The Tutor wants those of you who adopted some of his 6-legged children at The Tutor’s Gallery to share with the class, as often as possible, exploits with your new pets! Your homework assignment is to observe, take pictures, and post stories about your arthropod adoptee’s in the “Comments” section here!
The results are in for last week’s final exam and The Tutor is proud to announce that his students continues to excel, rounding off the semester with a class average of 95%! Congratulations, students!
For your records, here are the answers to the final exam:
The Tutor looks forward to seeing you at our graduation party at The Tutor’s Gallery on October 23. Everyone is welcome and tickets to the event are now available. Exclusive Tutor merchandise packs—which include a t-shirt, button, and autographed poster—are also available with your ticket order.
Lastly: don’t forget that tomorrow, Tuesday, September 28, is the absolute last day to submit your homework and testimonials for consideration in The Tutor’s Gallery. Doctor’s notes, arraignment hearings, and stories about cockroaches eating your homework will fall upon deaf ears starting Wednesday… so don’t miss your chance to be a part of the excitement!
These past 3-and-a-half months, I’ve come to know each and everyone one of you, my pupils. I’ve watched over you as you drew, as you painted, as you helped me load that filthy sofa into the back of my van. But it wasn’t watching you sleep from the bushes outside your windows where I got to know the most intimate you; it was through your artwork. I want to thank you all for sharing and participating in this course. The Tutor will miss seeing your eager and impressionable faces each Tuesday morning.
But hark! the conclusion of this class is no cause for despair, but celebration! And celebrate we shall at The Tutor’s Gallery next month!
The evening will honor the artwork that you’ve created in this class, as well as feature a live lesson performed by The Tutor… so this is one graduation party that you won’t want to miss. Click on the “Tickets” link above for more info and to reserve your spot in the ceremony today!
Before we commence with the partying, however, there is still some work to be done:
Firstly: next Tuesday, 9/28/2010, is the deadline to turn in all of your homework and testimonials. Any material submitted after this date will not be considered for display within The Tutor’s Gallery. To all you procrastinators and tardy enrollees: you have exactly 1 week to catch up… so get crackin’!
Secondly: we still have a final exam to take. This quiz will test your knowledge of all 14 of The Tutor’s lessons. You may want to review the video lessons before attempting to answer the questions below. For your convenience, The Tutor has compiled the final 3 lessons into one 3-minute clip:
Lastly: The Tutor wants to make sure that each of his students is properly credited at The Tutor’s Gallery. Many of you have been using creative monikers with your homework submissions in lieu of true identities. You may be credited in any manner that you wish, but The Tutor wants to give you this opportunity to submit your name exactly as you would like it to appear at the October event. It could be your real name, your artsy handle, or a combination of the two. Whatever the case, I’m asking EVERYONE who’s tendered homework or a testimonial at any point since this class began to please submit their desired name into the “Comments” section above.
Now, without delay, pick up your number 2 pencils, slide your Scantrons into position, and answer the multiple-choice questions below. When finished, don’t forget to enter your name for The Tutor’s Gallery as a “Comment”.
There are a total of 15 multiple-choice questions in your exam. Please ensure that you submit an answer to each question.
Results will be posted next week.
Best of luck, students!
Top of the morning, pupils! The Tutor welcomes you to class for this, our final lesson.
My, how quickly the semester has flown by. It seems like only yesterday that we were struggling to perform rudimentary tasks together—like sharpening pencils and painting straight lines—and now we’re exploring our artistic voices and painting still lifes with ease. The Tutor is proud of each and every one of you and thanks you for spending the summer in his class.
Back in June, each of us entered these classroom doors not knowing exactly what to expect. 3 months later, we’re graduating as better artists. If you don’t believe me, take an afternoon and peruse the work created by your classmates. Observe the progression in quality of their homework, and your own. While exploring, if you see someone’s work that you especially enjoy, let him or her know. Encouragement can be the fuel that keeps us going… the motivation to push ourselves to expand as artists.
Artistic growth is the subject of our final lesson, so roll up your sleeves, put on your thinking caps, and enjoy Lesson XIV: Molting:
Congratulations, class, you’ve completed your final lesson!
Although this lesson represents an ending of sorts, there is still much to look forward to from The Tutor’s class. For one, The Tutor’s Gallery, which will act as a sort of graduation ceremony, is just around the corner. Please join The Tutor next week—same time, same place—to receive the full details on this October event.
The Tutor has also prepared a final exam for next week, and seeing as how a valedictorian has yet to be selected, it is recommended that next week’s class not be skipped.
Lastly, The Tutor is requesting one final assignment from you, his loyal students. This assignment also extends to everyone who’s been ditching or silently auditing the class these past months.
The assignment is to submit to The Tutor a video testimonial. These testimonials will be used as part of The Tutor’s Gallery in October and should be no more than 30 seconds in length. State your name, whether you consider yourself a good or bad student, and what you’ve gleaned from The Tutor’s class. Even if you dislike The Tutor’s class and find his teachings boring and pretentious, this is your chance to let him know. The only requirement is that you be as creative as possible in your praise or criticism.
Please submit your testimonials in the “Comments” section of this lesson and as a “Video Response” to the lesson on YouTube. Please encourage your friends and family to submit testimonials as we need as many submissions as possible.
See you next week, class!
Good morning, all you runaways, problem children, and latchkey kids! It’s Tuesday and class is once more in session. As we near the end of our class project, and the semester, The Tutor hopes that you’re feeling as plucky as he is about your paintings.
Last week’s homework assignment was to complete your painted still life, but there is still one more important task to apply to our work before calling it a day. So, before the paint dries and the dye sets, The Tutor invites you to view Lesson XIII: Signing Our Work:
Kudos for completing another lesson, class! This week’s homework assignment is to sign your painted still life.
Before dashing off to scribble your John Hancock on the bottom corner of your canvas, keep in mind that the way you sign your artwork is not necessarily the same way you sign your checks.
As artists, our signatures act as our calling cards, our stamps, our branding. As such, our sigils can be as important, if not more important, than the work itself. Consider this before you apply your seal of completion.
This seal also becomes part of the painting itself, so choose your colors and placement wisely. Do you want your signature to be bold and aggressive, or mysterious and elusive? This artistic fingerprint is a window into who you are as an artist.
Sign, sign, sign away, students, and join me again next week as we wrap up our semester together!
The Tutor has graded last week’s 3rd quarter review and is proud to announce that our classroom is excelling! Compared to the less than spectacular results of July’s midterm, our class average is now over the 85% mark. This upward trajectory pleases The Tutor. You all deserve gold stars!
For your records, here are the answers to last week’s quiz:
Now that you’ve demonstrated an exceptional knowledge of the creation phase of painting a still life, class, we are ready to move into the 3rd and final leg of our journey together: completion! I give you Lesson XII: How Do We Know When A Painting Is Done?
Laudations, students, you’ve completed another lesson. Your homework assignment this week is to finish your paintings. As opposed to many of our previous assignments, this one is not based on the careful application of a step-by-step process; this assignment is entirely based on your gut feelings.
Last week’s review was given not only to test our knowledge of The Tutor’s lessons, but to allow us a break from our paintings. The creative process can be so intensive, so overwhelming, that often times we loose sight of the big picture. When this happens, it helps to take a breather, to focus on something else for a period of time, and then return to our artwork with fresh eyes.
So… take a close look at your work. Are you happy with it? Does it feel complete? If so, then you have no homework this week. If, on the other hand, you gaze at your painting and determine that something isn’t right, something feels out of place, something needs to be added or repainted, then go to it. You are your most important audience member, your most valued critic. If your creation doesn’t fulfill YOU, then it’s not yet ready to be framed and shared with the world.
I look forward to viewing your completed works next week, pupils!
Hello, students. As our still lifes near completion, our class is also reaching its homestretch. There’s only one month of lessons left to go, but before we embark on this last leg of our journey together, let’s pause for a 3rd quarter review.
As a refresher, The Tutor has prepared a recap of the creation phase of our ongoing project… so grab a study buddy, put on your thinking caps, and watch this overview of Lessons VII-XI:
Now that you’ve freshly acclimated yourself with the phases of still life painting, are you ready to put your knowledge to the test? Are you ready to surrender… to a pop quiz?
Excellent. When I give the word, answer the multiple-choice questions below. When you are finished, please answer the following essay question in the “Comments” section above: in 100-words-or-less, let The Tutor know which of your homework assignments you are most pleased with, and why. Please include a link to the assignment with your answer.
As always, The Tutor will not tolerate flimflam during test time… so no cheating! If you finish early, please remain in your seat, put your head down, and try not to dwell on impure thoughts.
Okay, students, you may begin the exam. Good luck!
There are a total of 15 multiple-choice questions in your exam, plus 1 essay question. Please ensure that you submit an answer to each question. Results will be posted in next week’s lesson plan.
Best of luck, students!
Please go to 3rd Quarter Review to view the surveyTop of the morning, pupils… and what a nice morning it is: the soothing hum of schoolyard vending machines, the pitter-patter of tiny sneakers, the lullaby of backpack zippers… they welcome us to another class together. As always, The Tutor is pleased to see you.
There’s no sense in dillydallying on such a lovely day… so let’s take our seats, flick on the fluorescents, and shed some light on this week’s topic: Lesson XI: Highlights:
Outstanding! You’ve crushed another lesson, students! This week’s homework assignment is to apply highlights to your painted still life.
In painting, highlights are the most strongly illuminated portions of our subject(s): the sparkle on her strawberry Janes, the dartle on her strawberry braids, the twinkle on her strawberry stains…
Depending on the strength of the light source and the quality of surfaces within our still life, the highlights will vary: some paintings require only a dab or two of highlighted pigment; other works – like those containing highly reflective items – will necessitate more. As a rule of thumb, however, less is more when painting highlights.
Since highlights represent the strongest, most piercing light that’s bouncing off of our subjects, paint these accents opaquely. Pure, unmixed white may be used for this assignment.
See you next week, students!
Can you believe that this our 11th week together, students? For a little over 2 months now, we’ve shared this classroom. We’ve painted straight lines together, sharpened pencils together, and even evaded capture together. The Tutor is proud of you for hanging in there this long.
The Tutor is aware that the last few lesson have been especially challenging. The painting of a still life has pushed many of you beyond what you believed to be your artistic precipice. You rose to The Tutor’s challenge, however, and fought through your fears to explore new artistic terrains. For that, you deserve a treat: I give you Lesson X: The Details:
Congratulations on conquering another lesson, pupils! This week’s homework assignment is to have fun with your artwork.
That’s right, class; The Tutor wants you to have fun with your artwork! The process of creation can be so intensive, so laborious, that joy is often overlooked. It’s important to always find pleasure in our craft, especially with the task is daunting.
So, take a step back from your in-progress painting, relish in what you’ve been able to accomplish thus far, and treat yourself to a little creative indulgence.
This indulgence may come in the form of expressive splashes added to your painted still life, or it may be an act of creation completely independent from any of The Tutor’s assignments. Your treat may manifest itself as a Joker’s grin painted on your subject, or as naughty doodles on a chloroform-soaked rag. So long as you’re having fun, the sky is the limit.
See you next week, students!
The artistry present in your homework submissions impresses The Tutor, pupils. I know you will continue exceeding my expectations in the weeks to come, and look forward to displaying your finished projects at The Tutor’s Gallery in October. The Tutor’s Gallery, however, is not the only venue to share your work with the world, students.
TheMoltingComic.com is currently hosting a “Leave Yer Mark” Art Contest. The winner of this competition will have a full-page of their artwork printed in the 5th issue of The Molting. All ages and artforms (drawing, painting, cosplay photography) are eligible. The Tutor invites you to employ the steps you’ve learned in this classroom to enter the contest. Entries will be accepted through the end of August. Visit TheMoltingComic.com for rules, regulations, and submission guidelines.
Now, on to the matter at hand: I give you Lesson IX: Dark to Light:
Bravo, students, you’ve completed another lesson! This week’s homework assignment is to paint the subject(s) of the still life you assembled in Lesson V.
Before painting, examine your still life. You will notice that each item on display can be broken down into roughly three values: light, medium, and dark. Identifying these values now will help to focus and organize our efforts as we begin to paint.
Step 1: mix your paint medium of choice to match the darkest value of each element present in your still life. We will proceed to medium and light values in later steps, but for now, focus only on the darkest shades. Paint in each element with its dark value, treating the objects as flat, silhouetted shapes instead of 3-dimensional forms. Note: if you’re using watercolor paints, you will need to follow these steps in reverse order, beginning with light values, and then advancing to dark.
Step 2: mix and paint in your medium values. Similar to step 1, treat these medium shades as small, flat shapes that rest on top of the large shapes created by your dark values. You will notice that your still life is already beginning to take form.
Step 3: mix and paint in your light values—small shapes that rest on top of the large shapes created by your medium shades. White paint may be used to in the mixing of these light values, but do not use pure, unmixed white anywhere on your canvas.
Now, paint, paint, paint, students! I look forward to seeing your progress in next week’s class.
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