Book Covers...

8th grade worked on book covers for their second drawing project.  Here you see students posed with their artwork.  One side of the cover was done with colored pencil, the other black and white design.  They could show a half or full face on their book cover.  It was a fun day taking the pictures.  I was inspired yet again by images from pinterest.  

 Check out most of our students on our flickr account.

Unity- Crayons

This project was all about unity.  7th grades projects focus on an art principle.  Here the kids had a unified subject, medium, technique, and substrate.  What a great way to understand this concept. 

 The kids all used a tracer to create the unity right away.  We worked a bit step by step for their first crayon.

Each student worked on their own but I had them trace at leaste one crayon going on their neighbors.  

 What a fun project!  The kids loved this one and I really liked sharing it with our school!

Oh Scrap...

We did a little scrap'n last weekend.  It's fun to show what I do for art sometimes rather then always the kids (although I love what the kids do:)).  I do one spread a month for each year... You will notice I didn't get my 12 month, but got a good start on 2011.

A Portrait for Me!

How great is this.  I stumbled across this blog named Know and Tell Crafts by a young blogger named Ty.  There were some great tutorials and good ideas.  I loved readying from a young persons blog because it inspires me to incorporate projects that are relevant and meaningful for my students.  He said in one of his postings that he was interested in creating portraits for people and I was all about it.  He made me (well MiniMatisse) the portrait above.  It's WONDERFUL.  Thanks so much to Ty, and if you haven't see this great blog, be sure to check it out.

The Perfect Tool for the Job!

Pinterest comes through again!!!

Really, how did I ever have any ideas before pinterest:)  I found this lovely tool pinned by someone and had to have it!  Take a look, this $30.00 wooden tool saves so much on time and energy.  Wish I would have had this when I was teaching the elementary kids and had 650 students at a time.  This still helps with my 150 that I have now:)  Check it out for yourself!  (click here)

My Shadow and Me

This is one of my favorites so far this year!!!

My 8th grade started out with drawing this quarter.  The main concept covered was value.  The instructions were to take a photo of yourself and draw your shadow.  WOW did they come up with some GREAT stuff!  I just took a digital picture and they had to cut it out.  Photoshop would be ideal but with all the testing in the school right now, I don't have a lab available this quarter.  So, I printed their picture out in black and white.  There has to be something vertical behind them.  Most choose a brick wall but others did trees and interior wall as well.  I explained how a shadow would fall on the floor at an angle and go up vertical on the wall.  I let them choose if the shadow was going to be large or small according to their idea.  The shadow had to tell me something about the story.  Perhaps their dreams, or nightmares, something they enjoy or maybe a hobby.  What a way to get to know this group of kids for their first project of the quarter!  You MUST do this project!!  it was so much fun!

Update:  I found the link that I was inspired by.  I want to give credit to a GREAT project I found via Pinterest.  The Art Juggler, Shadow Run Rampent (Click here to check it out)

Valentines Day in Homeroom

We had a blast today celebrating valentines day with my homeroom kids. The kids worked on their Valentine boxes outside of class. They brought them in and boy... were they creative. I asked the kids to share some kind words on a sheet of paper to place in each others box. Some kids brought in candy too! It was a lot of fun to see the energy from this simple activity. They may be middle schoolers, but they are still kids and it is fun to play some days!

 

Homeroom, a set on Flickr.

Paper Bead Cuff Bracelet

Jewelry making is not my strong suit... but I was happy with this last jewelry piece we worked on at the end of last quarter.  I have a VERY UNEDITED video to share with you (see below).  This is the way I approached the lesson.  I'm sure there are MANY ways to teach this and if you alter the plan a little, I would love to hear about it.  I was inspired by the MANY jewelry works I have found on Pinterest. (click here to see my jewelry board).

Follow these two new blogs!!

 I wanted to introduce to you to a couple new art blogs.  These are both Elementary Lessons primary.  Both are up can coming.  Be sure to visit and become a follower.

Artisan Des Arts

Super Happy Art Class

More on radial balance

After posting about a lesson featuring radial balance, I received a question from Jamie Lea.  She writes, 


Jamie Lea...
These are beautiful. Would you mind sending me a link to where you got this lesson plan or how you went about doing this lesson? I think my students would love it as well!




I didn't find this lesson on any site but I have since found other do this lesson the same way as I did.  The best tutorial that I have found is on Mrs. Keller's,  Splish, Splash, Splatter.  Click here to check it out.  I think I would do the lessons as Mrs. Keller did next time I try this lesson, I found the detail that my kids put into this lesson created a TON of work and the lesson lasted a bit too long.  Mrs. Keller had more free form shapes and lines and it is a very successful project.  

Oil pastel face...

We didn't just stop with the nose with our oil pastels.  Students were asked to do an eye, noes, and mouth.  The last day I asked the students to place all the parts of the face on a black background and get a picture or two.  This was GREAT!  The kids had a great time playing with all the different parts of the faces.  Have fun looking at the photo's taken.

Art, It's in the Air, Smell it!

My students participated in a Triarco contest.  The contest is titled:  Art, It's in the Air, Smell it!  (click here to learn more about the contest)  We had a handful of kid who wanted send their nose into Triarco in hopes of winning!  Go ahead and check on the many noses the kids made!

More on the coil build projects

Ashley asked the following about the 8th grade clay works I posted about the a couple weeks ago...

These are really neat! Could you please explain how these were made? What directions did you give yours students--are the coils scored and slipped? Did you use a mold for the shape of the bowl?

Many Thanks,
Fellow Art Teacher :)

I made a video when I was working on this project.  It is not the most edited thing and it is a little long but you will hear how I taught the kids.  Hope this clears things up.

(view the video here)

District Student Art Show

Every year out district does a student art show for K-12.  This year I was able to enter several strong works by both 7th and 8th grade.  The following students have their art in the show this year...

Jessica Sola

Claudia Barbieri

Leksi Basel

Samuel Suedbeck

Samantha Keopraseut

Lexi Ostman

Emma Kangas

These artist and their families are invited to join us at the Elk River Art Alliance on Feb. 11th.  For more details (click here) or contact Mrs. Hahn at Nichole.Hahn@elkriver.k12.mn.us.