Q: How many classmates do we need to respond to for the assignments?
A: Good question - and in the online environment this issue has been the hardest to pin down among curriculum designers and program managers. I'll email this out to everyone so we are all on the same page.
Take a look at the rubric below as we discuss this, as a reference. Related to the discussion of participation is what you don't see - I have edited the course to reduce the number of assignments to 3, rather than 5. I have moved the DQs objectives into assignment discussion so we can concentrate and focus on drawing, yet still have some written elements/components. I have also moved the day 7 critique assignment into the weekly participation so people can apply your feedback to an assignment before the end of the week.
What does this mean for us then, regarding participation points?
You need to critique another student within two days of an assignment for full points (usually between 3 and 4 points per assignment). At the bottom of this page is an example of good critique writing for another course - this example has 4 crits - you just need one per assignment unless otherwise noted. I don't want a term paper, just thoughtful analysis that proves you have spent a minute or so reviewing some else's drawing.
Then, you need to more informally respond to people responding to you, and generally show through your posts on various dates that you are in the classroom, looking around while posting your own work, responding to me, other students, posting short posts that create a supportive and engaged environment. Usually worth 2 points.
So do your crit, post or respond to few other students, and you should be OK. Check spelling and grammar, and keep an eye on informal word count, around 150 -200 words per crit. The general participation can be a sentence or two, much more conversational.
Rubric for week 1, sketch 1, example.
Sketching Exercise 1 Grading Criteria: Maximum Points
3 dimensional forms, proportions, composition, following directions (no ruler...) 4
Presentation, craft, label 4
Critique (within 2 days of the assignment due date for full points) 3
Written component (description of process, overall experience) 2
Participation 2
Total: 15
Crit Examples (from a design course)
(In response to a student having trouble thinking of what to say in a crit)
Jeff P: My best friend in college was the one who would walk up to my painting and give me honest feedback - I knew when it worked and when it didn't by his reaction. I think about that when critiquing. As they say in art school "if you want praise go visit your mother" (: Although praise from someone who has also been critical is especially valuable!
Another thing is to turn it into a game - take the list of design elements and principles and see how many you can use - "line was used to create movement", shapes were overlapped to created depth"
Onground we have a 2 minute crit limit to get thru a class of 20 -25...the rule is "regardless of quality, give us 2 positive comments, and then 2 'critical' comments, or suggestions"
Even if you love something and have no suggestions, there are ways to describe WHY you love it.
Keep up the effort! (:
Topic: Assignment 4: Critique
CRITIQUES from Tim LaBreche
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ASSIGNMENT TWO, CRITIQUE ONE: K------
This critique is on K------'s second submission of the assignment. Overall this is a unique concept using the homonym of ‘i’ and ‘eye’. It’s difficult to determine whether or not K------ used the Blend tool in Illustrator or did it by hand. For the most part, there is an equal transition between each step. The last three steps are the ones that are giving me trouble. It appears that the ‘i’ disappears completely between steps 5 and 6. It could have transitioned once more. Also, even though there is an extra step in the process, it doesn’t really have to be there because steps 6 and 7 are basically the same image. Kelly has a well laid-out presentation that would work well in her portfolio.
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ASSIGNMENT TWO, CRITIQUE TWO: W------
For this assignment W------ chose to transition from a star to a bird. I may be wrong, but it appears that instead of using the blend tool, Walter chose to overlap the images and use the Divide tool to create the gradation. The transition may have turned out smoother if the blend tool would have been used. Unfortunately, I listened to Jeff’s video critique before I posted and I can’t help but agree that it could be much more dramatic if the bird were facing the other way, which would make it appear as if it’s in flight.
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ASSIGNMENT THREE, CRITIQUE ONE: N------
N------ has created a very informal and asymmetrical piece. The artist has stated that music is the central theme of the project. That was not obvious to me without looking closely at the complexities of the work. N------ shows a great use of contrast with the balance of white and black, thin and thick lines and the musical notes that are scaled (hee-hee) at different sizes. That being said, could there be too much contrast making it difficult to look at? It is very busy. The contorted/sheared musical shapes throw off the rhythm of the work. With the random and chaotic placement of all of the pieces, there is no form of gravity in this piece. I’m not sure there has to be. All of that being said, as a former marching band member and amateur piano player it is a perfect example of intricacies of music.
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ASSIGNMENT THREE, CRITIQUE TWO: P------
P------s piece makes me think of one word. It’s not a word I use often. The word is wispy. Her informal project is a great example of asymmetrical design. The central focal point is obviously the off-center black area in the middle of the canvas. All of the swimming lines direct you to that central area. It almost appears that no two lines or shapes are alike. The piece appears to be very well balanced with all of the design elements emanating from the central focus. The light-hearted feel of this is very refreshing. Penny shows that a piece doesn’t necessarily have to be busy and cluttered to be effective. There is more than one type of contrast in the work. The difference between the curly shells and the pointy stars along with the thick/thin lines and the dashed lines give the viewer a level of interest to view. There isn’t a lot of color contrast, but there is enough to engage the viewer. The heavy black form in the middle seems to be counter-balanced by the wavy lines throughout the perimeter of the work. It entire piece almost appears to be dancing.
The only area I could recommend for improvement on this piece is a variation on the shape of all the swirly shells throughout. It appears to be the same shape with different line weights. Good job P------!