Art 1 students at Old Orchard Beach High School are given a weekly sketchbook assignment that they are required to complete as homework, or in class if they are caught up with the current project. I have taken over the role of giving the sketchbook assignment each week during my placement. Its been fun experimenting with small drawing, painting, and design projects. I alternate between relaxed experimental lessons and more traditional drawing assignments. Here are some examples from my two Art 1 classes:
Scientific illustration was the first sketchbook assignment I gave. Students were required to draw at least three natural specimens from life, and label their sketches.
I like how this student wrote about the significance of his subjects.
This student invented his own latin names for his specimens- notice the bolducitus plant which is one of Mrs. Bolduc's classroom plants.
I was inspired by Amy Cousins in the creation of my Donald Evans themed postage stamp sketchbook assignment. Students were required to invent a country and design a stamp for it. The name of the country, the price of the stamp, and a perforated border were to be included in the designs.
This student was inspired by her upcoming trip to Costa Rica.
Two weeks ago, I gave an assignment entitled Painting on Pages; students were required to choose a page from an old encyclopedia that contained a word they would like to illustrate. Students then had to tear the page out, glue it into their sketchbook, and complete a watercolor painting of their chosen word on top of the page. I am really impressed with the results of the assignment.
This was my example. I had a lot of fun with this assignment.
Currently students are working on an observational drawing assignment in their sketchbooks. I am excited to see how they do. I can't believe it is my last week here. I don't want to leave!
This week my High School mentor Piper Bolduc and I were busy setting up the district K-12 art show at the Saco Museum. This year the title is "Hungry for Art", and much of the work in the show reflected upon that theme.
It was a wonderful to get to experience setting up a district art show, to meet many other art educators, and to see countless examples of amazing lessons I could potentially teach in the future.
"The Big Chill" was the pride and joy of the advanced art students from Old Orchard Beach High School.
Inside of "The Big Chill", all of the food was made larger than life out of paper mache
Inspired by Andy Warhol's Pop Art prints, this Campbell's soup can was made entirely out of candy by Old Orchard Beach High School students.
Sections were divided by theme, this is the Mexican Cantina.
The museum is filled with SO much art! Here are some of the projects that I really enjoyed:
Paper mache letters by Loranger Middle School 7th grade students, Giacometti figures by 8th grade Saco Middle School students, and Nevelson studies by 1st grade Young Elementary School students.
"Living Letters", a digital design project by Saco Middle School 7th grade students.
Collapsable paper lanterns by Saco Middle School 8th grade students.
Baskets by 5th grade Loranger Middle School students and sandwiches by 1st grade students at Young Elementary School.
We brought some humor to the show by giving captions to the cardboard portraits by 1st grade students at Fairfield Elementary School.
The show is up until April 20th at the Saco Museum located at 371 Main St. Route 1, Saco, ME.
Hours at the museum are:
Tuesday-Thursday- 12:00-4:00PM
Friday- 12:00-8:00PM
Saturday- 10:00AM-4:00PM
After the students in grades 3-6 at Poland Community School finished their handmade paintbrushes, they learned about Chinese Landscape Painting. Students discussed the particular qualities of Chinese ink paintings and identified their use of value, contrast, and texture. I explained how they could achieve value, contrast, and texture in their own ink paintings, and reinforced that they did not have to paint scenes that looked exactly like Chinese Landscapes, but that they could paint any kind of landscape in any way they desired. After careful collection of materials, students set to work creating some really amazing landscape paintings using paintbrushes they had constructed themselves.
It was wonderful to see how each student discovered different ways to use their paintbrush.
Students were required to demonstrate the use of contrast, texture, and three different values in their landscape paintings.
Some landscapes looked like they were inspired by the Poland area.
Some students took a bold graphic approach.
Some landscapes had beautiful pattern and rhythm.
Some demonstrated incredible use of line.
Many paintings looked as if they were inspired by the impending blizzard that canceled school on Friday.
There were many beautiful renditions of mountains.
There were lovely studies of trees and orchards.
It was so difficult to choose paintings to photograph because every student did an amazing job. All of the students pushed themselves beyond their comfort zone in the construction and use of their handmade paintbrush, and I am so incredibly proud of the artwork the students at Poland Community School are creating.
Hopefully many of these ink paintings will make it into the district art show!
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