7th Grade Skill Building 

Self-Portrait process steps

Until the end of the school year, 7th Grade students will be working on a self-portrait drawing. Students are developing and using many skills and disciplines as they tackle the difficult possibilities of the self-portrait. 7th graders will consider not only the technical steps necessary to complete a portrait drawing, they will also consider composition and style as a means of conveying a sense of themselves to the viewer.

Today, 7th Graders created a grid on a black and white copy of their original photo and received a transparency print out of their photo, both will be used as accuracy tools during their self-portrait process.

Continuing  steps for this project include skill development in areas of line, shading, and observation when drawing, accompanied by taking photos of each other that act as the "subject" for their self-portrait drawing. 

7th Grade Skill Building

Water Color Pencil Exercise for use in Self-Portrait Process

7th Grade students are beginning their self-portrait process that will last the next couple of months. Students will be developing and using many skills and disciplines as they tackle the difficult possibilities of the self-portrait.

Today students created a small watercolor pencil drawing. Watercolor pencils and paints will be used on the final self-portaits, so today students experimented with the parameters of this dry/wet material. Watercolor pencil pigment was applied dry to watercolor paper, creating the foundation for the watercolor; next students carefully used wet paint brushes to blend and move the dry paint lines across the paper. Student expectations included the creation of a complete composition (filling entire paper) including the exploration of color, and use of varying line density. This mini exercise is meant to increase student focus for the prolonged drawing project beginning after Spring Break.

April 10

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to everyone who was able to donate clothing to the 8th grades Refashioned Fashion Show project. 

All of the 8th graders gathered in the studio Wednesday morning to select items from the donations. Normally 8th graders are not in the studio as an entire group, but to make the selection process fair for both 8th grade groups we all met early. After consulting as a group, one representative from each design team began the selection of items on behalf of the group; team representatives were free to consult with the group about selections during the process, but to avoid a mob approach only one team member could be on their feet at a time.  Afterwards, we met in our ususal class groups and students began to edit, finalize, and construct, their outfits.

Outfits and accessories will be constructed by altering/sewing unwanted clothes and using unconventional materials (metal washers, paper, wire, etc.). Students are required to created their outfit using repurposing techniqures and basing the design on their current style preferences (preppy, hip, casual, sporty, etc.), drawing from a historical era of fashion (e.g. the renaissance, the roaring 20's, disco 70's, etc.), or costume (knight, animal, nature, etc.). Design groups will receive certificates for attending to assignment parameters and achieving group goals by considering each members ideas and strengths when making decisions.

6th graders  continue developing skills using one point perspective in their drawings. Students viewed demonstrations of the technique last week, learning the steps and rules necessary to transform a 2D surface into a 3D space. 

Most valuable rule, all vertical lines are drawn parallel to each other at 90 degree angles; otherwise the drawer finds that all of their objects are leaning to and fro.

Students who have completed a room with a minimum of 1 window, 1 door, and 2 pieces of furniture, moved onto 3D words using one-point perspective.

One parameter for this assignment is to "finish" the drawing, giving consideration to detail, line, and color. This mini exercise is meant to increase student focus for the prolonged drawing project beginning after Spring Break.

7th Grade Skill Building

Transparency drawing of self-portrait photo

7th Grade students are beginning their self-portrait process that will last the next couple of months. Students will be developing and using many skills and disciplines as they tackle the difficult possibilities of the self-portrait.

Beginning steps for this project include skill development in areas of line, shading, and observation when drawing, accompanied by taking photos of each other that will be used as the "subject" for their self-portrait drawing. Over the next classes, students will continue to sharpen their drawing skills through small exercises, in addition to printing a transparency copy of their photo and measuring out and drawing a grid on another photo copy, both for use as accuracy tools during their self-portrait process.

Today students created a transparency version of their photos, tracing their photo onto a transparency sheet using pen, sharpie, and/or ebony pencil. Students where encouraged to experiment with line and color allowing the transparency drawing to become a self-portrait of it is own. This mini exercise is meant to increase student focus for the prolonged drawing project beginning after Spring Break.

8th Grade Is Refashioning Fashion!

Handmade earrings made from embossing metal (left), one design team creating a unique repurposed dress (right).

The 8th graders are embarking on an end of the year fashion adventure via their creativity, the art studio, and community donations of clothing. Students will be working together in groups to create a "fashion forward" repurposed outfit to be worn by the group's model in an end of the unit Fashion Show on May 29th. 

Outfits and accessories will be constructed by altering/sewing unwanted clothes and using unconventional materials (metal washers, paper, wire, etc.). Students are required to created their outfit using repurposing techniqures and basing the design on their current style preferences (preppy, hip, casual, sporty, etc.), drawing from a historical era of fashion (e.g. the renaissance, the roaring 20's, disco 70's, etc.), or costume (knight, animal, nature, etc.). Design groups will receive certificates for attending to assignment parameters and achieving group goals by working together, considering each members ideas and strengths when making decisions.