Street Art Stencils

Woohoo, this is the last week of school!  My partner in crime took one of her classes outside to have a little fun making these awesome little pieces.  They used large pieces of paper to make the stencils and a little flour so it won't stick around forever. 

 

 

Stop Motion in Advanced Photo

As the term and the school year wind down, I like to pull out some really engaging projects to keep every going, including myself.  Right now, the Photo 2 students are working on Stop Motion projects in teams.  They were given the option of choosing teams up to four people.  We spent one class watching all kinds of stop motion videos.  I wanted the students to choose from a range of materials to complete the project---and they did.  We've got teams using foil, construction paper, a couple teams are using Legos, modeling clay, and one team is even doing a mix between using the human body and construction paper.  I am excited to see the results! The inspiration for this project came from seeing the Tiny Circus in action at the Iowa Art Educators Fall Art Conference this past year.  If you have never seen their work, you have got to check it out!

Photo 2: Diptychs

Here are some Diptychs from the Photo 2 class to take us into Spring Break.  

Emily B.

Sade B.

Maria C.

Morgan F.

New Equipment and Some Pop Art

January has made for a crazy weather month and lots of delays and cancellations.  When I walked in my classroom the first day back from the holiday break, a kind man was dropping off the new laptops for our art classes.  I was thinking it would still be a couple of weeks before the computers were here, so this was an awesome way to return to work from a long break.  I got busy that day setting up the computers and had them in the hands of students the following week.  The students have loved the new equipment, especially the Wacom drawing tablets.  It really is the perfect set-up for all of the digital classes.  Our students are so lucky to experience equipment and software that professional artists use daily.  The students in Design in Art have been learning about the Principles and Elements of Art.  They are currently working on applying the principles to a Pop Art influenced project.  Students have been working hard for a few weeks now and I couldn't be happier with the outcomes.  The drawing tablets are allowing the students to approach the artwork in a whole new manner.  It is easy to see the individual drawing characteristics of every student.  Additionally, the students are so engaged in this project...it's so quiet in here! 

Painted Graham Crackers

The week before any break is usually a little chaotic, this week was no different.  AP Art History finished lecture a little earlier than planned and instead of moving on to a new unit before a week and a half off, I decided the students deserved a little change in pace.  So, as a treat and something fun for the last two days before break, I brought in graham crackers and frosting.  The students chose a famous painting and recreated it on the cracker.  As you can see the 'paintings' turned out pretty good!  I was happy that we got this in before the ice day on Friday.  Happy Holidays to all!

5 Favorite Materials: In The Classroom

1.  Micron Pens
These pens might be on the expensive side, but I just love letting my students use them.  The students really get into the different sizes and develop strong preferences.  The one drawback to using Microns is that some students are hard on materials and these pens don't take a beating well.  To combat this, I usually save them for my advanced drawing students who tend to be a bit more gentler on the supplies.

2. Color Pencils
Last year this would not have been on my top 5 list.  But, one of the perks of being an art teacher is that I can take studio classes for professional development and I had the fortunate experience of signing up for a color pencil workshop.  It was AWESOME!  I learned so much about color pencils, the various types, and how to blend them that I now love using this material in the classroom.  I devote the first half of Drawing 2 to using color pencils. 

3. Gel Medium
I really enjoy introducing students to the magic of image transfers.  It is a technique that I use in my personal work regularly and students always enjoy learning about the process.  Gel medium is a key material in most image transfer processes.  It is also a great material for collage work.

4. Etching Inks
I am very fortunate to have a large printing press sitting right in the middle of my room.  I devote half of my Drawing 3 course to printmaking.  The students are able to experience all kinds of printmaking: mono printing, screen printing, linoleum block reduction prints, and even intaglio.  When I introduce the etching inks, I feel like I am giving students a real taste, and smell, of college print making classes.  The smell of the inks and the burnt plate oil takes me right back to the printing studio at Mt. Mercy University.  The biggest drawback to etching inks?  They are so messy!  We go through box after box of rubber gloves, but it is totally worth it. 

5. Turpenoid
Yes, odorless turpentine is on my top five list.  It has to be, from clean up to blending oil pastels and color pencils, we use it all the time.  It is a key material and if you aren't using it in your art room, you should be!