a little more line.

The first 3rd grade project required 10-15 minutes of the 2nd class period I met with them to complete. That gave us about 45 minutes to do something new.

We looked 3 stained glass windows by Lightworks in England. I asked the classes if these designs looked 3d like the landscapes they had just completed or if they looked different- flatter. I asked them what kind of lines they saw and what kind of line they did not see a lot of.

Students got that the glass designs looked flatter, and I showed them how the lack of converging diagonals in them made the designs look this way.

We also quickly talked about the use of tints and shades and how you you create them in a drawing.
The students had used tints in the landscape drawing they just completed, and some students had made shades of colors to create shadows in their drawings.

I emphasized that even though the new drawing would look a lot different then the landscape, the students would be using some of the same technical skills. Plus, both drawings used a heavy dose of contour lines to outline the shapes,  no matter whether those shapes looked 3d or flat.

Students drew 5 vertical lines first- each one a different length than the others.
Next they added color using one of 3 color families- I threw in a quick introduction to analogous colors too.
The final step was to use a black crayon to trace their contour lines.

Bada bing, bada boom.

mmm... pop!

This week I did a project with the 3rd graders that is inspired by a collage by artist Lisa Congdon.

I started by sharing this image with the kids and talked about how the background pattern contrasts against the radial design in the middle. It does so by using lots of curves and having lots of detail compared with the straight lines and simplicity of the foreground design.

To make it a bit different for the kids, instead of triangles making up the central design, they used cut paper popsicles:) I show them an example of one of the popsicles and the kids told me that it didn't look flat because of the white and black along the edges that show light and shadow. This is something we have repeatedly worked with all year, so I'm glad they identified it so quickly.

I then explained that we would make a stencil out of paper, so that we may spray paint the background pattern onto another piece of paper. The kids, um, LOVED this part. The background patterns really create a lot of variety in the classes' designs. And really, it's a step that is a "can't not succeed" part. No matter what they do, the patterns come out pretty darn cool.

They constructed their pops out of paper, then they did their background patterns, and then they glued them all together.  I gave students the option of using leftover stencil paper to add symmetrical details to their designs.

Each of the classes worked with a different variation of an analogous color scheme.

As an added bonus (and behavior/creativity incentive) A couple of projects from each class are going to be in an exhibit at a local pop shop called Viva Pops. This will be the 2nd annual Zamorano student exhibit at the store. We'll have a reception for family and friends in a few weeks:)

Great job kids and thanks to Lisa Congdon for the project inspiration!

the couple that creates together, stays together.

This may not always ring true, but for Evelynn and Jerome Ackerman it sure has.

The Ackerman's created a wide variety of designs out of a wide range of materials for over 50 years. The work they created went hand and hand with the mid century architecture and furnishings being created in California during that time. Jerome focused on clay while Evelynn explored paintings, wall hangings, and mosaics. I came across Evelynn's work when it was featured on the mid-centuria design blog.

One tapestry in particular stood out to me due to her use of shape and color.

I then found another example of this design in a different color scheme.

I used these two tapestries to introduce the 1st graders to analogous color groups, or color families. We did a quick compare and contrast and we realized that the size and placement of the shapes was the same, but the colors were totally different. I then introduced them to the three analogous families that are created when you use the primary colors to make the secondaries.

We executed the drawing with markers and colored pencils, The markers providied bold colors, while the colored pencils could provide both bold and light by changing the amount of pressure you applied while coloring. This ability to press softly for lighter tones is a challenge for some students and it's important to grasp, so they can create value variety, as well as implied depth or volume in their work.

The drawing was directed for the first few steps in order to build the main flower shapes and eyeball, but then we added shapes or line anywhere. For example, I modeled adding 9 short straight lines, then 7 curved lines, and then 5 small circles. Where they placed those shapes was up to them. I emphasized looking at what they had already drawn and responding to it to decide the best places for new parts.

stamp-o-rama

I got this idea for a kinder lesson from Gabriela over on her blog Creativity First. I made a couple adjustments to her lesson, but the inspiration is 2 parts Gabriela and one part David Huyck and his Cloudy Collection.

Gabriela's lesson was very free in terms of how the students apply their stamped elements, but I need more structure! That's where David and one of his limited edition postcard sets came in. This particular postcard was designed by Maura Cluth, so really this project is 2 parts Gabriela, one part David, and one part Maura. Whew.

One of the kindergarten standards is identifying and creating patterns through repetition of shapes, lines, and colors. Maura's postcard served as a visual introduction to pattern and repetition for the kinders. We then created our own patterns on my dry erase board for group practice.

I also talked about "color families" with the kids and how 2 primary colors mixed together will make a new color. Each class used one color family in their stamp project.

The students and I first broke our paper into different windows by using vertical and horizontal lines. Before the kids started stamping I modeled how to hold their stamp and use it properly. Their stamp was a strip of cardboard that was about 1x2". I showed them how to dip it into the tempera paint and press it onto their paper. 

Like Gabriela's students, my kids used one color at a time. They had about 5-7 minutes with each of the 3 colors to stamp before I switched it with the next color. We also experimented with dragging the cardboard across the paper to create a solid shape or two. Students could use the corners of the cardboard to make smaller marks. On the final color students got to use q-tips and/or empty glue caps to add dots and circles to  their stamped pattern images.

This was the first time I have done a tempera paint project with the kinders in a LONG time. For some it was their first time using it, so it interesting to see how they handled it. There were a couple "tasters" and quite a few body painters. I was cool with the body art as long as it was THEIR body.

The kids definitely had fun with this one!

Thanks for the inspiration Gabriela, David, and Maura.

kapp and trade.

This week the 5th graders continued their investigation of implied 3d space.

They were introduced to illustrator and painter Ryan Kapp. His images of urban and suburban Chicago landscapes have a sense of calm and order due to the economy of his value and shape usage.
You can almost hear the leaves rustling under the foot of a jogger or the click clack of the sidewalk breaks as the wheels of a skateboard glide over them.

We looked at Ryan's website and checked out his "4 Seasons" series of Chicago. Students identified 4 ways that he implied 3d space in his work.

Overlapping.
Texture.
Value.
Size.

We then looked at several of Ryan's suburbanscapes and noticed the continuation of economy in shape and value.

We talked about how the individual parts of his images may look flat but by using them in a logical progression, Ryan is able to create a sense of depth and 3d space. Even though not all of the corners or edges of buildings are physically drawn, they are still implied.

I also showed students a couple of skateboard related images, just to bump up the "cool" factor of the project and Ryan's work. Introducing skating into projects is always a good hook with the kids.

In order to achieve the flat look of layers in the students' work, the project was executed as a collage. This provided students a chance to work on their cutting skills on more detailed types of shapes.

1. intro to Ryan's work, discussion of space, share actual examples of project

2. draw, cut, and glue background layer (from 9x12" sheet)

3. draw, cut, and glue middleground layer (from 7.5x12" sheet)

4. draw, cut, and glue window shapes for middle and background layers

5. draw, cut, and glue foreground shapes (from 6x12" sheet)

I challenged the students to come up with their own landscapes, and to not merely copy the examples they had seen in the introduction to the project. They did not disappoint. The only tough thing was that the classes were a bit more "energetic" than usual since we were doing these the last couple days before winter break.