Clay Monster Heads

We are elbow-deep in clay this week. Well, maybe more like wrist deep. My sixth graders are working on their "Monster Heads" using hand-building techniques like pinch pot, slip and score and molding. Some are more fantastical than others, some are more realistic. I have been doing this assignment since I started teaching--probably the only successful assignment from that year! They end up looking really neat and the students learn techniques that they can build on in seventh and eighth grade (if they end up in Art).

The Mural

I am always looking for ways to add more art to my classroom. While I love that we have big windows, we don't have much wall space. I had this one very big, very blank wall at one end of my classroom. While finishing up a unit on typography with my 7th graders, I came up with the idea to have them paint art quotes in different fonts on this wall. They worked in small groups and I used quotes and images I found on Pinterest to project onto the wall and they traced them.
Here it is in the beginning:

Getting there, getting there. I wasn't too pleased with the blue quote but I've been working on "fixing it" for legibility. It was hard to decide on whether to use paint or sharpie so we used a mix of both.
Here is the latest update (students worked on while I was gone on Friday and thus some editing of the blue quote--I was not happy):

We are starting on clay this week, so this is put on hold while we make our coil bowls. I'm anxious to see it completely done! There are some spacing issues, but overall I think it looks great!

Oreo Carving

 It's always a good day when you get to use food in a lesson! I found the idea on Pinterest, from another art teacher who based on this amazing artist! Since we were starting clay, I thought this would be good practice for carving into clay and sgraffito. I used generic oreos and they seemed to work out fine. The students had a great time and came up with some fun designs.

Tints and Shades Painting

Another art teacher in my district gave me the idea for this painting unit and I've never seen my class work so hard and be so quiet!

We start off talking about tints and shades and creating a color wheel. I give the option to students to design a creative color wheel showing tints and shades or they can use the circles worksheet.

Then I have them sketch out ideas in their sketchbook and how they could do one big design and divide into eight sections or divide into sections and do a different design in each. We also talk about unity and balance. In each section they paint the tints and shades of the color. When dry, they can outline in Sharpie if they'd like. They always turn out really cool looking.

7th Grade Sketchbooks

I am really pleased at how the 7th grade sketchbooks turned out! Even though it took us well over two weeks. I had decided before school started that I would have all classes make their sketchbooks in modified forms of bookmaking. It wasn't a success and I sold back much of the color-coordinated posterboard I bought to use for the year.

At the OAEA Fall Conference, there were two workshops I took that inspired me for 7th graders sketchbooks. The first was a workshop on handbinding books. The instructor (a fellow middle school teacher) was amazing and I left with a really cool book of my own and a few ideas for next trimester. The second was a workshop on paste painting. It was pretty cool, using layers and assorted items to pull thru the paint. There is a whole formula for creating the "paste" for the paint.

My own little hand bound book

Second painting

I already knew that 8th graders would have "real" sketchbooks and 6th graders were using the pocket folder system. I decided for 7th grade, we would make covers using the paste painting technique. I just used regular tempera paint and then grabbed a bunch of random items to make marks. We had so much fun doing this! And they turned out AMAZING!

using a lace doily

cut up foam circle

a seashell worked great

After these dried, we glued them onto bookboard to create the front and back covers. I used Yes! Paste thinned down a little bit (otherwise is was SO sticky and hard to work with). Then we started on the binding. Each student had 4 sets of 5 11x17 sheets folded in half (to create 4 signatures) plus one from me that had Welcome to Art and their warm-up boxes. We used a western longstitch binding that seems to have held up pretty well. I worked in small groups, teaching the stitch but once they got the hang of it, students were quick to finish.

Once their signatures were all bound, the covers were glued on the front and back.

they lay flat, too!

You can see the binding

8th Grade Sketchbooks

I like to have all my students create sketchbooks. Over the years, I have finalized a solution that doesn't cost my entire budget. Last year, all three grades had those pocket portfolio folders, with the three-prong inserts. I create a set of intro papers, including a Welcome to Art with reminders on clean up and procedures, a drawing ideas list and warm up boxes.

Since I only have one 8th grade section this year, I could afford to buy them real sketchbooks vs. the kind we created first trimester. We spent the first week or so working on a collage for the front cover. It had to have a theme and unity. They turned out really well! We covered them with mod podge a few times, and it gave a glare on the camera

Dia de los Muertos

I've always loved Dia de los Muertos and the art and history around it. Last year we did a small alter in our community room and some of my classes contributed some work. This year we planned a much bigger alter and display, working with the Spanish classes and our community liaison. My eighth graders made sugar skulls. I did this last year so I already had the mold and recipe. They turned out pretty cool. We didn't use frosting to decorate, just glitter glue and sequins and feathers.

decorated sugar skulls

the only time I allow glitter in my classroom

For seventh grade, I tried something new. We made air-dried calaveras figures. They turned out awesome! We painted them with tempera and used markers as well. I will definitely be doing this again!

My favorite

The gang!

More feathers!

Sixth graders did scratchboard sugar skulls. We talked about symmetry and the use of the skull in art for Dia de los Muertos. A lot of my students are familiar with this holiday and have family that celebrate it and it was cool to hear them talk about it to the rest of the class.