SELFYisms

High School, Drawing and Painting I students used visual symbolism through collage and drawing. My "Everyday" students had to consider how the principles (balance, variety, unity, contrast, emphasis, rhythm, movement) are combined to communicate meaning in the creation of their artwork. They also discussed isms in art. "Isms" are distinctive doctrines, systems, or theories, and in the art world they typically signify art movements or styles. The suffix (word fragment added at the end of a word to modify its meaning) "-ism" marks a word as one signifying a doctrine, theory, or system of principles; or an attitude strongly in favor of or against a given group; a distinctive or characteristic trait; an action, process, or practice; a characteristic behavior or quality; a state or condition resulting from an excess of something specified.* Check out http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/ij/isms.html.  In the pre-lessons students created paintings of atmospheric perspective to understand Value: The lightness or darkness of a color tonal range. That was to prepare them for knowing how to shade the contours of their face with various shades of grey between absolute black and absolute white. Today’s teens seem so self-absorbed with their hand-held devices. I tried to take advantage of that by encouraging them to use a selfy as the subject of their art, and called this assignment “Selfyisms”

Geometry in a Spirit Mask

I was inspired by the incredible cardboard sculptures of wrnking to teach this lesson to my students. When you click on the link you will be amazed at the work. My amazement caused me to try my hand at the cardboard sculptures, particularly the masks. Before introducing it to the students, I tried one myself. I have always taught a mask making unit. I love the symbolism, history and culture of masks as an educational experience. I gathered as much recycled cardboard I could find. Students had to employ tons of geometry concepts: properties of triangles, parallel lines and transversals, symmetry, congruent triangles, solving proportions, reflection, and rotation to accomplish, as well as wrestle with the cutting through the thick board. All of the students were required to use a Double-Bubble Thinking Map to compare thier personality and characteristics with that of a sacred animal from Native American folklore. Once they determined what their animal spirit guide was, they researched and sketched their animal so it could be translated into their cardboard mask.

Parent Appreciation for Art Program

Geometry in Portraits

My junior and senior students, were studying color schemes and cubism. After researching George Braque and Pablo Picasso's Cubism the drew portraits of one another, then traced over their lines with a triangle. In some cases they needed to eliminate information to simplify their composition. That concept was particularly challenging, but after a few drafts they got it. The transferred their drawings to stretched canvas then used acrylic paint and a color scheme of their choice to paint their portraits. I taught them that acrylics are very forgiving, so that when they felt they were painting outside of an area or that an angled shape wasn't what they desired they could simply paint over it. They are very proud of their creations.

The Mathalicious Part

The practice of using a grid to create an accurate reproduction of a subject has been done since the days of Leonardo da Vinci. My students are finding that it is an effective way to improve their perception of perspective and proportion in their drawing. A few students remarked, "The grid is easier because I can focus on one square at a time, and as each of them comes together the portrait is reveiled." - Ashley.  "Every square shows you the lines and value." --Konnadia.  "It was hard at first, but if you practice and focus on the square it helps." -- Myosha.  I employ the gridding method because of the infusion of math skills. The students use a dialation scale factor of 3, they learn how to read a ruler, and understand measurements. To take the lesson up a notch, my students paint a gray scale, and create another value scale. That should assist them to develop a sensitivity to varying lights and dark values found in their portraits which they will shade accordingly.

No Rose-Colored Glasses

Landscape drawing is a great way to teach the illusion of space. It is also a wonderful way to have students experience with the blending of colors in oil pastels. We began this unit by exploring one-point perspective with rulers and pencils, then the students practiced the six steps to show space in a drawing: size; overlap; shading; placement; value and focus and linear perspective. They study this through drawing still lifes in an earlier unit, so that their schema of such techniques continuously develops.

Prior to getting down and dirty with the oil pastels, students practice techniques with the media, such as using the side of the pastel for broad strokes and easy blending, the tip of it for more precise or saturated lines, stippling and cross-hatching for effect and also for blending. I find that this type of investigation with the media helps build the confidence that my Everyday Students really benefit from.

The students used color to create the feeling of a particular mood. To do this they studied color theory extensively, first creating a color wheel with tints and shades, and then using that to uncover color schemes. Their artworks look like two separate painitngs, but their objective was to use two different colors schemes.

In these works they were to demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the horizon, background, middleground and foreground. Which I tell them are simply illusions, because the paper is a two-dimensional surface. As a matter of fact I tell them, "Artists are in the business of creating illusions." They find that amusing. I sing rhythms to encourage recall, and sometimes I'll have them clap along with a rhythm.

High school students act too cool to clap or sing along. Unfortunately the child's-play-snatchers have invaded their homes around the age of 13 so they roll their eyes at me when I sing, as if I were crazy.

My feelings... Great! Think I'm the crazy-singing-art-teacher-lady. Then perhaps they'll never forget it.

Have a colorful day! And remember, life is wonderful when you see through rose-colored glasses.

Chatskis In Perspective

Students wrap up their object drawings after blindly choosing an object from what I call my Chatski Bag. Their objective is to show the illusion of space in an object; The students have to consider as they draw: linear perspective, three dimensional form, size, overlapping, value and focus, etc. and draw the object from different positions to create an abstract composition. I plan to extend this lesson in to our Color Theory Unit. The paper is folded in thirds, as students consider the next phase which consists of using three different color schemes painted with Tempera.The results should be striking! Tune in later to see them.