Webquest!

Fifth graders completed a webquest today in the computer lab to research for their next project- Clay African Masks. They used the website www.rebirth.co.za/ to learn about the phyiscal characteristics and uses of masks of many African tribes and they also sketched them to get ideas for their own sculptures...

Landscape drawings

Seventh graders will be painting landscapes on canvas in the style of the Fauves as their next project. We ventured outside this morning to sketch landscapes of the Calvert campus and I took these shots of the students drawing...

Drawing from observation

Drawing from observation (from life, not from a photo) is a challenge, and it takes practice to become good at it. Sixth graders have taken on the challenge in art class this week... They've been drawing pumpkins and gourds like the still life on the right (not as easy as you think!). Then, we turned off the lights and used spotlights in order to add shadows. Stay tuned for the final works, but enjoy these pics of artists at work in the mean time...

Fantastic Fossils

5th Grade boys recently looked at examples of real fossils in class before drawing their own fossilized plants, animal bones, shells, etc. and transferring them to rubber-like carving material. Using gouges, the boys carved out their designs and then used traditional printmaking techniques to make a series of colored prints. Lastly, they pressed their designs into clay to make "real" fossil rocks...

Inking the plate; pulling a print:












Print series on display:

The clay fossils:

Shades of Summer

The 7th Graders finished their "Shades of Summer" self portraits this week and I think they are amazing! After drawing their faces and features using a grid, they spent several classes adding value (shading) to make their portraits three dimensional, had an art critique, and then used watercolor pencil to create a reflection depicting a summer memory in their sunglasses... Enjoy!

Colorful Kimono

Lower School Art Club members completed their kimono weavings this past week. The projects are on display on the lower floor of the middle school, by the dance studio/music room/locker rooms, which will be the permanent "gallery space" for club projects! Here are a few of them:

Pinwheel Installation

International Day of Peace was yesterday, Sept. 21, but we installed our Pinwheels for Peace this morning in front of the middle school. The girls who helped out decided to place them in the shape of a peace sign and they look great!

7th Grade Critique!

Today we held a critique in art class. Usually when I have one or two students claim, "I'm done," I know it's time to take a break, put all of the artwork up on the wall and talk about it. Critiques are a wonderful way to get the kids to take a step back and look at their work from a new perspective, as well as get feedback from classmates about their artwork. They often get ideas from looking at the other pieces as well as from comments made by their peers. The critique involves much more than the relatively simple act of judging--of determining whether one "likes" or "dislikes" a piece or whether it's "good" or "bad". Evaluating the work is a difficult task and it's necessary for students to explain why they feel the way they do. "Thumbs up" or "thumbs down" won't cut it!

When talking about a piece, students are encouraged to describe, analyze and interpret it... They should make comments about what they see, why it makes an impression, what it might mean or how it makes the viewer feel. They are given a list of questions they should ask themselves: 1)What stands out the most when I first see the work? Why? 2) As I keep looking, what else seems important? 3) In what aspect or area is the work the most successful? Why? 4) How has contrast and value been used? 5) What leads my eye from place to place? 6) What could the artist do to improve the work overall? Specifically?

An example of a comment I heard today:"The hair stands out to me because it has a range of shades in it- there are really dark parts and really light parts, and a lot of in betweens..."

Golden Portraits inspired by Gustav Klimt- 6th Grade

The artist Gustav Klimt is best known for his part in creating an art style called Art Nouveau in the late 1800's. Art Nouveau is characterized by curving shapes and flat, decorative patterns. In Klimt's paintings of people, like the one to the right, usually the face and hands are the only part that seem realistic. The rest of the paintings are composed of simplified figures, clothing filled with bright repeat patterns (often gold-colored in Klimt's earlier paintings), and elaborate, mosaic-like backgrounds.

Inspired by Klimt, sixth graders created their own "golden portraits" in art class. Students found a figure in a magazine and cut out only the uncovered head, hands and legs before gluing them to gold or silver scratch paper. Then, using a wooden stylus, they scratched out their figures' clothing, filling them with busy, swirling, decorative, repeat patterns. The background patterns are a different size to help make the figure stand out. Finally, students used gold paints to create even more pattern on their frame...

Drawing portraits using the Grid Method

Seventh Graders have been working on self portraits in art for the past several classes using the Grid Method, a popular drawing tool for the newbie artist. The way this works is that you draw even squares (a grid) all over the picture you want to copy (in this case, a photo taken of the students on day 1), and then put corresponding squares on your paper, creating a little "map" that breaks down the picture into smaller segments. You then copy what is in each square, individually.

Using this method, you are more apt to get things placed in the right spot, and in proportion. You accurately draw what you see rather than worrying that you are drawing a nose, a mouth, a chin, etc. This method can be very encouraging to the newbie artist, but should not be your 'final destination'... This will help train your eye further to draw what you see FREEHAND FROM LIFE (which is our ultimate goal and is something we will practice throughout the year!).

Here are some photos of seventh graders working on their portraits this morning. After drawing their faces using the grid method, students erased their grid lines and began shading their drawings freehand using their photo as a reference as well as looking in a mirror: