7th Grade Adds Wire and a Couple Other New Twists to Their Art Cards 
7th Grade students will be exploring metal and glasswork until the new year. Many of the ways they will explore new material explorations and composition techniques with be through the miniature medium of artist trading cards.

Continuing to explore their metal and watercolor skills from last week, students were challenged to create an art card (a work of art that is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" in size) that has a minimum of 2 visible layers, 3 materials, and is structured as either a card with folded panels, or in a dyptic or tryptic card set.Students were introduced to the process of adding additional panels to the 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" standard art card to create doors that open onto a hidden area. A folded art card can be of any shape or size when unfolded, but the entire piece must still be able to reduce back to the standard 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".

They were also shown how the visual story can be continued or strengthen by creating a dyptic or tryptic using multiple art cards side by side in a vertical or horizontal orientation.

Printmaking Exploratory Begins with Mono-Prints

6th Grade Adds the Element of Surprise and Explores a Visual Series

Continuing to explore their metal and watercolor skills from last week, students were challenged to create an art card (a work of art that is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" in size) that has a minimum of 2 visible layers, 3 materials, and is structured as either a card with folded panels, or in a dyptic or tryptic card set.

Students were introduced to the process of adding additional panels to the 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" standard art card to create doors that open onto a hidden area. A folded art card can be of any shape or size when unfolded, but the entire piece must still be able to reduce back to the standard 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".

They were also shown how the visual story can be continued or strengthen by creating a dyptic or tryptic using multiple art cards side by side in a vertical or horizontal orientation.

8th Grade Flower Vessels

Students continue to work with clay, stacking coils, slabs, and spheres to create a new flower pot for their observation drawing flowering subjects. Using various hand building techniques, such as slab, coil, braids, and spheres students score and slip their pieces together until reaching the assigned specifications of 6"Hx4"D. Students also continued to practice their centering and on the wheel so they can keep their new skills sharp.

7th Grade Experiments with Water, Wax, Metal, and Color

7th Graders were given the opportunity to explore some old and new materials utilizing the Art Card "canvas." Demonstrating a resist technique using wax resist (for ceramics) and water color, students watched as an almost invisible image came to life with the addition of liquid watercolors. The wax resist is a liquid and can be painted with a a paintbrush onto watercolor paper in any desired image or design. Applying liquid watercolor paint on and around the dried wax resist causes the watercolor to slide off or bead up soaking only into the paper; unwanted beads can be dabbed off with a paper towel or kleenex. 

Students were also given an embossing metal demonstration using a uniball pen to emboss a design into the metal and to add color with sharpies to the indented (embossed) lines and spaces. The result is a multidimensional image with added sheen. Students were also shown how to layer their designs using an exacto knife to cut away areas of the watercolor and/or the embossing metal to show the design underneath. This layering technique will assist them in future classes to create a multilayered "finished" Art Card.

6th Grade Experiments with Elements and Pigments

6th Graders were given the opportunity to explore some old materials in new ways utilizing the Art Card "canvas." Demonstrating a resist technique using wax resist (for ceramics) and water color, students watched as an almost invisible image came to life with the addition of liquid watercolors. The wax resist is a liquid and can be painted with a a paintbrush onto watercolor paper in any desired image or design. Applying liquid watercolor paint on and around the dried wax resist causes the watercolor to slide off or bead up soaking only into the paper; unwanted beads can be dabbed off with a paper towel or kleenex. 

Students were also given an embossing metal demonstration using a uniball pen to emboss a design into the metal and to add color with sharpies to the indented (embossed) lines and spaces. The result is a multidimensional image with added sheen. Students were also shown how to layer their designs using an exacto knife to cut away areas of the watercolor and/or the embossing metal to show the design underneath. This layering technique will assist them in future classes to create a multilayered "finished" Art Card.

8th Grade Begins to Create

In their first studio class, 8th Graders completed their first observation drawing of a potted flowering plant and they will continue to draw the same plant once a month as the plant grows and blooms. Students will make clay pots to repot the plants in the coming months, and in the spring we will plant them outside and continue our observation drawings once a month outside. Today student's began creating their flower pots using various clay hand building techniques, such as slab, coil, braids, and spheres. Students also continued to practice their centering and on the wheel so they can eventually make a 6"Hx4"D flower pot on the pottery wheel.

6th Graders Get Their Hands Dirty!

After their 10 minute observation contour drawing exercise, 6th Grade students watched and commented as I demonstrated the techniques for preparing clay and "throwing" it on the wheel 

to create vessels. Students were shown the mechanics of the pottery wheel, the bat, and the tools needed to work on the wheel.

Demonstration included attaching the batt to the wheel, the perfect speed for centering the clay, how to center your clay (don't let the clay bully you!), tricks for shaping the clay into different forms, and how to remove the vessel from the batt. Today students worked on wedging their clay, centering in on the wheel, and attempting many manipulations before sacrificing their "muddy" creations to be reconstituted for future use and giving the wheel to the next eager student. Ultimately, 6th graders will get the opportunity to create various types of vessels over the school year.

6th Grade Chooses Their Subject
6th Graders in the 2012-2013 school year will be asked to supplement their studio time
with 5-15 minute exercises or project research. These "Weekly Studio Tasks" will be assigned in class, and recorded in the students AB planners. All tasks are posted on the Studio Blog and any
 handouts or worksheets will be provided in hard copy and digital form.

As their first task 6th grade students were asked to bring in an object that would be their drawing subject during the next class observation contour drawing exercise. Students were asked to
consider bringing something that had personal (not monetary) value or interest to them.
These objects were arranged by the students for their 10 minute study and the sketches were completed in their Middle School sketchbooks.

The student sketchbooks are used over the course of the 3 years to graduation. They are a class time tool that remains in the studio for use during drawing exercises, material and technique notes, and project planning. Students decorate the outside of their books to their own tastes using many materials, such as paper, cray-pas, duct tape, and even spray paint as shown in the slide show below.

8th Graders Discover the Wheel!

8th Graders had the special honor of christening the studios two new pottery wheels. After their 10 minute observation contour drawing exercise, students watched and commented as I demonstrated the techniques for preparing clay and "throwing" it on the wheel to create vessels. Students were shown the mechanics of the pottery wheel, the bat, and the tools needed to work on the wheel. Demonstration included attaching the batt to the wheel, the perfect speed for centering the clay, how to center your clay (don't let the clay bully you!), tricks for shaping the clay into different forms, and how to remove the vessel from the batt. Ultimately, students will create planters for the flowering plants 8th graders will continue to draw once a month throughout the school year. Students will also work over the next few months to create a dinner set of 4 cups, bowls, salad, and dinner plates.

7th Grade Exercises and Plays in the Art Studio

Middle School students begin every studio class with a 10 minute silent observation contour drawing. Sometimes the observation subject is a still life and other times it is an object or environment chosen inside or outside the studio. Students are encouraged to study the object they are drawing, checking in visually every 5 seconds to confirm the angle, shape, or texture of the next line they are about to draw. Today 7th Graders completed their first observation drawing of a filled glass vessel that they will continue to draw once a month to increase their familiarity wit the object, and to strengthen their confidence with perspective and proportion in general.

Group drawing games in the Art Studio are important for fun, team building, 

and increasing organizational skills.

Scribblish, a game played the first day of class, encourages drawing, writing, and interpretive skills. Fashioned upon the idea of telephone, it is best played with 4+ participants. Here's how you play: The 1st person draws a picture in the first folded square on the scribblish sheet and passes it to the person next to them. The second person looks at the picture and writes what they think is happening in the picture in the second folded square. Here's where it gets tricky! Before the second person passes the sheet to the third person, they fold down the first square (with the drawing) so the third person can not see the drawing. The third person reads the writing and then draws a picture of how they think that would look. Then before the third person passes it to the fourth they fold and hide the drawing (1st square) and writing (second square) so that the fourth person can only see their drawing on the third square. The fourth person looks at the picture and writes what they think is happening in the picture. Repeat until your sheet is full. Sometimes the beginning and end match, and other times they are as different as night and day!!

6th Grade in the Art Studio

6th Graders enjoyed their first experiences with the Middle School Studio expectations and exploration possibilities in store for their next 3 years at the Berkeley School. Beginning with a 10 minute observation contour drawing, in their new sketchbooks, students tackled the complications of hand-eye coordination, representing proper proportions, and self-doubt. The objects sketched today will be revisited once a month until the new year to track changes and developments in their looking and drawing skills.

8th Grade in the Art Studio

8th Graders were the first to have Art Studio classes this week. 8th graders have kicked off the new school year with observation drawings, material introductions, and fun group drawing activities.

Middle School students begin every studio class with a 10 minute silent observation contour drawing. Sometimes the observation subject is a still life and other times it is an object or environment chosen inside or outside the studio. Students are encouraged to study the object they are drawing, checking in visually every 5 seconds to confirm the angle, shape, or texture of the next line they are about to draw. Today 8th Graders completed their first observation drawing of a potted flowering plant that they will continue to draw once a month as the plant grows and blooms. Students will make clay pots to repot the plants in the coming months, and in the spring we will plant them outside and continue our observation drawings once a month outside.

Group drawing games in the Art Studio are important for fun, team building, and increasing organizational skills.

Scribblish, the game in the slideshow below, encourages drawing, writing, and interpretive skills. Fashioned upon the idea of telephone, it is best played with 4+ participants.  Here's how you play:   The 1st person draws a picture in the first folded square on the scribblish sheet and passes it to the person next to them. The second person looks at the picture and writes what they think is happening in the  picture in the second folded square. Here's where it gets tricky! Before the second person passes the sheet to the third person, they fold down the first square (with the drawing) so the third person can not see the drawing. The third person reads the writing and then draws a picture of how they think that would look. Then before the third person passes it to the fourth they fold and hide the drawing (1st square) and writing (second square) so that the fourth person can only see their drawing on the third square. The fourth person looks at the picture and writes what they think is happening in the  picture. Repeat until your sheet is full.
Sometimes the beginning and end match, and other times they are as different as night and day!!

Art Cards are being reintroduced this year. An Art Card is a 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" card that can be designed and decorated using any materials or art techniques to create imagery and content. Because of the small working space, Art Cards are a great medium to explore new materials and ideas without feeling like you have to fill a huge space or create a perfect work of art. Art Cards have been created by past middle school students, and The Berkeley School won the 4th and 5th Annual Artist Trading Card contest hosted by the magazine SchoolArts.
5th Annual Artist Trading Card contest Winner and contestants (link)

In their first class, 8th graders completed an art card exercise that combined the size of the art card and the group participation of the Dadaist game The Exquisite Corpse. Students drew an image on half of an art card (white and black paper) utilizing the 2 predrawn lines at the base. After all the halves 

are completed students, match their white half to the corresponding black half (matching A to 1, 

B to 2, etc). The results are surprising!!