Watercolor In Highschool Art

Recently, I created and taught a watercolor lesson to local high school art students based on the following enduring ideas:

Throughout time and across cultures, artists have learned and practiced techniques to employ in their artwork.

Artists use their skills to inspire others.

Here are some photos taken during the lesson!

Architecture

I'm currently working on an architecture lesson to present to my Teaching High School Art Education class, and I just had to share all of the interesting resources I'm finding!

Build The Tallest Tower (Motivation Tool)

Tallest Tower With Index Cards, Tape, Glue (Motivation Tool)

Teaching 911 (Use for a studio piece?)

just a thought

Irving Penn Quote

Sensitive people faced with the prospect of a camera portrait put on a face they think is one they would like to show the world. ...Very often what lies behind the facade is rare and more wonderful than the subject knows or dares to believe

- Irving Penn

Amazing Young Drawing Artist

"She only took up drawing in 2009, and although she had never taken any art classes she produced some stunning pieces. Rajacenna was immediately approached by an American publisher who wanted to feature her drawings in a book called ‘American pencil portraits 2″ which contained drawings by some of the most talented people in the art world. She became a professional artist at the age of 17 and has since then created incredibly realistic portraits of celebrities like Angelina Jolie, Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber. On her official website it says “according to experts, there is nobody at such a young age with such a talent for drawing realistic portraits like she does.” and looking at her works I’m inclined to agree." By Spooky

Find the rest of this story here

Find Rajacenna's Website here.

This could be a great motivator for other young artists. You could also hold a critique on her choice of images. How could her artwork be more meaningful? What does her choice of American popculture icons say?



Photography Quote

"The relationship between what we see and what we know is never settled."

James Elkins: Thinking about Photography

Contemporary Artist: Nick Cave

Nick Cave! A nice alternative for the Halloween season.

Links

Be sure to keep checking the different link lists on the right of this page. I am currently adding some fun interactive, "iKid" weblinks that classmates have found in my ARU301 class, to the "Interactive Art Links"!

Right or wrong,

accurate or not,

Your reputation will precede you.

-Harry Wong

The Art and Craft of Motivating Students.

Giving Students Control.
By: Melissa Kelly

For full article, click here.

This article by Melissa Kelly gives some brief "how-tos" to pump up your student's motivation. Kelly's topics include: How to Give Students More Control, How to Help Students Feel Competent and How to Help Students Feel Connected.
The article also includes Suggested Readings and Related Articles.

Here's an excerpt from Melissa Kelly:
I believe education is a noble profession. As teachers and administrators we must aspire to excellence in an ever-changing and often critical public arena. The internet is a tool enables educators to meet the demands of our fast-paced, information-based society. (712educators.about.com)

Once again, to view the full article visit http://712educators.about.com/cs/motivation/a/motivation.htm

--Ashlee.

Stay Creative :)

Found at MobyPicture

xxashlee

Nature Craft

I came across this while using StumbleUpon. I love the look of the finished product, although I have not yet come up with a "Big Idea"....I'm sure we could find a way to integrate it though.

Here is the link to the full directions blog.fossil.com

And here are some photos!

tools

in progress

on display

*I can't take any credit for the photos or the project*

--Ashlee

Nature Art

Here is a book that seems to have some great help for creating art with nature. If your Enduring Idea includes nature, you'll want to use this book as a resource!

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-Martin contends that nature provides us with an abundance of art supplies and she invites readers to make use of these bounties in these 65 projects. She classifies the activities according to the material required: vines, twigs, cones, and moss; gourds, pods, husks, and seeds; clay, stones, sand, and shells; paints, inks, and dyes; flowers and leaves; and stamps, stencils, molds, and seals. Each chapter includes information about historical and ethnic uses for the natural substances. Activities are rated by level of difficulty; all have easy-to-follow instructions. Projects range from baskets, picture frames, wreaths, necklaces, and gift wrap to body paint, amulet bags, and painted stones; from a chess set to shell buttons to an okra pod canoe and people. The projects display a respect for nature and art, and a simple, subtle beauty; they are not the cutesy, stylized projects described in so many contemporary books. Line drawings accompany the numbered steps and charming ink-and-watercolor pictures illustrate the completed projects. Some general crafting techniques are explained. The helpful appendix offers charts on the availability of various materials and their uses and gift suggestions. Bobbe Needham's Ecology Crafts for Kids (Sterling, 1998), which encourages the use of natural craft materials as well as recycled man-made materials, complements this title. Martin's unusual volume will be a great resource for crafters of all ages and abilities.
Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A Little Cartoon

A Few Quotes To Keep you going

Art is made to disturb. Science reassures. There is only one valuable thing in art: the thing you cannot explain.
Georges Braque

A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.
Paul Cezanne

What is one to think of those fools who tell one that the artist is always subordinate to nature? Art is in harmony parallel with nature.
Paul Cezanne 

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.
Salvador Dali

If I could say it in words there would be no reason to paint.
Edward Hopper  

There is no must in art because art is free.
Wassily Kandinsky 

The important thing is not so much
that every child should be taught,
as that every child should be given the wish to learn.
John Lubbock

Those who educate children well are more to be honored than parents, for these only gave life,
those the art of living well.
Aristotle

"You can pay people to teach, But you can't pay them to care." --Marva Collins  

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
-- William Arthur Ward 

"A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectation."
-- Unknown 

 

Colors and Their Meanings

So, it may seem a bit hokey, but this site lists many colors and what they are supposed to make you think/feel. It's all based on auras. Even if you don't believe in auras, it may be a good resource for those planning to show colors to students, and hope these colors will make them "feel" something.

The link is here.

Here is a snip-it of what you'll find:

Aqua: Cooling and Balancing. Communication and expanded awareness.
Bright Orange: Health and vitality.
Lemon: Stimulates and vitalizes the brain. Cleansing.

Go Green

We briefly spoke about this artist today in ARU210, but no one could recall his name.
As a quick summary, this artist finds the decaying carcasses of birds, in their "stomachs" there is plastic debris.
This photography project should promote the "go green" movement....

 

Click here for Chris Jourdan's website!!!!

Elementary Level Portrait Lesson. Adapted for Students with Cognitive Deficits.

Enduring Idea: Throughout time and across cultures, artists have depicted people as unique individuals.

Lesson Title: Portrait Investigation

Grade: 4

Time Allotment: 45 minutes

OVERVIEW

1.) Lesson Summary:

The lesson will begin with groups sitting at their designated tables.
Each table will have:
• a folder with a picture of a portrait enclosed
• 6 “Art Expert” names tags for each student to write their name on
• an envelope with descriptive terms enclosed (see attached wordlist)
• an envelop with color swatches
• worksheets (see attached worksheet)
There will also be available:
A document that will be projected with the 6 group portraits and 2 extra portraits (this will be what the class looks at when deciding which group had which portrait) (see attached screen model)
A short description of each portrait (see step 4)
The lesson will proceed in 4 steps:
1. Students working individually will analyze and interpret the portrait at their table and complete their worksheet, which will help them, compose a personal back-story for the portrait.
2. Students will work as a group at their tables to decide which of the adjectives in the envelope best describes their portrait. They will also decide what the title of their portrait is and write it down.
3. One group of students at a time will be labeled the “Art Experts”. They will go to the front of the classroom and present their title and adjectives and color swatch choices. The rest of the class will then vote on which portrait they think belongs to the group that’s presenting. Each group will repeat the process.
4. Students will return to their tables where they will find a paper about their portrait with the following context:
a. The artist’s name
b. Medium
c. Year that it was made
d. The title of the work
e. Matching color swatches
f. A short description of the work
g. Why the artist create the work

The students will then have a culminating group discussion given this new information. They will decide if their pre-conceived opinions of the work have changed now that they know its true context.

Unit Plan: Power and Freedom.

Quick Facts:

Unit Big Idea: Power and Freedom: to create, to change, to control. Art making can empower the artist. Artists have the freedom to be creators of new worlds.
Grade: 6th
Number of Lessons: 5


If you click here, you can see my full unit plan. It may grow and change over time, and I'm always open to suggestions/comments.

 For the powerpoint created for Lesson 1, click Oppression and Freedom

Welcome

Hopefully this will prove to be a valuable resource through our college careers and into our professional careers. If you would like permission to post and edit the site, please let me know.
My goal is to make this a quick go-to place to either post questions or ideas regarding lesson plans, big ideas, interesting artist, job opportunities.....anything art or art education related!
Good luck with your unit planning,
Ashlee