Sketchbook Project Sneak Peak

Here is a sneak peak at a few pages of my sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project 2011.

"It's like a concert tour, but with sketchbooks."

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Penguin Prints

This is one of my favorite lessons!  2nd Grade students are studying Antarctica and are quite familiar with penguins and their habitat!

I began this lesson by reading the book Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! by Bob Barner. I chose this book based solely on the fact that it was a quick read and I planned to get this lesson done in one 40 minute period. There are several other great penguin books out there! A Penguin Story, The Emperor's Egg, and Penguin Chick - just to name a few.

Drawing

I begin the lesson by showing the students how to draw a penguin.  

Draw one large oval for the body and one small circle for the head.

Connect these shapes with two lines for the neck.

Add wings, claws and perhaps an egg!

I gave each student one sheet of 9" x 6"  white paper (the same size as their printing plate).

Together, we added a border around the entire sheet of paper and filled in the border with different patterns (snow, stripes, etc.)

When this was done, I instructed the students to fill the inside with a penguin scene that would be uniquely theirs! 

I displayed my example of a daddy and baby penguin with snow falling in the air.

When students finished drawing, I showed them how to transfer their image to their printing plate by placing the white sheet of paper directly on top and tracing over their pencil lines.

Printing

I set up a Printing Station prior to class. 

Each spot had one sheet of wax paper taped to the counter (for rolling paint onto the brayer), 1 brayer and and white block printing ink. 

As students finished, I called them up in groups of three to print their image. 

I quickly demonstrated to each group how to roll the paint evenly onto their printing plate and then instructed them to place their plate in the center of the dark blue paper. Students rub the plate completely before removing to see their print.

Viola Adorable Penguin Prints!

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Christmas Carolers

I saw this lesson over at ArtClassWorks and knew I had to do it!!  Every year the middle school students at our small public school go Christmas caroling the day before Christmas Break. I completed this project with the Second Graders and created a bulletin board for the whole school to enjoy!  

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High School Still-Life Drawing

I wanted to do something a little different than a traditional still-life drawing with my Drawing and Painting students. So, 11th Graders completed a "Cubism Collage."

Materials

Colored Tag Board 18"x24"

Sheet Music

Rulers

Tracing Paper

Charcoal

Pencil

Watercolor Paint

Motivation/Instruction

Students discussed Cubism, particularly the work of Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris and Georges Braque. In Cubism, the subject matter is broken up and reassembled in an abstracted form.

In the days leading up to his project, students completed:

Procedure

- A pencil value chart 

- Several value drawings USING PENCIL

- Several value drawings USING CHARCOAL

1. Students divided their page into sections using a ruler.Students began to draw the still-life, using contour line and working one section at a time. 
2. Once still life was drawn, students collaged sheet music in 3 or more sections of their choice.
3. Students began to add value alternating between pencil and charcoal. 
4. Students painted faux wood on their violin using watercolor paint. 

and TA-DA Cubism Collage!

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Chihuly Chandeliers

 Who doesn't love a giant chandelier!! 

At the start of the lesson, I ask if anyone has a chandelier in their home (you may need to proceed this with actually discussing what a chandelier is). I then say: well, does it look anything like this!!

Students are blown away! That can't believe their eyes! (haha, most really are!)

I show several examples of glass artist Dale Chihuly's work. Students take turns describing each piece, paying close attention to color. Students begin to realize that a majority of Chihuly's chandeliers are created using warm and cool color schemes (3rd Graders have already learned about warm/cool colors so this is nothing new to them).

Students then create their own Chihuly Chandelier! 

The only real guideline is to use a warm or cool color scheme, the rest is up to them!

The first step is to cover a Styrofoam ball with tissue paper. Students then stick pipe cleaners, paper, and yarn into their ball to create their chandelier.

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Monochromatic Painting

 The idea for this lesson came from Ken Schwab's Lesson Abstract Letter Design . He has many other wonderful art lessons posted on the site, high school art teachers check it out!!

This was a good "warm-up/introduction to painting" lesson that was done with my Drawing and Painting students. Students painted the color wheel using only primary colors and completed a tints and shades worksheet before we began.

 Referencing various texts/fonts students wrote out their name (first or last their choice) and then divided their picture plane using a ruler. I tied Picasso and Cubism into this lesson and students painted their design using a Monochromatic Color scheme.

Can you find the names?

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Value Self-Portraits

When the 9th Grade finished their Richard Serra value drawings we dove right into drawing LARGE ( 24" x 36") self-portraits.

Now seasoned veterans when it comes to value, their work blew me away!

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Artwork That Measures Up

Have you ever taught an art lesson that leaves everyone wondering about the process students followed to create their artwork? This lesson definitely arouse curiosity and left others guessing! 

Motivation/Instruction

I found this lesson in a past issue of Arts & Activities (October '08) and decided to give it a try. 5^th Grade students viewed and discussed the artwork of Henry Matisse. Specific focus was directed toward Matisse’s artwork in Jazz and identifying a form by its silhouette. 

Students were required to think in terms of abstracted shapes, without the details that would make an image readily identifiable. This was tricky! I started by projecting Matisse's artwork on the overhead and having the students trace around the outside of the different forms with their finger. This led to a conversation regarding silhouette.

Materials

3 Sheets of 12"x18" construction paper (2:1 to create a complementary color scheme) 

For Example:

Red/Green- 2 red sheets and 1 green sheet

Orange/Blue - 2 oranges sheets and 1 Blue sheet

Procedure

Using a ruler, students divide 1 sheet of (green) 12"x 18" paper into 1" strips. 

Students glue the (green) strips onto both sheets of (red) paper spacing the strips 1" apart. In the end, students should have created two sheets of striped paper, in a complementary color scheme. 

Each student should decide on a theme for their project (i.e. The Sea, a holiday, nature).

On the back of one sheet of striped paper they will create silhouettes of various forms relating to their theme. Next, students cut out the forms they have drawn and glue them onto the other striped sheet, so that the stripes on the form line up with the opposite colors of the background. 

Matisse would be so proud!

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