Experimentation

Monday we played with marker washes in my Art Education Secondary Methods class and we talked about experimentation. I think that it is important for students to produce work that teaches them the elements and principles so that they have all the tools they need to create wonderfully inspired and creative pieces of art but I also think that it is extremely vital that students have time and space to experiment in a safe environment with the guidance of an instructor. If students do not know how to use a material or they cannot achieve the desired effect with the material they are using, most likely they will not continue to use the material. This is where the teacher steps in and this is why it is important for teachers to provide time in class to experiment with materials. That is exactly what we did on Monday. We took markers and watercolor paper and experimented with them in producing a similar affect as watercolor or India ink. This experimentation could be added into class easily by using it as a warm up before the use of the actual watercolors or ink. To understand how to use the materials students could play with the marker washes first. Take a plastic plate or palette and draw on it with the water based marker then take the paint brush and go to town, you can also experiment by drawing directly on the paper and then adding water on top of that.

(This is a picture from my elementary methods practicum in which a student used India ink to create a form and then drew with pastels to create the monster's features.)

Field Trip Ideas

Field studies are important for teachers to give their students the opportunity to see that art can be applied outside of the classroom and really also allows them to apply their skills to the world beyond the classroom. I would take my students to the High Museum of Art in Atlanta Georgia. Not only would students be able to experience a museum, which is important for their critique skills but it is also important for artists to see art in person. Pictures never do art justice in comparison to real life.

I would ask my students to focus on one of the elements and one of the principles of art for the day and take their sketchbooks around with them. After the tour I would ask my students to take notes about that element and principle that they chose and sketch what they see. Inquire as to how the artist used that element or principle to convey their subject or message, and write how they might use that element or principle in their art. I want my students to do this for at least five pieces of art and to really take their time to fully experience the museum and the art.

Bought Materials 3D

So last time we talked about sculptures with found materials and the last one was a bought material which leads us to today's topic of sculpture with bought materials. I mentioned doing sculpture with wire and paper last time, well there are many forms of sculpture that can be done with bought materials.

1. Soap Stone or Soap or Wax

This is going to probably be a very small sculpture as soap does not come in large amounts unless you make it yourself or combine multiple pieces and soap stone is expensive. So you will want to give your students a small amount. this would be great for creating small tokens or beads for a project. Using heat tools would be useful for soap or wax allowing students to slowly take away soap or wax or build easily. A file can also be used on all three materials to help with the process of creating a small scale sculpture.

(Soap Stone)

(Soap)

(Wax)

2. Plaster 

Plaster can be fairly inexpensive and easy to deal with although it is messy and requires a lot of clean up. Put plaster in a five gallon bucket let it set and release it from the bucket for students to carve from for a project.

3. Metal

There are lots of things that you can do with metal from jewelry making to large scale sculptural installations. But projects such as these can be a simple as using wire to create sculptures to welding pieces together. This will vary depending on your skill and your ability to bring in an artist who might be able to help with student's work. Wire sculptures are the way to go. You'll need plyers and a base for students to work on.

3D

I love the idea of teaching as much three dimensional art as much as possible with students. I personally feel like that is an outlet that is not often offered to students and is not easily accessible. This is probably because most people associate two things with three dimensional art: 1. ceramics or pottery, and 2. expensive. That is simply not true! Three dimensional art can be affordable and more accessible than we make it. Here are a few ideas for making three dimensional art possible for your classroom!

1. Found Objects

Students taken small objects around the house or around the school and combine them. This can be anything from trash to office supplies, so you can take your class on a field trip to the office and pick up some paper clips and some rubber bands. Above is a picture of Zac Freeman. He takes the bottle caps and other pieces and combines them into these portraits they are reminiscent of Chuck Close portraits.

2.

 The next project that students can do is called a multiples piece. This is a project where students can gather multiple pieces of one object. In this particular piece I assembled them in a non-traditional way by sewing Christmas ornaments together. The second part of the project is to add a surface texture to the sculpture with a second multiples object. In this case I added ear plugs. Things that students will want to do is fall in love with the texture or surface qualities of the first object but in this case in particular the sculpture would not have been nearly as cool without the second texture added.

3.

The third project is a wire and paper project. This project takes more a little more funding, as the materials need to be provided by the school as well as several tools such as drills and a few sets of plyers, two per student. The student will design a totem pole that represents themselves and then they will try to make a miniature version out of simple wire that can be bought at any walmart. Once they know all of the issues with the structure of their piece they can reevaluate whether or not their totem pole will need help standing up. The teacher will have to order thick wire online and then teach students how to double it by twisting it with a drill. The second part of the project will be to take rice paper and cover with water and glue to attach the rice paper to the wire sections.

Three dimensional art does not have to be inaccessible or unaffordable it just needs to be smart!

Film History Lesson Ideas

 One of the ways I would like to incorporate film history and film terms into my classroom is by having a new media project of a short film. First the students will learn about all the camera angles and the names of shots that are essential for planning out the short film that they will create. I will have them then get into groups and write a very short, short film script and then go to work determining every angle for the film. Then students will have to draw out the story board for their films, which will show in detail the shots within each scene, and the angles of those shots. Each of these shots must be its own thumbnail within the storyboard. While this is going on students will also think about how to create costumes that will go with their films, what props they will need and where they will shoot the film. This is all based off of the short story that I will have them write at the beginning of this project. While this does not seem like a lot of work I will ask them to incorporate every one of the angles and shots that we have gone over as a requirement for the short film. That way they have an idea of what goes into the making and planning of a movie. I will preview the scripts and set them loose (within reason.) Then they will take the footage and we will go to the computer lab as a class and edited the films together. The students will critique their own work as well as their peers work and they will a thoughtful discussion of what was different in the film making process, than what they thought it would be what they would do differently in pre-production, etc.

Here is an example story board that my students will have to create.

Lessons for All Abilities

Students who are gifted and students who are disabled are going to be a part of the art classroom some students in these situations may be incorporated into the regular art classroom depending on what resources the school has available for you. There may not be a separate gifted and talented program class or a separate class for students with disabilities. Instead art teachers need to be able to set each child up for success in the classroom. So there may need to be a little more explaining or tweaking of the lesson plan for those students with disabilities, and for the gifted students there may need to be an extra challenge involved for them if they finish early. Take for example the gesture drawing that we did early in the blog series...

AND WE’RE BACKING IT UP!

        Yes! This gesture drawing blog entry! Take this gesture drawing lesson for example, some students are going to just gesture away. However! There may be students in your class who have a physical disability that prevents them from being able to control their motor function well; this lesson may actually be great for them! This could mean an exploration of movement and not having to control the movement.

What about for a student with an emotional disturbance? Well we might not want to give them the yard stick immediately if they get frustrated easily. See below. But they can still participate and you can gauge their level of frustration, and ability. You know your students best!

What about this lesson for a gifted or talented student? How can we challenge that student that needs to go beyond? For a gifted student a way to adapt this lesson is to make the student capture a range of movement in the gesture. Obviously you’ll have to break out your modeling skills. (or not) By getting a fellow student to partner up or get your gifted students to challenge each other with the competition of poses. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8PWg8pYST0

Also, here is an awesome video on Art Lessons for Children with Disabilities. There is a lot on younger children and this blog primarily focuses on secondary school age but, a lot of the information is still applicable!