Art school and college options

Even though students at Hunterdon County Polytech are being trained on industry software, work for clients, and learn about careers they can have as artists, the majority chose to attend further training after graduating from high school. 85% of my Commercial Arts/Advertising Design and 3D Computer Animation students attend college. Starting in September, each Tuesday, we discuss college. Students research colleges options (2 year, 4 year, tech schools, art schools, community college, liberal arts schools), they research majors that would include their interests in the arts, they attend National Portfolio Day, they prepare a portfolio, fill out applications, write college essays, and apply for scholarships. I strongly believe, that to succeed in this field takes hard work. Students committed to becoming artists/designers/animators can benefit greatly from attending college to master their technical skills and network with professionals. Just a few of the art colleges that my alumni have attended are the School of Visual Arts, Savannah College of Art and Design, Pratt, Parsons, University of the Arts, Art Institute of Philadelphia, Fashion Institute of Technology, Columbus College of Art & Design, San Francisco Academy of Art University, and The Kubert School. My students have received up to $48,000 scholarships for their portfolios. They go on to reach their dreams of working for Disney, becoming graphic designers, illustrating as freelancers, and sculpting three dimensionally on the computer.

Autodesk Maya

3D Computer Animation students at Hunterdon County Polytech have access to Autodesk Maya, the top animation and 3D visualization software used in the industry. Films, video games, commercials, and special effects are just some of things that can be created with Maya. My advanced high school students worked together as a team to create a project about outer space. Above is a still from this project that involved modeling, lighting, texturing, rigging, rendering, and animating. Team artwork above by: John Ambrosino, Anthony DaSilva, and Brian Petrilak.

Dia de los muertos

For 3 days students learned about the Mexican celebration of dias de los muertos. Two of those days, class was taught in Spanish as students discovered the ancient Aztec beliefs about death and life. Students created an ofrenda, or offering, to loved ones who have passed away. The ofrenda included lapidas (tombstones), papel picado (intricate cut paper designs), calaveras (decorated sugar skulls), flores de muerto (marigold flowers), pan de muerto (bread), velas (candles), chocolate, sal (salt), and agua (water). Watch our student-made video to learn more about the lesson.

STEAM

STEAM is adding art and design into the STEM initiative created by President Obama to encourage students to go into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. 3D Computer Animation students naturally cover all of those categories each day when working with Autodesk Maya. Classes have begun to use a wonderful resource by Autodesk to explore the principles and elements of art and design in a three-dimensional space. Throughout the year, I will focus on connecting the dots between art and STEM by showing students how 3D software is used by industrial designers, architects, and engineers.

Adobe Certification

As a Career and Technical Education teacher, it is very important to stay current in my field. An important part of that is technology. I attended 2 classes this summer in New York City at Noble Desktop. I took excellent courses with Dan Rodney in Advanced Photoshop and Creating eBooks with InDesign. The school is wonderful and the instructor top notch. I then took the Adobe Photoshop exam and became an Adobe Certified Associate. Being current and knowledgeable in software allows me to pass on valuable information to my students. Hunterdon County Polytech is a certified testing site. If interested in taking a certification exam, please contact me at tdiaz@hcpolytech.org

www.nobledesktop.com

Art Educators of New Jersey

Art Educators of New Jersey held its annual conference October 2, 3, 4 and I was a presenter this year. More than 1,100 art teachers for grades K-12 are part of this organization statewide. The conference is a wonderful event for us to get together and share lessons, ideas, and receive updated information in the field. My presentations were entitled Collaborative Projects in HS and Project Based Learning for HS Graphic Design Students. I spoke about my art students working with academic students at their high schools to complete design as part of collaborative projects. I also spoke about my students partnering with local Rotary clubs as part of Bridging the Gap. Students write marketing plans with the help of mentors and then participate in a job fair competing for paid freelance work. Today I was on the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce internet radio station talking about the program as well.

Guest Speaker: Doris Ettlinger

Children's book illustrator, Doris Ettlinger, was a guest speaker yesterday giving a presentation and holding a workshop for students. She is part of a series of speakers informing students of different career options in the art field. She showed samples of her work through the years and explained the process of creating it, the evolution she has encountered as an artist, and spoke of the multifaceted way she markets herself and makes a living. The students received tips on jump starting their creativity and concepts for a project as well as character development and page composition. Above is an illustration from her newest book Black Eyed Susan, reproduced with her permission.

Bridging the Gap

Commercial Arts and Advertising students completed their Bridging the Gap proposals and projects culminating with an awards breakfast this morning hosted by local Rotary clubs. Students participated in workshops on resume writing, interviewing, and portfolio presentations. They worked with Rotary mentors to develop marketing plans starting their own freelance businesses for illustration and graphic design. They designed and printed personal logos, business cards, and resumes. Next Polytech held a job fair with local businesses. Each student worked with a client to complete paying jobs. Today, students presented their final projects. Two students were awarded $250 scholarships for their performance. Above is winner Sara DiVito's bulletin board design for ProCare Rehabilitation. Below is winner Steven Jaskula's booklet design for the Hunterdon County teacher of the year luncheon.

National Stationery Show in NYC

Commercial Arts and Advertising students went on a field trip yesterday to the National Stationery Show in New York City. Held annually, this is a huge business event and tradeshow that draws thousands of attendees to see what's hot in the paper and party products industries. Earlier in the year, students designed original greeting cards and I thought it would be a good follow up to have them see how the industry decides what will be in stores. This show combines manufacturers, buyers, designers, sales reps, licensors, press, and manufacturing suppliers. Below is a greeting card design by student Maureen Healy.

Kickin It Wit Kevv

Students in both Commercial Arts/Advertising and 3D Computer Animation joined Hunterdon Central student Kevin Csolak to collaborate on a project raising money for the Diabetes Association. Kevin is a dancer and actor who started a group called Kickin' It Wit Kevv. He and two friends hold hip hop dance workshops for schools and community organizations to get kids moving to fight obesity and diabetes. My students created cartoon character designs portraying each of the dancers in the group. They also laid out a brochure, created a logo, and t-shirt design for the cause. Pictured above are top row left to right: Anna-Lisa Eriksson (t-shirt design and logo design), Noella Whitney (concept art, character design/final art), Matthew Decker (character final art), Maureen Healy (brochure layout), Kevin Csolak (Kickin' It founder). Bottom row left to right: Jessie Masaitis and Rachel Allen (dancers).

Art for a Cause

Nobody wants bad things to happen, but life doesn't hand you only the good. When student Maureen Healy learned that her friend Kevin Gilbert died tragically in a car accident, she decided to do something positive to remember him. She designed t-shirts using Adobe Illustrator in Commercial Arts class. Finding  a way to use your art skills/talent to help others will always be fulfilling. Money from t-shirt sales goes to a scholarship fund. See the article below.
News article Healy 05-09-11

Philadelphia Zoo

We go on a field trip each year to the Philadelphia Zoo. Students draw and paint animals from life. Filling sketchbook pages with gesture drawings, students can later use these visuals in their own illustrations or animation sequences. We also visit the art department at the zoo. We get to see how they design exhibits, signage, tickets, posters, billbaords, etc. We see their advertising campaigns and new exhibits before the general public-pretty exciting! Above is a drawing from last year's trip by student Kim Hiles.

Drawing Days

As artists we communicate visually. It may seem like some artists were drawing from birth and I always hear people say they can't draw a straight line with a ruler, but somewhere in between those two extremes is education. Sure, some people have natural talent, but there are rules, techniques, theories, practice, that can all be taught and learned to improve drawing skills. In classes here at Polytech we shut off all computers every Friday and just draw or paint. Students complete still life drawings from observation, portraits, landscapes, life drawing, imaginative work, etc. to improve their skills and create a portfolio that can be used for college applications or gaining employment. The above image is a still life drawing with oil pastel on suede board completed by student Daniel Currie.

Animation Careers

Being an animator is just one job to have in an animation studio. You could be a concept artist, character development artist, storyboard artist, layout artist, animator, inbetweener, background artist, inker, or painter. In the 3D world you could also be a texture artist, rigger, modeler, special effects artist, or lighter, just to name a few. The above image is a character design painted in Adobe Photoshop by student Ellen Strub.

3D Computer Animation

Of course everyone knows that 3D Computer Animation is used for movies and video games, but jobs are available beyond the entertainment industry. 3D artists work for architects, industrial designers, interior designers, and advertising designers. Virtual tours of buildings not yet constructed, animated samples of inventions not yet produced, light/color/furniture choices presented to clients, and television commercials, the evening news, intros to sporting events enhanced with 3D. The above sample is a character design by student Efosa Amegor modeled in Maya.

Careers in Art

Why not get paid to do what you love? People don't realize how many different places and different ways you could be employed as an artist. Everything you see in life starts with a pencil on paper. From the clothes you wear, to the car you drive, from the video game you play, to the food you buy in the store...you involved  the careers of fashion designer, fashion illustrator, textile designer, seamstress, industrial designer, video game designer, concept artist, 3D modeler, character development artist, animator, package designer, graphic designer-just to name a few. Above is a t-shirt design by student Bryan Wiszniewski.

Commercial Arts & Advertising Design

Commercial Arts is any artwork made to be sold in an intended market. Everything you see in life starts with an artist's sketch or a designer's concept. Artists work in a variety of traditional and digital media. In class, students work with charcoal, colored pencils, oil pastels, watercolor, acrylic, etc. to create portfolio pieces. They also learn Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop to incorporate type, graphics, and images into their work. They complete freelance jobs for clients and research options for art schools. The above poster design was created by student Taylor Carhart.

What is Polytech?

Polytech is the career and technical education school of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Students from 5 high schools all send students to us for a 2 hour period each day for specialized training. I teach both Commercial Arts & Advertising Design and 3D Computer Animation. Students in my classes are creative and talented; enthusiastic to pursue a career in the art, design, or entertainment industries.