Term II Update

Good morning artists & families!

The start of Term II brings forth new projects for every class. Fifth grade started Greek Vase Painting, but with a twist! In the past I have taught this project where students are using Sharpies to draw a traditional looking Greek vase depicting a scene from mythology, but this year, students created their own scratch art paper and will etch their designs in the paper. The Element focus of this project is space and etching away from the surface will be a great way for artists to understand negative space. Below are some examples of the artist's rough drafts. They have been using Chromebooks to access links on a Symbaloo (on the 5th grade page) to help them with their depiction of mythology. Once their entire rough draft is drawn, they will then color in the areas they want to keep black and the areas that are going to be etched to reveal the red.

   

Sixth grade artists just started Medieval Weavings. So far, students have learned the key words loom, warp, weft, and shuttle and have created their looms. Next, students will practice various weaving techniques so they are prepared to create a tapestry weaving incorporating at least three different techniques. Seventh grade was introduced to Stained Glass Windows last week and have been working diligently on rough drafts. Students were given choice in the subject matter of their artwork, the only requirement is that the image is broken up by window panes to simulate the intricate designs of actual stained glass. Artists will be using acrylic paint to create their designs on a piece of glass that will sit inside a small picture frame. Here are examples of a few rough drafts:

Ultimately, this is what the project will look like:

Teacher Sample

Eighth grade artists viewed a presentation on Art Nouveau and the artist Gustav Klimt. Their next project is to create a Klimt-inspired composition by surrounding a human figure with a scene filled with Zentangles. So far, students have found an image from a magazine, cut it out, and are working on a rough draft. They will access a Symbaloo on my website (under the 8th grade tab) that provides them with several examples on Zentangles and ideas from past student artwork. Below is an example from an artists in 2015:

As always, continue to check back on my blog to read about what is happening in the art room. I try to write a post at least once a week, so for more frequent updates follow me on Twitter and Instagram at @MsStrasserArt. I can't wait to see the masterpieces these young artists will create!

Dürer Relief Print

7th and 8th grade artists were introduced to art of the Northern Renaissance, which is my personal favorite art period. I love the richness in the paint and the extreme realistic rendering the master artists were able to achieve. One of these impressive artists is Albrecht Dürer, an artist known for his many self-portrait paintings as well as his woodcut prints.

Self-Portrait at 28, 1500
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Durer_selfporitrait.jpg/220px-Durer_selfporitrait.jpg

Rhinocerus woodcut
https://media1.britannica.com/eb-media/46/150746-004-3F4BD323.jpg

The greatest thing about this rhino artwork is that Dürer drew it based on a written description - Dürer never actually laid eyes on one of these animals before drawing it! For the most part, the drawing is pretty spot on; I admire the variety of textures and details he added to the animal, which is why this is the inspiration for our next project! Students chose an animal and have been practicing drawing textures, using contour lines to create their animal because there can be no value or color in creating a print.

More details will come your way once students begin creating the actual print block. For more information about Northern Renaissance artwork, take a look at the slideshow on the 7/8 Art page!

ASL Hands

7th and 8th grade artists are working with my favorite medium for their current project: charcoal! After viewing a demonstration and practicing both additive (starting with a blank paper and adding charcoal to the page) and subtractive (starting with a darkened paper and erasing to show the picture) drawing methods, students chose which technique they wanted to do to draw their hands. Students must use American Sign Language to fingerspell three of their initials and draw what they see. Period 4 has had two class periods to work on their artwork so far, and I am impressed!

"Things That Inspire Me"

The current 7th & 8th grade project has students looking at Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling artwork. For a homework assignment, students had to create an artwork that showed 3-5 things that give them inspiration. I received images that showed students are inspired to do well in school, to be a friendly and loving person, and to live a healthy lifestyle, just to name a few. I was also pleased to see the variety of ways students arranged their artwork. Some choose to present their inspiration in a grid, others included items in the border, or even aligned it similarly to Michelangelo's paintings. Enjoy some of the great artwork!