Making our own Sketchbooks

8th graders have been busy since the school year started!  In the process of building our classroom community, we designed and decorated covers and learned how to bind our sketchbooks using a Japanese 4-hole book binding process.  Covers were decorated using a variety of media and students were given complete freedom in the design.  We then covered cereal box cardboard with our covers and holes were drilled.  We followed the binding process together as a group.  Some students needed the next day to finish, but I think they all turned out amazing!  Students were also really interested in the process and surprised themselves with their results!

African Masks 6th grade

As part of a Global Unit, my 6th graders studied African Masks from different tribes, regions and cultures.  We learned about the animals and what each feature and characteristic represents.  We watched videos that showed how they were used and the actual size of some of them.

I made a worksheet that students had to complete and then from there, they got to design their own mask using the characteristics.  One really helpful website can be found here.

On the worksheet, students looked at masks from 5 different tribes.  We answered some basic questions and then students created 3 different sketches of what their masks could look like.  Once they were happy with one, we reviewed clay vocab and examples and we started building!

Students were really engaged and had a lot of fun with this!  The only bad part was that some students made some parts of their masks too thin or some details of their masks too thin, even though we learn about the ideal thickness.  In class, I tell them they need the thickness of their pinkie,  not too thin, not too thick.  And some didn't score and slip, but what are you going to do?!

Next time, I want students to write about their masks and the characteristics they chose.  I want to add a writing piece to each artwork so students have a chance to reflect and really think about their artwork.  Plus it gives me a chance to add to our writing program review and help with all those misspelled words!

Here are some of our African Masks:

8th grade selfies

The self-portrait, the landscape and the still life.  The Big 3 for 8th graders. Atleast those are the Big 3 that I have worked on with my 8th graders.  Not all at once, I was testing the waters first.  So far so good.  In the past we have looked at the Illuminists, made Still Lifes from their own personal objects (because it all means something) and now, we did Self Portraits.

(future thought: draw landscapes, paint self portraits, printmaking still lifes) or (draw self portrait, paint landscapes, printmaking still lifes) I like that one.

We looked at Masters Kehinde Wiley, Henri Matisse and Fracis Bacon.  We responded, we compared and they chose which ones "style" they wanted to practice.  Most picked Kehinde.  Only a handful picked Francis, but it was interesting to see who....

I noticed 8th graders are still ALL about the realism, as much as I try to incorporate abstraction, they just want it to look "right".  I think I need to either 1) practice realism or 2) limit their materials so they HAVE to experience abstraction.  I'll probably try both.

The Self portraits were fun.  I think only 3 in about 65 kids didn't take it seriously.  You know, the kind of self portrait that makes you want to prescribe a trip to the therapist.  But, for them, I focus on the process.

In reflection, we practiced value shading facial features in pencil for practice, but that concept didn't transfer to shading in paint.  I would like to add a study in proportion, practice shading in paint and then maybe make them smaller.  I wanted to go big, and it took FOREVER!

So, add proportion, practice shading in paint, and 8x10.  Below are some of the Selfies from my 8th graders.

Ukiyo-e Geisha 6th grade

6th grade students are studying Japanese culture around this time in the school year, so I wanted to incorporate some Ukiyo-e artworks.  I found this lesson on the "Incredible Art Department" website.  Link is here.  They have a ton of art lessons to choose from and I really liked this one in particular because we drew the Geisha upside down, then painted with watercolors and added some sharpie for detail.  It was a huge success and students really liked it!  

I also showed the video about Ukiyo-e art from Goodbye Art Academy.  Link is here.

I played Japanese music on Pandora while we worked on the Geisha paintings.  It was awesome.  Took about a week, answered some questions on Google Classroom pertaining to Anchor Standards and we were good to go!

This week, we are looking at Printmaking and Haiku's, still keeping with the Ukiyo-e and floating world theme.  Those pictures will be up shortly.  

And!!!  This is perfect timing for our Literacy Night!  Students will get to display their Geisha paintings, their prints and their Haiku!  More pictures to come, but here are the Geisha's.

Elements and Principles Review

We are off to a great start!!  We began with a quick intro to the class including expectations, where to find info and the art fee.  Students are learning about Elements of Art and Principles of Design in our first artwork.  Being able to use this vocab when analyzing art, writing about art and creating art is very important!  We also had time to do a Kahoot E/P review, students LOVED Kahoot!!  They begged to do the "quiz" again!  Seriously?!  Sure!  Then we worked on a Fun Friday Sketch!  Pictures to come next week.  :)

Value Scale Pop Cans

Quarter 2 Drawing Artwork, a little less Simon Says and Follow my lead, but still having students practice skill and technique.  We loved this one!!  Students were challenged and engaged, I was able to create one with them and show my example with my Lady Bug and technology in the classroom.  My mom and I saved pop cans for a few months (we don't drink that much pop!) and students learned about the different values in pencils (2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B).

We started with a regular pop can for the first drawing, then we squeezed it for drawing #2, then crushed it for drawing #3.  One thing I learned, and I struggled with this as a grade student as well, was that students are so intimidated to go dark!  They are so afraid of those 4B and 6B shades and making it "too dark".  I remember my high school art teacher making such dark shadows on my artwork and then forcing me to "shade backwards" to make it work.  I didn't mark up my kiddos artworks, but I did take a picture of their pop can and then change the filter, to black and white so that they could see (one) how their technology could support their artwork and (two) to show how dark that pepsi blue is!!

All in all, it was a success and definitely going to try that one again!

Here are some student examples as well as my demo.  Enjoy!!

My demo example

Zentangle Still Lifes

For our Drawing Artwork in Quarter 1, we created Still Lifes with soft pastels, sharpie and zentangle designs in the background with markers.  They all look the same because we drew them with pencil first following my lead, then we added the soft pastels to the fruit while adding a light source.  Some added stippling for extra value and shading.  We also learned about line, movement, pattern and rhythm with the zentangles in the background.

Some students appreciate the Follow Me and Simon Says activities because they feel "accomplished" and able to "do it right".  However, some students would like the freedom to "do whatever" and make their own creation.  As an art teacher, I'm torn sometimes between the ones that want to follow and build confidence versus encouraging the "process, not the product" and fostering creativity, not "do as I do" artworks.  I know parents also want to see a nice product in the end, but doesn't our world need creative and innovative thinkers?  Not lemmings?

As I reflect on this, I ponder changing my curriculum (yet again) to encourage, build skill and technique and let little artists be little artists.  Yes, in the grand scheme of things, 8th graders are still little artists.  I'm 35 and still think of myself as a little artist.  Grand scheme people, grand scheme.

Here are some of our Still Life artworks.  Enjoy!

Elements and Principles Puzzle Pieces

At the beginning of the Quarter, I always review the elements and principles with students to make sure we have a good understanding of the vocabulary that we will use for the next 9 weeks.   I try to find things that one, are interesting to the students, two, are interesting to me and three, something for a display.  

For this Quarter, I was going through some letters and font that our librarian sent out as options for display letters and I came across a puzzle piece alphabet.  It was perfect!!  I printed a puzzle piece template and we did elements one day, principles the next day and we were good!  The above image is a display our librarian put together with the puzzle pieces also featuring Masterpieces of Literature!  

Literacy Pumpkins

Chi's Sweet Home

Quarter 2 started a few weeks ago and it was really close to Halloween and I really wanted students to get a chance to paint pumpkins!  So, our school librarian and I came up with an idea to display Literacy Pumpkins in the library!  I had all of my classes (except 4th hour) work on illustrating their favorite book.  We learned our Painting Vocabulary with elements and principles and then painted our pumpkins!  

It was a success!  Students really enjoyed it and had a fun time!  I think the only drawbacks/concerns I would have for next time is one, my room looked like a pumpkin patch for a couple weeks!  There were pumpkins everywhere!  So make sure you have enough storage, thankfully I had lots of shelves! And two, the yellow paint dried and chipped off.  I did not know it would do that, so there were several Simpson's and Spongebob's that crackled and fell apart.  

All in all, students were engaged, we have a nice display and it was really neat seeing the books that the students are into!