This lesson is inspired by the children's book Cock-a-doodle-hooooooo, by Mick Manning. The story tells of an owl that finds shelter in a hen house and how the owl struggles to fit in with the hens. All of the hens want him to be a rooster, but he is just an owl after all. The story is about individuality and how it is okay to just be yourself so for this lesson the students were able to create their own owl out of any color construction paper of their choice as well as drawing whatever pattern on the owl with their own choice of colors.
The piece above is by Shelly Beauch and this is one way to Zentangle. Zentangle is a more developed way of doodling and mainly focuses on line. The beautiful part of Zentangle is the depth of line work that goes into every piece. This type of drawing can help students to really dive right into drawing. A student can get lost in their drawing and really let their creative energy flow. There is no right or wrong and students will be able to create some amazingly complex drawings. This is the type of project that should be introduced to any level of artist. Check out Shelly Beauch's artwork >>> http://shellybeauch.blogspot.com
Alyssa Monks is a transforming artist taking her art to great heights. She works mostly in oil on linen canvas that can vary in size from 10 inches to 80 inches. These works of art can be massive in size, but have very fine detail. Alyssa Monks work is not something you just pass by, but is something you get lost in. I personally find myself looking at her work from 15 minutes to sometimes over an hour just getting lost in the detail and the message of her work. There is a mystery to her pieces and yet it's familiar some how. In her new works she has created a personal connection with nature in a way that is freeing and comforting to the artist and the viewer.
Check her out on her TEDxTalks>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRrNST9OAcA or Check out more work and about Alyssa Monks>>> http://www.alyssamonks.com/#333_AlyssaMonks_Fusion66.jpg#home Every artist has had that anxious feeling when faced with a fresh blank sheet of paper to create on. They just keep staring longer and longer at the blank page and no ideas come to mind soon it's been several minutes, but still nothing. The process of creating art is different for everyone, but for some that first line on a paper takes forever to get to. A great way to to break that anxiety is to cover the blank page with a wash, a texture, a pattern, or even just some random line work. Sometimes you find and create within something, like a wash or a texture. Yet, to just get students started you could have them create within a book to help them break away from the intimidating blank page and help them think outside of the box.
Bringing claymation into the classroom can be fun especially when students are fully engaged in the whole process of making the claymation. Simple characters moving ever so slightly with each frame is a very long process, but worth every minute. Once the students see the final film, they will feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence in art. Check out more claymations on vimeo!
Here are some awesome tips on getting started with teaching claymation in the classroom >> http://www.tech4learning.com/ Every school has a different mixture of cultures. It is very dangerous to assume or to stereotype any one student or person based on their ethnicity or culture. Every person has their own traditions and rituals that may seem strange to an outsider, but to that individual those traditions are a part of their culture and everyday life. Yet, some people do not regularly practice or display their culture. Whether you are a student or a teacher, learning about one's own heritage helps you to have a better respect for culture and for the world. Culture is something that everyone should spend time reading, learning, and experiencing in order to better understand all people. One way to introduce culture into the classroom is with food...Here is a clip of kids experiencing culture through food!
An amazing photographer, Elena Kalis, focuses on underwater photography. She has a unique way of capturing a story in every photograph. Photography is very tricky because as an artist you want to capture the viewers attention for longer then a second. Now a days, with social media like Instagram and Facebook, it would seem that everybody is a photographer. Yet, Kalis has attracted the viewers attention with questions and thoughts that take the viewer deeper and deeper into the art piece. Check out her Looking Glass series >> http://elenakalis.com/177756/1219528/gallery/looking-glass
In the past, Barbie has been under fire for body image, lack of diversity, stereotypes, etc., but Barbie is turning things around. In a recent advertisement, Barbie has reflected on the message of female empowerment through the big idea of imagination. The Barbie website is covered with imagery of female empowerment with hashtags like "#YouCanBeAnything and Barbies of all different careers from different eras. They even have an inspiring quote from the Barbie Creator, Ruth Handler, "My whole philosophy of Barbie was that, through the doll, the little girl could be anything she wanted to be. Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices." Just like the Dove advertisements, Barbie has created an advertisements that all people of different gender, age, race, etc should see. Check out the website >>> www.barbie.com
Do you have a love for color pencil drawing? Check out Morgan Davidson, an illustrator with a BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design who focuses on realistic color pencil illustrations. All of her work is enriched with saturated color and loads of detail that is perfect art eye candy. Her portfolio has a variety of different subject matter involving nature, portraiture, fashion, and a combination of all of those ideas. Bright, bold, and fun perfectly describes all of her work...take a look for yourself>> http://morgandavidsonart.tumblr.com
|