collages by Pablo Picasso Items such as chair caning and paper were added to his works to create texture and elements of interest. Other artists soon began realizing that adding paper to their work gave them endless possibilities and options for their work.

Explore it continued… 1953 – Robert Rauschenberg, unknown at the time, received a drawing from Willem de Kooning. Rauschenberg had wanted to create an artwork by using the method of erasing. He received permission from de Kooning to erase his work from the drawing. The work was renamed, Erased de Kooning Drawing, and signed by Rauschenberg as his own. He said “I had been working at some time at erasing, with the idea that I wanted to create a work of art by that method. Not just deleting certain lines, you understand, but by erasing the whole thing. Using my own work wasn’t satisfactory….I realized it had to be by someone who everyone agreed was great, and the most logical person for that was de Kooning….finally he gave me a drawing, and I took it home. It wasn’t easy by any means. The drawing was done with a hard line, and it was greasy too, so I had to work very hard on it, using every sort of eraser. But in the end it worked. I liked the result. I felt it was a legitimate work of art, created by the technique of erasing.”

Explore it continued… Another well known mixed-media artist is Joseph Cornell. He used shadow boxes to incorporate many of his elements, and therefore is considered to be sculptor by many. Perfect example of how the term mixed-media can be used to for many types of art.

Explore it continued…. Today, mixed media art is the preferred medium of choice for many artists and journalers around the world. Countless websites are dedicated to sharing work and helping to inspire others to get started. Here are several websites to check out about journaling: http://www.journalfodderjunkies.com/ http://www.stampington.com/html/art_journ aling_w10.html

Explore it continued… Traditional methods of creating mixed media have been discussed up until now. NOW, we will look at some digital mixed media. Some examples are digital scrapbooking, Facebook or My Space (mixing images, music, notes, blogs all on one site). You may have already experimented with adding text to your images, added emoticons, maybe even more. VOILA! Digital mixed media!!!

Warm up Time for an assignment! After reviewing the information and links in the previous section, gather some materials together and create a quick (no more than 30 minutes!) mixed media spread in your sketchbook/journal.  Please incorporate the following elements: *At least two different types of paper *Text-writing-cut out words *Paint *Other material such as string, ribbon, found objects such as gum paper, movie tickets, etc. Your theme:  GROWTH Your sketchbook/journal pages should represent this theme through visual representation or through the use of the word 'growth.' When you are done, please take a photo and send it to your teacher using the link on the main course page. Answer the following questions in complete sentences. For this project, I am most proud of...... My biggest challenge was..... I learned that...... Submit this in the 15.3.1a Forum.

Create it ASSIGNMENT: Traditional Mixed Media Project NOTE: The most important thing that you do BEFORE you begin this project is to spend some time looking at the links on journaling. It's really important that you get INSPIRED! Once your creative juices are flowing- spend some time searching your house for different art materials that you can incorporate into a collage.  This could be a newspaper, old movie tickets, gum wrappers,  candy wrappers, stencils, paper towels, tissue paper, wrapping paper, bubble wrap (for making textured impressions) and any other cool, creative, colorful, inspiring papers that you can layer together. Directions: feel free to mix them up, change the order, or adjust as necessary! 1.  Glue down your papers in layers. 2.  Use some paint to create stencils or color, repeat often if needed 3.  Once paint has dried you can use pencil to make marks over your work. 4. Don't be afraid to try white gel pens over color, it looks great! You can incorporate a theme, text, images from magazines, etc.  Look at the inspiration in the Journaling sites. Click on this link for inspiration to get started: http://journalfodderjunkies.blogspot.com/2007/05/encountering-blank-page-part-1.html   Once you have completed your mixed media collage: 1. Take a photo of it and post it on the mixed media project forum  Title it, "Traditional Mixed Media Collage." 2. Write some comments on two other students' work.  3. Make sure to post what successes and challenges you faced while working, as well as explain what your piece is all about!

Connect it At this point in the course, I would like you to compile and create a portfolio of your work. 1. Go through each module and find your best work(s). 2. Take what you learned from Week 3- Talking About Art and "critique your own work". 3. Find those pieces that are your strongest, use some of the tips in the following links, and photograph your work. 4. Take those images and put them in a presentation format  highlighting you and your work. 5. Choose your favorite application to compile them such as Power-Point or use a new one such as GIMP or Animoto-(which you can download for free) 6. Then, post it or a link to it,  on the Portfolio forum.   Portfolio Tips: http://emptyeasel.com/2007/10/11/how-to-prepare-an- art-portfolio-a-guide-for-freelance-and-self-employed- artists/ http://art-support.com/portfolio.htm Animoto http://animoto.com/

Critique it "Erased DeKooning" by Rauschenberg helped him to achieve a level of fame.  After reading about the story of the piece and watching the video earlier in the "How Did It Get Started" lesson, you were asked to think about the following questions: Is an erased work of art a work of art? Can erasing be used as an actual medium? Please survey about 5 friends and family and ask them what they think. Do they think it can be called a legitimate work of art?  Please recount their responses in the Discussion Board below… and THEN tell us what you think.

Critique it continued… You have done a lot of personal art sharing - now, what about your workspace? At some point during your mixed media project, please take a photo of your work in progress.  Be sure to include the materials that you have gathered to work on your project. The project must be at least half way finished when it is photographed.  Artists studios and the spaces they work in are as varied as the artists themselves! The same will be true for you- some of you may have your own art space, in your own room.  Others may work on the floor, or at a table, perhaps even the kitchen table.  Don't stage a special photo- let us see your workspace in its' reality, and the progress you make with the abundance of supplies that you surround yourself with! Post your photo to the Assignment Blog for the Traditional Project and tell us a little about your workspace and how you feel about your current project.  Respond to two other classmates.

Imagine it Extra Credit Opportunity! Now that you have successfully created a mixed media online collage, have you thought about what would happen if you do a compilation of your work in the class so far? Try scanning or taking photos of the work that you have submitted for the class so far.  Compile all of the photos into one digital mixed media file, adding text in the final layer.  Be sure to use terms that we have studied so far this semester! If it turns out well post it in the extra credit forum. Email and let me know if you have completed this assignment for extra credit.

Review it Did you… read and learn about mixed media? create a mixed media work of art using a variety of resources and post to the blog? create a digital mixed media collagePost to the discussion board about Rauschenberg take a photo of your workspace and a work in progress create an optional portfolio collage of the work you have done in this class so far visit some inspiring web sites and videos!

THE END Next week, we will be introduced to 3D media. Have a great week. Contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Mixed Media Artist By: Roman Andrianov My artwork is a digital illustration (collage) that conveys the idea of mixed media. It represents a mixture of analogue and digital arts. "Assemblage #1" (48x54) by Los Angeles artist and sculptor Bruce Gray is a mixed media assemblage on aluminum. It includes painting, magazine and newspaper clippings, computer generated art, maps, stickers and other images.