Weekly Update: December 17-21

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!  
We (the kids and I both!) are so excited for winter break!  Today was the last day for both Quarter 2 8th grade classes as well as Term "C" 6th and 7th grade art classes.

6th Grade Art


In 6th grade art, we've spent the last week working on drawing techniques.  We learned how to shade using a variety of techniques: controlling pencil pressure, layering complementary colors, layering black pencil, and using hatching, crosshatching, stippling, and doodle line techniques.  Whoa that's a lot!  This week, students also turned in Sketchbook #3: a drawing of a wooden manikin in action.  Check them out on Artsonia!

7th Grade Art


I kind of feel like I say this every term, but man, this term went fast and was crazy busy!  We've been working furiously to finish up our black and white value self-portrait paintings (this photo was taken on Thursday afternoon, but they should be done by now!).  I have a fun plan to display these paintings with thick black construction paper mats that will really make the images pop!  So look forward to seeing a whole group of 7th graders' faces staring out at you from the hallways real soon!

8th Grade Art


We ended our 8th grade quarter with not enough time to make the usual paper sculpture project (a 3-dimensional star), so I improvised and created a super cool lesson on making your own pinwheels!  This way, we still did some experimental watercolor painting and used paper to create a 3-dimensional form.  The sticks for our pinwheels are made from pencils!  The best part is that the pinwheels really work!  Check them all out on our Artsonia gallery!

Eighth grade students also finished the quarter with one last drawing assignment: to design a program cover for the promotion ceremony at the end of the school year!  The best one is voted on by the 8th grade teachers and actually used at the event!  Woo hoo!

And of course, we ended the quarter with HOT CHOCOLATE in our handmade glazed clay mugs!  They're being brought home today, so be on the lookout!

Thanks for another great week - and have a great holiday!
-Mrs. L.

Weekly Update: December 10th - 14th

Next week is the last week before winter break - and the last week of art for ALL current classes!  Needless to say, we are SUPER BUSY trying to finish projects and get grades turned in!

6th Grade:


This week, we FINISHED our paper mache letter sculptures.  In the picture above, you can see them stacked up, waiting to be graded, photographed, and uploaded to Artsonia!  Also this week, we started our final sketchbook assignment: a wooden manikin drawing.  This drawing will be due next Thursday (Dec 20). Next week, we will work on various drawing skills and practice some new drawing techniques.  Each day will have a different focus until the end of the term.

7th Grade:


Seventh grade classes have now finished their graphite grid drawings (check them out in our Artsonia gallery here!) and we've begun a new final painting project: self portraits!  It'll be really short, and we'll be able to finish by the end of this week.  Unfortunately, we don't have time to complete a still life painting (as previous terms have done), but I think I like this alternate project even better!  We're still completing a painting unit, and we're still covering the concept of mixing tints and shades of paint colors.  Score!

Also, our second sketchbook assignment (a black and white op-art inspired design) was due on Friday, so look for those grades and another accompanying Artsonia exhibit real soon!

8th Grade:


Eighth grade students are finishing up EVERYTHING right now!  Our plaster animal "faux taxidermy" heads just got their hanging wires yesterday, and I just unloaded the final kiln firing for glaze today!  So, this means a lot of grading/photographing/uploading to Artsonia for me, but it also means that 8th grade students will have lots of fun projects to bring home real soon!  Awesome!

In Other News...


Thanks for another great week!
- Mrs. L.

Weekly Update: December 3-7

6th Grade:


Sixth grade has worked really hard on our paper mache sculptures, trying to finish them up!  This week, we finished the paper mache layers, added puffy paint texture to the front face, and began applying the base coat of acrylic paint.  Next week, we'll apply a second color wash to bring out the texture on the front.

In-between waiting for our layers of paint and paper mache to dry, we worked on our 1-point perspective room drawings, which were due today at the end of class.  Next week, we'll begin our third and final sketchbook assignment!  Time is flying by!

7th Grade:


Seventh grade classes had kind of a crazy week!  We lost about half of our class on Wednesday due to a KMO competition, and on Friday (today) there was a choir tour for choir students.  So, students worked hard during their in-class time to try and complete their grid drawing celebrity portraits, which will be "due" on Monday.  When I say "due," I mean that we will no longer spend any time in-class on this assignment, and that I'll begin grading the finished projects at that time.  If a student has not turned in the assignment, it will show up in the gradebook as a zero until I receive it.  All work needs to be turned in by December 21st (the last day of the term)... but I strongly suggest that students not wait until the last minute!  We'll be starting a new project on Monday, and work has a tendency to pile up if you let it wait!

Our sketchbook #2 assignment (Op-Art inspired drawing; see above) was also worked on in-class if/when students finished their grid drawing.  This drawing will be due on December 14th, and there will not be a sketchbook #3 this term due to time constraints.  We will, however, complete a short painting project in the next two weeks before break!

8th Grade:


8th grade students glazed their clay mugs this week!  It's always exciting to think about how they'll look when they're finally finished and we get to use them!  Our hot chocolate celebration will be on the last day of the quarter, December 21st.

Students have also begun to paint their plaster animal faux taxidermy heads with acrylic paint.  Hopefully, we'll have those finished next week!  Yayy!

In other news...
Students from health classes were learning about the skeletal system.  One group decided to turn their skeleton into me, "day of the dead" style.  Isn't it awesome?!  I especially love the facial designs and skully bow in my hair!



...and, I found this fun "art history" graphic while I was hunting around on Pinterest for art ideas:



Thanks for another great week!
-Mrs. L.

Weekly Update: Nov. 26-30

6th Grade 
This week was all about SCULPTURE!  We worked very hard this week constructing our block letters from cereal box cardboard.  These 3-D forms were stuffed with newspaper to keep the shapes sturdy.  Starting today, we began layering paper mache over the forms.  Next week, we'll finish the paper mache layers and add other finishing techniques.

In class, we are also working on a 1-point perspective room drawing, which will be due next week.

P.S. Check out our latest work on Artsonia!

7th Grade


On Monday, we printed out celebrity portraits for our grid drawing assignment.  Our final drawings will be 12"x16.5" black and white sketches drawn in graphite.  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were spent working on the actual drawings.  We are using viewfinders to help us concentrate on the individual grid squares from our printouts, and blending stumps to blend and shade our graphite.

P.S. Check out our latest work on Artsonia!

8th Grade
This was pottery wheel week!  On Tuesday, we watched an instructional video all about the pottery wheel featuring Danielle "The Clay Lady."  Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were all wheel days, and students had an assigned rotation for taking turns.

On days that the students were not on the pottery wheel, they worked on sketchbook assignment #3.  The topic is "draw your greatest fear." (Yes, this is different from the one on the website - we changed it up this quarter!) The topic was inspired by Ms. Best's AP art portfolio project.  She talked to 8th grade art classes about course offerings in art at York HS, and showed off some of her work.

Sketchbook #3 is due next week on Wednesday.

In other news... 

I made myself into grumpy cat.  Enjoy.



Thanks for another great week!
-Mrs. L.

Holiday Gift Ideas: An Art Supply Shopping Guide!

Looking for an awesome holiday gift for your art-loving son or daughter?  How about some art supplies?!  Below is a list of art-related gift ideas for the art student in your life:

1. A graphite drawing set. This set by Cretacolor has pretty much everything you'll need: an eraser, a blending stump, 3 GraphitAquarell pencils, a Monolith Aquarell graphite pencil, two graphite sticks, a black pastel pencil, and one Nero pencil for deep black lines.

 

2. A really great set of colored pencils.  As a student, I always asked for Prismacolor pencils, but I've recently discovered Blick studio brand artist's colored pencils.  They're very comparable, and reasonably priced.  Perfect for the middle school student in your life.  Splurge and buy the 36, 48, or 72 pencil sets!  (We use the 24 pencil sets here at school.)

3. An awesome fancy sketchbook with "good" drawing paper is always a welcome gift.  I like this one from Canson.  I recommend the 9"x12" size, but there are many different ones to choose from!  Sometimes the tiny sizes are fun for travel.

4. If you really want portability with your artwork, consider a pack of Moleskine Cahier sketchbooks.  They're sold in packs of 3, and easy to carry around.  A few years ago, I participated in the Sketchbook project, and these were the books that were provided to us.  I used mine for collage, watercolor, colored pencil, marker, and graphite.  I was very pleased with the quality of the product.  And they're cute, so who doesn't like that?

 

5. For the collage enthusiast, a great exact-o and cutting mat set is key.  I like this set by Alvin, and have something very similar in my own art studio at home.  We also use these cutting mats in the classroom!

6. A set of artist's acrylic paints is perfect for a budding artist.  Acrylic paint (the good kind) can be fairly expensive, so a set like this would be a welcome gift.  I recommend the basic 12-color set, which contains
the most popular colors in 2 oz tubes, including Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, Yellow Oxide, Naphthol Crimson, Cadmium Orange, Phthalo Green, Yellow Medium Azo, Cadmium Red Light, Ultramarine Blue, Titanium White, and Mars Black.

7. If you get nice paints, you've gotta have some brushes to go with it!  This set by Royal Langnickel is a good choice for a couple of reasons.  First, there is a good mix of small, medium, and large size brushes.  I happen to be a big fan of the "filbert" shape (like an upside-down letter "U"), so I was happy to see one of those in there.  Also, the special "soft grip" handle is nice to hold.

8. Now, if you get nice brushes, you've GOT to be able to keep them that way!  I'm all about buying high-quality supplies and taking care of them the right way to make them last.  We use The Master's Brush Cleaner in the art room to keep our brushes extra clean, but it also conditions the bristles and helps them to retain their shape.  Win!

9. The final step in keeping your paintbrushes nice is to use a brush cleaning tank.  It's basically a glass jar with a metal spring inside that helps separate the brush bristles and allows chunks of paint to settle to the bottom and not get smashed up into the ferrule (metal collar part) of the brush.  I have one at home that I use all the time, and I wish these were made in plastic so we could use them here at school, too.  Make your little artist feel fancy by buying them one of these and their brushes will stay extra nice for extra long because they've been cleaned properly.

...It was fun creating this list, since I got to window shop through the Blick store in order to compile it all!  Of course, if you can't decide, a gift card is always a good option - then your artist can decide for his/her self what to buy!

Happy Holidays!
-Mrs. L.

Weekly Update: November 19th

This week was so short, it was only one day!  Just wanted to post a couple of quick reminders & updates...

6th Grade:
Your sketchbook assignment (the 3-D name design using 1-point perspective) is due on MONDAY when you return from Thanksgiving break!

7th Grade:
Your sketchbook assignment (the 2-point perspective surreal landscape) is also due on MONDAY when you return from Thanksgiving break!

8th Grade:
You should have already turned in your sketchbook assignment (the master copy) on Monday this past week.  When we return from break, Ms. Best will be introducing the next sketchbook assignment, and also - it will be pottery wheel week!  Get ready to get messy! Woo hoo!

I actually had a lot of fun meeting parents at parent-teacher conferences this week.  It's really cool to see how much you guys look (and sometimes even act) alike!  I met so many super supportive and inspiring parents - and a whole bunch of them are even working in the arts!  Love it!

Thanks for another great week!
-Mrs. L.

Weekly Update: November 12-16

This week went really fast!  We had crazy schedules for three out of five days this week!  An assembly on Tuesday, late start on Wednesday, and extended seminar on Thursday!  How does one keep it all straight in their head?

I have a couple of quick overall announcements this week:

1. I collect CEREAL BOXES to use in art class, so please bring me your empty ones!  In sixth grade, we recycle them into our block letter sculptures, and I'm running a little low on stock.  Send 'em my way!
2. New "C" Term art students: remember that your Artsonia permission form/1st day of art letter is worth FIVE POINTS when you bring it in signed by a parent!  So don't forget!  Five points sure does help out your grade!

6th Grade


This week was our first week of art in 6th grade for "C" term.  I can assure you for a fact that this term WILL go fast, because one of our six weeks is only ONE DAY long - next week!  Can you believe they count that as a full week of art?  No fair!  But we're going to make it work, because unfortunately I can't change the system.

We spent the first week getting to know each other, learning the art room rules and procedures, and working on our first Sketchbook assignment, which is a one-point perspective drawing of our name in block letters.  Here's a screen shot of my rough drawing on the SMARTboard (see above).  It's tricky for 6th graders to visualize 3-dimensional letters sometimes because the concept of "side walls" gets confusing.  So we tried looking at a sample of a 3-D letter sculpture to help us see (top, left).

This drawing assignment is due on Monday, November 26th, when we return from Thanksgiving break, so don't forget to make time to finish if you're traveling somewhere!

7th Grade
This was also our first week of art class ("C" Term).  We've spent most of our time working on our first Sketchbook drawing, too: a 2-point perspective landscape drawing inspired by Surrealist paintings.

This drawing assignment is also (like 6th grade) due on Monday, November 26th, when we return from Thanksgiving break, so don't forget to make time to finish if you're traveling somewhere!

8th Grade


8th grade students are working hard to finish the plaster application on their faux taxidermy sculptures!  We hope to have all of the construction finished before we leave for Thanksgiving break, so that when we return, we can move on to painting.  We also have glazing our clay mugs and the pottery wheel to look forward to soon!  Yayy!

Also, Sketchbook assignment #2 (a copy of a famous painting) is due THIS Monday, November 19th.  Don't forget!


Thanks for another great week!
-Mrs. L.

Weekly Update: November 5-9

Don't forget that Artsonia is a great place to buy unique holiday cards and gifts while supporting your child's art program!  20% of all purchases go back to the art department.  There are special holiday items available and sale prices going on right now!  Below is a sample of what you can find:



6th Grade
This week was our last week of "B" term art!  I'm going to really miss everyone!  In class this week, we finished up our African art-inspired patterned animal drawings.  The final ink drawings were cut out and mounted onto colored construction paper that was cut into "fringe" on the edges to make it look like a textile.  Check out this example by Erin below - she decided to go all out and weave a paper background!  Pretty cool, huh?!


We also turned in our manikin drawings (our final sketchbook assignment) this week.  Check them out on our Artsonia gallery!

7th Grade
This was also our last week of "B" term art classes!  Our time was spent finishing up our celebrity grid drawing portraits.  A fun tip for when you're drawing using the grid method: try working upside-down!  By drawing upside-down, your brain is forced to look at the shapes you see within each grid square and focus on the shapes and value that you see, rather than the particular facial feature (like an eye or nose).

We utilized the upside-down grid method in this assignment, and I think the results are really amazing!  Check it out below!


8th Grade
We've been working on two different projects in art class!  First, we've been finishing up construction on our clay mugs.  Those will be going into the kiln within the next week or two - they have to sit out and air-dry completely before firing.

In the meantime, we've started our plaster unit!  We've been researching animal photos, sketching out ideas, and just began construction on our armatures yesterday.  Construction on these animal head sculptures will continue all through next week.  If last quarter's sculptures are any indication of what our results will look like, the final pieces will be totally amazing!

In other news...

Thursday, November 8th was Bram Stoker's birthday, and Google had a pretty awesome logo for the day.  Check it out above!  Kind of a fun post-Halloween goth design!

Thanks for another great week!
-Mrs. L.

Weekly Update: October 29 - November 2

Don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend!

6th Grade 
It's our second to last week of art - next Friday is our last day!  Eek!  This week we made major progress on our final project: a pen & ink drawing inspired by African art and patterns.  It's an animal outline that's been filled in with a variety of patterns, including the four drawing techniques we learned in art this term: hatching, cross-hatching, stippling, and doodle lines.


Friday was our first day to try out pen & ink!  The day ended with a fun surprise: students got to bring their paper mache block letter sculptures home!  If you haven't checked them out on our Artsonia gallery, please do!

7th Grade 
We're working on two final assignments for art.  The first is our third sketchbook assignment: a self-portrait drawn as realistically as possible, using a mirror for help.  In class last week, we discussed and practiced correct facial proportions.  These proportions should be used to draw our self-portraits.  The self-portrait drawing is due next Tuesday (Nov. 6th - election day!).


Our other assignment is our celebrity grid drawings!  We found and printed out photos of a celebrity (student's choice!), and we're now using the grid method to reproduce these photos as drawings on a larger scale.  On Thursday morning, Superintendent Pruneau stopped by our second period class to check out our progress!  We were happy to show him how well the drawings are coming along.  These drawings will be due next Friday on our last day of art class.

8th Grade 

We are up to our elbows in clay in 8th grade art!  On Monday, we finished our planning drawings for our functional clay mugs.  On Tuesday, we began our basic cylinder mug shape.  The rest of the week was spent forming and decorating our mugs.  By next week, our mugs should be fully constructed and awaiting kiln time (side note: our new kiln is still in the process of being installed... hopefully by the time our projects have been dried, it'll be up and running for firing!).

Thanks for another great week!
-Mrs. L.

Week in Review: October 22-26

6th Grade
I can't believe we only have two weeks left after this!  I know I feel like I say this every time, but this term has REALLY flown by!  Most of this week was spent finishing up our 3-dimensional block letter sculptures! Students got to choose a base coat color and a "wash" color to put on as a finishing paint coat.  It's been really fun seeing how the color combinations turn out!  Next week, I'm going to get these projects graded and photographed and up on Artsonia - and then sent home to be enjoyed in person!  Yayy!  On Friday, we started our final sketchbook assignment, which is a wooden mannequin drawing.  This drawing will be due Tuesday, November 6th.



7th Grade


This week was spent working on two projects: first, our still-life paintings, which will be finished by the end of class this upcoming Monday.  Secondly, we created a graphic black and white composition inspired by Op Art for our second sketchbook assignment.  You can check out those drawings on our Artsonia gallery.  I think that this group of students did especially well on these drawings.   In order to help us with our own artwork, we spent time in class looking at and evaluating drawings to find good contrast.  I think the results are excellent!

The next two weeks will be all about drawing portraits!  First, we have our third sketchbook assignment, which is a realistic self-portrait that is drawn using a mirror (due Nov. 6).  Then, we'll be spending the rest of our class time creating large-scale grid enlargement drawings of a celebrity, chosen by the student.

8th Grade
This was our first week of quarter 2!  Sadly, I missed the first day of class due to a district meeting, but we found a fun way to introduce ourselves while I was out: LEGO portraits!  If you've been following the blog for a while, you've probably noticed that it's my new favorite project this year, and that I've done this assignment across grade levels (if we have extra time for it) several times this year already with different classes.



On Wednesday and Thursday, we started our first sketchbook assignment, which is a scene from a favorite book.  This will be due next week on Wednesday (October 31st - Halloween!).  Friday, we began planning for our first major in-class project: glazed clay mugs!

In other news...
The art room is in the process of getting a brand new kiln!  The old one was in a very bad state (I think it may have been original to the building...!!!) and was letting fumes out into the classroom (ick!).  The new one has arrived, but isn't 100% up and running just yet.  So we're pushing through with our clay mug project and hoping for the best!  Excited to test out our new equipment - yayy!



Also, here's an exciting upcoming art opportunity:

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp is a non-profit summer school of the arts specializing in two-week arts programs for intermediate and high school students. A scholarship representative from Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp will be visiting Bryan Middle School to share information about the camp and audition students for scholarships. Sandburg students are invited to take advantage of this opportunity. Any student who auditions will be considered for scholarship aid toward tuition to attend the camp. The representative from Blue Lake will visit Bryan on November 6^th and 9^th.  Band, Orchestra, Choir, Art, and Drama students may audition after school between 3:45 and 5:00 p.m. Each audition lasts approximately 5 minutes. Please contact Brian Berg (bberg@elmhurst205.org) by Thursday, Nov. 1 to schedule an audition. The Blue Lake representative will present a 10 min slide show presentation with information about Blue Lake from 4:00 – 4:10.  You are encouraged to visit Blue Lake’s website at: http://www.bluelake.org to learn more. 

(Please note: the art "audition" is typically a portfolio review where the students submit artwork that they have created.)

Thanks for another great week!
-Mrs. L.

Week in Review: October 15-19

6th Grade 
This week, we worked really hard on our paper mache letterform sculptures!  Everyone finished the paper mache coating, and after it dried, we added texture to the front face of the letter with puffy paint and/or Elmer's glue.

On Thursday and Friday, we began working on drawing techniques using shading and value.  These skills will be used for our pen & ink drawing later on in the 6-week term.

7th Grade 
Most of our week was spent painting our still life compositions.  On Monday, we started painting value scales for practice before beginning our final painting.  Students chose one color (red, orange, green, blue, or violet) to mix with white or black to create lighter and darker values.  These are called "tints" or "shades."

These value scales help us decide what areas of our painting should be painted in what values.  So far they're looking pretty good!  Next week we'll begin adding shadows and highlights to our still life objects, and maybe even finish by the end of next week!

On Friday, we began sketchbook assignment #2, which is all about Op Art designs and high contrast black and white imagery.  This will be due next Wednesday (10/24).

8th Grade 
This was our last week of the quarter!  Boo hoo!  We spent the week finishing up just about everything!  First, our star lanterns were completed, photographed, and graded.  Then, Ms. Best talked with 8th grade students about art at York High School and showed off some of the awesome artwork she's made while at York.  We ended the quarter with one last quick drawing where we illustrated our greatest fears.

During the week, I was able to hang our plaster sculptures in the library!  Our maintenance staff installed screws in the library above the bookcases, and Mrs. Fullerton (our librarian) was kind enough to let us display our work in her space.  It looks FANTASTIC!  Check it out!

On our last day of art (as promised), we enjoyed using our glazed clay mugs by drinking hot chocolate, tea, and/or lemonade.  Some students used the time to draw, while others enjoyed watching the classic Simpsons episode where Homer becomes an "artist." Hilarious!



In other news...
A 4 million dollar Roy Lichtenstein painting has turned up after being missing for 42 years! Whoa!  Read all about it here.



Thanks for another great week!
-Mrs. L.

Friday Update: Week of October 8-12

This week was a short week due to having Monday off for Columbus day!

6th Grade 
This week we began construction on our 3-dimensional block letter sculptures using paper mache.  It's very messy and very fun!  On Thursday, we turned in our first Sketchbook project: one-point perspective name designs.  Next week, we'll begin our second sketchbook and further stretch our one-point perspective knowledge when we design our own rooms!

7th Grade 
On Tuesday, each student brought in an object for a collaborative still life arrangement.  We used the iPads to photograph a portion of the arrangement, which will be sketched out and painted using a monochromatic scheme.  Read more about our iPad photo-taking experience here.  Next week we'll begin the painting portion of our unit!

On Friday, we drew pictures of ourselves as LEGO minifigures.  Here's mine.  What do you think?



8th Grade 
We are nearing the end of our first quarter!  Next week is the last week for the current group of 8th graders.  I'm going to miss them!  Currently, we're in the middle of our paper sculpture unit, which is a 3-dimensional star-shaped hanging lantern.  The points of the stars are made of watercolor paper, which was painted using experimental techniques - resists, salt, washes, and even metallic and glitter paints!  By early next week, these stars should be completed and ready to hang!

The end of the quarter is also when the bulk of the projects are completed and grades are issued.  This means that tons of projects have been uploaded on our Artsonia gallery!  Be sure to stop by and view our 8th grade animal trophy head sculptures and clay mugs!  Oh, and definitely do NOT forget to check your grades on Powerschool!



Thanks for another great week!

-Mrs. L.

Using iPads in Art: Still Life Photos

Today we tried something new in art class, which was arranging and photographing still life compositions for our painting project, which we started talking about in class on Friday.  Students took photos of our collaborative still life arrangement using the iPads!  The iPads are great for selecting and cropping a portion of a composition because looking at the screen is like looking at a framed photo.  What the students "see" is what they "get."

We ran into problems with Photo Stream though.  I tested it out on Friday, and it was working just fine.  The plan was to use Photo Stream to print photos off the desktop PC in the art room after students took their photos.  Maybe my PC is just too old, but Photo Stream kept saying we were logged out of iCloud (we weren't) and our pictures weren't showing up.

My workaround (man, that was stressful!) was to create and share a Photo Stream on a website that can be accessed from any computer.  Of course, this means individually downloading and printing each photo one by one... but the important thing is that it WORKED!

Here's the links to our galleries:

7th Grade Period 1 Still Life Photo Gallery

7th Grade Period 2 Still Life Photo Gallery

Remember that we are only beginner photographers and that this is our first time shooting with the iPads!  But we are trying.

-Mrs. L.

Friday Update: October 1-5

Welcome new students!  This week was the first week of art classes for "Term B" 6th and 7th grade classes.  Remember, if you need more time to work on a project (outside of class) and you're unable to work at home, I'm available in the art room twice during the week:

• Tuesday morning during extended seminar (homeroom) time from 8:25 to 9:05 am
• Thursday afternoons after school from 3:20 to 4:20, with prior notice

6th Grade
This week we learned all about 1-point perspective!  We're working on name designs with a 3-D effect using our 1-point perspective skills.  The most fun part is the coloring and decorating:



On Thursday in class, we reviewed our 1-point perspective knowledge with a quick worksheet that assessed our skills.




7th Grade
All week, we've been exploring SURREALISM.  Our very first sketchbook assignment (due next Thursday) is a surreal landscape that incorporates 3 boxes drawn using 2-point perspective drawing techniques.  We even watched a really fun video all about surrealism.  You can check it out here:

8th Grade



This week, we finished our plaster animal trophy heads!  We painted them using acrylic paint, and punched holes into the background plaques using a hammer and awl.  A bit of wire created a hanger for our sculptures.  Our plan is to hang these up for display in the library! Yayy!



On Friday, we experimented with watercolor paints to create interesting washes and effects.  These "experimental paintings" will become the star points for our 3-D paper star lanterns, which we'll continue next week.

In other news...
I dressed up the Mona Lisa for Halloween.  What do you think?!



Thanks for another great week!
-Mrs. L.