Millennium Middle School – WDWNT Archive

Brandon and Melissa Share Latest Customs

WDWNT on May 12, 2014

Brandon and Melissa are a pair of Visual Arts Teachers Millennium Middle School in Sanford, FL. We recently shared their student’s work, now it is time to see what they have created for their latest custom Vinylmation.

What subject did you choose and why?
Brandon: I chose King Hippo and Little Mac. I love vintage video games and was a big fan of the original Mike Tyson’s PunchOut!!

Melissa: My favorite Disney character is Mr. Smee, so I really wanted to do him. Then Villians 2 came out and I really liked the Smee in that set. I considered one of the Lost Boys first, but when we decided to make it a 9” and 3” set, I knew Michael with Teddy was the way to go.

What have you learned from your first customs to now?
Brandon: I actually think I learned the most from my first 9’ custom. King Hippo was good practice to reacquaint myself with painting a three dimensional surface before tackling my 3” custom of Little Mac.

Melissa: I was a big believer in not taking the Vinylmation apart- I was so afraid I would break and arm or things wouldn’t look right, but it is so much easier if you do. Michael was also the first Vinylmation I ever painted on a “Custom” mold (we usually spray paint commons), and although I really like the surface, I felt like I had to do more layers (but the stars in his ear glow, so it was worth it)

And then there were a pair of customs you did that were chosen by your students?
Melissa: Yes, we also did 3” customs in which we let the kids decide our subject…they chose Sherlock Holmes for Brandon & Dr. Watson for me.

Spotlight On: Millennium Middle School Art Portfolio Students

WDWNT on March 18, 2013

Melissa and Brandon, the Art Portfolio teachers at Millennium Middle School in Sanford, Florida, have finished another Vinylmation themed project with their students and we would like to share the finished designs with you.

DV: Last year, we spotlighted the Vinylmation themed project you gave to your students. You decided to do this once again this year, with some differences. What were the requirements of this year’s project.

Melissa and Brandon: For this project, our only requirements were that the kids create something new and different from the hundreds of Vinylmation they had seen throughout their time in class. Each student had to do a front and back colored sketch before they could draw their designs in their Vinylmation and begin painting. Students were allowed to create and attach accessories if it enhanced their piece. After creating their Vinylmation, each student designed and created a custom box. We really tried to give the kids lots of creative freedom so they would take pride in their creation and do their best work.

DV: Were your students excited to do this project?

MB: Our kids were so excited! They had created the art for so many Vinylmation at this point that they were thrilled to finally get their hands on the real thing. Some kids were slightly intimidated at first, but once they finished their sketches there was no stopping the excitement.

DV: Now that you have done a Vinylmation themed project with another set of students, do you have a feel for the impact this type of themed learning has on your students?

MB: It’s funny, we just officially finished our Vinylmation unit today and we always get several gasps and sighs when we say we are leaving it behind. Brandon gives the kids a reassuring speech that they can go on- it’s kind of like a eulogy for something they have come to love and rely on. These kids have worked on Vinylmation, in some form, since September. The Vinylmation form has become almost comforting to them. After our first year with Vinylmation, I fell in love with themed projects and have worked it into my other classes (on a much smaller scale). I think themed learning really gives the students a boost of confidence before entering each project by allowing them to use a theme they are already familiar with.

Spotlight On: The Millennium Middle School 7th & 8th Grade Art Classes

WDWNT on January 18, 2012

I have always said that the best part about running this website and collecting Vinylmation is the community. It’s meeting people with similar interests and interesting stories. Today, I want to introduce you to a different group of custom artists than you are used to. In fact, I don’t believe they ever applied paint to an actual vinyl Mickey, but I think you will enjoy this all the same.

Melissa French and Brandon Specht are art teaches to 7th and 8th grade advanced art students at Millennium Middle School in Sanford, FL. They are also Vinylmation collectors and recently gave an interesting assignment to their students.

Destination Vinylmation: Tell us about this very different assignment.
Melissa and Brandon: Originally, this unit started out with one 2-D and one 3-D project, however the student’s excitement fueled us to expand the unit. We started with a two day presentation of designer toys, Vinylmations, and an endless stream of pictures.

The class response was so great that I went out and bought a blind box so we could open it together and they could better understand the concept. They were pretty much hooked from then on. We may have gone overboard because in the end our class did a total of SEVEN Vinylmation projects.

2-D Design Collage- Students created 2-D Vinylmations and collaged them onto a magazine background. This project was inspired by the pictures collectors take of their Vinylmations around the parks.

3-D Plush- Students designed, cut, and painted the front and back of a Vinylmation drawn on canvas before sewing and stuffing the canvas together to create a plush.

Plaster Vinylmation Jr.- We filled our Vinylmation ice cube trays with plaster to create small figures in which the students designed and painted in the minimalist style of the original Juniors series.

3-D Two- Faced Paper Stand-up- This project came from our students becoming so involved that they really had a hard time choosing just one character or idea for their Vinlymations. For this project, they could have created as many as four Vinylmations and many happily took the challenge. Each Vinylmation is double sided and presents a different view from each angle.

Trading Cards- We planned this before Disney did away with the trading cards, so we included it for this year. Each student made 4 trading cards of the favorite of their Vinylmations: one card to keep, one to trade, and one for each of the teachers.

Vinylmation Box- The boxes were created to display all of their projects for the unit in a unique way. The students had to create six Vinylmation related sides for the box, in any manner they chose. Some students chose to represent their projects on the side of the box, while others were still so full of Vinylmation ideas that they created entirely new images.

Vinylmation Class Set- For our last project, every student in class created a 3” drawn and colored version of themselves in Vinylmation form. They are currently displayed with 9” versions of myself and Brandon as a kind of “class portrait”.

DV: Wow, that is an expansive project all revolving around Vinylmation. Do you find that using a subject like Disney increases the excitement about the assignments inside the classroom?
M & B: The excitement in our classroom on a daily basis was amazing. They discussed ideas and congratulated each other and really worked as a class to raise the standards and present the best collective group of work they possibly could.

As their teachers, Brandon and I fed off of their excitement everyday, creating new projects next year and really taking a serious interest in our own Vinylmation collections and sharing with the class after a weekend of trading.

DV: Do you think you have any future Imagineers on your hands?
M & B: I happily say there is a distinct possibility. Brandon and I tried to create projects in which our students would really get a feel for what a job as an artist would be like. Based on the reception, I do believe many of them are keeping creative jobs in mind for the future.

DV: Have either of you personally ever tried your hand at a 3D custom on a Mickey mold?
Melissa: I have not, but it is on my to-do list for 2012. I did receive the Vinylmation sketchbook for Christmas and am excited to fill the pages!

Brandon: It is now on my to-do list as well. Student’s aside, Melissa and I have had far too much fun developing these projects. If she is planning on doing one, there is no way that I will miss out on the fun!