Triptych Update

Students have been working hard on their paintings. As of today, every student has completed their value scales and are about to or have already started painting their portraits. I like that I chose such a small scale for this project because artists have been able to work through this quickly. Maybe we'll even have time for another mini-project before the school year ends!

Pop Art Triptych

After completing their Cubist Still Life collages (pictures are now updated on the Virtual Art Show), 8th grade artists began creating their Pop Art Triptych. I am really excited about this project because it is one that I have been dreaming of teaching my students since I was student teaching at TJ Middle (2/5 internships). I started by showing the students this slideshow with two amazing Pop Art/Andy Warhol videos. Together we brainstormed a list of the important characteristics of both the Pop Art movement and the artists Andy Warhol. I had students make a list of three celebrities or famous figures that they would want to use for their artwork, and then I went on to find the images and posterize (transforming the color photo into very few tones) them. *If students had access to their own technology in the art room, I would have had them search for their own reference photo so that they found the perfect one that suited them. I would have shown them how to posterize so that they could complete that step themselves and use that tool in the future if they ever needed to again. Another idea for this project would be for students to find a selfie on their phones (because we know all eighth graders have them) and use that for their project. Allowing students the use of their own technology would have provided more options for the students.* 

Once students received their famous photos, they transferred the image three times using carbon paper. I love carbon paper for many reasons: 1) It allows many students to trace at multiple times since I only have one window and no light tables. 2) Students do not need to stress about making all three drawings identical because they are tracing and can follow the same guidelines. 3) Tracing the photographs make for less erasing, creating a smooth coloring-page-like outline for students to paint. 4) Students can make their outlines as detailed or as simplified as they would like, based on their evaluation of their own ability. Most students made it through all three drawings without any hiccups. It is so easy to move the paper around accidentally, so I made sure students had tape to tape their photo to the carbon paper and their carbon paper to their artwork to make sure that the faces were being drawn in the correct places. Once the paper moves, it is difficult to line up the the photo to the artwork to continue, but I was impressed to see that many students were able to fix the mistake.

Now that most students have completed the outline, they are working on painting value scales in order to find which colors they would like to paint their artwork. Students will choose three different colors and have to choose either a tint or shade of that color to paint within the same face. They will get to choose whether they want the original hue as the positive or negative space, placing the tint/shade in the opposite space. Ultimately, their artwork will look like this, but with three (triptych) faces instead of four:

I will be posting many pictures on Instagram and Twitter as students start painting their faces, so keep an eye out!

November Doodle Calendars

I did not send students home with a December Doodle Calendar for homework this month, so I am sharing a few examples of the 8th grade November Doodle Calendars. My 8th grade artists work hard every day in and out of the art room to practice skills and improve their talent, so I was so happy to receive 22 fantastic calendars. Here are a few in which the artists filled the space and came up with such creative ideas:

In case you didn't already know, you can click on each picture to enlarge it. Happy Wednesday!

Happy Monday!

Today marks the first day of the 15th week of school! 6th and 8th grade artists were so productive today that I just wanted to brag about them a little bit. 😀

6th grade weavings have finally begun! After demonstrating patience while slowly learning several weaving techniques, artists are chosing to use three within their composition in order to convey a specific theme. Students are chosing to either convey their theme through a literal representation (e.g. weaving a picture) or through color that represents their theme. I'll post more pictures right before Winter Break when students are sure to have nearly half of their weavings complete.

Last week, 8th graders glued their magazine cutouts to scratch art paper and started adding their zentangles. This project, Gustav Klimt Scratch Art, is borrowed from a great mentor of mine, Ms. Neel; students were creating this project while I was student teaching and I loved the outcome so much that I brought it to FCCS. Artists are putting their magazine cutout within a space, creating foreground, middleground, and background, and drawing with mostly contour lines so they can fill their empty space with a variety of zentangles, a form of soothing dooding. To set the mood, we are listening to relaxing music, which really seems to be inspiring the artists - take a look for yourself!

Each day my artists surprise me with more and more talented, creative ideas!

Impressionism Landscapes

I wanted to share the final Impressionism Landscapes by the 8th grade artists. The 8th Grade Virtual Art Show has details of all of the artworks, but I wanted to show the entire display. I am so incredibly proud of the diligence and patience these artists showed while they worked on their landscapes. Each one captured the Impressionistic technique perfectly. This is one of my favorite projects and this group of artists did an outstanding job!

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!