Fabulous Secrets 05 - Snapshot of Visual Style

When a student demonstrates reluctance to draw certain things, be it hands, architecture, animals, or even difficult viewing angles, I find it's useful to encourage them with a low-risk (yet content-rich) exercise. This episode's lesson invites the students to simply go for a walk with a camera and take photos of things that make them say "neat!"

We then review the photos in the classroom to discover the sophisticated visual vocabulary they already possess. Once empowered with the knowledge of their expertise, I then challenge them to demonstrate it through a group comics exercise.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Snapshot of Visual Style (lesson plan PDF)
• Posterous
• Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics
• Gerimi Burleigh
• Matt Feazell's Comics To Screenplay event at the Ann Arbor District Library
• My Hey Comics! workshop at the Brighton District Library
• Dan Mishkin presents Writing Visually at the Ann Arbor District Library
• I'm on Google Plus! Just ask to be in my "teaching" circle

Music for this show is by Eliott Drozd.

fs05.mp3 Listen on Posterous

New Feature: Student and Teacher Gallery

We are excited to announce the Gallery of Student and Teacher Creative Works! It's a new feature at Lean Into Art which will showcase images of what our students and teachers are currently making.

Curious how to post an image to the gallery? Students and Teachers, log in to the site and click the "Send Image to the Online Showcase Gallery" link in the Members menu.

Stop by every Wednesday to see the latest gallery images!

Polytechnicast - Expanding My Workshop Repertoire

In this episode, I share my work in progress plans on adding 6 more art/code/comics/UI workshops (in a fairly short timeframe) to my 3 workshop repertoire.

Links Mentioned

• Lean Into Art and 30 Classes in 30 Days
• Storytelling to Make Your Comic’s UI Awesome
• Comics Are Great by Jerzy Drozd
• Turning Jokes into Comics: Laughing Yeti Monkey Spaghetti
• Intervention Con

Follow Rob on Twitter or his blog at Interactive-Storyteller.com

Polytechnicast_-_Workshop_Repertoire.mp3 Listen on Posterous

New Workshops Added to 30/30!

Today is the day to sign up for 30 Classes in 30 Days, as it's the last chance to avail yourself of discounted early registration! A workshop every day in November for a one-time fee that can't be beat.

Speaking of November, the calendar is almost full! We've just added some more exciting workshops. From advanced illustration techniques to fostering creativity as a family, we're covering a pretty wide spectrum with this event!

Latest Additions:

Who Needs Art Anyway? The Role of Creativity in Child Development with Kate Sheilds Stenzinger

Digitally Organic Art and The Dramaturgy of Silly with Kim Holm

Turning Jokes Into Comics: Laughing Yeti Monkey Spaghetti and Storytelling to Make Your Comic's UI Awesome with Rob Stenzinger

And there's still more to come! You can keep track of the events by subscribing to the Lean Into Art workshop calendar: XML/ICAL/HTML

LIA Cast 05 - Polls

We start out this episode with some talk on the recent announcement about Google Plus Hangouts and the implications it has for cartoonists and educators.

Then we dive into a talk about surveys, polls, and self-reflection. How are they useful from a content creation/conversation facilitation standpoint? Can we map the thinking strategies behind polls and surveys to better center ourselves as creative people? Does a better understanding of how people choose make us more intentional storytellers?

Rob and Jerzy walk around this topic and do their best to leave with a better understanding.

Links mentioned in this episode:

• How We Decide
• Predictably Irrational
• The Oatmeal's How to get 5 Million People to Read Your Website
• 30 Classes in 30 Days early bird registration ends Friday, September 23!

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LIA Cast 05 - Polls