the Carthage Maple Leaf Parade is one of the largest in Missouri, and its my schools hometown.  So I decided this year to represent the ART TEACHERS OF CARTHAGE at the parade!  We passed out candy and crayons!  The maple leaves covering the bus were created by my students, they used texture rubbing sheets to apply color and cut them out.  This way, every one of my students could be in the parade!  In fact, 2 JH students joined the teachers in passing out treats.  The instructors picture from left to right are:
Mr. Mintert, Ms. Pruitt, Ms. Lage, Ms. Barley (above), Ms. Burnside, and Ms. Mintert (with Ollie our daughter.)  The bus is mine, its a 1978 Type 2 Transporter.  Lots of Fun!

color wheel worksheet

Op Art Cubes

Op art is short for Optical Art-  It is a style of art that takes advantage of optical illusions.   Artist such as Bridget Riley explored our perceptions.  How can it look 3-d when it is really flat?  This sub lesson is one such exploration into 3-d op art.

Drawing a 3-d Illusion Cube

You will need:

1 12x 12 sheet of drawing paper.

Pencil

Ruler

Markers.

1.     Trace the hexagon on the back of the instructions onto a sheet of drawing paper. 

You may need to use a ruler. 

se the ruler to connect the opposite corners. (see picture.)

2.     Make a dot 2 inches from the outside on each line.

3.     Connect the dots to make a smaller hexagon.

4.     Erase every other line in the smaller hexagon.

5.     Erase the OPPOSITE every other line in the bigger hexagon.

6.     Color opposite sides to match.  You will need 3 values. ( a darker, lighter, and medium version of one color)

U

Tessellation Portraits.

This idea comes from Mrs. Kamp at Calver Schools in Baltimore.  It takes two projects I have done in the past and blends them together to get one unified, active, interesting artwork: Tessellations and posterized portraits.  The images are from her class, (we are going to start ours on Tuesday with  tessellations!

From Mrs. Kamps website

From Mrs. Kamp

So this project starts with tessellations.  I will teach them about simple translations.

(these directions are from Julianna Kunstler. )

here are few patterns that you can follow to construct a tessellation.

The basic one is "translation" pattern - where you attach the cut out pieces to an opposite side of your shape:

This is an example of a more complex tessellation pattern - "rotation" template.  Instead of sliding a cutout to an opposite side - you rotate it.

Now typically, when I do a tessellation project, we spend a lot of time turning these shapes into something we recognize.  For this project, we are using this to create an interesting colorful background.  While students are starting their tessellations, I will photograph each student and print out a posterized version of their face.  Students then trace the lines separating values, (probably only two, light and dark) this line drawing is transferred to the tessellation page, and painted in with tempra.

Word animals

This lesson is a follow up to the previous abstract animals lesson.  

Students start by drawing an outline of an animal. Next students transform the animal so it also says the animals name.

This is actually a lot more challenging than you might think. Words need to stretch.  They need to be organized from left to right.  This image needs to be two things simultaneously. A few minutes after being introduced to this lesson a student reminded me that this was very similar to a PBS show Word World.  they are finished with tempra on construction paper. 

Students found out quickly that they had to maintain the space between the letters.  With only two colors and no outline, the space between letters helped to define a shape as a letter.

A quick but very successful lesson.

Four freedoms project

based on a 1941 President Roosevelt State of the Union address, this lesson teaches students about four basic freedoms: the freedom of worship, the freedom of speech, the freedom from want, the freedom from fear.  Each of these was a theme for a painting by Norman Rockwell.  The paintings were then used to spur the nation on to supporting war bonds.  These freedoms were also adopted by the United Nations as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  In class students brainstorm about ideas for each of the freedoms, select a freedom and design a poster based on that idea.  The posters are then painted with tempra and displayed.

Parabolic curve lesson

Using a square template, these designs are created using your finger as as spacer and a parabolic curve its formed!

Start with a 12x12 sheet of paper.

Trace the 11x11 square template.

Use your finger as a spacer and measure
and mark one edge, rotate the paper
mark the same location all around.

It should look like this.

use the straight edge of the template to
connect the dot on one side to the dot on
another.  4 new lines, smaller square
is made, slightly tilted and inside
the first one.

a curve naturally starts forming .

Repeat the process on the new square, making sure the same side
is used. the dots go on the edge of the new square
 4 dots, 4 lines, new square is made, smaller and inside
the second one.

finished design colored.

New table tops!

Mr Bastin helped me install new smooth tops for our tables