Watercolor Shoes

International Academy students continued the year with a different type of self-portrait. We did some detailed contour line drawings of our shoes in class. These drawings were then transferred onto a large paper and then traced over with a sharpie. Students extended the lines of the shoes out into the background and finished it off with some watercolor paint. These paintings are great because they show a great deal of the students personality, both in the style of shoe and the way it was painted.

Original Comics!

Middle School students recently created comic strips. We began by learning about the art of comic and cartoon making. Students looked at all different forms- from traditional comic strips, cartoons, anime and fan art. Students then created original characters and created a 3-4 panel story. The narrative needed to be clear and understandable and the layout needed to employ good use of the design principles of art. This project kept students more engaged than any other lesson I have ever taught. I displayed these outside my classroom and have seen groups of students admiring them consistently all day!

Identity in Art

Students in middle school art created these artworks to explore identity. We began by creating sketches to explore images that we feel define us. Students could choose animals, characters or any type of object that they feel a connection with. These were then carved into a styrofoam block and printed in a variety of colors. Students then altered the prints or arranged them in a way that fully expresses who they are as an individual. This lesson is great for exploring relief printmaking and also letting students begin to create art that defines who they are as an artist!

Watercolor Masks of Nepal

International Academy students created these traditional style masks from Nepal. We began by learning about the country of Nepal. We looked at the native people, discussed the religions and languages spoken there, as well as the geography of the country. We saw that seven out of the 10 tallest mountains in the world are in Nepal, including the tallest; Mt. Everest. Students learned the uses of these masks for ceremonies and why they are so fierce and vibrantly colored. Students created sketches of several masks and chose the strongest designed to create a larger version. The masks needed to be drawn and painted symmetrically, have a third eye and sharp pointed teeth, as well as contain some type of color blending.

Mandalas

Mandala is the Sanskrit word for circle and is a form of art stemming from the Buddhist and Hindu traditions. A Mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol that represents the universe and is meant to increase focus and strengthen meditation. These mandalas were created by middle school students by repeating a design to create radial symmetry. Students then outlined these designs with black sharpie and used colored pencils. We learned different techniques with the colored pencils- like blending colors, shading light to dark and creating smooth coverage. More advanced students were able to incorporate more detail into their patterning as well.

Chuck Close Style Self-Portraits

Students in middle school created these self-portraits in the style of American artist Chuck Close. We began by working from a photograph- students drew a 1/2 inch grid over the photo and a 1 and 1/2 inch grid over a 12x18 sheet of drawing paper. We then transferred the information over so the portrait was accurate and proportional. Next, students chose a color and created a value scale in that color from light to dark. The drawing was then filled in with different values that matched the black and white photograph. Students had to become comfortable with blending and creating many values within the portrait. I do this project every year and the results are always incredible!

Narrative Comics

Middle School students recently created comic strips. We learned about the art of comic and cartoon making. Students looked at all different forms- from traditional comic strips, cartoons, anime and fan art. Students then created original characters and created a 3-4 panel story. The narrative needed to be clear and understandable and the layout needed to employ good use of the design principles. This project kept students more engaged than any other lesson I have ever taught. I displayed these outside my classroom and have seen groups of students admiring them consistently all day!

Scratchboard Portraits

International Academy students created these whimsical scratchboards in the style of Gustav Klimt. We began by looking at several artworks by Klimt including The Kiss, taking note of the realistic figures and the abstracted, ornate clothing and backgrounds. Students created scratchboards by coloring a piece of tagboard completely with oil pastels. We colored using stripes and the more color the better! We then painted over the pastel with a thin and even layer of black acrylic paint. Once this is dry, you can use a pin to scratch away and reveal the beautiful color underneath. We used a full figure image from a magazine and placed it on the scratchboard. After tracing the figure, we glued the skin to the board and cut the clothing away. Students then drew patterned clothing and backgrounds that showed a great amount of detail. This is a really fun project to do and yields fabulous results!

Contour and Pattern Self-Portraits

Students in middle school began the semester with a review of some drawing activities. One of my favorite lessons is blind contour drawing. It teaches the artist to become more observant and focused while quickly improving their drawing skills. We spent a day doing blind contour drawings of hands before using mirrors and drawing our faces. Once these were finished, students traced them onto another paper with sharpie. Students then needed to add a minimum of five patterns. I encouraged students to choose patterns that would enhance the self-portrait, like if you love to swim then do a pattern that looks like waves or water drops. The final step was to choose a color scheme and fill in parts of the portrait with colored pencils. These turned out great and the artist's personality definitely shines through in each one!