Scratch Art and Shape ATCs, Canopic Jars, and Safety Pin Jewelry!

Because of the upcoming Registration Week work, I've been remiss in posting updates for the art classes. Here's a brief look at what we've been up to the past couple of weeks:

Scratch art ATCs are always a big hit! Check out some of the clever designs that the students came up with a couple of weeks ago in ATC class:

Students scratched away the black surface to reveal either gold, silver, sparkle blue, or multi-colored sparkle paper beneath. 

Then last week, in the same class, students created ATCs inspired by shape. Using tiny stencils, or drawing freehand, students set about making ATCs with multiple shapes inside.

Students had a choice to make their works representational or abstract. When the drawings were completed, some artists decided to add lightweight, foam shapes on top of their drawings--continuing the theme of shape-inspired work.

Afterward, "trading time" ensued, and some seriously good trades took place!

Ceramics III students are making wonderful progress on their canopic jars! The bodies of the jars are nearly complete, and work on the heads/lids will likely begin this coming week. Following are some "action shots" from class: 

Students began with a slab cylinder, and then added coils. With each new layer, the young artists must first score the surface (and the next coil), and then slip the scores to be sure the next coil will hold. Once the body of the pot reaches 8", it receives a final tweaking and shaping. Looking good! It looks like Alex's pot (below) is about to receive a head-shaped lid!

Jewelry Making students worked on safety pin jewelry, and created some cool designs! For instance . . .

. . . a sail boat and frog (above), and peace sign and flag (below) . . .

. . . and a star and heart (below). Per the students' requests, we'll continue with this same project next week before moving on to something new. 

Thanks so much to Miss Elona for supplying us with everything we need (including patterns!) for this project!

Reminder to all the students and parents: This coming week, March 1st and 2nd, is Registration week! Parents, please arrive to HSC by 1:50 p.m. to get a sneak peek of next year's class offerings, and pick up your registration packet. 

There are some REALLY COOL classes planned for next year! I only wish I was young enough to attend each one! :)

The Shape of Art

We had a lot of fun in our ATC class this past week. Following are some fine examples of miniature, tradable art . . .

Morgan and Anais collaborated to create the ATCs featured above. Pretty clever, huh?

Valencia made this beautifully detailed ATC featuring a woman in a long dress. It reminds me of a sari. 

And the trading card below was made by Cameron. He put lots of detail into his card, which was the main assignment!

In Explorations in Art, we continued building on our knowledge of the principles and elements of art. This past week we discussed shape. Students took a tour through Miss Robin's Art Gallery to view and discuss a number of famous works. We identified the prominent shapes in each work.

For instance, we noted that Grant Wood's Stone City, Iowa (above) is mostly made up of circles and ovals! Several students also pointed out Wood's use of organic shapes.

Paul Gauguin's The Vision After the Sermon was also found to be composed of many organic shapes, which is in sharp contrast to the following, highly geometric work by Shaikh-zada of Khurasan, titled Bahrom Gur in the Turquoise Pavilion.

In addition to shape, we discussed perspective. Students critiqued the use (and non-use!) of perspective in all the works featured in the gallery. And, for good measure, I threw in this brain-teasing work by Salvador Dali. The young artists enjoyed picking out the hidden images, and shifting their gaze between objects which appeared to change before their eyes!

Ceramics I students began work on spirit balls, while the advanced ceramics students continued work on their independent art projects.

Paper Baskets, Stencils, and Modern Masterpieces!

Before we review last week's work, I'd like to give a hearty thank you to the students who participated in our first web challenge of this semester! They correctly identified 

Pablo Picasso's The Actor 

as the work of art that was recently damaged while on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Great Work,

Roman, Diego, Morgan, John-Luc, Hunter, and Parker!

In Fiber Arts class this past week, we wove beautiful paper (compliments of Miss Elona! Thanks, Miss Elona!)

into heart-shaped baskets. This particular project was really quite tricky, but each student eventually mastered the technique and walked out of class with a gorgeous work of art!

In Drawing and Printmaking class, 

we used stencils to create cards and prints, 

and had a whole bunch of fun in the process! 

We also 

used decorative-edged scissors to play with 

positive vs. negative space

and got some interesting results!

Students had so much fun, in fact, that we decided (in an overwhelming vote of majority--democracy is such a good thing!) that we'd continue our work with stencils for a while.

In Explorations in Art, 

we discussed the element of shape, and how 

various artists might use shape for both design, 

and to create a mood. We also discovered 

ways that shape, combined with color, 

can enhance that mood. 

The works that we used for comparison were 

Jacob Lawrence's Parade, 

and Grant Wood's Stone City, Iowa:

One student, Kaylyn, used what she's learned, so far, about color, shape, and the direction of line to create a very calm scene that soothes the senses. 

Great work, Kaylyn!

The past couple of weeks, students in 

Drawing and Painting 

class have been working on their own versions of some very famous paintings! While there are still many "masterpieces" to be completed, I just couldn't wait to share with you the ones that are finished. They're truly spectacular!

(Above left) Tavia, Horizontal Tree, by Piet Mondrian

(Above right) Parker, Two Peaches on a Branch, after Ko Chung-bsuan

(Below top) Kevin, Count Tommaso Inghirami, by Raphael

(Below middle) Eddie, detail from Sugar Cane, by Diego Rivera

(Below bottom) Josh, detail from George Moore, by Edouard Manet

(Below left, middle and right) Derik, Jacob, and Stefan

Still Life: Apples, Pear, and White Mug, by Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin

These are a small sampling of masterpieces from this class, so be sure to check back next week for more!

And now for the coming week's 

web challenge!

In honor of the Vancouver Olympics, and our wonderful neighbors to the north, our challenge for the week of 

February 16th through 18th is as follows:

Do a search* of Canadian artists, and print out a copy of a painting, or other work of art (or architecture!) that you find especially appealing. It MUST be by a Canadian citizen (born or raised in Canada). If you have problems with printing, you may write down the name of the artist and painting, and also the URL where you found it (URLs usually begin with http://). Be prepared to tell me why you like this particular work! 

I value your opinions!

When I receive your completed challenge**, 

you'll receive your ATC!

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

**Because this is a WEEKLY (and completely optional!) assignment, the information must be presented to me 

the week it is due. This keeps things fair for those who 

work hard to find the answers and turn them in on time. Whoever has the most assignment-related ATCs 

by the end of the semester will win a 

REALLY COOL ART PRIZE. 

A 2nd place prize will also be awarded. 

There will be a first and second prize for each school day, 

so get busy!  

Diego Rivera, Paper Beads, and the Book of Kells: Just a Smidgen of Week 2's Projects!

The second week of school was packed with activities and projects. You might remember last week that I challenged students to find an artist who shared their name (first or last), and to bring in a photo of the artist's work. Diego G. came through with a magnificent work by Diego Rivera:

Diego Rivera's El Hombre al Cruce, at Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City

Thanks, Diego! 

Great work! Diego earned an ATC--the beginning of his collection. Whoever has the MOST ATCs by semester's end will win an even better prize! :)

I'd also like to send out a special thank you to Celeste for the thorough paper on one of my favorite artists, Georgia O'Keeffe!  

Ram's Head White Hollyhock and Little Hills, 1935 collection:Brooklyn Museum Georgia O'Keeffe
Art from Paper

. . . was fun, and a little bit tricky, when the students made beads out of paper, and then strung them on yarn. We learned that paper can mimic other materials when rolled up. The beads, below, almost look like stone!

Explorations in Art

. . . turned into quite an adventure when the 4th through 6th students explored the Book of Kells. Over the next week or two, we will continue to create our own version of this ancient script. This work, created by Irish monks around 800 b.c., is full of intricate designs, ornamentations, and hidden pictures. 

1st through 3rd grades continued their journey of the elements of art when we discussed shape. We picked up from last week's lesson--line--and used lines to create shapes. We took turns naming the various types of shapes before creating our own, and coloring them in . . .

WOW! Look at all those SHAPES!!

Ceramics I

. . . was quite a lot of fun. While learning the pinch method, students tackled their first clay project: the "animalito" (little animal). Ever thinking outside the box, some students made BUGitos, VOLCANOitos, and a variety of other "ito" items. We certainly have a lot of talented ARTISTitos (little artists!) in our class!

The more advanced students in  

Ceramics II

spent their first "wet clay day" making artist stamps. Each student designed their own stamp, picking a shape or symbol that they identified with, artistically, and carved a stamp to use in their future ceramic works. This was quite tricky, though, because the stamps needed to be mirror images of what they wanted them to look like after pressing them into clay! 

Drawing and Painting

. . . young artists really had to stretch their imaginations, when they were challenged to create their own imaginary creature, and to use COLOR to convey the creature's personality!

And in Mixed Media class

students combined collage, pencil drawing, and crayon (or colored pencils) to create "fill in the missing half" artworks! If you're not in Mixed Media class, and want to try this at home, here's what you do:

1. Find a picture that you like in a magazine, and tear it out.

2. Cut the picture down the middle, lengthwise.

3. Glue one of the halves to plain white paper, leaving room on the "missing side" of the paper for drawing.

4. Save the unglued side for reference.

5. Using a pencil, and the missing side for reference, draw in the missing elements of the picture.

6. Use crayons or colored pencils to finish your artwork!

7. Amaze your friends and family with your extraordinary 

ARTISTIC TALENT!  :)

Do you want to win a PRIZE (an original ATC) in the coming week?

If so, then go to the National Gallery of Art's website and start looking through their permanent collection (or the current exhibit!) to find a work of art that really appeals to you. It can be from any genre you choose, and from any year in art history: prehistory through contemporary works. Print out your choice and bring it to class. Be prepared to tell me what you like about it!

I'm particularly fond of the works in the Philip Guston exhibit that is currently on view through October 18th in the East Buiding's Tower Gallery. He has such a playful style. It reminds me of outsider art, and has a distinctive "self taught" edge to it. 

Philip  Guston, Rug, 1976.  Oil on canvas