Unrestrained

Unrestrained

by: Jewel Shaw
Barret Traditional Middle School

The Beginning-

I first heard about this project from my computer teacher, Mr. Rogers. I knew I wanted to do it when he said "Digital Art." Sure, I had never done digital art before then, at least not seriously. Besides how would I manage something decent with just a mouse and desktop? I was very tempted to give up after hearing about it before Winter Break. I did still love art and I wanted to try.

The Drawing Process-

I received about $300 for Christmas and decided straight away to buy a Wacom medium sized drawing tablet to connect to my desktop. The next question was; What do I draw? It's always hard finding inspiration... until you look to yourself. I wanted to draw a girl that represented a lot about me and a bit about others. Hair covers her eyes because she is shy. Her emotional sadness is hidden by a soft smile. Her tattoo represents religious freedom and the bracelets are to show homosexuality. I first drew the base and then cleaned it up before coloring her with a cover pen and a a spray brush for the background.

Afterthoughts-

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Afterwards, I realized how much practice I'll need to really get good at this digital art thing. I also should do more background work. I never have drawn background before, it's a pretty hard task for me. Drawing on real paper with normal media is much easier than drawing on a tablet with Core Paint Essentials software. I surely will keep practicing and working hard at art that I love.

designed by Jewel Shaw

created 2018

Click Here to view larger image

Barret Cares

Barret Cares

By: Emily Lancaster
Barret Traditional Middle School

The beginning:

My technology teacher approached me at the beginning of the school year and asked me to write a song about our school’s new volunteering program, Barret Cares. I was nervous at first because I had never written a song before, I only covered other artists’ compositions. So I went home and decided to write down a list of 20 or 30 facts that I wanted to include in the song, and then I started to make them rhyme. It was difficult at first, but once I started writing about all the things I love about my school, it became very simple and the lyrics were finished before I knew it. Then, I had to compose the actual music. This part was much simpler, because I play guitar and piano. Most songs use the 4 main chords, G, Em, C, and D, so I just tried to play the song on guitar with these chords until it sounded like a decent song.

The recording process:

I was unsure about how to go about recording this song. I researched several different methods, and GarageBand, the application available on ios devices, was overwhelmingly the method with most success. I downloaded the app on my iPhone and recorded myself playing guitar and piano, and the audio quality was surprising very good. I set some drum tracks that were available for my style of song based on the time signature. I recorded myself singing last so that I could hear what the entire song sounded like musically without my voice so that I could make sure there were no mistakes in the composition.

Afterthought:

After writing this piece, I have gained many things. First, I now understand how difficult it is to write a song now. I never understood how much work and time went into doing this. Second, I have gained a greater appreciation for my school. When you have to sit by yourself in your room for 2 hours and write about all the things you like about your school, it kind of makes you think about how lucky you are to have the opportunity to attend a school that has a volunteer program like this. I feel so fortunate to go to Barret and have been selected to write this school ‘anthem’.

I hope you enjoy my song “Barret Cares” and I hope it tells you about my school and the great things going on there.

Recorded: 2017

Music created by Emily Lancaster

Lyrics written by Emily Lancaster

Performed by Emily Lancaster

Once the song is playing, choose full screen for lyrics.

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