city of dreams... and solid figures!

This week the 2nd graders are experimenting with texture as a way to create and transfer images. We are looking at the wonderfully vibrant work of Lisa Congdon. I have shared Lisa's work with students in the past. It is always a treat to introduce students to her refreshing take on the visual world.

For this project, we are looking at a spread in one of her sketchbooks that she titled "City of Dreams". This drawing works so well with the 2nd grade math curriculum because at this point they are learning about solid figures. When introducing this drawing, I ask the kids what solid figures make up the buildings- rectangular & triangular prisms. We also steer towards what makes these buildings look 3d- Lisa uses light and dark and she shows 2 faces of the buildings.

Lisa Congdon's "City of Dreams"

 We are scratching into styrofoam as we draw the elements of our cities. This changes the texture of the styrofoam and is what makes the lines show up in the final print. We build a couple buildings together and then the students need to add at least 3 more. When the shapes are all in, we then add patterns to the faces- trying to use more lines on one side, so the buildings will appear to have light and dark faces.

When coloring the solid figures, we are trying to use one color per building, to make the light and dark line effect more apparent.

When the kids finish printing, they are to reflect on the concepts and process with a written reflection. Vocabulary is posted in the room and they make talk to a neighbor if they are unsure how to answer a question. 

trying out texture!

The kinders have been experimenting with texture in their most recent rotation with me. We met before spring break and did one project and then this week (after a 3 week break) we continued investigating what texture is and how you can use it in art.

The first lesson was based on a travel poster series by the Filipino group of Team Manila. Over 1/3 of our students have Filipino ties, so it's always great to share contemporary art from there with them. We looked at one poster in particular and talked about the patterns found on sailboats called vintas in the Philippines. We then got into texture and students volunteered to touch items around the room and described how they felt.

We then drew out the basics of the composition together on styrofoam plates, so we could turn the image into a colorful relief print. We added lines to the sail and students added patterns of their choosing to them. After demonstrating how to hold the marker when coloring on styrofoam, the kids filled their scenes with water soluble marker colors.

Everyone then transferred their image onto a piece of smooth watercolor paper with my help to wet the paper and to hold the paper still as they rubbed.

This week, we have been looking at an illustration by super rad LA based artist, illustrator, and animation designer Kevin Dart. We started by looking at one of his image and spending almost 10 minutes identifying things, shapes, and colors in the landscape. As we identified items, I wrote them on the board next to the image, so the kids could see the wealth of vocabulary present in the image. We used this image as inspiration for a landscape drawing. Instead of using polka dot patterns for the centers of the flowers, we used plastic texture plates to add patterns in those spots. I also encouraged students to add little lines to their field to give that area a sense of grass like texture.

And one last thing! Did a test today using students drawings as backdrops for stop motion shorts. The flying bee was done first against a green screen, took a photo of a student drawing, and then combined the two. My hope is to do much more of this- having kids make their drawings come alive, as a choice center at the end of lessons. We'll see how it shakes out this year:) 

printing pixels

The 4th graders are working with texture this week. I recently discovered the work of Los Angeles based artist Jason Williams (REVOK) and I know his work would hook the kids in... big time!

After a quick review of our Kadir Nelson inspired action scenes, I introduced the day's lesson by saying that even though the 2 projects would look a lot different, both would be very colorful.

I share an online article about REVOK's work and journey from well known and respected graffiti artist to well known and respected abstract painter. In an any school his work and story are engaging, but in an urban school the "draw" is even stronger. The kids are familiar with neighborhood tagging and wall works, so there has been some interesting dialogue about wall works on public and private property.

We look at several of his pieces from the recent past and discuss his use of geometric forms that give some of his work a pixelated look.... another HUGE draw for many of the kids. We see how symmetry is present in many of his works as well. There is also a strong textural component to his work, wither by reusing found items or by altering the surfaces of new materials.

Metadata-2015

Our goal, after talking about the elements present in REVOK's work, is to create a small abstract piece that shows an understanding of symmetry and that is made by altering the texture of a styrofoam plate.

In order to assist students with the pixelation of their image, they each have a 6x6 sheet of graph paper to work out their shapes and compositions. Editing and revisions happen here too. We use a piece of scotch tape to fasten the paper to a piece of styro. We trace the image completely on to the plate. The tape allows us to check our hand pressure and to make sure we have everything traced. No tape equals a pain to realign the two.

We are using both wide and thin water soluble markers to add color to the plates. Color choices are wide open. We review how to hold the markers and plate to keep the color on the plate and not our hands and fingers.

The image transfer, the printing, is done by spraying a piece of watercolor paper with water and sponging it even. Paper is placed on top, rubbed firmly, and boom- the magic of the print has occurred!

The kids have been very enthusiastic about this process and project. WE are wrapping up the activity by reflecting on how our work compares and contrasts with REVOK's.