After your first Visual Arts lesson, I hope you all feel very welcome and excited about the next 15 weeks. I want to congratulate you on your initiative in checking out the blog, and feel free to show your folks at home. A few quick reminders: Every student needs a Visual journal, preferably the A4 'portrait' size, black cover - available from school uniform shop for around $5 - 10 and most news agencies, office works etc, Very important. Every student should also come to each class with a decent pencil and other items of stationary. Good stuff. Oh, and bring manners, though I suspect that these are internal and natural, so it goes without saying - but I've said it (how does that work?).
More from class:
Here's another list, this time 20 words on which to flex your brain-powers. Remember, the links need to be vivid and preferably elicit a strong emotional response or intensely interesting.

Mosquito
Doughnut
Umbrella
Lizard
MP3 Player
Spine
Hairbrush
Margarine
Tyre
Calculator
Lawn
Jacket
Buffalo
Electricity
Scissors
Cloud
Moustache
Eski
October
Duck

Super Stuff

Well, things are sure getting interesting. When you start to think about super powers, it's hard not to think about comic books.  10 million points to anyone who can correctly identify the character to the left, with a further 5 million points if you can explain his super abilities. Maybe this will help. A little bit of research is good for your IT skills...
By now you should all have a visual journal and a real good idea of some of the expectations of the class - that is good. I look forward to helping you all design your characters so that they can help stop evil - or bring doom!





 February then - March now
Well it seems that Chris Nelson wins the awesome prize (see comments below) as he identified this great looking picture of me as Deadpool. Now... on to serious business. As you know, we've introduced a spelling thing into the first Art class of each week, so here are the words I would love you to know intimately:

• anatomy
• proportion
• figure
• torso
• ability
• mutant
• invisible
• contour
• metamorphosis

I know, I'm missing one. But which one? It's only human to forget. If only there was a way to remember a long list of words (hint: look above) So if you can learn all these words, and understand their meanings - you are primed to join me in taking over the world with the mighty powers of our mighty brains, mwah ha ha ha ha.... ahem, sorry.
By the way, remember our little chat about memes, well as it turns out, the guy that came up with the idea (Evolutionary Biologist Richard Dawkins) was a friend of the guy that wrote Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams - now dead Douglas Adams). Dawkins even married a lady he met through this friend who worked with Adams on Doctor Who - showing that it is truly a small world. Check this little video clip out about memes - by the way, if you like smart ideas check out the rest of the TED website. These people are really clever, funny and sometimes confusing. Have a look at this guy - he is one of the reasons that I became a teacher (apart from the main reason - revenge).

Riddle:
Have a go thinking about this one - 
It's worth a lot, but you can't buy it & you can't sell it. You can give it and you still keep it. 
Please add your comments about your thoughts and make sure you explain your responses.