comic hootenanny

create a comic using the panel layout and collage material supplied, you can change the
orientation of the panel page. use at least 5 of the collage elements and 3 of the collage words.

grand central station

form groups of 2-3 people.

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assign specific areas of focus to each student.
at grand central station work as a team collecting written impressions ,drawings and photographs.

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combine team materials into a group of minimum 12 drawings, layout and dimensions are up to the group, but overall

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presentation should be cohesive.

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possible areas of focus:

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commuters
homeless people
restaurants

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architecture
the main concourse ceiling mural

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whispering arch-In the lower concourse outside the Oyster bar
the oyster bar
floor plan
map the movement of commuters
overheard conversations

AGE A FRIEND

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draw 4 consecutive portraits of a class mate aging.

AVATAR MOOD SWINGERS

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design 4 avatars, each expressing a different side of your self.

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before,during,after
create a triptych depicting an event before it happened,while its happening and the aftermath.

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dimensions: 11”x17” folded into 3 panels

bicycle safety

assignment: bicycle safety poster

create an poster about bicycle safety for kids with the headline ‘Why did the chicken
cross the road?’
materials: use hand written text as a prominent design element (50% of the picture)
size: 11” X 17”

BIRD DREAMS
make an illustration of your family, friends,siblings or your elementary school class, your
room mates…. etc.
create mash-up portraits that blend humans with the birds that best describes the personalities
of the subjects in your illustration,write something in the drawing about the people/situation.

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some owl personas:

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owls:smart

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turkey:dumb

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chicken:coward
hawk: sharp mind

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crow:shrewd…maybe sinister
eagles: spiritual
doves: peaceful

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parrots: can’t shut up

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peacock:vain
etc…

BIRDS EYE MAYHEM

create a narrative picture seen from above looking down at a 45° angle
{essentially you will be creating a comic without panels}.
choose from one of the below themes:
*market place pick pocket.
*medieval battle scene.
*class room mayhem.
*babysitting 8 toddlers.
dimensions: 11”X 17”

BOOK
create a book on a topic of your choosing, {kids book, comic etc} pay attention to story line:
beginning ,middle ,end.
presentation: bound using 2 or more of the techniques covered in class this semester.
the total number of pages must be divisible by 8 ( 8,16,24,36 etc)

BOOK JAM
create 1-2 signatures using the single page folded book format.
print times the amount of students plus one.

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collate books containing each of your fellow students signatures, bind using copying stitch.

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subject matter to be decided.

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CANDY EATING HISTORY

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Describe your favorite childhood candy.
How was it packaged?
Reconstruct the package from memory or buy an actual sample.
Describe the events that might have lead to the invention of this candy.
What memories are related to this candy?
What effect did eating this candy have on your health?
Is this product still being manufactured?
Would you eat this candy today?
Make a 4-page picture-story that includes the following information:
1. A drawing of the candy in its package.
2. A drawing of yourself situated in a place where you remember eating this candy.
3. Invent a graphic analysis of the process of eating the candy (four drawings)
a. ingesting the candy
b. chewing within your mouth

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c. digesting the candy

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d. effect of the candy on your mind/body.

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4. Explain a connection between you childhood experience of candy eating and some

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aspect of your present life.

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COCKROACH DIARIES
Make a series of observations from the point of view of a cockroach experiencing human

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behaviour for the first time.
This project will run throughout the semester beginning with the making of the book that

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you will fill with the cockroach observations.
1. notebooks will be made in class.
2. this project is to be carried out parallel to other class projects, we will not be critiquing
the notebooks formally until end of semester.
3. 2 weeks before end of semester (specific date to be announced) you will scan and
present 6 ideas from the notebooks.

CULTURE SCHMULTURE
project description: create a booklet by illustrating the creation myth of a culture of
your choice.
hindu,christian,muslim,native american,inuit etc.
{draw and write.}
dimensions: this will be incorporated into a booklet made from two or three 8.5” X 11”
folded sheets , individual page sizes will be 8.5” high X 5.5” wide.
materials: minimum 2 sheets letter size paper folded + cover stock.
drawing materials: up to you, but include collage elements.

CUT UP COMICS
using strips of text from an discarded/second hand book,create a
narrative with a beginning middle…and an end that

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brings the story back to the beginning.

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size and length: minimum 4 spreads one of which is
a gate-fold (12 pages).

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page size: 8.5 x 11 ( 3 tabloid sheets folded)

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EXPLOSION
explode something; a house, a friend ,your cat…your computer…your own head.
create a poster of something thats been exploded to explain what its like to be a
student.
use text and images.
materials: up to you
size: 11” X 17” vertical

ALIEN VISITOR
1.
you're an extraterrestrial visitor to New York, your mission is to investigate the workings of human
civilization.

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2.

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take photos of 4 objects in the city. { examples: a telephone pole, fire hydrant,weird electrical

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box,expresso machine,umbrella,steam roller,cell phones etc.}

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2.
explain the purpose of the objects as you see them to your superiors on Alpha Centauri. remember that

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you have no idea what the actual purpose of the objects are.
4.
write and draw an 8 page visual journal detailing your findings ( it could be in comic form), include the 4
photographed objects.

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FAMILY TREE
draw your family tree but don't use a tree.

HAPPY-UNHAPPY
5 steps towards a happy life and the 5 steps towards an unhappy life.
format: 3 sheets white paper 4.25”X 8.5” folded horizontal fold, plus one 8.5” X 8.5” sheet ( pop-out fold)

HOUSE,GREEN HOUSE,SWEAT LODGE

make a 8 page saddle stitched booklet about global warming incorporate the idea of house/
dwelling in the central concept.

I REMEMBER
read Joe Brainard’s ‘I Remember’
create a visual narrative using a minimum 6
of his memories.

i saw journal
keep a journal of daily

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observations where each entry begins with with the words

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‘ i saw... ’ illustrate the entries.

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your observation should be unique perspective, for instance instead of ’i saw people walking
their dogs’ it could read ’i saw dogs walking their people’.
each week present one finished page along with the other daily observation sketches.

IDIOM

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Your assignment is to illustrate an idiom. An idiom is a phrase that has a non-literal

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meaning. Think of "it's raining cats and dogs" or "the cat's out of the bag.”
examples:
*it’s raining cats and dogs
*you are what you eat
*cost an arm and a leg
*kick the bucket
size: two 8.5 X 11” sheets,folded vertically into a pamphlet .( i will demonstrate )
materials: your choice
resource: http://www.idiomsite.com/

MAP
map a street , illustrate the activity,people and possibilities.
show the inside of a shop or 2.

ME,MYSELF EYE

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create a visual narrative which tells your story ,where you were born,family,friends work, and

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how you see yourself connected to the greater community.
present as a 12 page saddle stitched booklet with separate cover.

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MIND CITY / CITY MIND

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explore the idea of the city through drawing and words
some of the aspects of the mind city / city mind could include:
verticality
depth
the space between buildings
people in boxes
story containers
stage for the human drama
veins-subways
antennas and cell towers-hair,arms,legs
asphalt-skin
buildings -heads , brains
windows-eyes
wires and cables-nerves
noise -music/symphony
anger/fear
energy/power

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MONSTER MAYHEM

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design a gang of monsters, minimum 8 characters, each distinctively different from the

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others, explain their relationship to each other, their strength and weaknesses, list 3
possible story lines involving your monsters.

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MORPHOLIO ANIMATION

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create an animated gif by drawing on absorbent paper and using the bleed though as a guid for the
drawing that follows, photograph and animate with cell phone gif app.

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materials: black extra fine point sharpie ,needles and thread, cover stock 8.5x11”

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cell phones with ‘stop motion studio’ app installed.

PRIVATE i
what do you do when no one is looking.

NOISE
Make a wordless picture story about someone who talks too much.
1.Do not use any recognizable writing
2.Tell the story over a total of 8 pages.

PERSONAL/PUBLIC
Basic Concept: The impetus here is to do an autobiographical eight page story or vignette about an
emotionally charged event from their past. This will be bookended with a pop culture element from that
period, something that somehow echoes or stands in contrast to the main event. The pop culture

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reference point can be an album, comic, tv show or song. And will somehow heighten the story and serve

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as a parallel narrative.

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RANDOM CHAOS
Make a story which fits into a binding structure that opens in different ways, enabling the

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text to be read/viewed randomly.

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1. Employ the ‘cut-up’ technique to generate a text for your project.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cut-up_technique )
2. Build a binding/sculptural object which can present your text and imagery in random
order.

senses
sense 1: sight
eyeballs.vision.insight.aesthetics.eye-candy.
your future-self mails you a series of 4 postcards from the year 2045.
illustrate these visions, insights and memories of your own life as seen from the p.o.v. of your future self.
include ‘postage’ which reflects something about the theme of the cards.

requirements: black and white with one colour.

final 4 images taking up 4 pages in your notebook (two 11x17” spreads),notebook will also contain

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preliminary ideas and sketches.

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materials list:

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10 sheets tabloid sized paper 40-60 lb. pencil,eraser and or ink (dip pen or markers),color
masking and scotch tape,glue stick, x-acto knife,cutting mat, linen thread & needle.

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sense 2: hearing

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music.silence.noise.communication

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make a wordless multi panel story (comic) about a someone or something that just wont shut up.

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requirements: ink and coloured pencil.
final story takes up at least 2 pages (one folded 11x17” spread), notebook will also contain preliminary
ideas and sketches.

materials list:
coloured pencils & pens (dip pens or markers)
10 sheets tabloid sized paper 40-60 lb.- linen thread & needle.
sense 3 : taste
appetite.tongues.temptation.aesthetics
consider that taste can be about food (cooks) or aesthetics (taste makers),sometimes a bad taste is left in
your mouth, liars have forged tongues,there is the tongue kiss, tastebuds and a lingua (tongue) franca
which means common language.
there was cannibalism in the 1970’s when a plane crashed in the andes mountains.

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every year theres a hot dog eating contest in coney island.

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requirements: utilizing a combination of black and white collage and drawing, create 4 sequential pictures

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illustrating the idea of taste, the notebook will also contain preliminary ideas and sketches.

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materials list:
your favourite drawing and painting tools,black and white collage material (you can photocopy
pages from magazines and books in black and white,or download b/w images from the net) glue

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stick,tape, x-acto knife,cutting mat. linen thread & needle.

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10 sheets tabloid sized paper 40-60 lb. linen thread & needle.

sense 4: smell
workshop: fold out page

follow your nose.stench.perfume.smell a rat.decay.

the stench of war & death….a flower garden.

requirements: illustrate smell using the previous weeks hand made drawing tools,and your favourite
drawing tool.
finals should occupy at least 2 pages (one 11x17” spread) plus one ‘fold out’ page.
notebook will also contain preliminary ideas and sketches
materials list:

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bring in last weeks hand made drawing tools + your favorite drawing tools,coloured ink, acrylics

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paints,water container,tape,glue stick,collage material,x-acto knife,cutting mat. pencil and or ink,

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linen thread & needles.
four 17 x 22” white 50-90lb. paper sheets, 10 sheets tabloid sized paper 40-60 lb.

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sense 5: touch

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sensuality.feeling.violence.manipulation.pleasure.pain.

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create a tactile pamphlet on the subject of phantom limbs

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(phantom limb is an often painful sensation of the presence of a limb that has been amputated.)

besides normal white paper,use diverse textured materials as part of the expression.
fabric, sand paper, velcro…plastic…latex rubber.

requirements: minimum 2 finished 11x17” spreads.

notebook will also contain preliminary ideas and sketches.

materials list:
your favourite drawing/painting materials + textured materials such as coloured fabric,latex
rubber,velcro,plastic, sand paper,velour fabric,white fabric,interesting papers, elmer’s glue, water
container, brushes,glue stick,x-acto knife,cutting mat,
if possible bring a hair dryer.linen thread & needle.
10 sheets tabloid sized paper 40-60 lb. (or heavier weight )

sense 6 : E.S.P. (extra sensory perception)

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workshop: back painting on acetate and vellum.

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spirits.voices.intuition.privacy.secret knowledge.insight.

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equirements: use the translucency of vellum and the transparency of clear acetate in combination with
white paper to illustrate the idea of E.S.P.
minimum two finished 11x17” spreads.

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notebook will also contain preliminary ideas and sketches.

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materials list:
at least 8 clear workable acetate sheets: size 11x17’ + 8 frosted vellum sheets size 11x17’ ( you
may need to crop sheets to this size)
acrylic paints, pens & dibs,masking and clear tape,indelible markers,elmer’s glue,collage material.

TOY DECONSTRUCT
buy a cheap wind up or battery operated toy, take its a part, strip it of its
exoskeleton, its fur or plastic covering.
use the mechanism to create a moving object which expresses the idea of a
childhood memory.

UNMENTIONABLE CUISINE
design and illustrated the packaging for a product line called ‘Unmentionable Cuisine’
the food you are selling is food that would normally repulse many people such as:
spider legs,worms,pig brain,ants,monkey brain,scorpions,grub worms etc.

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size: variable, include canned bottled,frozen goods,tubed stuff etc.

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scope: design a line of products {minimum 5} which are unified by the illustration,hand

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lettering and graphic design.
presentation: labels attached to real cans and bottles.

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VISUAL REPORTAGE

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create a series of pictures with text focusing on a specific person,place,event.

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presentation: laid out in pamphlet or book form.

WORD TANGO
everyone in the class copies 6 of their I Saw entries on a piece of paper which are
they're placed in a box, each student picks six entries and illustrates them into a
narrative.
format: slit fold books {i will demonstrate}

workshop:making drawing tools

materials list:

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bring to class interesting textures and objects to use in the making of hand made drawing tools:

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sticks and branches, feathers, plastic netting,wire,foam rubber,styrofoam,dental floss etc.

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bring your usual drawing tools plus tape,glue stick,collage material.linen thread,needle,x-acto

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knife,cutting mat.pencil and or ink, linen thread & needle.
10 sheets tabloid sized paper 40-60 lb.

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STREET PORTRAIT
class walks the same street, each student focuses on drawing a different element of the

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street.

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they then combine their observations into one long & large format accordion folded book
work
mailboxes
street lamps
men
women
animals
facades
shops
fashion
door knobs
fences

heredity
make a family tree without using a tree.

urban field guide

make a field guide describing humans that live in the city.
imagine people as part animal

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part human.

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observe strangers on the

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subway. spy on lovers in the park.

extra terrestrial diary

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you are an extra terrestrial visitor your mission is to record life on earth.

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create notebook spreads
recording weird human

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behavior for your bosses back on zirkon 7.

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age a friend
draw four portraits
of a class mate aging them
in the following succession:
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me,myself,eye
create 3 postcards from the 50 year old you to the present day you.
the 3 postcards will deal with the topics of your choosing,
examples are:
love,health,career,avoiding tragedy,motherhood/fatherhood career goals etc.
work on one side of a card
include an address and a stamp which relates to the theme of the postcard.
lay out on a ‘slit-fold’ booklet,create a cover with your name and a back cover.

morpholio
cut 25 pieces of rice paper

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draw a self portrait on the first sheet, some of this drawing will bleed through to the next sheet,

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use this bleed through to
slightly change the drawing,
continue morphing the drawing into an entirely different image.

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download the imotion app.
record the images frame by frame to the end and back to the beginning.

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save as an endlessly cycling gif animation.
upload.

read me like a book

tear a page out of an old book.
alter the page to become a
description of someone you love or hate.
use some of the words on the page to caption your picture.

before,during,after
make a sequence of three
pictures depicting an event
before,during & after
it happened.

color
make an 12 page childrens

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story about the colors red,blue and yellow.

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message
read the most recent message on your cell phone.

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illustrate it.

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afterlife
design your own tombstone.
message ping pong
start a visual text messaging conversation with someone, person A sends an image to
person B, person B responds to the image,keep this going back and forth,then make a book of
the visual dialogue.

birdseye
draw a battle scene or a market scene viewed from above 3/4 perspective.

idom
Illustrate an idiom.
(a phrase that doesn’t mean what it says)
examples:

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penny for your thoughts
barking up the wrong tree
best thing since sliced bread

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burn the midnight oil

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costs an arm and a leg
curiosity killed the cat
elvis has left the building
hit the nail on the head
kill two birds with one stone
etc.

bobs & steves

draw 15 well known bobs and 15 well known steves.
arrange the portraits on 2 spreads in a way that makes it more than just a list or a grid on the page.

me map
do a self-portrait as a map.

cosmic art director

interpret the 7 days of creation

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from the book of genesis.

typarchitecture
draw an old building,intergrate text which describes your
feelings about the place into the architecture

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lost horizons

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make an illustrated booklet about a place you know little of. do no research, just draw based on what you
think you know of the place. it can be terrestrial or extraterrestrial.

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class kids book

there was an old lady who swallowed a fly

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schedule:

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1.groups are formed and plan the project.

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2.work in class on spreads

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3.spring break (work on spreads)

4.work in class finalizing book layouts.

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process:
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5.bring printed sections in and bind.

*divide into four groups and illustrate the section assigned the group.

*each person creates 2 pages ( one spread).*plan the spreads so they are harmonious together.

*plan the division of work, plan the text treatment.

*layout as photoshop 11x17” vertical spreads, import into an 8 page indesign document and print a total of
17 copies per group.

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*bring to class and we will combine the sections so each student has a complete book containing the
sections from each group.

group1.

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There was an old lady who swallowed a fly;

I don't know why she swallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die!

There was an old lady who swallowed a spider;
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a bird;
How absurd to swallow a bird!

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;

That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!

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She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;

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I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

group 2.

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There was an old lady who swallowed a cat;

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Imagine that! She swallowed a cat!

She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,

She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;

That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady that swallowed a dog;
What a hog, to swallow a dog!

group 3 .
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;

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That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!

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She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a goat;

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She just opened her throat and swallowed a goat!

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She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,

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She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;
group 4.

That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!

She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!

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There was an old lady who swallowed a cow;

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I don't know how she swallowed a cow!

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She swallowed the cow to catch the goat,

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She swallowed the goat to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,

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She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,

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She swallowed the bird to catch the spider;
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside her!
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - Perhaps she'll die!
There was an old lady who swallowed a horse;

...She's dead, of course![1]

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