Saturday, January 1, 2011

Art Directory

If your like me you use the blog-o-sphere for inspiration for your art classes. Well, I came across this on Vivid Layers blog and would like to invite you to join!






























































































Christmas Break is almost OVER:-(

I haven't posted in a while, mostly because my main camera broke. But also because for the past 4 weeks I haven't been in school due to snow and winter break. We go back Monday, and I have one week left of the semester and besides giving the final exam, I am not sure what to do. Originally, Monday was supposed to start a new semester, with new students, and a fresh start, but because of the snow things have been pushed back. EEk! My art 2s are in the middle of a mosaic, so they will need to finish that, and my art Is have a pottery project to be finished on Monday. So I pretty much have 3-4 days for a project, and I would love to send them off with an awesome one. However, I am stumped.


HELP!


so if you have an art project idea for me to send my 8th/9th graders off with, I would greatly appreciate it!


Thanks!
Amy

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Cultural Self Portraits and Mystery Monet

The Mystery Monet
Mystery Monet Project was a small section of a famous Monet print that the students glued somewhere on their paper and had to finish the rest. The students really enjoyed making up their painting.

Then, we had to pick out the actually Monet print in which their piece came from and compare.  A nice way to lead into critiques. ( I would have more pictures, but forgot- these were students who were absent the day I passed back the work).

(To start the students picked their section from a box in which they couldn't see in to. They could switch it out once, but if they decided to switch, they had to keep their second pick.)
 Cultural Self-Portrait
students picked a culture to research, and turned themselves into that culture ( respectfully).

again, forgot to take pictures until they were already taken home. 

Special Plate

My hubby and I made three of these last spring (2 were wedding presents) on our spring break in Florida. A rainy day took us to one of those do-it-yourself pottery places.  And I am just now getting around to posting a picture.  We use it for all special occasions. And I love it, so I wanted to share how art is also the best part of my day:-)

Friday, October 29, 2010

Collage Pop Art Animals

I really wish I could rotate pictures after I have uploaded them.  Sorry.











Steps:
1. Find an animal pic- print as a 5x7 grayscale.
2. Use grid enlargement to double the size to 10x14
3. Paint the background with a BRIGHT color.
4. Divide animal into sections, leave lower half of animal ( or another part) undone- outline with sharpie.
5. Use paint to create value in a few sections with one color per section (monochromatic).
6. Add texture to a few sections with sharpie.
7. Tear different textures and colors out of magazines and glue down. I also had silver paper they used.

This project took about 3-4 45minute classes.

Some turned out not so hot. It is important to emphasize how they divide the sections to follow the shape of the animal, and to use small torn strips of paper rather than chunks.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

American Gothic Parodies































My students loooved this project. I talked a little bit about American Gothic, most students recognized the painting, and then asked each student to pick out a "famous couple." I encouraged cartoons, but they were not limited. I had a list to help them get started, but no one was allowed to do the same thing as someone else. The students were thinking up couples I had totally forgotten about! They then had to decide how to position their character, and what details to include. They penciled in a sketch ( NO TRACING) and the background ( as close to Grant Wood's original as possible). Then paint! I loved this project because it was fairly simple directions.