DGFMS Art

Screen printing Art Club t-shirts!

7th grade collage landscapes with a touch of the surreal.

Graffiti Names lesson:

Students used the website www.graffiticreator.net to develop their name in a graffiti style. They drew their name onto a piece of cold press watercolor paper and outlined it with Sharpie. Using color theories that we studied in class, students had to choose two color harmonies (one for the background and one for the name) out of watercolor to provide value and color contrast. In the background, students learned about basic watercolor techniques (wet-on-wet washes) and texture techniques (salt, bubble wrap, cheesecloth) to create an interesting abstract design. The names required wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry and glazing applications to create value and interest. Original inspiration for this lesson found here.

I’m sure many art educators have seen the “Shattered Values” lesson plan, found here. This is the first time I have taught it (7th grade), and couldn’t believe how spectacular the results were. Almost every student made a successful piece. We began with a still life that I had set up in the classroom and for the first few days of the lesson, we practiced contour and blind contour drawings. Students started with one object at a time, to become comfortable with drawing (blind contour first, to emphasize looking at the object more than the paper!). We would rotate seats around the still life, so every 5-10 minutes, we would stand up and find a new spot. Students really liked the ability to move around. Some worked standing up, and I was so impressed with how engrossed they were with the process! Once they became comfortable with drawing individual objects, I taught them about arranging a composition, using their hands to create viewfinders (they loved that they could do the stereotypical artist/photographer more with the hand/viewfinder!). They made small thumbnail sketches of different compositions, then chose their favorite to draw on a full sheet of paper. Once that was done, we began the “Shattered Values” part of the drawing. The most difficult part for students was to get a smooth gradient from light to dark - especially keeping their marks consistent throughout the piece. This problem was aided substantially by having one student hold another’s artwork while the artist stood back 5-6 feet to observe their work from a distance. Value transitions are much easier to see as a whole from a few feet back!

8th Grade Creature Cups

8th Grade Bas Relief Tiles

My awesome 7th graders and their grid paintings. The top one is going to be on display at the Plains Art Museum for Youth Art Month!