Human Rights Art Contest

These were the four winners chosen for the bronze division of the Human Rights Art Contest. From the top: Citlali Gutierrez, Marco Flores, Lauren Allen and Savannah Herrera. The objective was to recreate a comic scene in which a little boy is getting a haircut from his mother, all the while longing to be outside playing with his friends. The winning entries will be framed and travel as part of the exhibition celebrating African American history in comics and graphic novels. 

International Academy Mural

The three International Academy art classes worked collaboratively on this peace mural during the final two weeks of class. We began by projecting the images onto the wall and drawing them out in pencil. Students from each class were put into teams for different sections of the mural. Since my middle school classes are so large, we switched off throughout the period so every student was able to help with the painting. We included the Dealey logo on one side and a quote from John Lennon that relates well to the mural on the other side. The concept is many different hands of different cultures coming together for peace. We ended with each student signing their name around the perimeter of the painting. I was very proud of my classes for working so well together and creating something so beautiful that represents the theme of our school!

Underwater Scratchboards

International Academy students created these scratchboards depicting underwater scenes. We began by coloring a piece of tagboard with oil pastels and covering it with a thin layer of black acrylic paint. It is important to switch colors with the pastels often so when the black is scratched away, the underneath layer is more colorful and interesting. A thin and even layer of paint is important too, if the paint is uneven it will flake off and you won't get an even line. Students were free to depict real fish or imaginary ones with patterns and designs. The subtractive drawing process is a fun and different way to draw and the kids always love this project!

Printed Flowers

Students in the 1-3 classes made these beautiful flower still lifes just in time for spring! We read When Pigasso Met Mootise so the students could learn about Henri Matisse and the different ways he painted vases of flowers. We began by doing a texture painting for the background- rubbing different texture plates with crayons then painting over it with a watercolor wash. Students then created some patterned vases and made flowers using different printing techniques. I demonstrated for the students how to make basic flowers and blue bonnets, however I left it open for experiments and a lot of the students surprised me with their creations!

Monet's Waterlillies

Students began this lesson by watching the DVD Getting to Know the Worlds Greatest Artists- Monet. The first step was to create a watercolor resist painting of a pond. We used crayons to create swirly lines that give a sense of movement. These were then painted over with a blue/green watercolor. We then painted some green lily pads and cut them out. The lily pads were glued onto the paper and tissue paper was added for flowers. This project is a great because it gives the students a chance to scribble and be messy but in a controlled way.

Insect Designs

The International Academy students created these repeating insect designs. We began by creating a detailed and symmetrical drawing of an insect. These were then repeated throughout the composition to create balance and movement. Students then added some repeating shapes to the background. We finished by using 3 analogous colors and outlining the insects in black to make them standout. This is a great project for teaching color schemes and movement in artwork!