|
Miniature Lacquer Box Inspired Paintings (Exploratory 6)
During this unit, sixth grade students looked at the lush artwork of miniature lacquer box paintings from the Western Russian villages of Fedoskino, Palekh, Kholui, and Mstera. Students learned the scale of these paintings, many of which are right around five inches by seven inches. They also discovered that these paintings were largely based on Russian fairytales or folktales and did some research of their own in reading some of these. They then illustrated their own lacquer-box inspired painting in reference to one of the Russian fairytales they had read.
|
|
Illustrating Idioms (Computer Art 7/8)
Students began this unit by looking at the work of Maggie Taylor and her dreamlike images, solely created in Photoshop. We then discussed how these dreamlike images were called surreal, and discussed how we could create images similar to these. I then introduced the term idiom and how idioms are turns of phrases that include words that do not mean what they normally mean when they are placed together, such as, "Raining Cats and Dogs," or, "Break A Leg." Students were given lists of idioms, chose one, and began illustrating one on paper. They then found images online that corresponded to their illustrated version, though it did not have to be exact, and they created a "digital collage" of these images as a Photoshop illustration of their chosen idiom.
|
A Story on a Page (Computer Art 7/8)
|
|
Functionality (Art 8)
Students were given the challenge to create a functional object from clay that had a recognizable texture. Several students referenced objects from nature, and the objects created were such things as piggy banks, jewelry trees, candle holders, coffee mugs, and candy jars. Students then glazed these objects based on their gained knowledge of the color wheel through the intermediate color lesson while their clay pieces dried.
|
|
Patterns in Nature (Art 8)
As students awaited their clay pieces to be dried and fired, they discovered the definition and relationship of analogous colors on the color wheel. Students made a journal entry with research into analogous colors using a randomly selected paint chip and color mixing on a page-design spread. They then worked on a sketch of a pattern in nature found online, in a magazine, outside in the courtyard, or from a personal photograph. Students then chose their own analogous color scheme and created this nature pattern on a black square of paper with paint chips.
|