Landscape Drawing: Making Marks and Value

We examined the drawings of Vincent Van Gogh and studied the variety of lines, values and textures in his compositions. His drawings have an amazing range of marks that are alive with rhythm, repetition and movement.

Next, students had a mini lesson in how to create a value scale, as well as how to blend and shade with their graphite pencils. Students created their own value scales and learned how to see shadow and light by drawing a sphere and shading in the object according to the light source.

Grade 7: One-Point Perspective

Students learned One-Point Perspective drawing techniques, which dates back to the Italian Renaissance and is also known as Linear Perspective. One-point Perspective is when parallel lines converge to one-point somewhere in the distance. This point is called the Vanishing Point and gives objects an impression of depth.
In these drawing exercises, students designed a room interior and learned how to draw objects to the vanishing point to demonstrate accurate One-Point Perspective. These were completed on 9 x 12 inch paper using graphic pencils and blending stomps.

Asha V., Grade 7

Angela Z., Grade 7

Olivia K., Grade 7

Cut Paper Collage Inspired by Music

Grade 6 students recently completed their color collage project that was composed from cut paper. Music was the theme and we looked at the cut-outs of Henri Matisse and examined his color and shapes for inspiration. Students learned to consider background vs. foreground, color palettes, contrast and overall balance in their composition.

Little Red by Lola V., Grade 6

Charlie S., Grade 6

Guitar by David P., Grade 6

Alexis C., Grade 6

Zeke F., Grade 6

Milo R., Grade 6

Eloise T, Grade 6

Kevin L., Grade 6

Tianzi L., Grade 6

Ryan S., Grade 6

Naya W., Grade 6

Danielle S. Grade 6

Danielle C., Grade 6

Jasmine N., Grade 6

 Nathaniel W., Grade 6

Grade 6: Landscape Drawing with Graphite Pencils

Students created landscape drawings and demonstrated their understanding of Atmospheric Perspective. They worked from photographs and their imaginations and incorporated a variety of lines, values and textures. Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh, students used Rhythm, Repetition and Movement  throughout their drawings. Students learned how to blend their pencil marks, as well as use an eraser to create interesting marks and highlights. Check out the photos and the amazing work these young artists created in class.

Students at Work: Cut Paper Collage and Color

Grade 6 students explored the concept of drawing with scissors to create a color collage inspired by the theme of Music. We studied the cut-outs of Henri Matisse and learned about color theory and created our own color wheels.

Grade 6 students are in the process of arranging their space, working with a distinct foreground and background and learning how to draw instruments and silhouettes to create a collage with some personal expression. Here are some photos of students working in class. 

Experimenting with Oil Pastels and Creating An Abstract Collage

-->This project is a great entry point into the world of Abstract Art and introducing students to The Elements and Principles that make up a work of art.

Grade 7 students used oil pastels to explore The Elements of Art, specifically, line, shape, value and texture with silver, gold, black and white oil pastels on a variety of colored papers. Students were encouraged to smear, blend and layer the materials to see the variety of effects they could produce with oil pastels and learn how to manage and manipulate this medium. Students created a variety of papers that would be used to make an Abstract Collage for the next step in their art exploration.

As a class we discussed "What is Abstract Art?" and generated ideas, questions and shared experiences about Abstract Art. Next, students used The Principles of Art (Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Proportion, Rhythm, Repetition, and Unity) to guide them as they cut up and assembled their unique papers to create an abstract collage.

Anders G., Grade 7

Victoria S., Grade 7

Alex H., Grade 7

Angela Z., Grade 7

Kayla O., Grade 7

George S., Grade 7

Elmina D., Grade 7

Kevin N., Grade 7

Surreal Landscapes and Watercolor Pencils

Grade 7 Studio Art students created surreal landscapes that transformed an object into something else and dislocated the object by placing it in an unusual surrounding. By using these two techniques, students created a dreamlike scene and experimented with Watercolor Pencils and the variety of marks and techniques they can employ with this new medium.