We made it!

Well we finally made it! It's the last day before Winter Break. We are working on our self-portraits today, but still have a long way to go before they look like us. So instead of showing you unfinished self-portraits, I am going to give you pictures of more pinch pot critters. Enjoy! Happy Holiday Everyone!

1 more day...

I have an new addition to my class this year. And I love it! And my students love it too! It is our chalkboard wall.

At the beginning of December two of my students, Tori and Olga, asked if they could draw a calendar on the chalkboard wall as a way of counting down until Winter Break. And this is the design they came up with. To say all the students around here are ready for a break is obvious. To say all the teacher around here are ready for a break would be the understatement of the year! I think the writing on the wall says it all!

Friday's Fieldtrip

On Friday, December 16th we went on our 3rd and final field trip of the semester. This time we were back at the Concord Art Gallery for their new exhibit "handle with care". This is 3rd period posing for a group shot on the steps of the gallery.

Taylor tried out the art-o-mat. Here she is putting her token in.

Now she is selecting which work of art will soon belong to her.
And here she is with her very on art-o-mat artwork. It is a cactus blossom flower basket. Second period also posed for a group photo.
This is John with his own art-o-mat art as well.
Brittney got in on the art-o-mat action as well. Her tiny work of art even came with it's own easel.

It's a ZOO around here!

There are critters all over my classroom and they are adorable. We still have one more day to put the finishing touches on our pinchpot critters, and so far everyone's is looking fantastic.

We've got elephants...


and birdies...and what zoo would be complete without a unicorn!

Keep checking in for more critter sightings!

Is that a ...

alien or a bird?
pineapple or a blowfish?
gremlin or a cat?

I guess we'll have to wait and see!

More than what meets the eye

This might appear to just be round lump of solid clay, but oh, it is so much more. This is not a solid ball of clay; it is a hollow sphere of clay. And it is the beginning of an adorable pinchpot critter. What will it become? A dog? A cat? An anteater? Only time will tell. Keep checking each day to see how this critter progresses!

Today we are starting our clay project.
We will be making pinch pot critters.
Aren't they adorable?

P.S. Progress Reports go home today.
Please review it, sign it, and send it back to school.
Thanks!

It's Friday again!

Where does the time go? Well, for me, time always flies when you're making art. Today is going to be our "catch up day". Students who are not finished with their facial features projects will have time to get caught up. And students who are finished will be given the opportunity to work on two design contest. I can't believe there are only 8 days until Winter Break! Have a great weekend!

Smile...

it's almost Friday, so today we are learning how to draw lips!

Take time to stop and smell the roses

Well, that is good advice but we aren't slowing down around here with only 10 more school days until Christmas break there is no time for stopping. :)

Today we are learning how to draw noses. I personally think this is the hardest facial feature to learn how to draw because there are so few edges in the nose. The drawing has to be created with lots of gradual blending. So we are going to go through the process of shading, blending, erasing, and repeating until we get it just right. I think they'll see a big improvement from the drawing they did of a nose on Monday!

Wonder what we could be learning today...

You guessed it! Today we are learning how to draw an ear.

We are finish with perspective and moving on to realistic facial features and eventually a self-portrait. But we begin by learning how to draw individual facial features. Today we are learning how to draw realistic eyes! This is one of my favorite projects because this is always so much growth between when students start this project to once they have finished it. and the amazing thing is at it all happens in the span of a week!

e-card contest designs

Cabarrus County Schools is having a holiday e-card contest.
Here are some of the entries from our classes. They are great, aren't they?

by Olga
by Kara and Taylor
by Jordan

Today we are finishing up our city-scape drawings in 2-point perspective. They look awesome. And the students seem to really be understanding 2-point perspective.

One of the things we did today, was to talk about the photography of Craig Royal. Craig is legally blind but he takes amazing photographs of light and water. Here is just one of his images that we looked at today in class. I think Craig and his photographs are a wonderful example of "anything is possible"!

We are continuing our study of 2 point perspective. We have been practicing drawings shapes in both 1-point and 2-point perspective. This is a difficult concept for students to grasp, but we are working on it. We are also continuing our drawings of our city-scapes in 2-point perspective. The goal is to be finished by the end of the week!

Photo of the Week

This is the latest photo of the week submission.


It is called "Serenity" by Abigail Perez.

On of the sinks in my classroom is not draining properly lately. While this can be a source of frustration when it comes to clean up, it has also created some very pretty (but un-intentional) "sink art". During this Thanksgiving season when there is some many big problems surrounding us, I hope that you can stop and find beauty in the small things. Because sometimes can seem like a mess can turn into a work of art!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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The Reynolda House Museum of American Art
On Thursday of last week, my 3 art classes (50 students and 7 adults) went on a field trip to Reynolda House in Winston-Salem. And while the weather was gray and rainy, our spirits were not damped. We were split into 6 groups each with our own personal tour guides who told us all about the art, house, history and culture of Reynolda House and the Reynolds family. I was so proud of my students. They seemed to absorb the information like a sponge. Many of the tour guides commented on how well behaved the students were. And the tour guide of the group I was with said that it was the "smartest group she had ever given a tour to." You know I was beaming with pride when we left to head for lunch and then home.

Each tour guide had their own personal style for presenting the information about the house and art. Some focused mostly on the art while others added many details about the house and family. On Friday, using a PowerPoint I had created with images of the house, family, and artwork, we spent over 45 minutes in each class period sharing the information the tour guides had taught us. I was really, really impressed at how much the students we able to recall. And I think they enjoyed "showing off" what they had learn and hear other facts from classmates that supplemented what their tour guide had shared with them.

I was a great trip. And I would encourage anyone who hasn't had the opportunity to visit the museum to stop in for a visit the next time you are near Winston-Salem. And if you are looking for a good tour guide, I know 50 teenagers who could show you around the place!

We had a great time on our fieldtrip on Thursday! I will post more about it on Monday! Have a great weekend!

Tracking Student Progress

Today we practiced drawing and shading our hand with graphite pencil. I was really impressed with the progress I am seeing in a lot of students from August. Here are some nice examples.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

1. Warm-up: check signed newsletter

2. Skills practice: Shading with graphite pencils

3. Finish colored pencil section of drawing

4. Continue working on graphite section of drawing

5. Closing- discuss perspective in artwork

HOMEWORK:

· We will have a weekly sketchbook check on Friday. Draw one of the activities listed on the sketchbook activities page that you received today in class. Spend a minimum of 15-30 minutes working on your drawing. You may use any media and any style. Homework passes will be accepted.

Attention:

· Our fieldtrip to the Reynolda House Museum is on Thursday, Nov. 17^th! We will leave school at 7:15AM and return at 2:15 PM.

· You must have paid the $10 supply free for the class before you can go on the fieldtrip.

We have finished our 1-point perspective drawing of a railroad track. We are planning to draw a 2-point perspective drawing of a city. BUT perspective drawing requires a lot of precision and measurement, and we all agreed we needed a little break from that after our RR before we moved directly into our city. SO... last week we began our first still-life (a staple in any art class). This is a project that I really love because it combines both graphite and colored pencils. Here are some examples. As a class, we are all drawing the pumpkin still-life below.
Pumpkin still-life (still being worked on).
Still-life with flowers and vegetables.Copy of an advertisement from a catalog.
Still-life of strawberries.

Reminder: Our trip to Reynolda House is Thursday.
We will leave at 7:15 and return at 2:15.
Wear layers and comfortable clothes.
Bring money for a lunch at the food court of Hanes Mall.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

1. Warm-up: shade a form.

2. Flowmap for El Greco.

3. Shade still-life in graphite.

HOMEWORK:

Have a great weekend!