blast off!

They're baaaccck.

The 5th graders that is:)
This week has been interesting because our ceramics instructor and photo instructor were pulling students out while the classes were working with me. So instead of 34 students, I was working with 22. I'm always sad not to be able to share a lesson with all the kids, but it is a treat to have the smaller classes sometimes.

This week I introduced them to the work of Danny Haas. He is a designer that may have a bigger love of Star Wars than I do. Maybe.

That aside, Danny makes some sharp looking images. Some are realistic while others a worked in a more figurative way. I also like his consistent use of monochromatic and analogous color schemes.

We looked at a number of his pieces and discussed the differences in style between them. We also got into how Danny creates a sense of depth even when the images are more figurative through overlapping, size change, color value change.

The image that inspired the project was actually not a Star Wars related design. I first found the image below and thought it would make an interesting collage project. I also like the combination of flat shape and simple patterns to create variety in color value.

We also discussed how the shape of the thruster smoke reinforced a sense of motion in the design.

We did a lot of cutting for this project, but most of the shapes were fairly simple for the kids to execute.

When they were drawing and cutting the cloud shapes I emphasized the need for a range of sizes, big to small, so that they would help define the depth in their collage.

After getting most of the shapes cut and glued in position, the students used construction paper crayons to add patterns to a couple areas. The rocket and smoke were made at the end. 

Even though the students were following the same steps and drawing the same elements, I was pleased with the overall variety of scenes that were made. Kudos to the big kids on campus!

For display purposes, each class used a slightly different color scheme.