The Little Projector Workshop

The workshop was run by the Little Projector Company. They taught us about projection art, visual jockeying, and how visuals can be used to create experiences and tell stories. Moreover, the workshop was designed to help us learn about projection and understand how art and technology can work together.

I enjoyed today because it was different from a normal classroom lesson. It was fun seeing how light and images could change a space and create different moods. I liked being able to try new things and watch the projections come to life, I mean being projected on the Dandenong Library building.

One challenge was understanding some of the technical parts and getting the visuals to work the way we wanted. Sometimes the results were unexpected, but that also made the workshop interesting and creative.

I learned that early rave culture used projections and live visuals to make music events feel more exciting and energetic. VJs mixed and controlled visuals live, kind of like how DJs mix music.

This links to our Australian Stories topic because projections can be used to tell stories, share culture, and express ideas in a creative way that people can connect with. Projection changes the audience experience because it makes people feel more involved instead of just sitting and watching. It can turn an ordinary space into something more interesting and memorable.

I think art in public spaces is really important because it brings people together and gives everyone a chance to enjoy and experience creativity. Today’s workshop helped me think more creatively and showed me that technology and art can work together to communicate ideas in ways that are fun and engaging.

Ali Reza W

Year 11 Media

Can you spot the animals hidden within the letters? Can you spot the giraffe? Can you find the frog? One of our incredibly talented Year 11 Visual Communication Design students has created this stunning hand-designed typography artwork, cleverly incorporating animal shapes into the lettering. The creativity, detail, and skill on display are truly impressive!

Mrs Hoddinott’s Year 11 Visual Communication Design class has also been producing some amazingly professional-looking chocolate packaging designs this term. Students began the project by investigating the cocoa industry and exploring important issues such as sustainability and climate change, and how these challenges impact chocolate production around the world.

They then examined packaging design in detail, learning about layout, branding, colour choices and visual communication techniques. Using this knowledge, students developed their own original chocolate brands before creating highly professional packaging prototypes that look ready for store shelves!

The finished designs are creative, polished, and incredibly impressive, showcasing the outstanding talent and hard work of our students. You can see these fantastic works on display now in the display cabinets in L Block.

Mrs Hoddinott

Art Teacher

Year 10 Art

Year 10 Art students in Mrs Hoddinott’s class have been busy creating some truly incredible mixed media artworks this term!

So, what is mixed media? Mixed media art is a creative style that combines a variety of different materials and artistic techniques in a single artwork. Instead of using just paint or pencil alone, artists layer and experiment with many different textures and mediums to create unique and eye-catching pieces.

Our talented Year 10 students fully embraced this exciting art style by experimenting with an amazing range of materials. Their artworks included paper clay for impressive 3D effects, as well as pastels, charcoal, fleece, pencils, paint, glitter, newspaper and collage techniques. Some students even incorporated real guitar strings into their creations to add extra texture and creativity!

The final artworks are bold, imaginative and full of personality, showcasing the students’ willingness to take creative risks and think outside the box. It has been a really fun and highly successful project, with students producing artworks they can be truly proud of! Come to the LRC to see some of these incredible works on display.

Mrs Hoddinott

Art Teacher

Year 9 Art

During Term 1, Mrs Hoddinott’s Year 9 Art class explored the fascinating world of hyperrealism, an art style that focuses on creating drawings so detailed and realistic they almost look like photographs!

As part of the unit, students learned how to use a grid drawing technique to carefully map out proportions and capture fine details with accuracy and precision. They also developed their understanding of the elements and principles of art, including tone, texture, light, and contrast, to help bring their artworks to life.

Using graphite pencils, students produced some truly impressive drawings filled with incredible detail and realism. The patience, focus, and artistic skill demonstrated throughout this project have been outstanding, and the finished artworks are something the class should be extremely proud of!

Mrs Hoddinott

Art Teacher

Year 8 Product Design

Mrs Hoddinott’s Year 8 Product Design class has been hard at work creating their own adorable and quirky monster plushies!

Students began the project by examining examples of monster toys and exploring what makes them fun, unique and full of personality. Using these ideas as inspiration, they designed their own original monster characters, each with unique features and style.

The next challenge was learning how to turn their ideas into reality by creating sewing patterns for their designs. Students carefully used their patterns to cut felt pieces before hand-sewing their very own plush toy monsters together. Along the way, they developed valuable design and textile skills while showing incredible patience and creativity.

Some students even took the project a step further by learning needle-felting techniques to create tiny versions of their monster designs — and the results were amazing!

The finished plushies are colourful, imaginative, and packed with personality. I’m sure you’ll agree that they turned out absolutely fantastic!

Mrs Hoddinott

Art Teacher

Year 9 Street Art

Did you know that Year 9 Art students have been exploring the exciting world of street art? Mrs Hoddinott’s class recently created miniature fences, which they transformed into incredible street art displays. The results have been creative, colourful, and hugely successful! You can check out these amazing artworks on display now in the LRC.

The creativity doesn’t stop there! Later this term, students will design and cut their own stencils before heading into Melbourne to create street art-inspired works in the famous Hosier Lane. To top it all off, the class will also take part in a guided tour to see real-life examples of Melbourne’s world-class, vibrant street art scene. Stay tuned for more about the fun and learning on the upcoming excursion.

Mrs Hoddinott

Art Teacher

Clubs News

Weekly Clubs at DHS!