Art Pop - Pop Art

Girl with Hair Ribbon, 1965
Roy Lichtenstein
(1923-1997)

What is Pop Art and how did it start: Pop art started in Great Britain in the 1950's, during a period of economic boom after the Second World War. The movement made its way accross the sea to the U.S. in the 1960's. The movement was based on mass media images, such as packaging and advertising, which lead to a very commercial looking art...which was an opposing response to the artists painting before them: the Abstract Expressionists.d

What Sunshine Graffiti noticed about Roy Lichtenstein's after watching: Introduction to Pop Art

• Used comic strips for inspiration
  
• Paintings reflect action and love
• Used bright, bold colors
• Used heavy black outlines
• Used dots to fill in spaces, (also called halftones), which were used in newspaper printing
  
• Simple 2-D images look like one cell from a comic strip

Blam, (1962, Oil on Canvas)
Roy Lichtenstein

The Sunshine Adventure Begins: Lichtenstein used traditional art materials to create his images. In 2009, we have a lot more resources available to us that he did not. Sunshine Graffiti is capitalizing on all of the technological advances that we have made since Lichtenstein's death in 1997.

Adobe Photoshop is our tool of choice this week, but pop art is still our goal. We are learning a lot about the functions and process of the program by creating this image, but also a lot about the Pop Art movement by using Lichtenstein's stlye to help guide our original digital image.

Sunshine Graffiti: Stage One Pop Art

Stay Tuned for Completed Sunshine Pop Image!

The Painter Must Paint

Ever wonder how to make something out of nothing? Well, why not ask Sunshine Graffiti to spin you a marvelous tale about...well NOTHING in particular!

Allowing your mind to paint absolutely nothing from time to time can be refreshing, but also very hard if you are not used to abstract art. So, to warm up for our lesson in painting...Mr. Sunshine painted to the the rhythm of different orchestral music, solely allowing the sounds to guide his paintbrush and color selection.

Take a look at the video above and watch as Sunshine himself explains the painting that he created. If you have ever wondered what it would be like to hear a 5th grader talk like an Italian art critic, here is your golden opportunity!

Below is the completed image that Mr. Sunshine created on a 5 x 5 in canvas. It was inspired by the images that we looked at by Kandinsky, seemingly from a few blobs of random paint. It eventually morphed into a recognizable scene though, which gave Sunshine an excellent chance to practice his brush work and shading skills.


Renegade Art Teacher: So, Sunshine, what's the title of your finished piece?

Sunshine Graffiti:

Renegade Art Teacher: What inspired you to use such bright colors?

Sunshine Graffiti:

Renegade Art Teacher: Was it hard to paint in a non-representational style, (aka abstract)? What was the hardest part?

Sunshine Graffiti:

Renegade Art Teacher: Did you enjoy creating this painting? Is it something that you are proud of?

Well Color Me Kandinsky!

Read below for information on Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian Expressionist painter who inspired Sunshine Graffiti's latest painting project! Check back soon for more images of the painter's work!

"Composition V", 1911

by Wassily Kandinsky. Oil on canvas, (639 x 446)

"I applied streaks and blobs of colors onto the canvas with a palette knife and I made them sing with all the intensity I could..." Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944)

There is no point in studying the work of dead Russian painters, right? WRONG! Well, at least this art teacher thinks so! But what makes his work worth while and aesthetically appealing? What makes it so good? And who is this guy anyway? Read on...

Well, Wassily Kandinsky was...

• Born in Moscow, Russia in 1866. At an early age, he learned to play the piano and the cello at a young age. Throughout his life, music had a huge impact on his paintings. How can you tell from the painting above? Does it have a rhythmic quality?
  
  
• This painting was painted during troubled times before the First World War...but would you guess that from the bright colors that were used in this painting? Why do you think that he would paint such a cheerful painting in the middle of a horrible war? What feeling does this painting leave you with?
  

• Kandinsky had an "inner necessity" to paint and express the emotions that he was feeling on the inside, which led to what is called, abstract or "non-representational art." Kandinsky is actually considered the founder of abstract art, (and that's a big job...just imagine the courage that it would have taken to break away from the painting style that everyone else thought was the right way to paint)! What does it mean to make something that is "non-representational?" Can a painting that represents "nothing" be just as beautiful as one that shows "something?"
  

• Kandinsky was famous for his use of line and shape...look VERY closely at the painting above. What shapes can you pick out? How do his lines vary in weight, (thickness) and style?
  
  

Places on the web to check out more information about Wassily Kandinsky:
(Mr. Sunshine...please fill in the names and explanations of the site information that is missing below)

• Arnold Schonberg Center: Explains how colors apply to Kandinsky
  http://www.schoenberg.at/4_exhibits/asc/Kandinsky/Farbe_e.htm
  
  
• Insert Name: Insert explanation
  http://www.russianavantgard.com/wassily_kandinsky.html
  
  
• Insert Name: Insert explanation
  http://www.artchive.com/artchive/K/kandinsky.html
  
  
• Insert Name: Insert explanation
  http://www.nga.gov/kids/kandinsky/
  
  
  

Version 2 Now Availible!!!

Version 2 is now up for Download!!! To Download, do the same steps as before. Plus, Im making more Wallpapers so you all have More Choices!!! The others should be up Sometime this week!!

New Sprite Wallpaper Availible!

FREEEeeEEEeeEEeeEE....Click on the above image and save the FIRST ever Sunshine Graffiti sprite wallpaper, free for your use and enjoyment! Click on the image above and save it to your computer for use as super-slick wallpaper. Stay for new and improved versions to come!

The Begining: Logo Design

Sunshine Graffiti is now official. Read the interview below between the teacher and student about the creation of the logo and "Sunshine Graffiti."


Teacher: Why was it important to draw 4 different logo ideas before you decided on one design?
Student: So I had more than just one Choice.


Teacher: What steps did you go through to create your logo?
Student: Many Different Steps were used Making it.



Teacher: Why did you name your art and design company, "Sunshine Graffiti?"
Student: "My Website will "Shine" with Wonderful Graffiti Art".



Teacher: What do the symbols in your logo mean, especially the "m" shape?
Student: The "M" stands for "Major Art", Which you will see here, on this Site!

Original Logo Thumbnail Sketches