I meet with all of the 6th graders for 6 weeks at a time, every day for about 45 minutes. It's not much time, but given other art programs, it's about the same as meeting once per week throughout the year. Over the course of the 6 weeks, students explore drawing, painting, sculpting, and design projects.
So far this year, my two 6th grade classes have done a cartooning unit, concentrating on drawing facial features and inking their portraits like real cartoonists. They drew themselves as well as each other and improved their observation skills in the process. I'm finding more and more that as students use computers at a younger age, their fine motor skills need some practice. Using pencils and working with clay really helps to exercise these muscles and improve patience and problem solving skills. The sculpture projects the 6th graders worked on were "squeeze cups" and relief faces. I took a sculpture class over the summer with Jill Getzan who taught a handful of handbuilding ceramics projects. One of them was a "squeeze cup" which I thought was a good alternative to the mugs the 6th graders created last year. To make a squeeze cup, students rolled out a slab of clay, incorporated different textures into the clay and then cut a rectangular shape to create the walls of the piece. They then adhered the clay using the scoring and vinegar method (vinegar helps bond clay together) and formed a base to fit their cup. The final step is to squeeze the cup with your hand so it will dry to fit nicely in your hand when you pick it up.
Sixth graders also created relief faces from clay. I walked them through the steps to sculpt eyes, noses, mouths, ears, and hair. Following our cartooning unit, students were already in tune with drawing facial features, so sculpting them was the next step. Students were surprised about their accomplishments and focused well to create the features in their clay portraits. These will be painted after they are fired in the kiln.
Currently, students are working on a mixed media project that focuses on sign language. All students learned how to sign their names using American Sign Language and then of course, we drew our hands in each letter position. We then explored a variety of mediums to add color, texture, and design to each hand drawing using watercolors, watercolor pencils, ink and calligraphy pens, salt sprinkled on top of the watercolors, and even markers with water color brushes to make the color run. These paintings were collaged onto paper using magazine cut-outs and construction paper.
The final project of our exploratory unit is a Oaxacan inspired animal painting. With our introduction to painting techniques with the sign language project, we will explore color further while painting animals that students choose to focus on. This is a new project in our exploratory rotation and I'm very excited to see how it will turn out!
This blog includes art projects by 6, 7 & 8th graders. Developmentally appropriate projects span drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, graphic design and photography mediums. I want my students to learn about the world while also thinking about how they can make a statement through their art. Students learn to problem solve, create alternative solutions, and think critically and independently about issues.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Drawing Skills
From this point, my students are ready to tackle more complex artistic problems and able to incorporate shading more easily into their drawings and paintings. The 8th graders are working on self-portraits next which incorporates their knowledge of shading and observation.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)