Quarter 4. Finial Blog

To end quarter 4, we finalize the Draw Space Unit. Focusing on different textures and different techniques. Throughout the year we learned how to bring our textures to life, by using different hand techniques. This quarter was by far the most difficult. The most difficult drawings were the 3D facial ones. Trying your hardest to not miss one of the finest facial features. Everything that we learned we had to apply to the drawings we were assigned.  

IMAG0213
IMAG0213
IMAG0211
IMAG0211
IMAG0209
IMAG0209
IMAG0208
IMAG0208
IMAG0206
IMAG0206
IMAG0202
IMAG0202
IMAG0200
IMAG0200
IMAG0199
IMAG0199
IMAG0205
IMAG0205

Negative space reflection

What is negative space?

Negative space is a picture in black and white showing difference in the lights vs. darks

Explain how you found negative space in 

1. your cut out?, 2. in your still life drawing?

I found it through the different colors in my cut out, I found it in the realness of the still life.

Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?

Because it gives you two views to art.

Does seeing in negative space enhance drawings, why or why not?

Yes sometimes.

Photo on 5-30-13 at 8.38 AM
Photo on 5-30-13 at 8.38 AM
Photo on 5-30-13 at 8.39 AM
Photo on 5-30-13 at 8.39 AM
Photo on 5-30-13 at 8.42 AM
Photo on 5-30-13 at 8.42 AM

It's Kind of a Funny Story IRP

Aaron Block

6/7/13

English (Red)

Ms. Dunn

It’s Kind of a Funny Story Book Review

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini is a book about a teen who tries to commit suicide and is put in a mental institution. This book was made into a movie in 2010 featuring Keir Gilchrist, Dana DeVestern, and Zach Galifianakis.

Craig, a teenager who just got into a prestigious school in New York City, feels overwhelmed with all his work. On top of that, his best friend Aaron is dating Craig’s crush, Nina. Craig begins to get depressed and uses drugs to feel better. The drugs do not have a lasting effect. After Craig tries to commit suicide, he calls the suicide hotline. He is told to check himself into a mental hospital. There, Craig meets Bobby who shows him around the hospital. He also meets Noelle, who is in the hospital for cutting herself. Later, he falls in love with her. Through art, Craig is able to rehabilitate himself.

Craig has to overcome a lot in this book. Throughout the entire book, Craig has to deal with an internal struggle. This book covers some serious and grim material. Therefore, it is good that Bobby is there for some comic relief. Sometimes, when you think the book may get too intense, Bobby is there to lighten the feel. It makes the book much easier to read. Some themes in this book are peer pressure and self-identity.  

While Craig’s situation is an extreme one, I found some aspects of his experience relatable. I think anybody can react to feeling pressured like Craig was. Craig just let his feeling of being pressured take over him. This book has a very basic human aspect to the book. On the other hand, the setting and other characters in the book can often be hard to relate to. For most, a mental hospital is not a typical setting. It is not a place most of us experience. In addition to the mental hospital being a difficult place to picture, Craig’s experience in the mental hospital is an unusual to say the least. This makes the book less relatable.

While slow at times, this is still a decent book. Craig’s feelings, while maybe not coming in such intense forms, are pretty common. This helps make the book more enjoyable. Craig’s experience in the mental hospital, on the other hand, is something that not most people experience. However, on the down side, I found it hard to immerse myself in the book because of its pace. The funny aspect of the book made up a little bit for the pace.

I would recommend people read this book. If you enjoy reading this will probably be easier for you. For people who find themselves bored when they read, they also might get a little bored with this book. To those people I would also say continue reading because overall, this book is definitely worth it.








It’s Kind of a Funny Story Playlist

Love Buzz - Nirvana

Love Buzz is about being in love with someone. It exemplifies how Craig feels towards Aaron’s girlfriend, Nina. The song is also loud and intense. When someone listens to it, they can feel the frustration in Kurt Cobain’s voice.

Adam’s Song - Blink 182

This song is about a child who wants to commit suicide. He feels like he is under a lot of pressure. Adam’s Song is written in the form of a suicide note which can make listening to it unsettling and uncomfortable, but also fits with the book at points.

Jumper - Third Eye Blind   

This song is about trying to get someone not to jump and commit suicide. It is analogous to the part of the book where Craig is talking to the person from the suicide hotline.

Me and My Friends - Red Hot Chili Peppers

In this song, Anthony Kiedis sings about all of his friends in his band. It is similar to Craig meeting new friends in the mental institution. Much like his friends in the mental hospital, this song is also a little strange.

Teenage Dirtbag - Wheatus

This song is about a guy who likes a girl. This fits with how Craig feels towards the end. In addition, the love interest’s name in the song is Noelle just like in the book.

Always Look On The Broad Side of Life - Monty Python

After some time in the mental hospital, Craig starts to feel better. This song exemplifies that to some extent. It is a cheerful tune even though the lyrics are kind of grim. It is also a funny song to show that the book has some funny parts.





Element Project

Inquiry: Inquiry was used since I didn't really know much about my element. This project for me involved a lot of inquiry. I wondered things like what can I draw for my element and whats the atomic number of it.  

Research: To start this project, we first needed to know about the element that was given to us. Research was used to help find out what things related with our element, so that it could be turned into a piece of art. 

Collaboration: With our friends we helped each other by giving suggestions and better ideas. We worked together to make each of our art piece the best it could be. 

Presentation: Our art piece will be presented on this blog and on the walls of our school, so we tried to make it nice and presentable. My art piece are professionally pictured. 

Reflection: I had a lot of fun doing this project. We didn't just use pencils and papers, lots of cool things were given for us to use. I think my final product is really nice and I like it a lot. 

IMG963
IMG963
IMG962
IMG962
DSC05647
DSC05647

Negative Space

Negative space is when there’s space all around an image. To some people negative space seems like an optical illusion. There’s more than what meets the eye. An example could be a drawing of a vase, the space around it is the negative space. That negative space could also be a drawing of two faces facing each other and the outline makes the vase.

When doing this project it was really hard to find the negative space of the project. When it came to drawing in my sketchbook I was lost. So the easiest way I found the negative space was by making the whole page negative by then I could draw the object or the positive space. With another picture I drew the picture first then added a shadow which acted like negative space. When it came to my real life drawing I used Ms.Hull’s picture as an example. My negative space was the green paper. The trick was to only cut one paper and use the mirror effect to place the positive space down.

I think negative space really enhances drawings. You can look at it in different ways and find something new it makes them fun to look at and it keeps you thinking about what was first. It’s like zebras, are zebras white with black strips of black with white strips? Everyone knows the answer but it’s a fun question to ask. Like art some people see one thing while others see something completely different.


911551_579092958789399_1136996205_n
911551_579092958789399_1136996205_n
911929_579092812122747_354614630_n
911929_579092812122747_354614630_n
913163_579092842122744_77367300_n
913163_579092842122744_77367300_n

Negative Space Reflection

Negative Space is when you draw the outline of an object on one side and the other side is colored in. 
I found the  negative space by looking in the empty space between the objects. Then I shaded it in.

I think it is important for artist to use negative space so they can see the whole object. 

Negative space enhances pictures so you can see the outlines of the object. And so you can identify where what object begins and ends.

400x400-1
400x400-1
400x400-2
400x400-2
400x400
400x400

Humanities Final Portfolio 2013


         “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” ― Albert Einstein

This past school year in English and History, I gained a better understanding about what is currently going on in the world. I learned that there is so much stuff going on around us that we are unaware of. Not only did I learn what’s going on around us, but I also got a better insight on the use of language. Language can be your own unique way of communicating. Whether it’s art, poetry, making up your own words, or just speaking how you grew up speaking, language can be versatile. Overall, I gained a better understanding of what is going on in the world around me. 

One of the things we learned about this year in History was the Renaissance. The Renaissance  involved a lot of art. Artists in the Renaissance used art to express themselves, or to express their admiration of people and places. Art in the renascence was a big form a language for the artists who made them. It was their way of communicating to the community. On one of my Renaissance assignments I wrote, “Artists discovered how to paint in three dimensions, bringing realism to their subjects. They broke away from the religious traditions of the medieval world, and the created new genres of art.” I got this from the research that I did on the Artists in the Renaissance. The artists communicated to the community by catching their eye with new genres of art. Here is one of my Renaissance assignments. This affects the world today because many of these Artists became famous legends. Today, the world is inspired by them because they made a statement saying that, you can speak through art. 

                               "Poetry is the universal language" -William Hazlitt.

Another form of language is poetry. One of our units this year in English was a poetry unit, and in this unit we had to create different types of poetry. Throughout this unit I got to communicate my thoughts and feelings into poetry. Actually poetry is one of the ways that I communicate my feelings, and also just writing. They are forms of my language because I’m free to write them however I please. I can say what I want, and not have to worry about what people may think. Here is one of my lines of poetry, “My heart was calmly waiting for me recognize what was right in front of my eyes...”. You can read more here. At the end of the unit we had a poetry festival where everyone shared their poems. Each poem was different because everyone had their own way of writing, and that’s what makes poetry a universal language. Another example is English journal #21 where I wrote about my opinion on having a mask. Society doesn't always allow us to speak freely, so we use art to speak for us. 

We also had language unit in English. In this unit we had to write a language autobiography about our own language. In my autobiography I talked about how I purposely make an effort to have perfect grammar, because I don’t want to be judged by society. Of course I still make mistakes, but I purposely correct myself. In my autobiography, I stated, “I let the use of grammar control me so much, that when I say something incorrectly I automatically feel ashamed. I get embarrassed and I come down even harder on myself. At other times I’m afraid to speak up because I’m afraid of how I will sound, that I may not sound right, or that I won’t make sense.” I came to the realization that language is whatever you want it to be, not what society wants it to be. This year in English helped me realize that one of the ways the world defines you is by how you speak. 

Not only did I get a better understanding about language, but I also learned that You have to step out of your comfort zone to embrace change. In English, we had to make a podcast called “Crossing Boundaries.” In this podcast we had to interview someone who crossed a boundary, and it could be any boundary. My interviewee was crossing the boundary of harshness to sensitivity. In the interview, the interviewee stated, “I had to learn how to be more sensitive. See, I was cut throat, I was told to be honest......and I was even honest if it hurt people, and I really didn’t care.” Being harsh was my interviewee’s “comfort zone”, and it wasn’t until something traumatic in her life happened that she decided to change by becoming more sensitive. After she stepped out of what she was comfortable with, she was able to humble herself by being sensitive. 

Another assignment we did in English was a descriptive essay. In my essay I described my experience going house hunting. My mom and I had never moved, so it was pretty new going house hunting. Moving involved adjusting to our surroundings, and we didn’t know where we were going to move. We had to step out of our comfort zone anyway, and take a leap. Since we were ready for whatever we would come across, it was easier for us to embrace moving. Now, because we did step out of our comfort zone, we moved, and adjusted to our surroundings just fine. To embrace change in this world, you have to take a leap.  

In conclusion, my knowledge and understanding has definitely expanded in History, and English. I’m very much aware of what’s going in the world that I was never aware of before. I’ve learned so much about current events in the world, past events, and things that happened in history that affect us today. I’m very grateful that I’ve learned what I’ve learned this year. Many of the things that I’ve learned, I will continue to carry with me. Like Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” I know that carrying the things I’ve learned with me will open many doors for me to go many places. 


Screen Shot 2013-06-10 at 3.10.10 PM
Screen Shot 2013-06-10 at 3.10.10 PM

Never Shall I Forget- English Journal #41

Never shall I forget... that last race, spring season of my novice year. 
Never shall I forget the joy and tears of that bittersweet moment. 
Never shall I forget standing on that dock having our coach place the gold over my neck as the people in the stands stood up and cheered for us.
Never shall I forget how close we grown with our coach.
Never shall I forget how much we learned from her, and how much she inspired us. 
Never shall I forget the revenge we wanted on Merion Mercy that day and the excitement when we achieved that revenge.
Never shall I forget the commitment we had put into this sport that year.
Never shall I forget the pain, the sweat, the tears, and the smiles.
Never shall I forget... that last race, spring season of my novice year.

Rbah

For my senior project, I decided to do a fashion show, to allowed the SLA community to be apart of it by designing their clothing and showing some skills they have. At first, I did not know where to start. I was confused on how exactly I wanted my capstone to be. Finally, I decided that I wanted each designer to create something that is already made into something new. I wanted the designers to also choose who they want as their models, and what designs they want their models to have. Everyone is not perfect, some people wants to do something once in a lifetime, but they cannot because no one has given them a chance. I felt as though having anyone in my show and as my designer was fine with me. It is hard to be something you want in life when there is no one out there who is willing to help you or give you a chance. Even though I may not be the best at speaking or writing, SLA choose to give me a chance as a student, which made me who I am today. Everything I have learned, I learned it from my SLA family. Therefore, everyone has a passion for something but may not be good at it, so I was actually looking for people like that. Also, I did not want any discrimination towards anyone, so I did not do any tryouts or pick and choose people. As the week went by, I changed up a few things because I came up with new ideas, I needed the SLA community to help me donate clothes, shoes etc., or anything they did not want. The next week, I more and more about how exactly am I going to do this in so little time. I watched Youtube fashion shows and read more articles on how to create clothing, for example cutting sewing and even styles that I thought were cute. After weeks of researching, I found 5 designers who were interested in being a part of my capstone. I told them exactly how I was confused on what to do exactly but I will soon figure things out. So with the help of the SLA community, I was able to get two big bins of clothes and other things. I showed my designer some ideas I learned from researching, and how I wanted them to present their designs. 

  Each week I changed my capstone, or just made it better with some new ideas. Since I wanted it to be a creating new styles from old style I asked my SLA community to help me by donating clothes they did not want. After, I asked the designers to choose five models to model their clothing. Also, they should sketch out their designs for me. Afterwards, I let the designers buy fabrics and colors for their designer, some of them wanted to sew new clothing but did not in the end. Since it was all about the designers, I then thought of a new idea again. I decided to have five themes for the fashion show since there were five designers. Each designer made two outfits per model. As the process went on, a lot of things changed. Some people were not coming during the week to work on their clothing. Some of them were not able to sew with the sewing machine. Also, one of my of my designers dropped out. At first I wanted to freak out and cry, however I did not because I learned that it would not solve the problem and the show was in a week. So, I decided to create a theme to fill in for the designer that dropped out. I asked a teacher to teach me how to sew. I learned how to sew and dip dye in two to three days time, then I helped some of the designers who needed more time on sewing. Along with this, I asked some of friends from CHAD high school to come in to help because they were the experts at it. The week for the show, I taught the models how to walk, asked the camera crew to record for the show and got the DJ, makeup, performers, all that I needed. Overall, at the end of the day, my show went well, because everyone that I asked to help me did their part, and I made sure everything was set up correctly. A lot of the people in the SLA community helped the show to be great, so without my designers and them, the show would not have happened. 


I am most proud of myself, I really had no idea how to start at first but I just know I needed to start, so as weeks went by, I came up with more and more ideas for the designers and i never depended on anything. I always have a back up for just in case. I learned a lot of things threw out this process, I never knew anything about sewing clothes or cutting patterns for the clothes before sewing the clothes. I also learn that teamwork is the most valuable thing you need to a fashion show. But if I had the chance to do it all over again, I would start earlier on plaining things, instead of waiting, I would work with the models for a long time instead of waiting the week of the show. SLA is a better place because I allowed some of my following SLA students to show their talents or got the chance to do something they always wanted to do but never got the chance to do it. Maybe, it change some people lives, some of them may want to become a model or have more confident in performing now. Also, the diversity I made the show to have, everyone felt comfortable with what they was representing, each styles represents something and I feel really good that I was able to make some people feel confident of what they do.

Q4 Art Drawings

This quarter in art we focused on how to make all of the things we learned throughout the other quarters and made them come to life. We had to make it so that we have developed our drawing skills. So this quarter I really focused on making my drawings life like and making them great to look at.  I believe this quarter was more difficult becasue I had to really incorporate everything I had learned over the Academic school year and make it so that I had life like portraits.  
This quarter I had the most difficulties because I was so focused on developing my skills I really had a tough time demonstrating what it was exactly what I learned. I think it is more difficult to express what it is you are learning on canvas than in any other region of art. This school year I really developed an appreciation for the way things go on in the Art community. Drawing these portraits this year really made my had more steady and I think I am a way better drawer now than I ever was.
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.22 PM
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.22 PM
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #6
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #6
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #5
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #5
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #4
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #4
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #3
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #3
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #2
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM #2
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.21 PM
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.20 PM
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.20 PM
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.20 PM #2
Photo on 6-9-13 at 12.20 PM #2

Voces Inocentes

Mi proyecto se trata de cómo guerra puedo violaron derechos humanos. Voces Inocentes se trata de un niño nombrado Chava y su amigos dealing con la guerra civil en El Salvador. Porque de guerra los soldados obtiene niños y forzando ellos luchar sus lado. Chava y su familia y amigos deben sobrevivir la guerra civil.

Voces Inocentes toma lugar en El Salvador en  el 1980 ’s durante el Salvadorian guerra civil. Los carácteres principal de Voces Inocentes son Chava y su familia y amigos. Chava y su amigos toman doce y los soldados de el Salvadorian guerra obtiene niños a doce y fuerza ellos luchar.

Clip 1 22:20 - 23:50

Educacion

Durante el clip los soldados toman los niños de sus escuela. Este es un violación de educación derecho. Los niños son solo doce y estando fuerza luchar en la guerra. En la militaria no el cosa sola ellos enseñar los niños es como disparar un arma de fuego. Los niños no tienen escuela media y estando tomado hacen soldados.


Clip 2 de 56:50-57:10

Tortura

Este es un ejemplo de un violación de no  persona debería ser tortura. Después la lucha afuera de la  escuela  los soldados golpean y tortura la sacerdote. Los soldados dijeron que la sacerdote dio permiso por soldado usar iglesias. No persona merce tortura, la sacerdote y las gentes de El Salvador quieren nunca hacer con la guerra.

Clip 3 de 58:20-59:50

Libertad de pensamiento y libertad de reunión pacíficas

Durante esto clip la sacerdote es predicación a todo de la gente sobre la guerra. Este es un ejemplo de defendiendo  libertad de pensamiento y reunión pacíficas. Como la sacerdote habló mas gentes juntaron escuchar. La sacerdote fuera haciendo mal nunca por expresando su pensamiento así los soldados no pudieron interviene.


Aprende que en el Salvadorian guerra civil niños fueran fuerza luchar a doce. De la película soy tomando lejos que todos nosotros deberíamos disfrutar las cosas pequeñas en vida y no tomamos por concede. La película también hace mi realar que allí son gentes en otros lugares que tiene ir  pasado cuando malo cosos diario.

Final Art Blog, Good Bye Readers!

This is the last quarter of Advanced Art, and we continued to finish up on drawingspace.com. I learned so much from the site, and my drawing skills have improved. I started with Section H, which was focusing more on face, lips, and the human body. But drawing these helped me with shading and make things in 3D look more realistic. I applied all the things I learned this quarter and improved on my drawings. My favorite drawing from this section is the kid that looks as if he is running, I applied all the skills I learned into this one photo for sure.


The next and last section I focused on was section I. This was a difficult, yet very interesting section, this section tied in all of the new things I know about drawing. I expressed my creativity through my number 2 pencil creating some of the best pictures I ever drew. One of my favorite pictures from this section is the turtle, I shaded, sketched, and made sure it looked real as possible. 


Once I finished that, I remade a art project I did a while back. I copied another artist photo, on a huge paper. I believed my skills and art talents improved, so re drawing this seemed like such a great idea. Once I finished I told my self my hardwork payed off, my art skills improved and now I call my self a true artist. Look below for the final picture, good bye readers.

IMG_2187
IMG_2187
IMG_2188
IMG_2188
IMG_2189
IMG_2189
IMG_2190
IMG_2190
IMG_2191
IMG_2191
IMG_2192
IMG_2192
IMG_2193
IMG_2193
IMG_2194
IMG_2194
IMG_2195
IMG_2195
IMG_2196
IMG_2196
400x400
400x400

A Presentation On Public Education At TFI

​Name: Andrew Chalfen
Mentor: Chris Lehmann
Supporter 1: Doug Herman
Supporter 2: Luke Van Meter
Out of School Mentor: Alice Ginsberg
Out of School Supporter 1: Fredrick Bertley

Topic Summary:

The goal of this project was to understand the economics behind public school education and immerse myself in the environments that are effected. Through that process I created a website to outline my work (http://achalfen.wix.com/savephilly). After that I set up a time at the Franklin Institute to give a presentation on my project. Through my presentation I educated and raised awareness of over sixty different people.

Abstract:

This project was inspired by two events in my life. First was a constant delay in transportation after an away basketball game leaving me wondering about the environments of the schools I was visiting. Second was a conversation I had with Mr Herman about white flight in the strawberry mansion area. As my project progressed I was constantly finding myself surprised by how the reputations of many schools were far worse then the school itself. I studied budets and the effects it has on educational culture and learned a lot of surprising information. My presentation at TFI was probably the biggest moment of my academic career not only being filled with my teachers and peers from SLA but also many family members and around 30 of my closest friends from outside of school came and supported me. My project created of serious issues that could potentially impact future generations of students in Philadelphia.

The Giver - Independent Reading

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Review by Todd Samuels

This children’s novel starts out in a dystopic place. It is a fictional story. Though it is first seen as a utopia by the reader initially. The story follows the main character named Jonas, Jonas is 12 years old. In this fictional society Jonas lives in the society converted to a practice called “Sameness”. The society elects Jonas to be in the position of “Receiver Of Memory”. 


This is a custom in their society that when you turned 12 you were given the job you would have for the rest of their life. For Jonas this meant he was to remember the past ways of all the times before the practice of “Sameness”. He then meets the previous receiver The “Giver”. Jonas initially is confused at the knowledge that is being presented to him. Jonas realizes that his society is deprived of so much information but if they were to find out about what was going on outside of their little world it could cause major chaos. The people in his community are only happy because they do not know a better life. Jonas questions whether to stay with his community or to leave an to see what else is out there for him to explore.  


He asks The Giver to come with him, they both decide that the time for change was now. Jonas had been curious to know what more of the terms in their society meant like “release”. You might just think the normal definition ‘letting go of something’. The something is this society was being lethally injected upon your will. Even having twins was not legal, the smaller twin was literally thrown away. Jonas knew that this had to change. With his new found interest in the outside elements of affection and wanting change Jonas becomes attached to a child that is in the Nurturing Center which is set to be “released” the second day. He, The “Giver” and the child devise a plan to escape. They do escape and get the where was described to be a land called “Elsewhere”.


I do like this book the story constantly kept me engaged in what was going to happen next. This story was somewhat like the hunger games in a sense with the rather extreme measures that were taken in the story. I do not think that there were any in fact weaknesses in this story it is apparent that it was a well thought out plot which is meant to confuse the reader initially until the reality of the story is revealed. I would definitely change the killing of children, babies I do not think that aspect was necessary although it was a major part of the story the reader will not realize until the end though.


Yes I would recommend this book to other people, it isn’t just your average “Cinderella story” there is substance to the reading which keeps you wanting more in my opinion. The author initially draws the reader in with radical customs things that you wouldn’t expect as a first time reader of this story which drew me in as well. The story is well written; and there are three other stories that are a part of the series making four books in total. This is a great reading for all ages.

Creative Poem

 Fiction: By TJay The Poet

It's fiction but its real
"Sameness" 
This is general & the author is kinda famous 
After reading a bunch of pages at some point you're caged in
You don't want to face reality , he puts knowledge on you it follows you
You must make a decision 
So you devise a plan 
You become 
attached again 
Killing babies , 
and it's crazy 
Maybe you weren't ready , 
he had decided already , 
then he brings his accomplice ,
what he wants he accomplished , 
they go to a world where it was in the prophecy 
Shows that the giver was right 
it's not a game -
Monopoly 



Negative Drawing

​Negative space is the space around/between an image. In my drawing I found negative space by cutting my linoleum block with the linoleum cutters. It helps an artist to see negative space so they can see the space around the picture or drawing. I don't think seeing in negative space drawings because it still looks the same.

Independent Reading Q4: 13 Reasons Why

Written Assignment:

For my final Independent Reading Project I read 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This was a very and suspenseful novel. There were many things that intrigued me and hooked me onto this book. It tells the story of a girl by the name of Hannah Baker who killed herself. Clay Jensen, one of Hannah’s acquaintances, was the one who was listening to the tapes throughout the novel.


One thing that I loved about this book was the detail in each character. Even though all you heard Hannah from was her tapes and thoughts, you could cleary guess what was going through her head. She was a depressed and stressed girl that had “reasons” for everything. I liked how Jay showed her emotions and feelings and it was also very relatable to the mind of a young teenage girl. Even though all teenage girls can’t say they killed themselves, there are things that make them want to. The reasons Hannah had were all great examples of that. (Whether it was related to relationships, friends, or family.)   


This book was really interesting to read and I didn’t want to stop. Although I couldn’t relate completely, most of Hannahs reasons were things that have happened to me before. It made me feel like I’m not the only one struggling with the kinds of problems she had. Even if I didn’t have suicidal thoughts because of my problems, I was probably pretty close. This book just reminded me of how my life used to be. It felt good to read because it was a reminder that I overcame my emotions and didn’t resort to what Hannah did. Overall, this book was actually better than I expected it to be and I would recommend it to many people.



Creative Assignment (Playlist):


Stranger by Jhene Aiko: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y21lLimmy8Y
This song is about the artist having a connection with someone she hasn't met or someone she doesn't know too much about, but they have the same type of feelings. It also tells the story of someone not knowing what they have done or who has done something. In the book, Hannah has all these feelings for people that don't even know what they did. 

Save Me by Nicki Minaj: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYNPuckZX7k
This song tells the story of a girl who is lost and needs someone to help save her. She needs someone there to help before she loses her mind and does something crazy. In the book, Hannah actually went crazy and committed suicide. 

Sad Songs by Melanie Fiona: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjYmepzHrFg
Melanie Fiona sings her heart out about how she has no one to share or hear her feelings with. She sings about all the sad memories she has with people that brought her depression. In the book, Hannah is telling these people that broke her down what they did on the tapes.

Lost by Frank Ocean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_XQaIcIAfg
This song is about a young teen that lost himself and didn't know where his mind was. He let other people control him and didn't know how he could fix it. In the book, Hannah has all these reasons (13 to be exact) why she did what she did to herself. The reasons were all about what people did to her, such as Tyler, who was "creeping" in on her while she was getting dressed. Things such as this built up anger inside her that made her lose herself. 

Ordinary People by John Legend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIh07c_P4hc
John sings about how everyone is very different, but more alike than you know. This song sends a message that people should be treated equally and should never feel like they a beneath someone. In the book, this is obviously the main reason why Hannah plugged the plug on herself. 

Catch Me by Nicki Minaj: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBDKSqIDSw
This song by Nicki talks says so much. She delivers lines about how people used to tear her down and make her feel invisible. My favorite line would have to be, "It's funny how you could always make me feel small, I have given my all. Catch me, catch me, I think I am going to fall...." That one line, I think, basically describes the whole book. People always made Hannah feel like she was small and unimportant. 

It's Kind of a Funny Story Book Review

It’s Kind of a Funny Story is a fantastic book by Ned Vizzini. It’s about this boy who finds his life so depressing or so he thinks; that is until he checks himself into a mental hospital and is admitted into the adult psychiatric ward. Once Craig gets a little tour of the hospital he finds that he does not belong. There are people with all types of problems there such as schizophrenics and psychopaths. Craig also has some personal problems. He has a really big crush on a girl named Nia. However Nia is his best friend’s girlfriend. His life seems like it sucks but he has things he also enjoys. He loves peeing. When he goes over to his friend’s house he’ll go into the bathroom and turn the lights off and pee. 

Craig has things that make him happy too. He loves drawing art. He likes to draw road maps. When he was four he lived in an apartment in Manhattan. The pipes were exposed and became very hot in the afternoon. Anyway his dad would take him out to breakfast and ordered him pancakes. The streets were sideways and the avenues were up and down. That’s how his dad would cut his pancakes and that’s how Craig learned where he lived. They’d name the streets and made their way to their address. This was a very happy time in Craig’s life. Now Craig is in the hospital and he’s enjoying the stay.

As his stay in the hospital continues he realizes that he has other things that make him happy. He finds that art such as music and drawing makes him happy. He also meets a girl named Noel. She turns his whole world upside down. She makes him feel happy and he likes her. She likes him too but they’re are kind of shy. Noel is in the hospital for cutting herself multiple times in multiple places. They learn from each other that life may get difficult but at the end it’s not worth killing yourself over. Things get pretty rough in the hospital because Nia comes and visits. While Nia is there she flirts with him and tells him that she and her boyfriend just broke up. Some things happen in the bedroom and he disgusts her so she runs out. He say something that Noel over hears and makes her mad. They soon forgive each other and fall in love. Craig gets out of the hospital and reduces the stress building up on his shoulders. 

I would recommend this book to someone else because I really enjoyed it. It’s pretty funny and it makes you stop and think. I think about my life and it could be so much worse. I’m thankful for the life I live and I’m glad I read this book.



Maps

They help you get to and from

Navigation

It’s like a map but a voice

Make a right turn in a quarter mile

Make a left a the next corner

Craig;

A boy who took the wrong turn

Right for happiness

Left for depression

Craig’s life wasn’t so good so he took a left

As he made that left he saw a beautiful young lady

Nia

It was like love at first sight but he then saw a boy holding her hand

Aaron

They went right because they were happy

Craig continued down the left road

and came across a hospital

He went in but this time he made a right

In the hospital he discovered some interesting things

Art like music and drawing

Oh yeah and Noel

As he stay went on 

he realized right was the way to go

He fell and love with Noel

and she fell for him

it was beautiful young love

And that’s basically the end !

Independent Reading Project: Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

Unlocked is meritorious novel by the Christian author, Karen Kingsbury. It is a modern day story into the lives of the two families. This story contains issues that take place today, such as autism, bullying, and acceptance. Unlocked is a tale of family struggle, but also miracles in the simplest things. This novel is a story of love, faith, struggle, and the supernatural. Unlocked was first released back in October of 2010. 

My book review below in pdf format:
English BMQ4 FINAL

For my creative piece, I made PECS cards. PECS stands for Picture Exchange Communication System. PECS cards are used as a form of communication for people with autism and special needs. The person just simply holds up a card that explains what he/she is feeling. For instance, if that person is sleepy, he/she would hold up a PEC card with a picture of a bed. In Unlocked, one of the main characters, Holden Harris, used PECS cards to communicate. When he wanted to watch a movie, he showed his mother a card with a picture of a television on it. When he wanted raisins, he held up a card with a pictures of raisins on it. I made several PECS cards that Holden used in the book, such as ones that said, “I love music, I see, I hear, Movie, I pray, and Dance.” 

My PECS cards below:
PECS cards
Screen Shot 2013-06-08 at 8.13.33 PM
Screen Shot 2013-06-08 at 8.13.33 PM
Screen Shot 2013-06-08 at 8.13.06 PM
Screen Shot 2013-06-08 at 8.13.06 PM
Here's the trailer of the book (P.S. Not made by me): 

Or click on this link

Negative Space- Joie Nearn

Negative Space is when you draw the outline of an object on one side and the other side is colored in. 

I found negative space by looking in between the spaces in the objects. Then I shaded the negative space. 

I think it is important for artist to use negative space so they can see the whole object. 

I think negative space enhances pictures so you can see the outlines of the object. 
IMG_2449
IMG_2449
IMG_4193
IMG_4193
IMG_5467
IMG_5467
IMG_7868
IMG_7868

Elemental Project: Calcium

Inquiry: I had to find information on my element for 2 reasons.  I needed to know what has calcium in it and its background.
Research: I had to look online for some facts about calcium.  I also had textbooks in Bio-Chem to help me.
Collaboration: I asked a few friends what they thought of my sketches.  I also gave feed back on others' sketches.
Presentation:  First I made sure to post my work on SLATE.  That way my peers and others can see my work.
Reflection: I reflected on my by posting my work on SLATE and doing this assignment.