Gaining Perspective

Out of this drawing course, I can tell I definitely prefer to draw certain things and not draw other things. One area that I have been struggling with and feeling not so positive about is one, two, and three-point perspective drawings. Having focal points and making sure all angles are meeting up and having proportions is really challenging. I think another thing that defines my personal artistic and creative style is that I prefer not to draw man-made things, such as buildings and architecture. I personally do not find that visually appealing to me. But, I am really glad I tried it. If I work really hard and take my time, I can produce decent work, but I feel that my passion and drive is not really there. However, besides one, two, and three point perspective drawings, we will be going into my main out of comfort zone: Portraits! Those are definitely not my strongest, but we will see. Having an open-mind. So stay tuned!

TheChristyBel

Drawing a Pretty Face

The past week and a half, our drawing class, has transitioned from still-life objects to our peers and selves in portraits. I am not going to lie, drawing people is my absolute weakest drawing style. I am totally out of my comfort zone when you ask me to draw a person. However, through this course, I have definitely enhanced my observational skills of looking at things when I draw and have acquired new techniques and skills to approach problems when I draw. So, to be asked to draw portraits now, 3/4 left in the semester is a pretty good time to try. And after drawing friends and peers from class and around campus, I have felt more comfortable drawing people than I have ever before. Below are the examples that we were asked to draw: side-profile, frontal, and 3/4 portraits. Oh, and for our final, we were asked to draw ourselves. I know these are still raw, streak-like, and dark, but what do you expect for a beginner in portraits. I think based on what I have done so far, this is a great foundation and these will get better in proportion, scale, mid-tone, hues, and likeness. I need more practice; and from this course, I do enjoy drawing people now (I'd rather draw a person than a 1 or 2-pt perspective hallway or building! haha). But yes, I do see more people to be drawn in my future! So who wants to be my model?!!? 

TheChristyBel

Side Profile Portrait

Frontal Portrait

3/4 Portrait

Self Portrait

April Snow Showers

Yesterday, when I defended, I did not plan to walk to Wyoming Hall and present during a winter snow storm! Apparently, when I finished my defense presentation, there were several inches of snow on the ground! I could not believe this! I thought we were in spring. But, yea...I was outside in shorts literally the day before and yesterday, Laramie is covered in snow again. Bah.

I Do Not Want to Be a Winter Snow Princess Again

I Want Summer!

TheChristyBel

Woke Up This Morning to Sooooo Much Snow!

A Before & After - Tuesday (Above) & Wednesday (Below)
Photo Credit to Charlie Vogelheim

Laramie is Now a Winter Wonderland Again...in April.

Science & Art Integration Silk Batiks

Here are the Final Products of the Science & Art-Integration Unit from last fall in the Science and Art Methods I courses. I used this integration unit as my Masters Plan B project. It is quite remarkable to see the beautiful work that can come out of a collaboration from two fields.

There Needs to Be More Integration!

Teachers, you have the power to make this happen!

Are you inspired?

I know I am!

STEAM

TheChristyBel

A Microscopic Image of a Snowflake

Microscopic Imaging of Bacteria

Silk Batik of a Sheep's Eye

The Surface Film of a Soap Bubble

The Xylem of a Plant

A Natural Science Master

As of 3:00pm MST today, I shook the hand of my committee chair, Dr. Andrea Burrows, and was congratulated by my committee on successfully passing my Masters of Science in Natural Science Defense Presentation.

Presenting my findings and work on STEM Integration with Art: A Renewed Reason for STEAM to my committee, SMTC colleagues, and friends was really terrifying and nerve-wrecking. Not only was this defense nerve-wrecking to present, but I was the first of my cohort that came here to UW to present. Such pressure! Let me just say, I was more anxious presenting for 45-minutes than performing in front of thousands of audience members in the University of Dayton arena! I'm ridiculous, I know. 

However, I have never felt more proud and accomplished of myself. It was a very challenging experience and journey, but I am so grateful for the knowledge and experience I have gained from this project I had the opportunity to work on. I am truly grateful for the guidance of my committee, their insight and feedback, and their willingness to make me feel supported no matter what. This project has also blossomed more questions and a desire to learn more about how the arts can influence and affect the sciences. If only there was more time...

...just no more writing, please! :)

My graduate school journey is slowly coming to the close and the two last things that I need to do are: 1.) edit and turn in my final paper and 2.) trim it down, again, to submit to a journal!

What a Ride!

Thank you!

TheChristyBel

My Supportive Committee
(From Left to Right: Dr. Adam Myers, Dr. Andrea Burrows, theChristyBel, Wendy Bredehoft)
Missing Dr. Joy Johnson
Photo Credit: Ana Houseal

Celebrating with My Science Methods Family!
Couldn't have asked for a better group to celebrate this wonderful moment with!

Easter...Not-On-East

Another holiday, where I am not celebrating with family. Not going to lie, it really stinks. I miss being home for holidays. Hanging with the Burton-Juniors, going to Phyllis and Ray's, the Easter Egg 'Hunt' to find YOUR egg...but knowing where everyone else's are, the food!!!!, and just being home. I really miss all of that.

But this year's Easter Sunday, I received a gift in the mail from Mom and Dad. It was one of the infamous treats sent from Mom from the Popcorn Factory. No, it was not another tin! haha. This package was a pyramid of some Easter treats: chocolates, peanuts, and popcorn! Super yummy! It was definitely a wonderful surprise to get this in the mail. Something delicious, colorful, and happy is something that I think is needed as this spring semester winds down and gets closer to the big Defense Day! yikes, it's right around the corner!

On Easter Sunday, Facebook was blowing up with pictures of food, Easter Egg Hunts, chocolate, desserts, and Easter festivities. I was definitely getting pretty homesick. So, I went to Vedauwoo for a nice, long 2-hour hike around the Turtle Rock Trail. The weather has been absolutely wonderful and so the hike was just beyond perfect. The snow has 98% gone, so I was able to use my hiking shoes and not have to worry about post-holing like I have been the past few times I have gone there.

But, I think spring has definitely sprung here in Laramie. The snow is mostly gone (there is some still on the mountain peaks and in areas where not much sun gets in) and there are other signs of spring popping up everywhere.

My hike at Vedauwoo was pretty nice. The weather was great (warm and sunny) - I did not even need a puffy! There were a bunch of people out on the trails too which was nice: lots of families and people getting a morning hike in. As my hike strolled around Turtle Rock, the willows were blooming Pussy Willows (I love those things - you know, the little buds that are absolutely furry!), Mountain Buttercup, and little rodents have come out of hibernation and scurrying everywhere.

Then after my hike when I looped back to the car, I scrambled up the rock to a high point to get some great scenic views. As I sat there on the rock, I heard some rustling down below, and sure enough, a moose was walking through the trees! How cool is that?!? It was pretty neat to watch it trudge through the forest and notice hikers practically walking alongside of them (and they did not even know it!!!!)

Below are some pictures of my hike. Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

TheChristyBel

My Easter Sunday Mass
No Peeps, No Eggs, No Ham

Happy Easter!

Defense Time Announced!

The moment has finally arrived, well, it has been announced, the date of my defense.

Here is my announcement that has gone on the UW's SMTC website.

STEM Integration with Arts: A Renewed Reason for STEAM

MS in Natural Science Education

Wednesday, April 15, 2015, 1:00pm – 3:00pm

Wyoming Hall 445

For many years, the arts and sciences have been taught in separate silos. However, with the current push for the United States' students to be at the top of the world in STEM disciplines, the arts are being marginalized and pushed out of the classroom. In addition to the limited availability of the arts being taught in schools, there has been a debate that the arts and STEM fields are disconnected from each other. This research bridges the gap in the literature that the arts and sciences are similar in many ways and speak of how STEM can become STEAM in the classroom. In a mission to transition classrooms from STEM to STEAM, how does this process occur? It starts with the educators themselves in providing them with knowledge, ideas, and confidence to be able to teach multiple disciplines in the same classroom. A case study of secondary pre-service teachers (n=58) participating in a Science and Art-integration unit, explored how a silk batik art activity could capture scientific and artistic concepts in the same unit over 5 university class sessions for a three-year time period. The research under study aims to answer the follow research questions: 1.) how have the secondary pre-service teachers’ perspectives about this Science and Art-integration unit changed over a three-year period; and 2.) how has the silk batik activity influenced pre-service teachers’ perspectives of science and art in their future classroom? This study used a mixed methods research approach gathering changes in confidence in knowledge, skills, experiences, and perceptions of science and art. Findings are presented in quantitative and qualitative data that support increased awareness and confidence in pre-service teachers’ perceptions of how science and art can be incorporated into the same classroom, recognition of similarities between the two disciplines, and common themes that are significant in teaching science and art disciplines together. Conclusions include that the Science and Art-integration unit not only serves to promote appreciation and learning for each discipline, but also helps to develop skills and creative perspectives needed beyond the classroom in STEM and other careers.

I have never been so nervous in my life.

Sure I can dance in front of thousands of people and not have any back of my mind worry, but to speak in front of my committee and any other individual that magically shows up....

I ... AM ... TERRIFIED.

TheChristyBel

Creating Depth in Drawings

The first assignment back from spring break introduced us to creating, emphasizing, and exaggerating depth cues to enhance the illusion of deeper spaces in a drawing. We talked about overlapping of objects in a composition, vertical positioning creating layers, diminishing size of objects for indicating things farther away than others, brightening or blurring objects to create atmospheric perspective and focal areas/points, and converging lines indicating linear perspective. Shelby, our professor, created this huge shrine of stuff for us to draw from for this drawing assignment. It was actually overwhelming at first, since there was so much to look at and I was not sure what or where to draw. But using the picture plane cut out, I was able to narrow down the selection and focus on the bike right in front of me. If you see the composition up close, you can clearly tell the bike is incredibly crisp and detailed, and everything else has been blurred out with a huge soft paintbrush. By focusing and keeping detail in one object, this indicates and demonstrates depth by stating the bike is the closest thing in the picture and everything else is in the background.

Super interesting how to make my drawings more visually interesting and adding more depth or 3-D qualities into my 2-D drawings!

TheChristyBel

My Finished Piece!