Computer architects. (Architecture in the Art Room)(Cover Story).

Computer architects. (Architecture in the Art Room)(Cover Story). Architecture on the computer is a captivating cap��ti��vate?tr.v. cap��ti��vat��ed, cap��ti��vat��ing, cap��ti��vates1. To attract and hold by charm, beauty, or excellence. See Synonyms at charm.2. Archaic To capture. assignment for allstudents. While they do not need a fancy computer program to make thegingerbread on the houses, Appleworks or Claris Works paint program caneasily make intricate houses for my high school students. They become so involved in the project that they can spend almost aweek in a block class designing their house and then creating a"painted lady," or painted house. Parents and students areamazed that this detailed project is done on such a basic computerprogram. The students are shown different styles of architecture: Federal(1775-1820), Greek Revival (1820-1860), Gothic Revival (1840-1870),Italianate (1840-1875), Second Empire (1850-1875) and Queen Anne(1876-1900). Then, different architectural facets are pointed out and terms arediscussed. These terms include keystones, cupola cupola/cu��po��la/ (koo��pah-lah) cupula. cu��po��lan.A cup-shaped or domelike structure.cupolacupula. , fanlight, mansardroof mansard roof(măn`särd), type of roof, so named because it was frequently used by the French architect François Mansart. It was not devised by him but was used early in the 16th cent. , pediment pediment,in architecture, the triangular gable end on a building of classic type or a similar form used decoratively. It consists of the tympanum, or triangular wall surface, enclosed below by the horizontal cornice and above by the raking cornice, which follows the , tower, sidelights, gingerbread decorations, gables,portico, dormer dormerWindow set vertically in a structure that projects from a sloping roof. It often illuminates a bedroom. In the late Gothic and early Renaissance periods, elaborate masonry dormers were designed. , foundation, bay window and eaves. Pictures of homes in their vicinity are studied. Sometimes fieldtrips are taken to not only see the outside of a home, but the insidetoo. Through a series of basic assignments, students master the basiccomputer drawing and painting tools and commands: cut-copy-paste,paintbrush (graphics, tool) Paintbrush - A Microsoft Windows tool for creating bitmap graphics. size, flip horizontally/vertically, fill/spray paint, rotate,shapes, resize, straight line tool, patterns, erase, gradients and,perhaps most important, "save as you work." With these basics, the students are ready to start creating theirhouses. They first choose an architectural style they wish to portray,and then collect several pictures of the housing style to use forreference. Starting from the roof, they slowly construct their version of thehome. When the basic house is completed they go back and work on detailslike paneling, bricking, landscaping or window treatments. When the details have been completed, students start the process ofselecting color schemes for the houses. The computer makes changingcolor schemes an easy process. The students are required to print outtwo colored houses, called "painted ladies," and oneblack-and-white house. Through this project, high-schoolers become familiar witharchitecture and gain important computer design experience. Ourcompleted projects look top-notch and made for a great exhibit. Thispast year, they were even used for our school calendar.ARCHITECTURE TERMS* Bay window* Cupola* Dormer* Eaves* Fanlight* Foundation* Gables* Gingerbread decorations* Keystones* Mansard roof* Pediment* Portico* Sidelights* TowerARCHITECTURE STYLES* Federal (1775-1820)* Greek Revival (1820-1860)* Gothic Revival (1840-1870)* Italianate (1840-1875)* Second Empire (1850-1875)* Queen Anne (1876-1900) LEARNING OBJECTIVES Students will: * learn about different variations in styles of houses. * learn the names of different styles of houses. * be able to identify key architectural facets. * learn to successfully master computer drawing skills. Janelle Lyon Betts is a K-12 art instructor for the North TamaCommunity Schools in Traer, Iowa.