Fantastic Castles

6th and 7th grade students focused on both architecture and pattern for this project. This was my second time doing this lesson and I love the way it comes out every time!

Art Room Update

November! November! That was the last time I have posted! Can you believe it. Well... Since November so much has happened in Art Room 104. 

My group of 6th and 7th grade students completed landscapes in either tempera paint, colored pencils, or chalk pastels. I love the way they came out and I was so happy for my students. Two of them are below.

My group of 8th and 7th graders completed portraits using a grid method to transfer the image to their drawing paper. The kids then added zen-tangles for a decorative background. 

I was really please with the way they turned out and so were the students. 

Opening Centers: Drawing

Between Monday and today I have opened our first art center of the year. The first center to be opened is the drawing center. In this center the students get to use various drawing materials from pencils to colored pastels to ink and calligraphy pens. 

I spent the first day of the drawing center opening explaining to the students what materials were there, what they can be used for and the rules for clean up. Since we are a 1:1 iPad 2 school, once the kids receive theirs there will be qr codes also on the board that will lead the students to various google docs and youtube videos that will help them or inspire them with their artwork.

Below are some of the posters that I have on display for the students in this particular center.

This poster I created to show the students what the materials look like on paper and I even blended some of them to show the students what the materials can do.

One thing my students love the create are 3D letters. Linear Perspective is something that my students have trouble with but they love the outcomes once they are finished with their artwork. 

This particular poster was created by the art teacher that was here before me but I really like it so I had to keep it. The students always want to draw people but tend to always draw stick figures and that is one of my NO NO Rules. 

This is my NO NO Board. These are all the drawing and painting techniques that the students tend to do however they are very elementary and since we are middle school art students, these are not allowed in my room. We spend about 10 minutes going over this so that the students really understand what I am expecting of them. This year I had to add the No Tracing rule to my board since students tend to do this more then anything. 

I hope you enjoyed our little journey through this years Drawing Center.

Symmetrical Name Design Creatures

I am extremely please with the way these creatures have come out. Each child created something completely unique and completely them.

Symmetrical Name Design Creatures

With last week the beginning of a new semester it is also a new beginning here in the art room. My class is only a semester long and I got a new group of kids last week.

To begin this semester off I wanted to see how creative the kids can be as well as assess their problem solving skills when it comes to visual work.

To begin with we folded a 12x18 size paper in half the long ways (i also tell the kids it is like a hot dog cause they use that in the elementary schools) and they need to write their names on the fold nice and big.

Next they need to create a mirror reflection of their name, the kids held up the paper to a window to trace their name since I don't have a light box.

At this point they need to turn their paper vertical.

Here is where their creativity and problem solving skills come into play. They need to create a creature -- insect, animal, or monster -- using the letters from their name as a base. they get to add lines and shapes but they cannot take away. 

Once the drawing is done they have to trace all lines with a black crayon and then paint in with watercolor paints.

Since the kids are in the last day of completing them I will have pictures of their work up later on in the week.

Mufasa!!!

Landscapes a la Grandma Moses

6th grade students covered landscape artist grandma moses this year and created some of the more amazing landscape paintings I have seen from my students.

They were required to have a foreground, middle ground and background along with three landforms and one body of water. Since they cover geography in social studies I thought it would be a great idea to bring it into the art room.

I have to say that I absolutely love the way all of them came out!