Grade 6 Garbage Sculpting

I love how many times I slip CRAZY into my art lessons. Go just a little bit CRAZY, make a CRAZY idea, create something that everyone else would think is CRAZY. Don't be hesitant with your paint, go CRAZY. Of course this works for me because of the demongraphic of my normal reserved, well educated cohort. Their young eyes show hesitancy as though saying, 'Are you sure we're allowed to be a little bit crazy?'

Anyway, in an attempt to bring a little craziness (and a dash of creativity) into the classroom. I sported my very own jacket, created from newspaper to the amusement of my grade 6 art class.

I have done a similar project to this back in Australia. The students really flourished under using garbage as fashion items. We even organised a catwalk; lots of fun, lots of creativity.

Anyway, the task today is to create one fashion item (must be a clothing item, not an accessory) in 40 minutes using only newspaper and their choice of sticky tape or glue.

I have one student that in every other class he is running off the wall but sweet all the same. He rose to the challenge and used his pent up energy to create, create, create. He completed a breastplate with straps by the end of the lesson but I was more impressed when he promptly informed me the next day that he had completed his entire suit of armour for homework. I don't know what his parents thought he was doing with all their newspapers but I was pretty excited that this young man was using his considerable energy for artistic expression.

More projects to come....

Mixed Media

I realised recently that my grade 9-10 students have very little skills and knowledge in mixed media (generally because they haven't had many years of art training and development). So I have devised a unit that develops techniques more than idea development.

The unit incorporates 4 workshops each on a different mixed media technique:

1. Gel image transfers
2. Foil art
3. Marbling and acrylic pours with collaging
4. Using tissue paper for texture and stencils

1. Gel image transfers
I know that there are many ways of doing transfers. And to be honest, I don't think that I chose the best way for the most effective result.

Process for workshop was as such:
Showed students video clip from youtube an example of how to do a gel image transfer.
Showed several completed art peices that use the technique.
Student note-take process and materials for the workshop.
Students completed the gel image transfer:

• Students were required to cut an image from a magazine.
• They painted an interesting backgroup.
• Pasted heavy medium gel over the background (or just the area they want to paste the image).
• Students lay the image on the background - image facing toward the canvas.
• Leave to dry for a day.
• Spray with water and scratch back of image.
• Using a sponge the image should be exposed.

Students wrote a short evaluation of the workshop in their workbooks:

1. Do you think this mixed media technique is used effectively in the art peices shown to you? Use art piece as evidence.
2. What have you learned from the technique and process?
3. How could you use this technique in future projects? Design 3 thumbnail sketches of potential art peices if you used this technique again.

2. Foil art

This was a pretty cool workshop. I have never completed any artwork with foil before which after having used it, I wonder why.

Process of workshop:
Showed a youtube clip of an artist using the technique.
Showed artworks that use foil art. Students particularly enjoyed viewing Dominic Wilcox' portrait of his own face using foil...
Students completed their own foil creations using brayers and glue. Some studetns even used cardboard to give texture and wire netting under the foil too provide a frame. The wire netting was unnecessary but I loved that they were experimenting with different materials without my imput.
Students completed a short evaluation.

3. Marbling and Acrylic pours with collaging

Okay marbling...it's something you probably do with junior primary school students but seriously...you can do it at any age. I found some awesome art works to show how the technique can be used and I was inspired all over again.

There are many ways to marble. The main three ways are with:
paint both acrylic and oil paints - but the method and result are different for both
crayon - I am yet to try this but it sounds fun
shaving cream - I have not heard of this method before researching for this workshop...but it sounds like fun.
The following is a great link for a marbling workshop with kids:
http://unplugyourkids.com/tag/marbling/

This is how I did mine:

• Put water into a baking dish or stationery tray in our case.
• Oil paint mixed with paint thinner. Mix until it is a thickish watery mixture.
• Pour colours in the tray.
• Mix (not too much) with a toothpick, brush or feather.
• Place paper on top of paint.
• Pull up corner and be surprised by the results.

The final workshop with tissue paper, I didn't actually teach (with the exception of one student who took the iniative to imitate my example). But I created one anyway to show how materials can be manipulated for different effects.



Grade 9/10 Scupture Unit

I just finished a scuptural unit with my grade 9 and 10 art class. These students have had no experience with any form of sculpture before so they were pretty pround of their achievements.

First students learned some basic clay modelling skills by making an ocarina (a musical instrument/whistle). Students were pretty excited about making an object that was functional as well as aesthetically pleasing. WARNING: some whistles didn't work and that was a little discouraging for studetns. I still haven't worked out the problem.

I don't really understand my student's fascination with angry birds but this one is a cross-eyed angry chicken.

The ideas of an ocarina is you blow through the nose and a single note passes through the hole at the top of the creature.

I have complete this project with grade 8 students as well. It's a great introduction to some basic clay modelling skills.

Skills we focused on were:

• Using and creating slip
• Cross-hatching and adding clay (plus slip) to joins
• Using modelling tools for smoothing, shaping and creating texture.

Okay next step. Students were exposed to the concept of hybrid creatures, surrealism vs hyperrealism through Patricia Piccinin's amazing creations.

http://www.patriciapiccinini.net/

I love that Piccinini tackles the issues of  industrialism, technology and the effect on nature in a creative and expressive way. I find her works moving and thought provoking. And I LOVE the reaction I get from the students. Every time I show 'The Loft' respond like:

Student: What's that?

Teacher: Come and have a close look?

Student studies the smartboard intently. 3 seconds later.

Student: That's gross (expressed emphatically).

Teacher: Do you know he nest is made of human and horse hair?

Student: Ahhhh (sounds of morbid fascination)

Student: Why did you so us this Miss, it's gross?

Teacher: Is it gross? Look at it carefully.

Pause for affect.

Teacher: Does the little boy look scared or 'grossed out'?

Student: No.

Teacher: Why are you?

Student pauses to think and this is the perfect leap into what Patricia Piccinini's work is about. Challenging our perceptions of reality; fearing what we don't know.

 

Thanks Patricia Piccinini for your wonderful creations. My students have been continually inspired by your artwork.

Okay next...

I selected some common animals to showed the students the images on the smartboard. Students were required to sketch each animal (bird, fish and snake) in 10 minute intervals.

After the student completed the sketches, we discussed how we could create hybrids.

Preliminary sketches....

Working out how to translate a sketch to a sculpture...

 

This is a good time to relfect on the principles and elements of art:

• Shape/form - Will the new form be pleasing to the eye? Will the shape be proportional or deliberating imbalanced? Will the form include geometric or organic shapes and why? Are angles or fluent lines more in keeping with my ideas?  
• Harmony - Will the two animals work in harmony? Will the be contrasted? Will I deliberately contrast one aspect of the animal against the other? Cuddly vs venemous, etc. Will my colour and form choses harmonise?
• Texture - What texture is significant to the meaning of my creature? Smooth, scales, feather, fur, rough, cracked, slimy, etc.

Students created sketches of 3 hybrid animals but only chose one for creation. They had to justify why?

The student who created the second sculpture names it 'Blood and Tears' mainly because of how many times he stabbed himself while make the wire frame.

Note to self: go over safety procedures....

Grade 9 Art - Light Photography

Grade 9 Art

I have a student in grade 9 that just figured out how to use his Mum's camera. He came to schoo brimming with excitement over some interesting photographic techniques he discovered. In our art group I showed him a South Australian artist, Denis Smith who focuses on light photography.

The next day the student bought his camera to class and promptly set up a dark room in my spare storage area, encouraging other art loving students to be his 'glow stick' models.

We were pretty happy with our fist time results and the student has gone on to pursue photography a little more seriously.  Thanks Denis Smith for you inspiration!!

Step 1: Get a camera with a slow shutter speed.

Step 2: Attach camera to tripod.

Step 3: Click the camera to takee photograph and wave light sicks in various patterns.

There are a range of techniques to experiement with. We just kept it basic for now.

This little exercise has inspired the idea of a unit on photo manipulation or graphic art. I don't really know much about it but tried a little tutorial online.

Result was fun: