Featured Artist - Maggie B.

Featured Artist Interview: Maggie B.

From time to time, I ask one of my young artists a few questions about their work. This interview with Maggie, an 8th grade applied art student, is the third in the series. Read on to discover more about what inspires her to create.

Mr. Leban: How long have you been drawing and making art?

Maggie: I've been doodling ever since I can remember. There is still a penned-in princess on the wall of my childhood bedroom. I was always interested in my sister's art as a little kid, which was the source of my inspiration.

Mr. Leban: What inspires you to draw?

Maggie: Like emotions, my inspiration comes and goes. My art is usually a reflection of what I'm feeling, with a mix of seeing something beautiful. I find faces really interesting and beautiful, and they are what I spend the most time drawing.

Mr. Leban: What are your favorite things to draw?

Maggie: My favorite things to draw are faces. Faces are so intricate and detailed and I love how one little thing can completely change how one looks. I love how we all look so similar and yet so different. I especially love spending time on the eyes, because they really are the window to the soul and are the key to completing someone's particular look.

Mr. Leban: What materials do you use to make your drawings?

Maggie: This year I've used Sketchbook pro to draw a lot, which has been really useful. But away from the iPad, I am pretty simple. My drawing pencils and fountain pens are enough to create the art I love.

Mr. Leban: What is a goal you have set for yourself as an artist?

Maggie: I've never really been one for setting specific goals, but I've always wanted recognition for my art. This means I will probably do a lot more art in high school.

Featured Artist - Griffin B.

Featured Artist Interview: Griffin B.

From time to time, I ask one of my young artists a few questions about their work. This interview with Griffin, a 7th grade applied art student, is the second in the series. Read on to discover more about what inspires him to create.

Mr. Leban: How long have you been drawing and making art?

Griffin: Ha! I’ve been drawing and making art as long as I can remember. I know I started making stories and writing when I was about three.

Mr. Leban: What inspires you to draw?

Griffin: When I’m interested in a certain topic, usually I like to make a spinoff of it, something totally new that would exist in the same universe. I also like when I get a creative assignment, because then I can be really creative and put down a wealth of ideas, but I also have the challenge of specified restrictions.

Mr. Leban: What are your favorite things to draw?

Griffin: My favorite things to draw are whimsical spinoffs of existing ideas. I also just like putting any wacky idea I have onto paper.

Mr. Leban: What materials do you use to make your drawings?

Griffin: Usually, I prefer the classic pen, but I usually use a pencil if I’m doodling in school. I’ve been making books since three, like I said, and those were made with pencil, so I still treat it like a wonderful artistic tool in memoriam of the old days.

Mr. Leban: What is a goal you have set for yourself as an artist?

Griffin: I really, really, really want to get a book published, or an artwork. I get inspired everyday, and I know that there are lots of cool fiction websites out there. So that’s my main goal. My other one is to complete a full-length novel. Not necessarily a super-long one- it’s about quality, not quantity- but it would still be a huge achievement for me.

          Griffin Bassett is a student at GBMS and is in the seventh grade. He enjoys walks on brisk days and the color blue. He also wonders why it is necessary to put a bunch of biography about someone after an interview about a specific topic. I mean, seriously? It’s about drawing, not walks in the park! He has a dog named Boo. Boo is very cute, yes he is.

-Griffin Bassett

AppleTV in the Applied Art Room

I recently purchased an appleTV with the help of the Brooks BRAVO Advisory Board. Funds were raised throughout the year and were allotted to "wish list" items of the BRAVO staff.  I have really wanted to become wireless and mobile as an educator. Up until now I have been using the AirSketch app to stream photos only. Sure, I could draw on the images, but it became limiting for presentation purposes and for sharing student artwork as it was being created.

With a helping hand from Tricia Fuglestad at Dryden Elementary School, I was able to find the proper connections and complete my setup. The following explains this new setup. Each image links to the Amazon marketplace where I purchased everything but the AppleTV.

This is the HDMI to VGA converter and its packaging that I found for $26.00. This is the "middle man" and connects your AppleTV on one end, and the projector on the other end. (see desk setup above)



This is the HDMI cable that connects the AppleTV to the converter. Depending on how close your positioning the AppleTV to the projector, you may want a longer length.



This is the VGA with 3.5" Audio cable that connects the converter to the projector. The sound is faint and not the best for a large classroom space, so I send my audio to a class stereo surround system.

With an iPad in hand (2nd generation or after), I can move about the room mirroring its screen seamlessly to the projector. Students can see me uploading their artwork to our Artsonia gallery. With the camera we can view live video of student artists working. I can share live edits and demonstrate different apps for them. With our class set of iPads, students can share their work one at a time from their seats. Simply put, this is awesome.

-Leban