gone fishin.

The 4th graders have gone fishin this week with the help of Erik Abel. A fair bit of students will need some time next week, but I thought I'd share some of the cool drawings that have been completed so far:)

Erik is an amazing artist who is constantly inspired by the ocean, the creatures that inhabit it, and the landscape surrounding it. I love his sense of color, style, and composition. I have used his work as inspiration for multiple projects in the past. I was scrolling through my instagram feed recently (like, this past weekend) and when I came across the image below that Erik had just posted. It's a bit of a departure for him in terms of shape, contours, and mark making and I think it's absolutely awesome! I think it could be the source of a great shape and collage lesson, but I decided that I would use it for a lesson in my texture unit.

We look at a number of images from his website and then I share this image with them. We identify the geometric shapes Erik has used and how he created a bit of depth in the images by changing fish sizes. I also point out that there is a spot on each fish that is handled differently than the rest in that it has a more natural texture than the other parts. It contrasts from the rest and gives the image a little boost of energy. Before the kids start with their sketches we also review our warms and cools from the previous 2 lessons and go over how each of the warms has a cool opposite or complement.

The students need to draw at least 2 small practice fish before starting their large (12x15") final drawing. I walk them through using geometric shapes as the basis for body, head, fins, tail fins, and interior elements like gills.

After their sketches are done, students can start on the large drawing- making sure to alter the size of the fish to create a little depth. Erik's image doesn't have outlines, but I had the students use thick and thin sharpies to outline their parts and create variety in their line weight. 

When students were ready to color, I modeled using texture plates to create different patterns on their fish. I emphasized only using textures on some of their fish parts to create contrast between solod and patterned parts. Students were also to use at least one pair of complementary colors per fish. They could use more than that pair, but they needed to demonstrate that they could identify and use complements too.

Their exit slips are done on post-it notes for this one. I gave them to sentence starters to reflect on the project. 

trees with no leaves.

Winter break was great. Quality time with family and friends. Photographs taken. Started running.

It feels good to get back in the swing of school though. The first classes I worked with this week were the 4th graders. The lesson focused on the 4th grade standards of identifying contrast and using complementary colors.

The lesson was inspired by an image I found on pinterest, which identified Hunsertwasser as the inspiration for it. I have not been able to track back to the origin of the project, so if anyone reading this knows, please let me know:)

Hundertwasser was an Austrian artist who was inspired by nature. He combined elements of landscape, portraiture, and architecture into brightly colored and layered works of art. I have admired his work for a long time, dating back to my college years at Tyler School of Art in the early 90s.

I shared several of his paintings with each of the classes. I talked about how he would use complementary colors in some of his work to make areas pop or contrast against each other.

In the above example we addressed how the trees really stood out against the red head behind them. This would not be the case if the head was done in blues or yellows. I also brought up Hundertwasser's use of layers and repetition in his work. Some parts of his work could be thought of like the inside of an onion. There is a big containing shape, but there could be many layers that get smaller and smaller inside it.

I thought this project was appropriate for our winter return to school because of the use of barren trees. We discussed how trees often lose their leaves in winter, even though we don't get a lot of it here in San Diego:)

We drew out the composition together, although I stressed that everyone's would look different due to shape types, shape sizes, shape spacing, and color choices. We drew out our oval center first, with at least 3 rings. I emphasized that the largest oval should be about 1/3 of the height of their paper, so their tree trunks wouldn't be too small. Then we drew our trunks, roots, and branches. Our borders came next, and as a rule of thumb (haha) our borders should be about a thumb width wide.

When it came to painting, the students had to pick one color for their trees and then use it's opposite/complement for the first border. After that, they were free to use any colors they liked. Before I let them at it, I did a demonstration on how to paint large areas and narrow areas using our 1/2 inch flat brushes.

Use the shape of the brush to your advantage! Turn it on its skinny edge and press lightly to paint small or detailed areas.

 This student rocked the project with his opposite hand! He was not expecting to have to try it, but once we taped his paper to the table he was off and running:)

A good number of students have finished already, and many have been coming in at recess since it has been unusually frigid her this week. Students will have a few minutes at the beginning of class next week to wrap these up.

Great to see you 4th graders!

luke bott robot

Kids love robots. And rockets. It's a proven fact:)

Luke Bott is a Kansas based designer who is making very smartly put together images.  He has a keen eye for pattern, shape, and color in his professional and personal work.

The kids and I looked at a few images from the "play" side of Luke's work on his website. They got a kick out of the abstracted bird designs. We identified geometric shapes and patterns in these 2 pieces. They also picked up on how Luke repeats shapes and colors to create patterns.

We then looked at a couple robot rocket designs Luke made. At this point during all 9 1st grade classes there were cheers and a general excitedness filled the room. I love it when they react so strongly to an artist's imagery. Especially when that energy carries through the creation of their project. As long as that energy takes the form of intensely focused, whisper level creation:)

Before starting on the drawing exercise, I also introduced the students to the symmetry present in a number of Luke's designs.

The kids and I folded our papers so that we each had a line of symmetry running down the middle, and then we drew out our robot rockets together. Each class did a different type of rocket that was inspired by Luke's work.

Once the rocket was done, students were asked to add at least 5 patterns to their drawing. I limited their color choices to one of the pairs of complementary colors. Students then filled their rockets with color, shape, and line patterns.

The handling of the background in this project was modified as I worked with the different classes. Students in the first couple classes used marker color and crayons. The later classes had the opportunity to revisit mixing secondary colors from their primary colors. Even though all the classes did a wonderful job with their drawings, I think leaving the background white allows the viewer a better chance to focus on the robot rocket designs the kids came up with.

Thanks for the inspiration Luke and keep the robots coming!

eye of the tiger.

My second lesson with the 4th graders continued to focus on line in art. I also wanted them to see how easy it is to make movement in art through playing with the shape of their shapes.

We looked at the art of California based designer and illustrator Priscilla Wilson to get inspiration for this project. Priscilla does a ton of drawing and she relies on contour lines often in her work. She also balances her use of contour with a use of implied lines in areas. Her work is engaging due to the detailing present in it and her choice of subject matter. There is a cheerfulness to her images, and sometimes they are down
right silly, which is always good with the 4th grade crowd.

We noticed that she creates motion through the positioning of key shapes and through how she stretches them out to make it look like those shapes are traveling from one point to another. I talked about how a raindrop looks like it is moving to its shape. If a rain drop were still it would look like a sphere.

We continued to focus on complementary colors. Students could use more colors in their drawings as long as there was at least one pair of opposites. I also demonstrated how to make shapes look 3d by using different amounts of hand pressure. The lighter you press will make tints on white paper and shades on black paper. This change in value turns flat shapes into 3d looking ones.

Since I work with 4th grade classes 3 days a week, I chose to use different images by Priscilla for inspiration on each day. The same elements were addressed in each lesson, but the final images changed.
This kept things fresh for ol' Mr. Masse:)