Day of the Dead and Papel Picado!

    This week in my studio class, I started a presentation on Day of the Dead. The students really enjoyed this project because it is festive subject and is relatable to Halloween. The students who also take Spanish as a language in school may have heard about this holiday too. It was a great project to begin right before Christmas as well. Instead of using Halloween images and skeletons, the class is making winter holiday images to hang all around the school. This has been working out great so far because the students are able to make this own image and choose how the work will come out. The class work will really come together at the end. and get the students more excited about the holidays.

  

        I also really like this project because the students got the hang of it after they made their first image. The realized that it isn't that hard and grew confidence in themselves. This made them also want to make many more images and create better art work. I am most proud that the students like doing the work and are trying hard. Even my students who really dislike art class! This assignment has been great.  (Here are the students working hard and making beautiful winter holiday papel picado.)

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       In my yearbook class, we are starting another fundraiser. I suggested that selling chocolate would be a great idea because everyone loves chocolate and it is much cheaper than candles or pizza. The students that are selling the chocolate also love selling it to because it is so much easier. Within a day I have had students come back in to get another box to sell. Did I mention that there is 60 bars in a box!? Selling yummy treats for only a dollar makes fundraising much much more easier. I am happy we tried this fundraiser! -----------------------------------------------------------------------                 Also in this week was the first week for me as a teacher to encounter violence in the school. This is a very wealthy school with very well behaves students so I was shocked to see what I saw. I was also upset to hear so of the comments the boys were yelling at the one student who was getting abuses. Because I was the only adult there, I had to break the fight up. Luckily the students all broke up the time I walked over. I unfortunately did not know these students but I still made sure to report it. I went to the office and gave the time and location of the fight, and the description of all the students involved. I just hope I never encounter a problem like this again, although I know that will be very unlikely.

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        Lastly in my drawing and painting class, my students were finishing up on their color themes and schemes project. I really enjoyed this project because all of the student succeeded. We will be having a critique next class and a Happy Holiday party. I can't wait.

Critique + Painting Class

 Today in studio class, the students had to do a critique on their watercolor paintings. None of them have done a critique before so it was a slight challenge at first. Many of them did not know how to give comments and feedback on others work. Most of the students were also too self-conscious to even speak about their work or their peers work. So I decided that it would be best that the students walked around the class and gave the students each a grade and comment on a sheet of paper. This way each of the students would be critiqued and graded by everyone. The students had to as well write a response on what they believe they should get and complete their rubric. It was great to see the students evaluate their work and others for once.

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     In my drawing and painting class, the students have begun a new project. They have to create a series of 5 squares that work together in a theme. Most students found this easy to do and chose something of their interest. Once the students had chosen an idea, they had to sketch them out and figure out which color scheme should be used for each. The students had to create an image that is monochromatic, complementary, analogous, neutral, and black and white. I found the color schemes to be the hardest part for the students. I was glad to help them execute what would be the most successful.

 

New Facial Proportions

Because yesterday’s class did not go so well, we tried a different activity with today’s class. Instead of working with an image that was head on, we gather images that are on the side. The students are also now working with the bone structure of the face because it is the foundation of the shape of the face. The students could learn to create the face without focusing on the eyes, nose, and lips. Letting the students see the face for its shape and nothing else really helped.

 

      The turnout in the students’ work has improved so much that you would not even know it was the same students. I can tell that the students are starting to feel more confident in their work so they are trying even harder. I plan to keep working on the sheets until they feel comfortable to work from a still life. I think it would be great to do gesture drawings instead of working from a photo. I realized that the students need to take small steps at a time though.

Facial Proportions

       Today I started my second lesson. Mrs. Valenti and I decided that it would be good idea if I did my lesson on facial proportions. We chose this because the students haven’t had the chance to draw much. I was more than glad and agreed to the challenge. I knew right away that 9^th and 10^th graders who were learning to draw a face for the first time would be difficult.

      When I began my lesson, I started off with a quick overview and history of realism. The students got to see how the facial proportions came about and its importance. I also showed the students the basic steps of drawing an oval and evenly break it up proportionally. Shockingly, this came really hard to all my students. Most of them got the gridding correct, but when it came to drawing the eyes, mouth, and lips, the work became very childish. It was strange to see them do such good work in other classes but can’t draw a simple face.  I realized that my students are going to have to take a few more days on these observations. I learned that I will have to break this lesson down to simpler steps.

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    In my yearbook class it was another day for a fundraiser to collect money for the senior class. In class the girls began to give out more fliers. The fundraiser is taking place at Moe’s tonight and the class will be receiving 20% of the funds. I was glad to help make fliers and hang them around the school.

Thanksgiving Break!

     Today was the day all the students left for Thanksgiving break. So for the two classes that we had were a finish up day so the classes would not get too far ahead. In studio, many of the students have completed their watercolor painting. For the students who still need more time, I walked around and gave them some ideas to help them move along.

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In the painting and drawing class, the students were also responsible for painting in the rest of the projects. I was impressed to see how quickly they worked. It really shows how motivated the students were to finish and get out of school for the weekend.

 

(I thought this was interesting! While taking attendance, one of my students took a picture with the new camera on the iphone. Mrs. Valenti and I thought it was really great. )

Watercolor Landscapes

In my studio class, the students were continuing with the lesson I have created. So far was so good! After completing the technique sheet, the students were responsible to create a painting with the different watercolor techniques they were taught. In the instructions the students were also responsible for creating a space with a warm foreground and a cool background. I am thrilled to see the students start their paintings and make their fabulous sketches. The students really understand the project and what I expect out of them. I do love helping them and giving them valuable input on how they can improve their work. The best part about this lesson is that my students who usually lack are really pushing themselves. It makes me so happy that I could create a project where my students wanted to do the work.

 

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          Next in my drawing/painting class, my students have been working with color and different values. They were responsible for creating a grid with tints and shades of one primary color. They also had to make another grid that was of two complementary colors that came to a neutral in the middle. It was interesting to see the students work with a palette knife for the first time. I helped guide students with mixing the paints and fix color values that were off.  

 

My Watercolor Lesson-Day 1

     Today was my first day teaching on my own! I created my own lesson plan on the introduction to watercolors. I first started off with a power point so I could give my students a history background of watercolors. I also showed the students some artists who were well know for creating watercolor paintings and certain techniques. I also showed the students more present types of watercolor artists and how they have become much more abstract.

      After, I showed the students my example project I have created. I had one project that was finished and worth an “A” and one that was worth a “F.” This way my students knew right off the bat that they had to fill the whole space and what was expected of them. Once they saw the project I finished off the power point with more examples of each technique. I explained their importance and how they are done. I called on the students and asked them how they would do the technique just to make sure they would understand. They all really understood each process and responded well. I was glad I did so well on my first time teaching.

      Next I wrote on the board the measurements and how to label each technique square. As I finished up explaining to the class, I walked around and helped students as they went through each technique. I was really impressed with many of their projects and hope they do this well the next time around.

(This class has finally finished their ink projects as well)

Drawing Critique

       In my drawing class, the students’ take home project was due. These home work assignments were interesting to see because you did not know what to expect. These students were responsible for taking an image and zooming into a small area and draw the image to a much bigger scale. The project was looking for an image that had texture and contrast. This assignment also required the students to use only a 2B pencil. This made it a challenge for many of the students to create great contrast in their drawings because the pencil does not reach the darkest values as their photos do. I told the students that it is important to go back in with an eraser so they could create lighter values so the darkest areas would stand out more.

      
    Because the drawings were due and no one has seen each others, we decided to have a critique. Mrs. Valenti and I left a sheet of paper next to everyone’s drawings and the students had to go around to everyone and leave a comment. These comments could have been a complement or even some advise. This was a good activity because the students were not shy to participate and everyone was involved. All the students were able to get great amounts of feedback to improve their work as well.

      After the critique the students had to present their power points of the artist they chose to the class. I was impressed to see how much work the students put into this project as well. I also liked to see their artists they chose. It was nice to learn some new things from my own students. They did a great job.

Boston Field Trip!!

       Today we went on an amazing field trip to Boston, Massachusetts. The students that came on this trip are all in an art class at Averill Park. The great part about the trip was that I knew many of the students from being in my art classes. It was fun to experience and see famous art in person instead learning about art from a book.  

        The first place we stopped was at The Institute of Contemporary Art  (ICA). Here we learned about the amazing structure of the building and how it was designed. We learned that the design of this building was made to be different then an ordinary building. The building is shaped small on bottom to large on top. The building is very top heavy and makes the public question how the building stays up.

          We also learned that this building only pays 99 cents a year to be on the water. We guessed that it would cost millions of dollars because of the location and because it was right on the water. But they don’t even pay a full dollar a year. How unfair!!!

      Here is the whole group of students! This is when we first arrived at ICA. Samantha and I jumped in the back of the group picture. It was difficult to stand there with 50 students and get them to smile and look forward because the wind from the water was so cold.

        

        After our tour through ICA, we had the chance to create art there. After seeing the Brazilian artist Os Gemous, the students learned that they can create art from materials they may think is garbage.  So the students had to create art from a block of wood and different scraps. The students had to create a name and explain why the art related to them. I was impressed to see so many different interpretations from the students.

            After we went to ICA, we went to the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). Here we also had a lot of fun and got to see great artists we learn about in school such as Kara Walker and Chuck Close. The students liked to familiarize themselves with art they have previously have seen. It was funny that my group really wanted to see African art the whole time we were there

            I really enjoyed being with my group of students. I got a kick out of them because every room we went into they had to sit on the nearest bench. They refused to look at the art unless they were seated.  It was funny that I was the only one walking around and I knew if I saw a bench nearby, they were all running to it. They were so funny and such typical high school students. I probably would have done the same thing at that age.

          After, we went to the Quincy Markets for a few hours and then head home. We got back to the school around 10:20 at night. The students had a great time and didn’t mind wasting a Friday night at museums. This is how I know my students are very talented and appreciate art more than other students I know.  I was happy to get to have this opportunity and experience with them.