It’s All in the Eyes for Studio in Art Students

There are fascinating displays of creativity in every art room at Huntington High School. Studio in Art students working with teacher Jenna Merget are a perfect example of the inspiration moving the teenagers to do great things.

Studio in Art is a full year, one credit course offered to students in grades 9-12 that meets daily. It’s recommended for students interested in fine arts. There is no prerequisite.

“Studio in Art is a course in the fundamentals of the fine arts which will allow you to experience a whole world of creative self-expression,” states the course catalog. “A student taking Studio in Art will learn about and experiment with the basic design elements such as line, shape, color, texture, and value. Students develop or sharpen their art skills while handling such media as watercolor and acrylic paint, pencil, India ink, block print ink, charcoal, pastel, and ceramics.”

Students enjoyed a recent project. “For this assignment, students studied the value in famous works of art,” Ms. Merget explained. “We practiced creating highlights and shading in our sketchbooks and practiced with a step by step ‘how to draw an eye’ video. Students created realistic drawings of their own eyes. Students focused on shading and created a value scale to navigate the shadows and highlights within their drawings. I am always pleasantly surprised with this project. Students are excited when they see the results and how their drawings look so much like themselves. This is definitely one of my favorite displays to hang at the art show!”

Studio in Art is an introductory level course that is one of the three classes that fulfill the state’s art graduation requirement. “No drawing experience necessary,” Ms. Merget emphasized. “We explore various media from painting, colored pencil, ink drawings, graphite, and more. It’s a great class where students can explore their creativity.”

Ms. Merget first assigned the “eyes” project during the Covid 19 pandemic. “I felt that while students were wearing masks, their eyes spoke volumes in their expressions,” she said. “However, as times have improved, I wanted to continue this project. I love putting these on display for the art show as it is so captivating!”

The teenagers worked hard on the project. “It was great to see students apply their knowledge in value while creating realistic drawings,” said senior intern Ashlee Vaquerano, who assisted in teaching students about value and the value scale. “You can really recognize each student by their eyes.”

Ms. Merget said she is “very passionate” about the project and feels it connects nicely with the following verse from the rock band Air Supply’s song titled “The Eyes of a Child:”

“In the eyes of a child, there is joy, there is laughter
There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future
For the lessons of life, there is no better teacher

Than the look in the eyes of a child.”