Marquis Simmons

​For the fourth quarter we were given a list of projects that we were to complete. Instead of sticking to the script, Ms. Hull allowed me a chance to create my own projects. I took this as a chance for me to try some things I hadn't done all year which was to create projects that were "different" than the usual things we do. 

In order below:
The first things I created was a giant pencil made out of little pencils. I did this because I though it would look cool and also be something that no one else would think of. My next project was the big stop light. I used paint for this one because this isn't a tool I usually use. The last two pictures are of a project that Ms. Hull gave me the idea for. She wanted me to create something new for something I was greatly interested in. I decided to create new logos and uniforms/jerseys for my favorite sports teams. 

When we come into SLA as freshman we are given our laptops and some much appreciated freedom. Looking back now, I wish I could have been given something that would have given me ways to help my laptop last longer, and remain as fast as it was that first day of school. Because of how I felt I wanted to make my capstone something tangible that students can look back at and use to their advantage. To do this, I created a brochure, which was a good way to present my information in an easily accessible and comprehensible way. 

The second quarter was a bit different from the first, with the art forms expanding from just being simple drawings or paintings to being sculptures and photographs. To start the quarter off we did a larger version of the clear object drawing that we did previously in the year. The projects after that were a bicycle drawing, sculpture, and our 200 photograph project.  

I had the most fun doing the 200 photo project. We had to take a bunch of photos, and pick five of the best ones. After that, we went into photoshop and edited the pictures anyway we wanted to. I enjoyed taking pictures of different things, and searching for interesting landscapes and pieces of nature. 

Below, I have posted the main pieces of art I did this quarter. In order from top to bottom:
Large Clear Object
Bike
Sculpture
Five Edited Photos- Before and After

I had fun working on these things this quarter, and now I'm looking forward to working on more projects next quarter. 

Marquis Simmons

Homemade Toaster Pastries

INGREDIENTS

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk

Strawberry jam
Fresh strawberries, chopped
½ a vanilla bean, split and scraped

Vanilla icing/frosting for the top of the pastries.

RECIPE

Pie dough mixed with sugar, flour and salt can be used for the outside of the pastry. The first step is to separate two sheets, one for the top and the other for the bottom of the pastry. Put the dough in the oven for a little while to allow them to harden some, so about 5-10 minutes is good. After it has its form, it is ready for the filling. Smear it evenly, but also make sure it's thick enough to be tasted. Once the filling is put onto the bottom, put the top on it. Push it down so that the filling is on both sides and begin smearing icing on the top of the top piece. Sprinkles are optional, but if they are added, make sure they are pushed into the icing. Place in oven for 15 minutes. Remove, let cool and enjoy. (I'm guessing this is how it'd be made)

Personal Reflection

My main role in the larger food system is a consumer, since I spend my money on food all of the time. This unit we learned about a lot of food related problems, some of which I already knew and many I didn't even know existed. I think the problems that stood out to me the most were the ones we saw in the Food, Inc. movie. When it comes to me personally, some food choice changes I can make would be eating less fast food. I eat fast food at least twice a week because its cheap, easy to get and made quickly. If I could do this, I'd probably be healthier because this would mean that I'd have to eat more home-cooked meals. Even though it'd have a good impact on me, I think I'd only give up fast food for a week before I'd be back at the counter ordering. It's hard to let it go.

Food Rules Slide

This quarter I drew two pictures, the see-through glass drawing and the full body drawing.

Glass Drawing:
For the glass drawing, I used charcoal and an eraser. The charcoal was used to shade the background and draw the actual glass. Then I used an eraser to create the reflection of the light off of the glass. The hardest part of this drawing was making sure the reflection of the light looked right and in the correct perspective of the glass. I didn't want to make the light look too unreal, but I also didn't want to not have enough of the light because it would have taken away from the 3-D aspect of the picture.

Full Body Drawing:
The full body drawing was the hardest out of the two drawings I did. Going into the drawing I thought it would be easy. I started off by outlining the model's body from my perspective of her. Then I tried to get into detail by adding little things to the picture. It was hard to try to copy her exactly and to keep certain parts of her body in proportion to the rest of it. If I had more time, I would have probably gone more into the details of her face and clothing; adding shade would have given the picture a more realistic aspect.

Marquis and Jasmine

Tumblr

http://historyoffootball.tumblr.com/​

It seems like the link only works if you have a Tumblr account. If not, it says that the link doesn't work or something.

Marquis Simmons

Marquis Simmons
I've always enjoyed the percussion parts of songs. So when thinking about the idea for my instrument I immediately thought about making a drum. Since we couldn't make a drum, the next  instrument I was interested in was the xylophone.

I watched a video of someone playing a big xylophone. He uses some wooden sticks with balls on the end to make the music. I'm not sure what the material of the xylophone or the balls on the sticks are. My guess about how tao change a note would be that the thicker the piece of the xylophone is, the deeper or lower the note that it makes will be. The entire xylophone is a rectangle, while each piece is also a rectangle which I guess helps make the sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ngt9CxBaMQ&feature=pyv&ad=2837289356&kw=marimba
​

Marquis Simmons and Rashaun Williams

http://prezi.com/_7rosmflepqh/civil-war/

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