Christmas Break Art Challenge

Hey Art Students! 

I hope this blog post finds you all enjoying the wonders of our Christmas season!  Here is the long awaited Christmas Break Art Challenge! Now remember this is completely optional but can earn you another museum card if you complete it and bring it in our FIRST WEEK BACK TO CO-OP!
 This is a good way to make up for cards that you have not gotten. If that interests you then read on.

Your challenge:

 to create something that represents something you would like to accomplish in the new year. This could be anything, a character quality, a goal, even trying something new. Whatever it is you must create something with the following perimeters:

• The substrate must be 8.5 in. x 11 in.
• You must use fabric in your artwork somehow
• You must use an ellipse somehow
• You must use words somehow-ie: written, cut out/ pasted 
• Must bring it first week back to co-op to earn museum card
• You can use a medium of your choice and if you want use more than one
• You must get up in class and tell us about it (time permitting)

I look forward to what you will do. As always you do some incredibly creative things and it brings me great joy to see you working out your creativity in these challenge projects.

Just a couple of  reminders:

 There is a special goodie that you can earn with your museum cards.  As of now there has been opportunities to earn 9 cards including bonus cards or 5 regular museum cards. Break time is a good time to check and see where you are at, what you might be missing, and what you need to do to get where you want to be.

 It is also a good time to get out your art box check list and make sure your art box is stocked and ready to go for the rest of the year.  This form can be found in your notebook at the front along with the art studio rules and conduct sheet. If you can't find it, download and print off a copy HERE and place it in your notebook.
Have a wonderful, very, Merry Christmas with your families! I will see you next year! Mrs. W

Frontalism

 I find Egyptian artwork interesting to study for reasons  despite its formal and organized design elements: One is called Frontalism; the particular way in which Egyptians depicted humans in their artwork. The other, is the beautiful patterning they used. This reflects their relationship to the environment and their spiritual belief system. It is sometimes difficult to think about these artifacts as "artwork" when you compare it to other wonderful examples of artwork later in history. But interestingly, Egyptian art was not meant to be seen by others at all. The designs and patterning were created for the deceased as they journeyed into the afterlife. Often images like flowers  were used in symbolic ways to represent, for example new life and rebirth.(http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/egyptian-art-an-introduction.html pg.1)

 Please watch the video below to understand more about this unique technique done by this fascinating ancient people group.

We will be using real papyrus paper in class for our artwork this week. Watch this video on how papyrus paper is still being made in Egypt.

Ancient Art and Culture

We now begin an exciting part of our art journey this year as we start to look at ancient artwork and its impact on culture in the ancient world. For the rest of the year I will be uploading videos and photos for you to look at, prior to our class time. This will give you some background information and photos we just don't have time to look at in class. My plan is to give you a couple of questions to think about that  we will answer and discuss in class. You will find these at the end of the blog post.  Some questions you may not have an answer for, don't worry because we will talk about it in class as we are working.

Gate of Ishtar

The first ancient civilization that we will look at is Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon! Isn't this incredible? I think so! We will focus on the artwork that forms the Ishtar Gates and Processional into the ancient city of Babylon. Please watch the video below from Khan Academy. We will be looking at a portion of the processional and recreate paper mosaics of the design aspects of this amazing entrance. As you look at these pictures think about these questions.

1.)What kind of materials did the ancient Babylonians use to create this magnificent entrance?
2.)Why do you think that Nebuchadnezzar built the entrance this way?

All Photos from Google Images

Bas Relif of Lion's head

            Decorative processional boarders                           Nebuchadnezzar's inscription

Decorative brick designs and details of archway

Creation- Student Lead Project

CREATION n.
the act of producing or causing to exist; the act of creating.

the fact of being created.

 something that is or has been created.

the Creation, the original bringing into existence of the universe by God.

the world; universe.

This word has lots of meanings, above is what dictionary.com listed for the definitions. I would like for us to look at the first definition in reference to our next project which has to do with the fourth definition.  This is where you get to use your own ideas and images from your own mind and heart to create something for the rest of us to see. I have given you a few instructions so that you have a starting place and don't get overwhelmed. At the highlighted portions of this entry are some links if you forget what we talked about in class. We will start on this next week HIS students and after Thanksgiving Immanuel students. 

I do want to talk about preliminary design sheets. This is an important step for you as a student because it helps you get what it is that is rolling around in your head onto paper and gives you a place to begin. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to do an assignment well and you get stuck because there is too much good stuff up in your brain. Sometimes it is hard to choose! Please come to class with your thoughts and ideas out of your brain and sketched and written on your preliminary design sheet. Don't worry you can change your mind once you get going but this gives you a place to start! I am so looking forward to what you come up with I know I will be dazzled by your incredible creativity and artistry!

THANKSGIVING ART CHALLENGE

Worth   2, YES 2 BONUS Cards …   I CANNOT WAIT to see what you come up with!

Here is the challenge to do over break  if you choose and your art work MUST include the following elements:

·        Must include 2 skills that have been learned so far: value shading, 6 components of drawing.

·        Must use more than one medium, this includes: oil pastels, water color pencils, sketch pencils. Anything your like! Fabric, recyclables, different types of paper, paint, ink pens, crayons. Sky’s the limit- this is your chance to use what you would like and maybe try something new-super cool!

·        It must be done in color-that’s right it could be one or 101 you choose!

·        Lastly it should be representative of something you are thankful for OR a family thanksgiving tradition.

·        YES YOU GET TO USE YOUR OWN IMAGINATION!!!!!

·        To earn your bonus cards you must bring it to class the week we return for co-op

·        Must be created on 8.5 x11 paper

Drawing Faces and the Golden Section

Our next assignment is learning how to draw faces. Yes, yours! Aren't you excited? As I learned to draw faces, I started to look at faces differently. I now look at the relationship between the parts of the face. How far apart are eyes? How about the way shadows are cast on cheekbones and chins. What gives a face character? Dimples? Pimples? Wrinkles? Scars? This week spend some time studying the faces in your life. Look at symmetry, how big is the forehead in relation to the other parts of the face. What gives your face character and is uniquely you? How can you portray that in a drawing? Where do the dark values vs. light values naturally occur on your face?

This week look at pictures of yourself and choose a picture that is a close up of your face or one that you can enlarge. It must have detail! You should be able to see all your features well. Another option if you are pressed for time or can't find a good photo with detail,  find a picture in a magazine where the whole page is taken up by the face- beauty magazines have good pictures to use. Bring these into class next 
co-op day please!

As you study and observe, you will start to see the proportions that naturally occur on your face. When looking at the ratios or spaces between the forehead and eyes, nose and mouth do you see anything interesting?  You should, because these proportions and patterns are found all over the place in nature and were created in the ancient world. This patterning was discovered long ago, in the 6th century BC, by mathematicians. It was used by the Egyptians to build the pyramids. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci, used it when he painted the Mona Lisa., as well as, musicians  and scientists  have used it throughout the ages. It is called the Golden Section or Golden Mean. Believe it or not we are still using this in design today, take a look at the iPod or iPhone both were designed with the Golden Section theory. Sweet!

To watch a video on this, visit this website HERE (WARNING there is a nude, The Vitruvian Man, famous drawing, created by Leonardo da Vinci circa 1490.) This short You tube is fascinating and gives us perspective and insight  into our created world. HERE is a website with Golden Section applied to the human face. SO cool! HERE is a tutorial on the female face to draw step-by-step. If you click on the image it will get bigger so you can print or look at it. Have fun this week!

NEW UPDATE: You can get the practice worksheets for class HERE and HERE (3 pages total) if you wish to practice(which I hope you do in preparation for this week!)

Feathers and Shells a Study of Symmetry and Balance

These two simple object hold such wonderful aspects of balance and symmetry. We are continuing our study and skill building in drawing. This week we will look at the beauty created in balance and symmetry.

Please review the terms: 

• symmetry/balance
• cross hatching
• and here is a new term you will need to know. Negative drawing. The picture below is from the Art Instruction Blog  which has lots of other awesome art information but you can go here to learn more about negative drawing.

Negative drawing is a great technique to use if you are getting distracted by too much detail. It allows you to get shapes drawn by concentrating on the space surrounding the object rather than the object, itself. This allows you to draw what you see, not what you think you see. It is a way to trick your brain and let go of preconceived images. A bonus card for those who bring in a negative drawing, for next class time.

The Sun, Stars and Moon

Isn't this beautiful so many colors!

We will be using photos of the universe to create beautiful pictures of the stars. Go to the following link and print off your favorite picture from the Hubble telescope to use as a model in class. HERE  Bring your picture to class we will be using it next time we meet!

 Here is a fun clip about the Hubble telescope.  I learned a lot watching this short video!  This will be a fun project.

We will be using speckled paper, stencils and oil pastels hhhhmmmm.... I wonder how we will created the sun, stars and moon with these tools? Come to class and find out!

Circles, Ovals , Ellipses... OH MY!

Hi Art Students! As we continue our adventure in drawing,  we now have the components to start creating form. Light and line are both needed, in order to create form. Drawing circles, ovals and ellipses are an important skill to have and can be one of the harder shapes to master, especially in
3-D form. Remember practice makes perfect.

Try this! Take a quarter hold it  so that you see the face of Washington. Now start to slowly tip the top of the coin away from you  a little and stop. Look at the shape of the surface of the coin, has it changed? Now, tip it away some more. Try and make it the shape of the coin in each of the pictures at the left Eventually, the coin will be flat like at the bottom of the picture.

 To translate this concept to your drawing, think about how the angle at which you look at something circular can change, especially the opening of that object. How cool is that? I hope that you will practice some circles, ovals and ellipses this week!

Watch this quick video on how to draw circles and ellipses 

Now if you are excited about your new skills here is another video a bit longer on how to draw a pumpkin just in time for harvest season too!
Bring in your pumpkin picture this week to earn a bonus card- SWEET!!

Drawing and Shading-Shading and Drawing

 Have you practiced the sketching hold while you draw this week? Does it feel funny? Like learning anything new the more you practice the better you get and the more your body remembers.As you draw or sketch things this week, remember: you are training your hand to draw what your eyes are looking at. To help you out this week here are two, short videos on drawing shapes and shading, two important components to drawing.Come to class prepared to practice these techniques in class. Please make sure you have your pencils sharpened and your drawing tool set in your art box (the items that came with your pencils)
.
Video #1  If you practice at home bring in your work. I would love to see it!

Video#2  Is all about drawing shapes in 3-D

Are You Practicing? Here is a fun way to do it

Hi Art Students! Are you using the 6 components of drawing that we went over in class this week?  What are those again? (hint:SCALE  F)Think about that this week as you practice. In particular Lines and how they are used.

Bonus card for those who come to class having drawn a picture by following these instructions. Work each step in order:

1. Get out a piece of blank white paper and pencil
2. Start at one edge of the paper and make a straight line to another edge of the paper
3. Do this again starting at a different edge of the paper and but use a line that isn't straight
4. Now add 2 shapes of your choosing but not a circle
5. Now add any size circle but it has to have a line through it
6. Then, add another circle that isn't touching anything else
7. Add 3 small shapes all the same
8. Then add to a circle 2 thick lines that come out of it but don't touch anything else
9. Lastly, add a triangle on top of another shape
10. Now erase something
11. Now choose 3 colors(markers, crayons, color pencils-you choose) and color in some but not all the spaces, choose carefully and thoughtfully.
12. Sign and give it a title

If you are really brave do one in the sketching hold and one in the writing/drawing hold. Did it feel different? Which picture do you like better? Trust me none of us will do this in the same way and it will be fun to see what others have done don't you think? I will bring mine to class to share too.

Let's Start With The Basics

I always start the school year with a basic introduction and/or review, for some of my students, on the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Understanding and reviewing these concepts will help give a framework to what you create, how you view artwork, and ultimately how you enjoy and interpret artwork in general.

Logic students, print off this list as an additional glossary here to use for vocabulary words. All students can  visit  this website for a fun way to review and learn about these concepts.  A feature that I appreciate, is the "Find" function at the top. This feature "find" a piece of artwork that utilizes a particular element or design principle. Please explore and use this feature. Also I will award a bonus point for those students who create a picture using the "Create" function and print it out and bring to class by week 3. I will ask you to tell me which elements and principles you used.

Visit this website here  if you like using flash cards and learning games.We use this website in our household all the time. If you would like to print off  2 pages with visual references and put it in your notebook go here. This also gives you definitions for some of your vocabulary words. Go to abbreviated versions, one for elements and one for principles. This is another way to earn a bonus point-bring to class by week 3.

Would you like to see what I have been working on...?

Waterlily 

9 x 12 Watercolor 2013

Hi Art Students! Each summer I take some sort of art class and spend some much needed time, honing my own artistic skills. This summer I had the privilege of  having a private art lesson from a local artist and one of my dearest friends, Laura. She had taken a watercolor class from Jeannie Vodden in California and thought I might enjoy this watercolor technique. Boy did I ever! I have painted one painting(above)with this technique and I am working on my second. I am painting from photographs that I like. In Quite a Pear I have changed the colors of the pears to be pleasing in the area where it will be hung. The really amazing thing is this technique utilizes three colors (a rose, yellow, and Phthalo blue) for most of the painting! Hard to believe but it is true.

 Quite a Pear

18 x 22 Watercolor 

So students think about this, I am mixing colors by layering thin coats of pigments, but I am also changing the values of these layers to get the different colors. Pretty awesome! The picture you see above is still in process, maybe two-thirds of  the way done. However, you can see how I have laid down thin layers of rose and blue and yellow on the right and on the left it has a couple layers of yellow, can you see the difference?

I hope you spent some time this summer working and practicing and honing your own art skills and are ready for a great school year!

Students if you are looking for some tips to prepare for class click here

2013 A Great ART Year!

Student Artwork HIS Co-op End of the Year Program

This year was wonderful for me as a teacher! I added another art class to my schedule and was so pleased with all the students progress. I taught at two different co-ops, HIS Ministry Co-op and Immanuel Co-op, different style co-ops but both classes engaged great homeschooling students.

This year we studied the world of Modern Art. I have to say, that as a teacher, I was pleasantly surprised by how much my students enjoyed this era of art. What I enjoyed most was being able to present living artists to my students, even one from our area who grew up in my hometown. Students had the opportunity to attend a couple of free exhibits at our local art museum, Andy Warhol and Eric Carle too. I love being able to offer students this opportunity. Experiencing art up close and personal is so different then seeing it on a page in a book.

Students also had the opportunity to enter their artwork into our local Spring Fair and be judged against their peers.  This too, is part of an artists life. I enjoy encouraging my students to take the opportunity to engage other people in what they are doing and to have the courage to take that risk. I never tire of seeing a students confidence increased!

I also enjoyed taking techniques, that I learned in my continuing education over the summer, and teaching them to my students. This year students learned a saturated paper watercolor technique and stenciling technique I learned at a Kay Barnes workshop. Students had fun creating their own stencil to use in their creation of a Marc Chagall  painting.

Below are photos from the End of the Year program at HIS Co-op. Students at HIS Co-op had a great time working collaboratively like, Dale Chihuly, to make a mural. This is our version of  his Mille Flori.  In this project students studied pattern and shape and looked at contrast of colors. Fabulous!

Thanks for a wonderful year and making the world a beautiful place with what you have created, Mrs. W

HIS Mille Flori a Tribute to Dale Chihuly

Student works. Some of the Artists studied: Mondrian, Rene Magritte, Marc Chagall, Jasper Johns, and  Seurat 

Art and Faith

Makoto Fujimura

This is our last Artist model for this year, but it is the one I am most excited about sharing with all my Apprentice with the Masters Art Class students!

Makoto Fujimura,  is an artist that really inspires me. I have never been a big fan of abstract art but his artwork is gentle and resonates with such tradition and beauty that I can't help but look at it. It speaks to my heart. He is a modern abstract or non-representational artist with the heart that follows Christ.  Watch this video to learn about how he is bringing together believers and non-believers with this art. My prayer is that you will do the same thing with your own artwork! You can find out more about him at Artsy HERE

One of the letter tiles used in the Four Gospels

Inside the Four Gospels -The Book of John

Charis-Kairos   The Tears of Christ

Please watch this video of Makoto's latest work, entitled Golden Sea. My heart was captivated by his story and this painting's beauty!

Tacoma, Glass, Chihuly...Oh MY!

Dale Chihuly is our next Artist and model for Apprentice with the Masters Art Class.  How exciting to study and learn about a living artist from our own area! Dale Chihuly is an international glass sculptor who has traveled the world and exhibited in many incredible environments.  If you have ever seen an exhibit you know what I mean when I say his artwork takes your imagination to new places! We do not have the budget or the tools to blow glass, but we are going to use the same creative process he does when he is thinking through his work. You and your family can always visit The Museum of Glass in Tacoma to see his work or the Tacoma Art Museum has a gallery of his work as well. But if you can't get there, then you can take a virtual visit here and see the hot shop in action at the Tacoma Glass Museum. Here is an  online look at what is going on in the hot shop today!

We will  watch a video in class so no information video links on this post but I do want you to think through the questions below and come to class ready to share your answers. I think you will be fascinated by the beauty of his art  and his ingenious!

Here is a look at just a few of his pieces to inspire your own imagination.

Two things to think about :

1. How does he blow so many pieces of glass to make his sculptures?

2. What does his glass sculptures remind you of?

3. Do you see any elements of art in his work? Which ones?(hint: look at your new vocabulary words)

The Art of Eric Carle

I am really excited to introduce our next model of study. He is a living, modern, artists. Not only is he an artist but also a designer, an author and illustrator too! I am talking about the gentleman who wrote, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle.

He has an exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum that I hope you will take the time to see this April. I think it is very special to study an artists work and then go get to see it in real life!  Go HERE if you don't know the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and listen to the artist read this story to you. Go HERE to see how the artist paints the paper he uses to make his art and then, go HERE to see how he then makes pictures with the paper he has created. Talk about SUPER cool!

Eric Carle reading his book

We will be using this process to make art of our own so please be thinking about what in nature you would like to create a picture of. What colors you will want to use?  Choose 4 colors for your picture. Remember our color theory class time? Will you use Primary, Secondary or Tertiary colors? Will you use a warm palette or a cool one? How will you texture your paper? This is a requirement for your picture, please think about this when doing your preliminary design work in class.

Looking at the Flag

Flag, 1954-55

Jasper Johns

Art students what is so special about this flag? Is it that it represents our country? It is a symbol of freedom and democracy?  Please look at these 2 You tube videos #1 HERE and #2 HERE to learn about our next Modern Art model Jasper Johns. He is considered a Pop artist. What makes him a pop artist? What medium does he use to paint with? Come to class and be able to talk about why he paints flags.

                               Colored Alphabet                                                                                              Figure 8 

Seeing Eye to Eye

The False Mirror, 1928, Oil

The Return 1940, Oil

Our next model for art class is Rene Margritte. Another Surrealist and very imaginative painter. Please visit this Youtube video for an informative short video all about him for class.(the music may be distracting, it was for me for some reason, so just mute) I think you will really like it. He is very good at using positive and negative space which is our next element of art to explore in class.