Artist Postcard Activity

Combining a variety of interdisciplinary skills, such as observation, prediction and writing, students in 6th grade used postcards of famous works of art to “decode” its meaning.

6th and 7th Grade Artist Maps

Check out these creative *ARTIST MAPS* (part of our Marking and Mapping exercise) that our 7th graders made in their Visual Journals last week. It was really interesting to see the progression and the journey, both internal and external.

The Art Supplies are Here!

The Portable Studio art supplies came last week and all students in Grades 4-8 were estatic to receive them! Some of us also went for a nature walk around campus last week to use the view catchers. If you have not paid, be sure to pay the overdue fee of $30 by your next Art class.

Some “Art Journey” Maps…

Here are some maps that were created last week by our 4th and 5th graders! Many of them opted to list their passions and art memories in a chronological order… as you can tell, a lot of thought was put into these maps and many details were given.

I look forward to posting more as the week goes on. It’s fun to see the progress that is already taking place in the visual journals of our young artists!

 

 

Marking and Mapping: Art Journeys

This week, grades 4 to 8 will be creating an “Art Journey” map, which highlights their journey as an artist so far. It is understandable that their maps might not be as detailed and packed as the example above (the art teacher’s) but it is something to be explored.

Think to yourself:

When did I first start making art?
Who were/are my favorite art teachers?
What were some of my favorite projects?
Which materials are my favorite?
Did I see art during a school field trip or family vacation?
Was my work in an art show?
What do I want to learn as an artist this school year?
What are my favorite colors, patterns, etc.?
Did something bad happen to me or others during art class? What was it and how did it turn out?

These are all good questions to consider. Good luck and I look forward to seeing some interesting maps….

Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year!

It’s been a rainy and gloomy first couple days of school here in Northern Virginia. Thankfully, our art classroom, now located in the Portable, is filled with bright colors and inspirational quotes from artists throughout history. it was so nice to meet some of the parents last night and see the enthusiasm some of our new students have for art classes this year! We hope you enjoy the many activities happening at the start of school and stay tuned for the many awesome art projects coming your way in the near future!

All the best for a successful school year! Get those creative vibes flowing!

Painting Camps, Day 3

Today was certainly a day of nonstop painting action for both camps. It also marked the halfway point for our weeklong painting courses and the last week of camp. Time flies when you are having fun…

{ PAINTING FOR BEGINNERS }

This morning, we discovered yet another way to use paint: the art of printmaking! Many of our campers commented that it’s like making a big stamp and putting ink on it! We made 2 different prints: one using a larger, rectangular piece of foam board in which we narrated a picture and the other using a smaller, trading card size where we focused on detail. Some of us even printed in more than one color! (think almost Pop Art, Andy Warhol Style)

We also started making ice cream collages using painted watercolor paper, glitter and aluminum foil for the bowls and spoons. These were wonderful renditions of our favorite tasty summer treat and we can’t wait to finish them tomorrow.

{ PAINTING }

The older guys had a busy afternoon as well. We finished our prints on canvas project with our second layer of color and some were surprised that certain designs didn’t match up unless they were symmetrical. No worries there, however, as the canvases turned out nicely. The campers also did an awesome job with their projects and put a great deal of effort into emulating the work of the contemporary woodblock print artist we learned about yesterday.

We also learned about contemporary abstract expressionist meets minimalism artist Frank Stella and looked at his collage which is on display at the University of Virginia Art Museum. Many of Stella’s works are 3D and focus more on the concept of color, structure and shape vs. representation. Our campers had a challenging yet creative session this afternoon gluing cardboard paper towel rolls and aluminum foil (choice medium of the day) and using colorful strips of watercolor paper and acrylics to decorate their cardboard painted collage masterpieces.

**ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR BOTH CAMPS:

Painting for Beginners – Please let Ms. Laura know ASAP if you can bring a drink, snacks or fruit plate to our Art Show reception on Friday, July 29, 2011 at 11:15AM. We have 11 campers and are expecting around 15 parents, staff members and siblings to show up.

Painting: We will be having an ice cream party (featuring gelato and sorbet – for those of us who can’t have dairy products) on Friday, July 29, 2011 BEFORE the Art Show at 2:15PM. Please have your child bring $3/each to cover the cost of the gelato. We are expecting a smaller crowd for the reception at the Art Show due to the size of the camp, but food/drink contributions are certainly welcome.

Thanks and happy hump day! See you all tomorrow!

Painting Camps, Day 2

{ PAINTING FOR BEGINNERS }

Today was a busy day for our young painters in both art camps! As you can see, our Painting for Beginners class finished their underwater paintings today. Many of them chose to depict under the sea animals such as fish, octopus, sharks and even seaweed, while others took a more abstract approach and also included a treasure chest and maze!

We also completed a big project today: mixed media collages. The campers learned about the work of an artist whom I met at Artscape (the nation’s largest outdoor art festival in Baltimore 2 weekends ago) by the name of Yvonne Miller. We looked at some of her mixed media collages and decided that the objects the artist chose to put on her collage tells a lot about who (she) is as a person and artist. We also talked about what might happen if we put paint on canvas and used different colors next to glued pieces of scrapbook paper, marbles, feathers, pictures that inspire us from magazines, beads and even globs of sprinkles! Using a hot glue gun (with the help of our teachers), we handpicked our favorite things and decorated the canvas with objects AND paint. We had fun working with composition and creating an abstract approach to the “self-portraits” we see in art museums.

Finally, we also decorated the covers of our artist sketchbooks, which is a great way to keep a visual record of our ideas and drawings in art class, as well as pass the time by when we are finsihed with our work. Everyone had their unique way of designing the sketchbooks!

Do you see the strawberry? Yum. yum. yum!

{ PAINTING }

We had a hard-working group of painters this afternoon. They finished their value self-portraits, which turned out really well (don’t you agree)? We also started another project, which was more labor intensive than it was planned to be…. but hey, a challenge is never a bad thing….

As you can see, these canvases are a work in progress. We looked at an example of wood block printing by local artist Katharine Watson (who was also at Artscape) and embarked on a challenging printmaking adventure. First, we painted the canvas in the background color of our choice. Then, it was time to create the print on foam board (we didn’t have any wooden blocks, sadly). We carved and carved, cut and arranged, patiently waiting for the background color to dry before it was time to create the silhouetted image. We will be printing the carved part of our image (which includes the details) later on this week. Below, you can see some of the images we carved out.

Day 2 was exhausting… but the fun of painting and experimenting with new techniques of using paint has only just begun!

Painting Camps, Day 1

This week is our last week of camp at Flint Hill School and a doubleheader week for Ms. Laura. I will feature works from both camps that I teach, Painting for Beginners (morning session) and Painting (4th to 8th Grade – afternoon session) in the same entry every day in order to avoid confusion. Your child’s camp will be labeled accordingly.

Please remember to bring 2 canvases of any size to camp this week! We will be using them for 2 major projects! Also, as usual, our weekly ART SHOW will take place at 11:15AM (for the Painting for Beginners Camp) and 2:15PM (for the Painting Camp), respectively, on Friday, July 29, 2011. We would greatly appreciate your donations of refreshments, beverages and fruit for our campers and other guests.

Hope you are staying DRY and SAFE in this crazy thunderstorm-type of weather today. And now, here is pictorial account of our camps for today, Monday, July 25 , 2011!

{ PAINTING FOR BEGINNERS }

We started camp this morning by reviewing the qualities of what makes a good art citizen. Many of our campers raised their hands and said that a good art citizen is always kind to their classmates, says positive things about their classmates’ artwork, listens and follows directions the FIRST time they are given and cleans up not only their own mess, but also helps clean up their classmates’ mess when the need arises.

Our first project of the day was sea salt painting. Using watercolor paper, watercolors and sea salt, we created the background of our underwater themed painting. We used colors that can be found in oceans around the world, such as greens, blues and yellows. We left them to dry overnight and can’t wait to see what kind of texture we will find tomorrow morning. As one camper commented, the paper feels, well, “salty”.

Have you ever wondered what happens when you put watercolor paint over a crayon drawing, on watercolor paper? We experimented with this mixed media technique and this is what we got: wax resist magic! Notice the buildings our campers decided to draw? They are designing a city that is both real and imaginative. We can’t wait to do more fun paintings tomorrow and as the week goes on! PAINTING IS FUN, AND MESSY, TOO.

{ PAINTING }

We had a small group of Painting enthusiasts this afternoon… but the benefits of a smaller class is the possibility to do more, interact closely with the teachers and have a better access to the art materials. We started off the class by making a visual journal: a cool way to document the artistic (and everyday) process with a variety of media. Many famous artists throughout the centuries kept notebooks to record their daily activities, observations, ideas and inspirations. Think about Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks! Students were free to create and decorate the covers of their journals with their own unique artistic flair. Later on, students were also asked to look through some art history books and sketch works of art that inspire them as a way to brainstorm ideas for this painting camp. They learned that this is called creating a “Canon of Art” (a collection of works based on their high aesthetic quality that art historians throughout history decided) and will be working on this throughout the week, along with other visual journalling exercises.

Our second and final project of the day was value self portraits. This was a play on words because value refers to both the value strip (progression of lights to darks as an element of art) as well as adjectives that describe the things we value about ourselves in our lives as human beings. Using black, white and an assortment of grey paints (mixed, of course), students started painting their value self-portraits this afternoon. The room was completely silent as our students were engrossed in this tedious, thought-provoking process of self-emulation. Due to time, we weren’t able to finish these portraits today but they will be finished by tomorrow afternoon and I’m looking forward to seeing the end result. There is a lot of talent in this room…

...And it is definitely being put to good use!

 

 

Drawing Camp, Day 5 (ART SHOW)

 

Thanks to everyone who came out to see the Drawing Camp’s ART SHOW this afternoon. Please enjoy a slideshow recap here.