Welcome Back!

Welcome back everyone. I hope that your Thanksgiving weekend went well and that you were able to enjoy the company of family and friends. If travel wasn't possible for you, I hope that at least you were able to make the most of your time during what I am sure was a much-need break from the grind if nothing else. I noticed that some of you placed items in the Holiday Bazaar. I hope that worked out well for you. A little extra jingle in your pocket (even if it is only just a little) is always a good thing.

We are truly down to the wire now. We have only tomorrow's class and Monday's class (which will be simple and fun, I assure you) before you turn in your portfolios on Wednesday, December 9. THAT'S IT! Where has the semester gone? Doesn't it seem like just yesterday you were staring at white boxes, spheres, cones, and cylinders, trying to figure out how the hell this linear perspective stuff works, and having nightmares of ellipses in your sleep? Compare what you are accomplishing now to what you were doing then. I should hope that you feel your work is far more confident now. And hopefully you see why it was important to START there before moving on to more advanced drawings rather than diving straight in without any scuba gear.

So, then, allow me to give you a few quick reminders here so you can be ready for what's coming up:

1. Don't forget that tomorrow is the final day to turn in any assignments you have reworked for the possibility of a better grade. I will accept any reworked assignment from any point in the semester, but I will NOT accept late drawings that weren't turned in on the date they were originally due. I don't have the time nor patience to grade, in addition to the reworked assignments, a bunch of drawings that were due weeks ago that you never turned in. This isn't make-up time. This is a final-shot chance to improve your grade through good, honest hard work. I will have them graded and returned to you on Monday so you can add them to your portfolio.

2. Make sure to have your Bristol, 4H drawing pencil, and M- and F-tip BLACK ink pens tomorrow ready to go. Bring along a second sheet of Bristol if you think you may finish your first drawing early. PLEASE DO NOT RAID THE STORE RIGHT BEFORE CLASS. That didn't work out so well the last time. I don't want class held up again, especially since this will be the last time we work on a REAL assignment in class. Come unprepared, and I will request that you just leave the classroom and not waste our time.

3. Don't forget that tomorrow is "Bring Your Own Music Day" for everyone whose last name begins with P-W. Yesterday was an interesting experience, and I look forward to hearing what the rest of you have to offer. Just bring a burned CD of 4-5 songs or, if you have an MP3 player and a cord that will connect it to my radio's auxiliary jack, you can make a short playlist.

4. Here is what you need to do in preparation for December 9:

Don't wait until the night before!

Build your portfolio: Before you do anything else, gather all your work and make sure that everything is fixed and will therefore not get smudged. Place everything you have done in this class (both in-class assignments and homework) in chronological order into your portfolio. On the outside of your portfolio HAVE YOUR NAME PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED.

Prepare your sketchbook: Make sure that YOUR NAME IS PROMINENTLY DISPLAYED ON YOUR SKETCHBOOK. I had a few at midterm that I had to guess by a process of elimination. You wouldn't want me to accidentally put your grade down by someone else's name, would you? Make sure that your syllabus and any handouts, articles, or research given to you or obtained on your own are in that pocket in the back. Hopefully your sketchbook is already in very good shape right now, but if you are one of those last-minute procrastinators, you have a week to make it look like you DIDN'T procrastinate until the last minute. Remember everything I wrote in your sketchbook at midterm and everything I said to you at the last sketchbook review (which was disappointing on the whole, with a few exceptions--you know who you are) and make sure it is well-designed, shows your progress and research, and is reflective of an entire semester's worth of diligent WORK.

Submit your final portfolio and sketchbook: You have until 4:50 PM on December 9 to bring your portfolio and sketchbook to the studio. After 4:50 PM I will lock the door and accept nothing later. There will be designated areas to place each item. Simply place your portfolio and sketchbook in their areas and you will be free to go. Return at 7:30 PM to pick everything up again (I know I originally told you 6:30, but I want to make sure I have enough time to grade everything and for taking photographs). Inside your sketchbook I will write a sketchbook grade. This grade is for the sketchbook only and is not necessarily reflective of your final grade for the course, which will be averaged together just as I outlined in your syllabus and submitted to the dean. You will receive all of your final grades at some point over the winter break.

5. Speaking of grades: Some of you have forgotten to post an evaluation of yourself and the course on your blog. Remember, that was part of your assignment over Thanksgiving break. Get that up there. Also, if you like, you can feel free to include in your evaluation the grade you feel you honestly deserve.

And that's all, folks! We are so near the end of the semester I can hear it squeak. (I don't know, it's something I used to hear oldtimers say and I always found it funny.) See you tomorrow.