Elements of Art

I am so proud of all my classes for how much they remember from previous art classes! This week students reviewed the Elements of Art and 5th and 6th graders are currently working on practicing using all 7 Elements by creating a poster that somehow displays all of them. Here are some in-progress pictures from today's 6th graders:

Self Portraits

Hanging outside the Art Room are a combination of 5-8 self portraits and K-4 selfies. As more students complete their drawings, more artwork will hang in the halls. So far all these portraits are fantastic!

Square 1 Art

Square 1 Art is a great fundraiser for the FCCS Art Room that allows parents to forever preserve their child's artwork in a one-of-a-kind keepsake. Middle school students are allowed to choose their own subject matter - the goal is to create a beautiful artwork that they will want to purchase printed on keepsakes. Every year I stock up on stationary and order a coffee mug with my drawing on it.

Students are working both in class and at home on their designs. As they are working at home, please check in with them to ensure they are creating their best work! S1A keepsakes make excellent holiday gifts for family members, friends, and even teachers. For more information about Square 1 Art or to preview the products available, check out www.square1art.com.

The S1A timeline is as follows:

Friday, September 29 - Artwork is DUE to Ms. Strasser in order to ship all of the artwork together that day after school
Wednesday, October 11 - FCCS receives custom catalogs with squickers
Monday, October 23 - Deadline for keepsake orders
Wednesday, November 15 - Approximate date of keepsake arrival

I can't wait to see everyone's final artwork!

First/Second Week

I am so very happy to be returning to FCCS for my third year of teaching. This past week has been fantastic! I have enjoyed getting to know my new students as well as catching up with my returning ones. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the About Me paper students filled out on their first day and I thought that I should share a little bit about myself, too:

1. I have only ever taught at FCCS, but I was a student teacher at Windsor Knolls Middle, Centerville Elementary, Walkersville High, and Governor Thomas Johnson Middle. 
2. I have always loved art! As a kid, I would staple paper together to create random picture books.
3. I have been a Girl Scout since 2nd grade and just recently gained my lifetime membership! With my troop I traveled to Savannah, GA and NYC and have camped in just about form possible (tent, cabin, tipi, platform tent, just to name a few).
4. My favorite art medium is charcoal because I love how smooth it is when drawing. 
5. My favorite school subject has always been art, but I also really like algebra and chemistry - in my next life I think it would be fun to be a science teacher!
6. My favorite colors are pink, yellow, and orange, but I have recently fallen in love with mint green.
7. Instead of picking a favorite book, I picked a favorite play: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. 
8. I love theater! My grandparents would take my sister and I to see operas and musicals when I was younger. My favorite musicals are Fiddler on the Roof, Peter Pan, Phantom of the Opera and Hamilton (even though I have not actually seen this one live). 
9. I've never had a conventional pet, just fish. If I could have any pet, I would like a tiny pig.
10. I love art history just as much as art making. I originally started college in the hopes of becoming a museum curator, but decided that teaching was the right career for me, and I'm glad I made the switch!

The first assignment for students this year is to create a self portrait. I want to see each students' drawing style. I am excited to tuck these portraits away (after they've been proudly displayed in the hallway, of course) until the end of the school year where students can compare the two drawings and see how they've grown as artists over the course of the year. Below are a few examples of in-progress portraits. 

I really look forward to getting to know my students even more throughout the year and helping them evolve their art skills!