Its always so exciting to start a new art rotation! This new group of 7th graders are playing an art room version of Headbands, where they have to try and guess their picture of an art room supply by asking yes or no questions. Fun!
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This is how I feel when a lesson is successful: Students in grade 7 have been making these awesome gesture sculptures. First, they learned about human proportion, then they made an armature (a skeleton) out of wire, which looked something like this: We "gave it muscles" using tin foil, and "gave it skin" using plaster wrap. The sculptures were modeled using gestures of the student's favorite activity or hobby. The 7th graders loved this project from start to finish!
The 7th and 8th graders are making functional clay pieces. Using one of the three methods they have learned (pinch-pot, coil, and slab), they are creating art that serves a purpose.
It always feels a little like opening a birthday present when unloading the kiln. In the latest batch, we have functional works of art by the 7th and 8th graders as well as house facades made (using the slab method) by 6th graders.
They make great tea light candle holders. The students in Mrs. Waleik’s seminar have been designing their own T-shirts. They are learning how to silk screen. Silk screening is the process of creating a print by covering the negative space with a masking fluid (we used Mod-Podge) and dragging ink across the positive space (the area without masking fluid). The silk screening process begins with creating the frame for a screen. In this case, we used a special screen fabric pulled tight through an embroidery hoop. After we mask our negative space, we start the inking process by dragging ink across our screen and letting it fill in the positive space. Students do a test run on black paper to see if there are any areas they need to fill in. The end results are one-of-a-kind!
The 7/8 graders have been finishing up their "functional" clay pieces. Most students made toothbrush holders and others made small containers. Opening the kiln after a firing is always a big surprise.
Today the lovely Mrs. Ryder introduced me to what might be my new favorite app. Its called CoLAR Mix and it has been blowing my mind all day! I couldn't wait to try it out with some of my 7/8 graders and today was the perfect opportunity. First, students download the app and choose a (free) coloring page. Then, they color it in with colored pencil, marker, or crayon. When they're done, they hold their iPad over their drawing and (...wait for it...) THEIR DRAWING APPEARS IN 3D ON THEIR SCREEN AND BECOMES INTERACTIVE! It is insane. Here are a couple more: The pictures don't really do it justice. If you have a printer and a tablet or mobile device, I highly recommend you give it a try!
Thank you Mrs. Ryder! Grades 7 and 8 are currently working on an advanced printmaking technique called Reduction Prints. This is an upper-level project, so they should be very proud about the work they have created! It all starts with these tools: And it ends with this awesomeness: Of course, there are a ton of steps in between which include designing our print, transferring the image onto our printing block, carving it out, printing with one color, carving some more, printing with a second color, carving some more, printing with a third color, and so on. Students came up with some pretty great designs AND, they had to be able to draw them backwards because printing this way creates a mirror image.
They should be proud. I know I am! |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. CategoriesArchives
October 2015
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