Projects follow the “Basics” taking the new medium, technique or concept and applying it to a finished work of art assessing the new skill acquired through Basics.  Projects ALSO build on previous skills.  Choosing to not participate or practice a skill will have a snowball effect.  Later Projects AND Classes will continue to add new skill, mediums, and concepts but will continue to build on ALL previous skill learned. 

The beginning and ending stages of growth look different from student to student.  Growth can only be accomplished by practice.  Practice happens when each assignment is done in the spirit of which it was assigned and not as busy work to appease your parent, teacher or anyone else.  The habits, practices and expectations that demonstrate effort are taught in class. 

Quarter 1

High Contrast Graphite or Ink Drawing
​w/ color or 3D element (how do you have any art class new or old without rendering?  I can limit their creative freedom and make this a portrait or... )
~Change the composition if not from your own photo

Students on an AP track are encouraged to use their own photographs and composition.  ​

We revisit skills learned in ART I; shading and drawing.  

VALUE: The two extreme tones or values are black (very dark) and white (very light). Recognizing the tone or value of a color, rather than the hue, is important to a painter because successful paintings have tonal contrast in them, or a range of values.  A painting with only mid-tones risks being flat and dull.  Value or tonal contrast creates visual interest or excitement in a painting.  A high-key painting is one in which the contrasts in value or tone are extreme, from black right through the range of mid-tones down to white. A low-key painting is one in which the tonal range is narrower.

For the purposes of this assignment students are asked to use 40% light value, 40 % dark value and 20% mid values.  

RENDERING:  In visual art and technical drawing rendering means the process of formulating, adding color, shading, and texturing of an image.  When used as a means of expression, it is synonymous with illustrating.  However, it may be used for mere visualization of existing data regardless of any preconceived message or ideas to express.  Rendering is also a technique that can be used while designing packaging and branding.

A degree in fine art is a general degree that can help propel almost anyone into an exciting art career.  These general art degrees will usually help aspiring artists learn the basics of all sorts of different forms of art.   Degrees in architecture, illustration and graphic design can also be helpful for those interested in pursuing careers that use rendering skills.   
2024 Senior Tyler Correa won the Congressional Art Competition for the state of Oregon and her High Contrast Drawing is on display at the U.S. Capitol building all year!  She won two tickets to D.C. to attend a reception in her honor. 

Screen Printing on a budget! 

Screen printing is a 2,000 year old form of printing that was first used by the Chinese. This technique involves pushing ink or paint through a mesh stencil onto a canvas, known as a substrate. The process of screen printing is generally very simple, and it also allows a person to make identical designs, such as logos, on several different items.

Some screen printers may choose to work in large factories, such as t-shirt manufacturers. These professionals will usually operate large screen printing presses. Unlike small screen printing operations, however, these larger operations usually allow no room for creative freedom. These professional screen printers are typically required to simply operate a machine that mass produces items printed with existing artwork.

Qualified screen printers might also be able to find employment in custom clothing shops, and some may even have the opportunity to open their own screen printing business. Operating a screen printing business is challenging, but it can also be very rewarding, since it gives screen printers complete freedom to express themselves artistically. These types of screen printers are not only limited to printing other people’s designs, for instance. They can also create custom pieces to sell.

Although a formal education is not actually required in order to start a screen printing career, it can be helpful. A career in an art related field can help aspiring screen printers fine tune their artistic abilities and jump start their careers.

A degree in fine art is a general degree that can help propel almost anyone into an exciting art career.  These general art degrees will usually help aspiring artists learn the basics of all sorts of different forms of art, including painting and stencil making. Many art schools even offer courses in screen printing.  Degrees in illustration and graphic design can also be helpful for those interested in pursuing screen printing careers.

Quarter 2

Oil Painting 

Students build, stretch and gesso their own canvas.

​Students on an AP track are encouraged to use their own photographs and composition.  

VALUE: The two extreme tones or values are black (very dark) and white (very light). Recognizing the tone or value of a color, rather than the hue, is important to a painter because successful paintings have tonal contrast in them, or a range of values.  A painting with only mid-tones risks being flat and dull.  Value or tonal contrast creates visual interest or excitement in a painting.  A high-key painting is one in which the contrasts in value or tone are extreme, from black right through the range of mid-tones down to white. A low-key painting is one in which the tonal range is narrower.

Quarter 3

Print Making - 3 Color Print 

Quarter 4

Ceramics:  Pottery Wheel 

​Phoenix HS Annual Spring Art Show!!!
​(All my class will do this new and old)

How I wrote my artist statement in an hour.... by Whitney Rolfe

Web Portfolio, Resume, & Artist Statement 

Senior Wall Mural - no longer doing this.  

A time honored tradition and rite of passage for our ​Seniors at Phoenix HS.  The senior advanced Art students work together to design and create a mural for all graduating seniors to sign and record their words of wisdom about their past journey or future goals.   These murals cover our common area and serve as an inspiration for underclassmen as they look forward to graduation.