MOnSteR HaNDs

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Art Education

Grade 2/3:  Having Some Fun While Drawing Their Hands

It was time to have a little fun, I thought.  We talked about our hands and how changing their position results in changing their shapes … this shows up when you trace around them on a piece of paper.  Not just the standard position of flat on the page, fingers slightly splayed.  (Think about shadow puppets)  What if we took those outlines and made them  into … monsters?

If you look at the outlines, you may start to see a head here, a tail there, noses or snouts, legs or fins.  Perhaps the monster is a sea monster, floating in the depths of the ocean.  This was an opportunity to use their imaginations along with their pencil crayons.

But why not have some help?  We made this into a game:  rotating the drawings around the room at the sound of my bell.  I had 2 series of cards that I flashed at each turn, giving directions for shapes or line quality and colour for that turn.

For instance:  “Zig zags, done in purple.”  Pass it on.  Then, “Circles, brown.”

After they drew the outlines of their hands, they were given one such direction to do themselves, then the next turn was to pass to the person on their right.  We kept it going until everyone got their own drawing back.  Surprise!

What remained now was to outline the main body of their creature in Sharpie marker to make it stand out from the rest AND to name their monster.

They had such fun with this project, and so did I.

Winter 2013 / Ferndale School

 

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Cut Paper Masks

Posted on April 20, 2013 by Art Education

Grade 5/6: Exploring the Mask in Paper

I have done this project before in two schools, with much success.  It being my very first lesson with this particular class offered some unknowns, but I am quite pleased with the results – and I think they are, too!  Kudos to their teacher who prepared them well in introducing the ideas of mask, and got them to do some visual research even before I got there.  It made it easy for me to jump in and show them the mechanics of the project, and help them along in the making of.  It’s a pretty good group of kids, and I look forward to more work with them this year – awesome!

Important themes I emphasized:  symmetry, using cut paper only (no drawing details with markers or paint), repetition, and layering of different coloured paper in the features.

On the back of each mask we fastened a popsicle stick horizontally, and tied a string of monofilament for hanging.  These masks were not meant to be worn.   I expect they are hanging about the classroom now…

 

Masks on Display

 

Sho ’nuff.

 

 

Ferndale School / Spring 2013

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Inspiration: Chinese Scroll Paintings

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Art Education

Grade 4/5:  Cherry Blossom Tree Paintings

As the Tjanpi animal sculptures were slowly finishing, some students were ready to go on – so I gave them extra projects, which they loved.  The best of the extras was this one. Like the  Tjanpi, these inspired other students to do one for themselves.

Step 1 was to lightly trace in pencil a circle for the moon.  Then, washes of paint mixed right on the paper were brushed round it, leaving the raw paper for the moon.  Hair dryers to dry, and then we pulled out the black ink.  We dropped a small puddle onto the paper at the base, and then some fun:  with a large straw, they blew the ink up and up across the page, more applications of ink needed as they went.  The trunk travelled into branches into twigs to the ends – wonderful!

Once the ink dried, I gave them each a red chalk pastel to add the cherry blossoms in varying sizes.  A dot of black Sharpie on each blossom completed this portion.

The final detail was to write their names in Chinese characters on the side in Sharpie. (this was largely done after I photographed them)  We glued dowels to the top and bottom at the back, and a string to hang.  This was one project they got to take home right away – and glad to do it!

Parliament Oak / Winter 2013

Thanks to Use Your Coloured Pencils for another winner.

http://useyourcolouredpencils.blogspot.ca

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Inspiration: the Tjanpi Desert Weavers

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Art Education

Grade 4/5:  Wrapped Animal Sculptures

Australian Woven Sculptures

It only took one look from me at these wonderful sculptures from this group of women from central Australia, the Tjanpi Desert Weavers,  and I knew we had a must-do project:  woot!

When I showed the pictures of the women and their sculptures to the kids, they got rather excited to make their own.  Another woot!

Just as the desert weavers draw inspiration from animals local to their area, I set similar limits for the class:  choose an animal or bird that is indigenous to our area, the Niagara peninsula.  (the funniest moment at that point was when one student enquired if she could do a unicorn.  Um – no.)  So we prepared a list in class, made choices, and then they got down to researching their animal’s images using netbooks.

I directed them to prepare 3 sketches with accompanying notes, if needed.  A side view, front, and from above:  paying attention to details, the proportions of the body to head, stance, etc.

Class 2 + 3 + 4 +

Yes, it took a while to build and wrap their animals, but there was a great energy in the Art Room during those classes.  Balling up newspaper, some masking tape and wire to hold, the occasional cardboard extension for beaks and feet: I encouraged them to observe the notations in their sketches, and to make the sculptures structurally sound.  (That is, able to stand at least.)

We have a great big box of yarn in the Art Room, just bursting open with potential colours and textures AND a large bag of fabric scraps scrounged from our town’s famous theatres, the Shaw Festival.  How lovely to dip into those – I ripped some of the fabric into strips to make it easy for them to begin wrapping.  From the beginning of this unit, I had made it clear that this portion did NOT mean they were to replicate the actual colours that animal would display.  Instead, this was an opportunity for them to get funky with colour and texture, and mix the wrapping between fabrics and yarn.  Having little bits sticking out from knots was A-okay!

For some, this was a stretch.  I had to nudge those students to go beyond the browns & neutrals, and to see the beauty in mixing fabric with yarn.  For others, they threw themselves headfirst into the variety of the melee (can I say ‘woot’ again without being redundant?).  Even the feet and beaks/noses needed wrapping – there should be no newspaper showing.  Here was an opportunity to learn how to tie knots …

When the animals were complete, the kids sanded and painted their pedestal boards (scrounged from my studio – yes!), and I nailed them on with poultry staples.  The final touch was to select beads for the eyes, (learning a bit of sewing along the way) and attach them to the appropriate spots.  For some, this was helpful to determine which end was – ahem – which.  Certainly, it added to the fun of the things.  These are happy sculptures and even inspired the older students in Art Club to make their own.  I’ll show those results in another post.

 

Parliament Oak School / Winter 2013

 

 

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Space Exploration

Posted on April 14, 2013 by Art Education

Grade 2/3:   A 3-Step Method for Space Pictures

Space Pics in Library

We have a Canadian in space, blogging daily – so why not do a project that puts us there?

(Sort of.)

Class 1.

After a brief introduction that got them thinking about things astronomical (stars near and far, names of the planets, and basic perspective: objects that are big are closer to us than those that appear smaller), augmented with photographs – they were pumped!

I gave them a big sheet of white paper each, pencil crayons, and had them draw/colour at least 4 or 5 planets with their distinguishing characteristics.  They would have to decide which planets their picture view would be closer to … jupiter might not necessarily be the biggest.  The white page was not the final project, as the planets were to be cut out after they were all drawn.

While they were working on their drawings of planets, we pulled them aside one or two at a time to do another part.  With large pieces of black construction paper and our homemade ‘spray booth’ – time for some stars.  Old toothbrushes work great to spray stars over the black paper.  White, silver, and gold paint were applied by shaking or running their finger over the brush (bristles pointed down!).  The pages looked great – right away.

Class 2.

We continued with colouring and cutting out their planets, and doing their black page of stars at the spray booth.  Really good to have a hair dryer at this point.  Some students were even ready to begin their rocket ships.  I brought in various pictures of such – everything from Challenger to satellites and the space station to those iconic cigar-shaped space ships sporting big porthole windows – that should fire their imaginations.

The space ships were drawn on recycled boxboard, and any details were to be added with more boxboard glued on for a low relief.  The students seemed to be enjoying working on all the parts of this project; one of the strengths of it, I think.

Class 3.

Time to put it all together, then!  Planets to be finished, the page of stars well dried, and rockets ships glued together and then painted in gold or silver.  Out came the hair dryers to make the rockets ready, and they glued their planets onto the black star page.  Final addition, of course – rockets away!

Great results they were so proud of … me too.

 

 

3 Double Classes

Parliament Oak & Ferndale Schools / Winter 2013

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Drawing With Shades

Posted on April 13, 2013 by Art Education

Grade 7/8:  Pencil Drawing Their Collages

This project was the final one in a series that focused on developing drawing and observation skills.  Earlier, they completed a gradated value scale, and then an all-white still life introduced techniques of shading and understanding values in tone.

So I thought that it would be good to take it one step further, and use those skills in producing a drawing that would have some meaning, some connection with themselves.  Their homework was to collect photographs from their life and/or magazine pictures that reflected themselves – and bring them in to create a simple collage.   Disappointedly, only a couple of students (my daughter being one of them) remembered to bring any pictures, despite several reminders.

Out came the stacks of magazines and they put together their collages that way.  I suggested simple groupings, and pictures choices that employed interesting changes in value.  I kept repeating “Remember – you are going to have to draw this over several weeks.  Don’t make it too complicated and make sure it is an image you like.”

I encouraged them to apply some of the principles of composition we covered in previous lessons.  They began the drawing by mapping out the composition lightly in pencil, and then slowly adding details over the whole NOT with line but by rendering the shapes, lights and darks with shading only.

The project took much longer than I hoped, and I don’t think I would do it this way again.   Some of the students who like drawing this way were pleased with their efforts and the results, others discovered that they can draw after all – and the joys of a smudge stick!  Success there.

With the majority of the class, however, I was disappointed by the low level of their commitment, and the inability of many students to follow through on their choices  (magazine pics can mean a lot of visiting, and head shots of teen stars and models, which they then are unable to draw to their satisfaction = even less commitment).  Finally, even with the earlier explorations in shaded tone drawings, they continued to rely on line drawing this time.

There are some fine drawings to be found within some of the work, and I hope those students are proud.  I would certainly adjust my approach and expectations next time ’round.  Take a look.

Winter / Parliament Oak School

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Yum … Hot Chocolates.

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Art Education

Grade 2/3:  Inspired by Matisse?  Hot Chocolates!

Screen shot 2013-04-10 at 3.35.03 AM

 

 

 

 

We looked at Matisse’s still life paintings and we talked about his love for colour and the patterns found in the furnishings and the wallpaper (and just what IS wallpaper? Not so familiar any more).

Then I showed them an empty mug and some hints on drawing one in perspective:  how the circle of the top changes to an ellipse and gets narrower to a line as their view of it changes.

So, how about hot chocolate?  Certainly a popular subject with the class!  They were excited to dig in and draw the mugs in front of them, even if it was just to imagine they were full of steaming hot chocolate.  I encouraged them to fill in the rest – the mug on a table, a wall behind (think wallpaper), and perhaps a window with a view.

Pencil drawn, gone over with Sharpie marker, and then bright colours in paint – woot!  Not quite finished yet – I promised them more … some even guessed at it.  This project spanned two double classes so when the paint was dry, they glued on pulled-apart cotton balls for the steam and dried mini marshmallows.  (They loved that part.)  Here’s hoping other students won’t pick them off and eat them when I hang the paintings in the hall.  Yikes!

Parliament Oak School / Winter 2013

 

 

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Just Zebrafy It.

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Art Education

Grade 7/8:  Rendering Silhouettes in Zebra Stripes

Zebrafy It

Here’s a bit of fun.  A relatively quick project, well placed in between 2 rather extensive ones. Previously, I suggested they bring a picture of something they might want to draw – something with an interesting profile; something that would look good as a silhouette.  Only a few remembered to do that, so we pulled out magazines and chose images that way.

I had them draw only the outlines of their chosen object in pencil, and then I pulled out the Sharpies:  fill in with zebra stripes!  No outlines to define the contours, only the stripes.   To finish, I had them erase the pencil lines.  It made for a bold, eye-catching artwork that certainly got some attention when they were displayed in the school hallway… thanks to the blog Art with Mr. Hall for this idea!

 

Two Double Classes:

Parliament Oak / Winter 2013

www.artwithmr.hall.blogspot.ca

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Light Pictures, Abstracted

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Art Education

Grade 6:  Reworking Our Light Photographs

As promised, here are the results when we hand manipulated our photographs.  Earlier, we had a photo session using coloured flashlights and a laser pointer on a black ground in a darkened room with my camera and the aperture open.  The lines were the result of movement across the picture field: experimentation!  It was a pretty fun day in the Art Room. Fyi, you can see the untouched results in my earlier post.

With photos in hand ( you have to use commercially produced photos, btw – apparently home printed ones, even on photo paper, just don’t cut it), and various tools of abrasion alongside, we began to work back into the images again (tortured them, really).  Sandpaper, exacto knives, steel wool, scrubbies, saw blades, pin tools all worked to change the surface of the photograph.  Colour was reintroduced using markers, pencil crayon, paint and oil pastel:  Awesome Abstraction.

I think it helped that the pictures were in the abstract already.   Each student could pick out two or three copies that they liked from our photo session – consequently, they were not so shy to ‘wreck’ them – different, perhaps, if they had been photos of themselves or their families and friends.  However, once they had a chance to play with the method and saw their results, no problem.  So I encouraged them to try this with some photos from home.  Ones NOT in the – um – family album.  Rather, pictures that might not be great photos as is, even blurry or poorly composed make good material … leaves room for some of the nonsense – I mean, fun – we were having.

What do you think?

Drawing / Painting on Photographs

And the substitute teacher did one as well …

Drawing/ Painting on Photographs

The teacher got to try one!

Manipulated Photos Grade 6 Art

Samuel

Abstracting and Manipulating Photographs / Elementary Art

Samuel

Abstracting the Abstract in Photos

Samuel

Fun With Photos / Grade 6

Beth

Abstracting the Abstract Photograph

Beth

Scratched and Coloured Photo Prints

Beth

Scratched and Coloured Photos

Beth

Manipulated Photographs in Elementary School Art

Marlow

Manipulated Photographs

Marlow

ABstracting Photographs / Elementary Level

Emily

Scratching/Colouring Photophs

Emily

Scratching/Colouring Photographs

Emily

Working Back into Photographs

Max

Working Back into Photos

Max

Hand Manipulated Phoitographs

Rosie

Manipulated Photos

Rosie

Manipulated Photos

Rosie

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Many thanks to my good friend Jane Andres for the ideas and the impetus for this project.  Big up!

Parliament Oak / Winter 2013

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Their Favourite Animals

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Art Education

 

Grade 2/3:  Simple Printmaking 

The kids love to draw animals, so I had them sketch out their favourite, and place them in a likely habitat.  The drawings needed to be rather simple, as they were simply a precursor to the next step.  Each student was given a rectangle cut from foam plates I collected, with directions to copy their paper drawings and incise the foam with pencil.

They were given a square of black construction paper, and one of stock white.  Rolling with a brayer, they inked white for the black and then colours for the white page.  This proved to be a quick and fun lesson in printmaking that was completed in one double class session.   Definitely a do-again!

IMG_2991 IMG_2992 IMG_2993 IMG_2994 IMG_2995 IMG_2996 IMG_2997 IMG_2998 IMG_2999

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Winter 2013 / Parliament Oak School

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