Paper Portraits, Haniwa, Whistles, and Origami . . . and the Two Modern Day da Vinci's!

I'd like to thank Miss Elona for leading the Thursday classes this past week. Thanks, Miss Elona! I've been a bit under the weather and, as a result, this weeks post is running late. 

 

In Art from Paper, students finished their self-portraits (above). Can you guess who each one is?

Ceramics II students finished up work on their Haniwa figures (above). Each one has its own personality, and we're looking forward to seeing them again after they've been fired.

And speaking of things being fired . . . we got lots of fantastic stuff back this past week! Among them were the whistles made by Ceramics II students. After finishing the wet clay work on their Haniwa, students finished work on their whistles by painting them in acrylics.

Following are photos of some of the Origami work we did. 

 

Because we had so much fun, and want to do lots of origami projects, we'll be working in this art form for the next few weeks.

   

Be sure to check back for updates on this fun and interesting form of art! Did you know that "Origami (折り紙^?, from oru meaning "folding", and kami meaning "paper") is the traditional Japanese art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to create a representation of an object using geometric folds and crease patterns preferably without gluing or cutting the paper, and using only one piece of paper." (Thanks, Wikipedia!) 

Artists in several classes continued work on 

The Butterfly Project . . .

 

Before we move on to this week's web challenge, I'd like to take a moment to thank a couple of very talented students, Parker and Keith

who will hereafter be thought of as: 

Parker da Vinci and Keith da Vinci!

Parker's representation of La Giaconda (more commonly known as the Mona Lisa) above, and Keith's rendition below, are stunning examples of great portrait art. 

The Mona Lisa is one of the most easily recognized (and copied!) works of art in history. Thanks, guys, for your hard work! 

For the week of 

November 10th through 12th:

This week's web challenge* has to do with an artist and illustrator who is famous for his cover art for 

The Saturday Evening Post 

Bring me his name and, if you wish, a print out of your favorite cover. To give you a hint, he's an  American painter whose success with the Post led him to do work for The Literary Digest, Look Magazine, and Life Magazine (among others!). However, his work and name is mostly synonymous with 

The Saturday Evening Post :)

Bring me this information and you'll get an ATC to add to your collection! 

Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy! Go find that artist!  

*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!

O'Keeffe, Value, ATCs, Self-Portraits, and Masks!

We packed a lot of art into the past week's classes! So much so that I've had to create "mosaics" from the photos I took. Before we get to those, though, let's look at the beautiful, Southwest inspired watercolor by Celeste, done in Explorations in Art (4th-6th). Celeste has been studying the work of Georgia O'Keeffe, and we can definitely see the O'Keeffe influence here!

Watercolor No. 1, by Celeste

Other 4th - 6th Explorations students finished work on their Book of Kells drawings, and some began work on a new piece, The Logo Project, where they'll discover and hone their graphic design skills. Photos later!

The younger, 1st - 3rd Explorations in Art students completed work on their value drawings. First,the young artists learned what one of the elements of art -- value --means, then they created a drawing with pencil and colored it in using various values of a color. Following is a beautiful VALUE QUILT of their work:

Art from Paper students continued work on their Self-Portraits, which are really taking shape! Hopefully, next week, I'll have photos to share. Be sure to check back, because these portraits are AMAZING! 

Students who are enrolled in Mixed Media learned all about ATCs (Artist Trading Cards), and then created their own, using a variety of media. At the end of the class, students completed the lesson by having a trading session with their miniature works of art. It was a lot of fun! In fact, we've decided that this should be an ongoing project. Whenever time allows, each week (after finishing up the planned project) we'll take what we learned from that week's lesson to create ATCs. 

Above are some of the ATCs we created in class.

Ceramics I students continued work on a project they started the week before (details later!), and Ceramics II students began work on Haniwa figures. As the class period progressed, each figure's personality began to come through. Students decided to name their little Haniwas, based on the personality of the figure, and we'll  have photos (with names) when they're complete. These are so cute, they are not to be missed! Be sure to check back!

Drawing and Painting students spent some time looking into mirrors and creating Self-Portraits (featured below). When they were done, we held each portrait up to the artist who created it, and the results were uncanny! It was like looking at twins! Do you recognize the following artists?

Or perhaps you can figure out who some of these artists are! After finishing value drawings, students began work on MASKS:

They certainly look mysterious! We talked about how masks can be made to wear, or made to decorate a wall. Above are examples of both kinds.

I'm often surprised and delighted when I learn that a student has been working hard at home to finish or create a project, and I like to give special attention to these hard working artists! In fact, there should be some kind of award for this dedication to the craft. One of the most prolific artists in history was Vincent van Gogh. He worked tirelessly, often while experiencing serious illness, to create his art. So, in honor of Vincent, and in recognition of the hard work of these dedicated students, this week's 

goes to . . . (drum roll, please!)

IKE and ACACIA!

Ike finished his color wheel mosaic, and Acacia created a very unique artwork with glue and Fruit Loops! Now, that's creative! If Jackson Pollock could see this, I'm sure he'd be impressed, and perhaps a bit hungry, too!

Last week I challenged students to learn what diptych and triptych mean. Tavia and Keith both came through. Better yet, Tavia created her own diptych! 

Fantastic work, Tavia! 

(Scroll down to see Tavia's diptych!) 

Tavia and Keith both earned ATCs for their efforts, and are in the running for the REALLY COOL PRIZES at the end of the semester!

If you want to win an ATC immediately, and a chance to win a much better art prize at the end of the semester, here's what you need to do . . .

For the week of 

October 27th through 29th:

Search for a particular painting.* It's quite well known, and was painted by a very famous Italian artist during the Renaissance period. This painting is housed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, and goes by the name La Gioconda (or La Joconde, in French). Most people know this painting by its "nickname." If you can, print out a copy of this painting, and write down the more familiar name (nickname) that it goes by. This will earn you one ATC. If you want to earn a SECOND ATC, then draw your own version of this painting (do your best work, and don't leave out any details!) and bring it to class along with a copy of the painting. That's right: You can win TWO ATCs this week! 

Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs by the end of the semester will win a REALLY COOL PRIZE. A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. There will be a first and second prize for each school day, so get busy! Go find that painting! 

*Remember: Anytime you're doing an online search, your parent or other responsible adult must be present. No exceptions!
Have a good weekend! See you in class . . . and don't forget to bring in your "web challenge" assignments! :)

Diptych, 2009, Marker on Paper, by Tavia

Dioramas, Op Art, Dreamscapes, and Pinch Pots. Week 4 was PACKED!

Before we recap the past week's projects, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the fantastic work that Avalon G. did during her "non-HSC" school days. After working on her "fill in the missing side" artwork from class, she went on to create two more! She's mastered this technique! Don't believe me? Well, then, look at the following!

Great work, Avalon! 

Thank you for the dedication you've shown to the RIGHT SIDE of your brain!

Last week in Art from Paper, we started work on dioramas--a project that we hope to finish in the coming week. In this project, students covered the outside of a small cardboard box with pictures and words. The goal is to have the outside become a "preview" for what's inside.

Each diorama will have a theme, picked out by the individual artist--the possibilities are endless! Katie I. is off to a great start with her diorama (above). Stay tuned for photos of finished works!

OP ART, and contrast was the idea behind our project in Explorations in Art (1st through 3rd). Combining what we know about line and shape, and adding contrasting colors (colors that compliment each other on the color wheel), students created wonderful works of Optical Art. 

So, you might be asking yourself, what exactly ARE complimentary (contrasting) colors? Here's a clue:

ORANGE said to BLUE, "Wow, you're really having a good hair day!"
GREEN was overheard talking to RED, saying "That color really suits you. You look fantastic!"
YELLOW and VIOLET kept going back and forth with, "YOU'RE the prettiest!" and "No, YOU are!"
Similar "compliments" took place between . . .
BLUE-VIOLET and YELLOW-ORANGE
RED-ORANGE and BLUE-GREEN
YELLOW-GREEN and RED-VIOLET

In other Explorations in Art classes, 4th through 6th graders continued their work on the Book of Kells project. When these highly detailed and ornamental works are finished, photos will be posted here!

In Drawing and Painting class, we discussed the works of Remedios Varo (below, left) and Marc Chagall (below, right). After looking at many of their works and discussing the dream-like quality of their paintings, students created their own "dreamscapes."

    

The next time you have a really interesting (or crazy!) dream, why not write down the details, and then draw a picture of your dream. Be sure to put in lots of details! Who knows, you might become as well known as Varo or Chagall!

Ceramics students continued with their wet clay work. Below are examples of very creative pinch pots and small sculptures that were created in class. Soon we'll have a kiln load, which means we'll do our first bisque firing!

In Mixed Media class, students created a 4-in-one mixed media work. After folding their art paper into four equal parts, they flattened the paper and drew a picture over the entire page, then used a different medium on each quarter. The final works were awesome!  

While a lot of mixed media works layer the different mediums over top one another, placing them into this grid pattern allows the students to see how they compare and contrast with one another.

Mary Cassatt, The Bath, 1890-1891

Thanks so much to Zoe for bringing in the above work by American impressionist, Mary Cassatt. Zoe found this wonderful example of Cassatt's work at the National Gallery of Art (last week's web challenge), and received her made-to-order ATC. Congratulations, Zoe!

Anyone who wants to win an ATC in the coming week (Sept 22nd through 24th) will need to find out what a haniwa is! Bring some information (information with a picture is even better!) to school, and you'll receive your own ATC.

Remember: the student who collects the most ATCs during the semester, by following the web challenges posted here, will receive a 

WAY COOL PRIZE!