National Art Honor Society

Polytech art students who complete a semester of either Commercial Arts/Advertising Design or 3D Computer Animation may be nominated to join our chapter of the National Art Honor Society. This organization focuses on art scholar, character, and service. Students complete community service projects, attend field trips, participate in art projects, and are eligible for scholarships. Anna-Lisa Eriksson, received a $4,000 scholarship from Columbus College of Art & Design for her membership in NAHS.

College Tuesdays: Full Sail University, MECA, Ai and more

For the entire 1st semester Polytech art students have "College Tuesdays". They research college options, search for scholarships, apply for financial aid, write a college essay, prepare their portfolio, attend National Portfolio Day, and welcome college representatives to make presentations. The following are links to some schools that have visited so far this year:
Full Sail University
Maine College of Art
Art Institute of Philadelphia

College Portfolio Preparation

Polytech students work towards creating a successful portfolio for both college and employment. Because the vast majority of students here go on to major in art in college they must develop strong life observational skills. Here a student works on a self portrait from life including personal objects to express her interests. She is working in colored pencils. Click here for more information on colleges that Polytech art students have attended and alumni updates.

Published Book Illustrations

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Students in the Polytech Commercial Arts program can now include commissioned and published cartoon illustrations in their college portfolios thanks to the just released book, “Memoirs of an Impurfect Salesman” by author and Flemington resident D. S. “Chip” Carroll Jr. The students were hired by Mr. Carroll  last year to provide illustrations for each chapter of his autobiography that takes readers through his extensive career in the sales industry.  The cover of the book, designed by Steven Jaskula, includes a humorous collection of advice and guidance with cartoon illustrations submitted by the three students.   Says Carroll, “Finally, a sales book with cartoons and pictures to hold your interest!” Bethany Wright and Allison Petronio are seniors at Polytech and plan to continue as art/design majors in college this fall.   Steven attends the Kubert School in Dover and is studying cartooning. Pictured here are Bethany and Allison with their published cartoon illustrations. 

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.

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.