Glitter Fish

Students in grades 1-3 created these fun artworks to learn about seascapes. During the first class, we looked at The Goldfish by Paul Klee. We discussed the use of lines and symbols in his seascape and also how he shows EMPHASIS and MOVEMENT. Students then used cool color crayons to create their oceans- using symbols and lines to show the movement they see in the water. The next class we read the book Pattern Fish and compared the many different patterns in the book. Students looked at pictures of many different types of fish and then drew their own using lines and patterns. We painted the fish with warm colors to create a contrast with the cool colored seascapes and help with emphasizing the fish and making them stand out. The final touch was finger stamping some small fish into the background and adding a little glitter to help the fish stand out. This is a highly effective lesson to teach about warm/cool colors, emphasis, movement and patterns!

Pattern Pumpkins

 Students in grades 4-6 created these detailed pattern pumpkins for a fun autumn project. We began by drawing three-dimensional pumpkins using direct observation. Students were encouraged to show a great amount of detail and texture in their drawings. For the painting, students learned all about VALUE. We learned that adding white to a color and making it lighter is called a tint and that adding black to make a color darker is called a shade. Students painted in the pumpkins and the backgrounds with many different values of orange. During the final class, students outlined with black paint and again used different values of orange to create their own patterns throughout the composition. This was a great project to teach value, pattern and emphasis and all the pumpkins look so fun and unique!

Subvertisements

International Academy students learned about the guerilla marketing style known as subvertising. Subvertisements are parodies and spoofs of corporate or political advertisements. Subvertisements may take the form of a new image or be an alteration to an already existing image or icon. Students were challenged to come up with their own original parodies to bring more truth to traditional advertisements. 

Tiki Prints

International Academy students were introduced to printmaking for this cultural project. We began by learning about Tikis- how they come from Polynesian countries, that they are used for worship or good/bad luck and that they are typically made from wood or stone. We examined the features and textures of Tiki masks to incorporate those into our own designs. Once students drew out an original Tiki, it was carved into a piece of foam. These were then colored with marker and then printed onto a slightly damp piece of paper. This allowed the students to get good color areas and do plenty of experimenting. The best prints were chosen and mounted onto black paper for display.