Since the first marking period just closed, it is a good time to reflect upon what we've accomplished in 306.
ART I students have spent hours working on their drawing and observational skills. The majority of their work during the first quarter was in their sketchbooks. They are building a solid foundation to help them successfully complete future assignments in art. They need to have a complete understanding so that they can apply the five principles of drawing:1. edges or lines; contours
2. spaces or negative space
3. angles & proportions or perspective & size relationships
4. lights and shadows or values/shading
5. the whole composition, in context; gestalt
They finished up the quarter with a major project illustrating negative space. Across the board, the results were excellent.
One outstanding example demonstrating a clear understanding of negative space.
To see more, check out the ART I section on my website.
They will continue with their small scale drawing and observational studies in their sketchbooks while simultaneously completing larger projects. Students are beginning "The Chair Project"... They must select an artist whose style they like and would like to emulate. They research the artist to gather information that is of interest and create a presentation to share with their peers. The art portion of the project is a large-scale painting, incorporating a chair, painted in the style of their artist. With a good foundation in the principles of drawing, the initial phases of the project should be quite manageable for the students. Applying acrylic paints with precision is a whole different ball game than drawing with a pencil. They are up to the challenge. The bigger challenge is 20 students working on large paintings in a small space!
ART II students spent almost the entire first quarter working on "Empty Bowls". This is a great unit because not only do the students have the opportunity to create some amazing pieces of functional pottery but, they also get to give back to the community with their unique, handmade donations.ART II students created at least five different clay pieces. We had some bisqueware (coffee mugs, cappuccino cups, and rice bowls) that they were able to apply unique designs using underglazes. This was a new medium but very successful for most of them. Everyone was also required to make a hand-built bowl. These ranged from pinch pots to banana boats to a giant watermelon wedge carefully painted with fruits. Throughout the course of the marking period, they all tried the pottery wheel - which most found is much harder than it looks! They had a great collection. Some they took home and some were donated.
A small sample of the clay pieces made in ART II.
The students have now begun their Batik project. Another new medium with which they can apply their refined drawing skills to create unique finishes. Rather than using hot wax with a jaunting tool as one would traditionally do for batik, we have a wax substitute that applies without heat but it needs to set fully before applying the dyes or inks to the silk. Once the colors are set, they are able to rinse off the wax substitute with very warm water. The results are fantastic, especially when they hang so that the light can shine through. We will follow this unit with block printing.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS students have very individualized instruction and projects. They have been working with Photoshop CS4 to complete their assignments. Each person is working at a pace that is comfortable for them to master their new tools and technology. They have altered photographs, created a series, cropped, chopped, embedded, and added text. One student created "The Invasion of Wamogo". It is a series of the same photograph altered, presented like a comic strip with each frame showing the progression as the alien invaders attack and set fire to Wamogo. It was a creative solution to the problem of the same photograph with five finishes. On another project, Grant Wood's classic "American Gothic" was altered and recreated in the style of modern artist, Andy Warhol. The same picture with a new finish has startling yet effective results. In addition to those, the CG students have been responsible for creating flyers to advertise for various upcoming events like the Empty Bowl Dinner and Auditions for Annie plus, they have taken over the responsibility of creating our Student of the Month and Extra Miler flyers.
ART: A Visual Journey students have been hard at work every day. They have been cave painters, collecting their own pigments and tools. They have painted beautiful watercolor scroll paintings with India ink silhouettes. They finished by signing them with the "chops" that they individually carved to represent their personal signature. They created symmetrical fish kites and six-sided-Origami spheres that we called Kusudama. They have written stories about future civilizations and using Ancient Egypt as their catalyst, they created their own hieroglyphics for these civilizations and sarcophagus lids for the rulers of their imaginary places. There are some very nice examples of their work on my website.
Currently, they are creating "Greek Vessels". They are using the coiling method to construct these clay jars. Students will use underglaze and a fine paint brush to apply Greek patterns around their jars. Each is unique. I have been very impressed by their abilities to manipulate the clay so far. Hopefully, they have followed directions well enough that all of their pieces make it through the kiln firing!
To see more, check out the ART I section on my website.
The students have now begun their Batik project. Another new medium with which they can apply their refined drawing skills to create unique finishes. Rather than using hot wax with a jaunting tool as one would traditionally do for batik, we have a wax substitute that applies without heat but it needs to set fully before applying the dyes or inks to the silk. Once the colors are set, they are able to rinse off the wax substitute with very warm water. The results are fantastic, especially when they hang so that the light can shine through. We will follow this unit with block printing.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS students have very individualized instruction and projects. They have been working with Photoshop CS4 to complete their assignments. Each person is working at a pace that is comfortable for them to master their new tools and technology. They have altered photographs, created a series, cropped, chopped, embedded, and added text. One student created "The Invasion of Wamogo". It is a series of the same photograph altered, presented like a comic strip with each frame showing the progression as the alien invaders attack and set fire to Wamogo. It was a creative solution to the problem of the same photograph with five finishes. On another project, Grant Wood's classic "American Gothic" was altered and recreated in the style of modern artist, Andy Warhol. The same picture with a new finish has startling yet effective results. In addition to those, the CG students have been responsible for creating flyers to advertise for various upcoming events like the Empty Bowl Dinner and Auditions for Annie plus, they have taken over the responsibility of creating our Student of the Month and Extra Miler flyers.
ART: A Visual Journey students have been hard at work every day. They have been cave painters, collecting their own pigments and tools. They have painted beautiful watercolor scroll paintings with India ink silhouettes. They finished by signing them with the "chops" that they individually carved to represent their personal signature. They created symmetrical fish kites and six-sided-Origami spheres that we called Kusudama. They have written stories about future civilizations and using Ancient Egypt as their catalyst, they created their own hieroglyphics for these civilizations and sarcophagus lids for the rulers of their imaginary places. There are some very nice examples of their work on my website.
Currently, they are creating "Greek Vessels". They are using the coiling method to construct these clay jars. Students will use underglaze and a fine paint brush to apply Greek patterns around their jars. Each is unique. I have been very impressed by their abilities to manipulate the clay so far. Hopefully, they have followed directions well enough that all of their pieces make it through the kiln firing!
Currently, they are creating "Greek Vessels". They are using the coiling method to construct these clay jars. Students will use underglaze and a fine paint brush to apply Greek patterns around their jars. Each is unique. I have been very impressed by their abilities to manipulate the clay so far. Hopefully, they have followed directions well enough that all of their pieces make it through the kiln firing!
