Reflection:

Original work in Digital Graphics and Animation demands artistry and creativity beyond my wildest dreams. I look at some of my students' work and marvel at their imaginations.

My own work in this discipline has been limited to enhancing graphics created by others, occasionally with ingenuity, but learning the capabilities of the software has been fun. While Digital Graphics and Animation certainly can stand alone as a TA discipline, part of its appeal to me is the support it extends to all of the other disciplines. The interest it adds to the products we create in every TA course makes them more visually appealing.

I feel the limitations of my lack of artistic ability continually, but this must not become a stumbling block to me in the classroom. In addition to teaching the four strands that run through every TA course, I can certainly teach students how to use basic graphics tools and animation software. Showing examples of the wide variety of products that can be created will enable each to use his personal talent. Tempering my teaching liberally with encouragement will ensure that all of my students enjoy learning, and some will create absolutely phenomenal graphics and animations.

Artifact #1

Caption 1

I have chosen my Jack in the Box antenna ball project as my first artifact because it demonstrates that art elements can be found in the light and frivolous as well as in the serious. I needed the sense of humor in this product at the time I created it.

Indicators: I, II, II, IV, V, 7.3, 7.4, 7.6, 7.8, 7.9, 7.10, 7.13, 7.14, 7.15, 7.16, 7.17, 7.18, 7.19, 7.21, 7.22, 7.23, 7.24, 7.28, 7.29, 7.31, 7.32, 7.34, 7.36, 7.37, 7.38, 7.39, 7.40, 7.41, 7.42, 7.43, 7.47, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.7, 8.9, 8.10, 8.11, 8.13, 8.14, 8.17, 8.18, 8.19, 8.20, 8.22, 8.23, 8.24, 8.25, 8.26, 8.27, 8.30, 8.31, 8.33, 8.34, 8.35, 8.38, 8.39, 8.41, 8.44, 8.45, 8.46, 8.47, 9.1, 9.8, 9.11, 9.13, 9.16, 9.20, 9.21, 9.24, 9.28, 9.39, 9.42, 10.2, 10.19, 11.9, 11.12, 11.16, 11.17, 11.18, 11.23, 11.24, 11.25, 11.26, 11.27, 11.30, 11.35

Artifact #1

Descriptors: Elements of Art, Principles of Design, Integrating Productivity Tools

Title: Representing Design, A Biographical Sketch of a Jack in the Box Antenna Ball

Course: TATC 100 Foundations

Date Created: August, 2002

Source: Individual project

Media: Photoshop Elements, Microsoft Word, PDF

Description:
A Jack in the Box antenna ball and a group of his friends illustrate elements and principles of art in a biographical sketch.

Rationale: This light-hearted work uses a story line and digital graphics altered in Photoshop to demonstrate elements and principles of art including line, shape, form, color, value, space, texture, balance, emphasis, repetition, rhythm, alignment, and proportion. I chose a Jack in the Box Antenna Ball because of the simplicity of its shapes. I could create an interesting, unique product with the limited skills I possessed in the first TATC course.

Implications for future: Small successes can provide a lot of encouragement in a learning situation - a thought that should be kept in mind for the classroom. Finding a starting point where you can succeed is important because it encourages you to try more complex projects with more depth.

Reviewer's Comments: "Your assignment was great. I loved the story along with the illustration of your examples."

Reviewer's Name: Debbie Birdsong

Reviewer's Comments: "Fantastic! I loved it. It made me laugh during a very long day."

Reviewer's Name: Marta Merlino-Calvert

Title: TATC colleague

Date Reviewed: August, 2002

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