Summary for Art: Trailblazers and Explorers: Jan. 5, 2016: We looked at pictures of Ancient Roman Frescoes. They were very beautiful and amazing to think they were from so long ago! We are going to do a Fresco: painting on fresh plaster. But this week we prepared for it by having a drawing lesson. I walked them through how to draw a bird and branch scene from one of these ancient frescoes. We talked about placing things in the right section of the page and how to draw a bird and branch. We talked about proportion and measuring things with your pencil.

Explorers and Trailblazers Art Summaries and request

Week 6: We began a "Joseph's Coat" batik project. We talked about how in the scriptures we see that Joseph's coat was beautifully adorned. I could not find any information on exactly what that meant. But, I did discover that the Art of Batik seems to have originated in the Middle East. So we tried our hands at glue batiking. This gave us an opportunity to explore shapes and design. I asked them to remember that we have been talking about shapes and line in art and asked them to make a design on their fabric. Each of them came up with some beautiful designs! We also looked at a piece of  artwork that depicted Joseph with his coat. It was very cheerful and full of shapes and line. So the children made their own copy of this piece.

Week 7: We reviewed Joseph's Coat; looking at two very different pieces of artwork depicting the same story. The children made great observations, comparing the two. Then the children painted over their shirts, using several colors of Acrylic paint.

Please try to have them bring their own sharpened pencils and maybe an old shirt to cover clothing when we do messy stuff. I still have cover-up shirts. But, not as many. Some kids just keep a pencil and smock or t-shirt in their bag. That seems like a good plan, unless it gets wet. Then we would air dry. Which brings me to another request: We have had some big challenges drying artwork. We had to take over a whole room for drying these past two weeks. Does anyone have any great ideas for a drying rack for artwork?

Art Summary Navigators and Pathfinders, 1/13/2015

Photography: The Basics

Together in class we looked at the basics of good photography from holding the camera, to understanding the different modes for shooting photos.

Projects

Photo Scavenger List: Students had fun taking the cameras they brought in to class to accomplish a list of different photo shots, using the different tips and techniques we talked about.

Art Summary Navigators and Pathfinders, 1/6/2015

Overview

Art of Photography Part 1: The History of the Camera

Starting back as far as the middle ages was the “camera obscura”. In the early 1800's, two Frenchmen took this simple concept and developed the first camera, creating the first photographs. Over the next few decades, the camera was further developed with lenses and film and eventually color! We talked about the importance of light, fun photograph facts, and the amazing concept of how the camera replicas God’s design of the human eye.

Project
Watercolor and Salt: to understand how salts were used in photo processing, we saw the affects of salt with watercolors.

Today we studied the history of the Christmas Card!  It was a pretty low key class.  After discussing the answers to 10 questions related to the first Christmas cards the kids jumped into creative mode and using a variety of materials were given the chance to make their own cards!  It was a fun class!  Much thanks to Cindy Lacasse for helping out today!

Art, Navigators and Pathfinders, 11/11/2014

Abstract: 1940’s

We discussed briefly how World War II affected the art world, mainly with Paris, France no longer being the center of it all, but art making its way to New York City. Abstract art was not about a subject, but all about the colors, lines, and shapes; while some works were thoughtfully planned out, others were about the emotion and expression.

 Project

Finishing up Decalcomania project from last week’s Surrealism study.
Started the Name Sculpture project by drawing and outlining letters.

 

Art Navigators & Pathfinders 10/22 - 11/4/2014

Cubism: 1902-1920s

We focused on the art period and style of Cubism. Our study looked at different works, and focused on one of the founding artists, Pablo Picasso.

 Expressionism/Fauvism – early 1900s

We looked at the characteristics of the Expressionism and Fauvism movement, looking at some of the works and discussing how it was not necessarily about a certain object or style, but about the emotion and color behind the works.

 Surrealism: 1920s

                                                                                                                                                               We talked about the Surrealism art period, looking at a couple paintings and discussing the often unusual themes of subconscious and dreamlike ideas. We also talked about a couple of the techniques used such as Decalcomania and Grattage.

Project

Decalcomania project, using three colors from the previous homework assignment of color meanings. 

Art 10/14/2014, Navigators and Pathfinders

Symbolism: 1880s through early 1900s

This art period not only found its roots in France, but also Denmark, Finland, and Russia. We looked at how Symbolism was not about a certain style or technique of painting, but was about the meaning the painting was to portray.

We also took a little side journey into the folk art of quilting, and learned about the symbolism that could be found in the designs of quilts.
 Each student made a “block” for our wire quilt.

Art 10/7/2014, Pathfinders and Navigators

Pointillism: 1880

In our overview of pointillism, we learned that it is not so much an actual period of time as much as a style and technique. We looked at some artists and artwork that featured pointillism and discussed the distinct features of this style.

Pointillism Art: Using circle cereal as the medium, students used these “dots” to create on paper a representation of a piece of fruit or object of their choosing. As part of the project, we learned how colors are very rarely just a solid color but a variety of colors to create blends and depth.

Art 9/30/2014, Pathfinders & Navigators

The Post-Impression Period: 1880 – early 1900

Class discussion included and overview of how artists took the painting freedoms started in the Impressionism Period, and began to go in many different directions as far as styles and themes.

We completed Part 2 of the Acrylic Skins Project which included crafting the skins into hanging mobile designs.

Art 9/23/2014, Navigators and Pathfinders

Discussion of the Impressionist Art Period: 1860-1880 included the style of painting, the artists of that time period as well as their paintings.

Students began Part One of the Acrylic Skins Project

Art - Trailblazers & Explorers 9/16/2014

Today we talked about Genre painting being paintings that depict everyday life. We looked at paintings by William Sidney Mount. He was well known during the time before the civil war for painting Genre paintings. We learned a little of his life and painted our own Genre paintings, depicting everyday life. We learned about color and experimented with mixing paint to make any color that we might need for our paintings.

Art Period A for 3/4/2014

Thanks to Mrs. Ford for filling in on such short notice!  She said you all did a fantastic job in class and also came with wonderful tree drawings in your nature journals.  Keep up the good work.

 Last week we did blind contour drawings which is a drawing exercise that teaches your eye and hand to work together.  Often if we look at what we are drawing on the paper as we draw we forget to study our object!  This trains the eye and hand to move together and figure out proportion and distance while drawing.  It is a quick exercise that can be done easily.  Simply use paper and pencil and set an object in front of you.  Take 5-10 seconds to draw the object without looking at your paper and without lifting you pencil.  Yes it may look funny but it is helping you learn to draw.  We also did some larger sketching of birds using charcoal and graphite sticks standing up.  This helps you be more free in your arms and hand movement as you draw. 

 We did blind contour drawings of fruit to warm up and then really observed the object and the way the light hit the fruit.  I demonstrated shading using lines and discussed how different kinds of lines can be used to achieve a different feel in the drawing.  Vertical lines create a rustic mood, horizontal lines create a peaceful mood, diagonal lines create an active or fresh drawing (like on a tree), and shadow modeling are a series of lines that go around (like a finger) and these best express form. I also showed them value using a diagonal line diagram.

 

The students observed from where they were sitting, the still life of fruit set up in the middle of the room that was partially lit. They used watercolors and expressed beautifully different gradations from light and dark in their work. For the background they used a wet on wet technique.  Wet on wet is simply the process of applying pigment to wet paper. The results vary from soft undefined shapes to slightly blurred marks, depending on how wet the paper is. The wet on wet technique can be applied over existing washes provided they are thoroughly dry. Simply wet the paper with a large brush and paint into the dampness. The soft marks made by painting wet on wet are great for subtle background regions of your painting.

 

Assignment:  Come with a color (not black and white) picture of a bird that you want to use for a painting.  If it is in a book it may be helpful to have a copy made of it so it can lay flat while you look to draw it.  Keep using your nature journals to record something you see out the window!  I saw robins and even a red-bellied wood pecker today.  What have you seen flying around your house?

 

 

 

Music Elective Period A & B

Percussion Instruments Part 1: The Drums

History -   What drums were used for throughout time, where they came from, the parts of drums and what they are made of.

The Different Types of Drums and how they work and sound:

Bass, snare, bongos/conga, table, steel drums

 

Projects

Coloring sheet/Worksheet

Drum Experiments : Understanding the science behind their sound/vibrations

Experimenting with different shapes, sizes, and materials, made a personal mallet.

Art Elective Period A

We reviewed the work of Charley Harper and used collage to recreate a bird of choice for the front cover of our nature journals.

Over the weeks to come the plan will be to have the students work in their journals during the week at home, teaching them to observe and draw from nature.
The first assignment for this week is to choose a bird either from a bird guide book or from looking out the window.  Draw the bird in two different mediums, for example, one pencil drawing, or one colored pencils, marker, paper collage. 
Encourage them to date their pages as the use their journals.
Next week I will be sharing another two artists known for nature journaling and animal artistry.
Also, we will be preparing for the backyard bird count which happens February 14-17.  Please review information http://gbbc.birdcount.org/
Taking time to do the bird count will improve your child’s ability to notice the different species of birds at your feeder, also noting other factors like precipitation, snow cover, temperature, and daytime. 

 For Class:

Do two bird drawings in nature journal in different mediums. 
Bring nature journal to class every week.
Visit the library and check out some bird books (children’s section or animal section of adult has all the bird guides)  A fun one to listen to bird songs is the Bird song Bible.  Bring a bird book to class.
Enjoy journaling!

Art Elective Period A, 1/28/2014

Fellow Bird-watchers, 

We enjoyed our first class together listening to a great story The Boy Who Drew Birds.  All the students had wonderful stories to share about their own experiences with birds, loved it.  We discussed what artists and birders have in common, the need to observe.  I had the students color in a line drawing of a blue jay, trying to copy the colorings of a blue jay photograph.  Then working in groups they compared the style of John James Audubon to that of Charley Harper.  Here are some images of Harper’s art. Click here  for a link to http://www.bing.com/images/results.aspx?q=charley+harper+birds&form=MSNH14&pc=UP97&refig=97e2f029af02485382ac6efd23d68f2f&sc=8-14&sp=2&qs=IM&sk=IM1&pq=charley+harper#a

They did a fantastic job noticing the detail and texture and behavior of the birds depicted in Audubon’s work in comparison to the more abstracted designs of Harper.  We discussed how Audubon’s job was to depict these birds as realistic as possible because he was documenting North American birds some for the first time.  This was before the invention of the camera, this is pivotal in the art world.  Harper lived 100 years after Audubon.

Harper developed an early appreciation and love of animals as well as design. He attended West Virginia Wesleyan College and graduated from the Cincinnati Art Academy, where he also taught for many years. Gradually, Harper began to lose his interest in realism. "I felt shackled by the laws of perspective and shading and decided that the constant attempt to create the illusion of three dimensions on the two-dimensional plane of the picture was limiting me as an artist. Realistic painting persuades the viewer that he is looking into space rather than at a flat surface. It denies the picture plane, which I affirm and use as an element of design. Wildlife art has been dominated by realism, but I have chosen to do it differently because I think flat, hard-edge and simple."

 I then had them draw a blue jay in the style of Harper with simple lines and shapes.  Many found this more difficult.  They then further abstracted their drawings by adding unrealistic colors and textures. 

I look forward to the weeks ahead.  In the meantime continue watching for and identifying birds at home.  I am including information about the great backyard bird count that we can all participate in.  The weekend is coming up in February.  There are simple instructions you can print out or read online.  This would be a great activity to link birding and conservation. 

Click here for a link to http://birds.audubon.org/great-backyard-bird-count

Also, the Audubon site has some fun activities.  One I mentioned was the live bird cam. Click here for a link to the website http://web4.audubon.org/educate/kids/

This link has some games and the camera links are on the right-side under "Now Playing".

 

 

 

 

 

Art for Levels 3 & 4, January 14, 2014

Today in art we discussed the differences between 2-d and 3-d artwork and focused on architecture.  Architecture is different from sculpture in that it is functional and serves a purpose, you can walk in it, be protected by it.   Architecture is a very special art form that combines something that is beautiful with something that is useful.  Thomas Jefferson, our third president, was fascinated by architecture and thought it the ideal form of art for the new American democracy. He was worried that forms of art such as painting and sculpture depended on the patronage of a special and privileged class of wealthy people -- sometimes even kings and queens -- which he thought would be very harmful to the ideals of this country. When Jefferson was still a young man and newly married, he began drawing detailed plans for a beautiful home on a very large piece of land he had inherited in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state of Virginia. Jefferson was inspired by classical motifs he saw while in Europe.  We compared his Monticello with the Parthenon in Greece and the University of Virginia with the Pantheon in Rome.  This new style of architecture is called neoclassical, borrowing elements of classic architecture like symmetry, columns, and domes.

The students were given the assignment to imagine they had been given a large piece of property on which they are to build a town.  They are to reference the architectural styles we discussed in class for ideas (printout they brought home) and come up with a design for the mayor’s home of this new town.  They are to complete a pencil drawing using necessary tools: rulers and compasses.  They are to choose a location for their town and also plan what materials the building will be made with (the design of the exterior).  Next class we will color these in. 

Art Levels 3 & 4, 12/3/2013

Embroidered ornament
We worked on drawing a pattern for the snowflake, and then backstitching it.  To finish off the ornament blanket stitch the two felt circles together, leaving an opening after 2/3 around to add a small amount of stuffing.  Then continue the back stitch.  Create a loop with the string before cutting it off to hang the ornament. 
Activity:  try making more felt ornaments out of different colors of felt with contrasting string. For example, choose red felt, find a circle object to trace, we used duct tape, and then draw your pattern and stitch using white string.  Beads and glitter glue add embellishments and make the ornaments catch light on the tree.

Here is a picture of the finished project.

Another idea, use cookie cutters for the shape of the ornament.  Cut two of the same shapes in different fabrics or felt.  Embroider  an initial or small picture or leave blank, blanket stitch them together, adding stuffing.  If you don't have stuffing use cotton balls, pull apart to fluff them up.  Add a ribbon to hang it.

Happy sewing and merry Christmas.

Art Levels 3 & 4, 11/19/2013

Needle Arts Summary

We were reminded in class that sewing things together is not new, in fact, it is probably the first documented craft.  In Genesis 3 Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Since the beginning of time people have been sewing.  Throughout history it has been and still is a necessary craft.  Colonial America was no different.

In the late 1700s a girl’s education was reflected in what was called a Sampler. She would
have been expected to sew very well in order to make all of her family’s clothes and to add
a beautification to the clothing through her needle work. The Sampler was a “sample” of
her work. It served as the final exam for her type of schooling.

In the same category, a young man had to learn to sew buckskin with sinew and would be
able to make himself clothes or repair his clothes in the late 1700s. Later, a young man
would have actually carried a mending kit known as a “housewife.” It contained a needle,
thread, and buttons. Civil War soldiers carried them in the mid 1800s.

Native Americans were highly skilled in sewing as well. 

Quillwork was a form of embroidery using porcupine quills; the quills were used to decorate clothing, pouches, birchbark boxes, and baskets. Quillwork was almost entirely
decorative but also sometimes incorporated spiritual symbols. This was common in the
great Lakes, Northeast and the Ohio Valley regions.  Take a look at some examples with your kids.  https://www.google.com/search?q=quillwork+images&espv=210&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=yEaNUoO_EOvasASdpIGgBA&ved=0CCsQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=798

 Homework

Finish working on the embroidery project you brought home.  Our next lesson will be using the backstitch and blanket stitch.  Here are directions for the backstitich. http://sublimestitching.com/pages/how-to-back-stitch and here are directions for the blanket stitch.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXkSE2TTF4s   Try practicing both on your project.

Link to an online embroidery book with detailed instructions of other stitches if you would like to learn more.
http://www.kirikipress.com/stitchlibrary.pdf 

 I told the Pathfinders that I would send out this one for them. For fun, you can create a sampler on Felicity’s American Girl Activity page.

 http://www.americangirl.com/play/historical-character/felicity/#page=games&popup=ColonialAdventure

 

 

Art Levels 3 & 4, 11/12/2013

This week we created our own silhouettes.  Each student had their profile traced onto white paper last week.  We used this as our template, by cutting it out and tracing it onto black paper.  It was then cut out and glued onto another contrasting color paper.  It was a fun activity.  Most students wanted me to hang on to the finished work until the end of the year celebration.  Please let me know if you want them to come home, that is fine too.

 Thank you for taking the time to watch the videos last week, it really helped the lesson make sense for them. 

Optional Activity

Try making a silhouette of a family member or friend.  Here are the directions.

Materials Needed

Flashlight (and a dark(ish) room)

Construction paper (white & black)

Pencils

Poster board

Masking tape

A friend to trace your silhouette

What to do:

Tape a piece of white construction paper to the wall in a dark room.

 Place the flashlight on a table. Shine the light at the white construction paper.

 Sit between the light and the paper so that your profile appears on the paper.

 Have a partner trace around your silhouette onto the paper.

 Remove the paper from the wall and make sure your lines are smooth.

 Next, cut the silhouette out of the paper, place onto black construction paper, trace around it and cut it out.

 Glue the black silhouette onto white poster board. Add your name and date to the work.

 Optional: You may wish to add more than one silhouette to the poster board (as shown in example above).