Artwork in Response to Hurricane Sandy

It has been a difficult few weeks at Nest+m with the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy that hit the region on October 29^th, 2012. We missed a week of school because of the storm and students returned on Monday, November 5^th, to have no heat in the building, cold temps and a mid-week, post election day snowstorm that wreaked more havoc in the New York area. Dressed warmly, we made some art upon our return and students created artwork in response to an experience they had with Mother Nature. Despite the storms impact, students were resilient and demonstrated strength and curiosity in Studio Art class that stimulated students to use the recent current events as a theme in their artwork. This was a great art exercise in that let students communicate through their art about a difficult experience. Students were encouraged to explore their personal expression and draw upon prior knowledge to make an artwork in any style they choose. Drawing materials, collage materials, newspapers, oil pastels, and charcoals were reviewed and students created a 2-D artwork that could be Abstract, Representational or Realistic. Here are some of the artworks from Grade 6 students created last week in class in response to Hurricane Sandy.

Notan

Here is a great instructional video on the subject of Notan Art and how to create an artwork using this technique. Click here to check it out.

The Principle of BALANCE

What is Visual Balance? This is what Grade 6 students are exploring this week as they create  Abstract collages that explore Positive and Negative Space.

Grade 6: Space and Shape in Your Composition

During the first two weeks of October students reviewed The Element of Space in a work of art for their upcoming collage project.  We defined and examined positive and negative space and looked at a variety of 2-D examples. Additionally, we discussed The Principle of Balance in a work of art. Below are some of the notes from class.

Visual Illusion known as "Rubin's Vase"

Grade 7: Portraits and Proportion

Grade 7 students learned about the principle of Proportion in portraiture and how Proportion describes the size, location or amount of one element to another (or to the whole) in a work.  
 
"Proportion in art is the comparative harmonious relationship between two or more elements in a composition with respect to size, color, quantity, degree, setting, etc.; i.e. ratio. A relationship is created when two or more elements are put together." 

Students observed several demonstrations on how to measure and place the features in the correct spot on the face and practiced drawing Proportion guidelines to obtain accurate relationships in size and placement with the features. Additionally, we viewed several videos on how to draw the nose, basic proportions of the face and how to use charcoal to create a variety of values and textures to make the face look 3-dimensional on a flat piece of paper. -->

Pivotal questions we will explore in class include:

What is a portrait?

Why do artists paint portraits?

What are the guidelines and measurements to achieve proportion when drawing the face and its features?

How can you create depth with value in your portrait?

Where are the significant highlights and shadows in the face?

What details and Elements of Art can you incorporate to make your work
more realistic?

What are different approaches and styles in portraits and self-portraits
throughout history?

 

About Drawing Pencils

Grade 6: Experimenting with Line

In September, grade 6 students  reviewed The Elements of Art and focused on the Element of Line and all its possibilities. Students learned about the properties of their graphite/drawing pencils, as well as learned about blending stumps and erasers to create Value and Texture in their drawings. Students created Nonobjective Line drawings that explored Line and how to create an interesting composition with Repetition that incorporated Value, Texture, Space and Shape. Below are examples of student work completed on 12 x 12 inch drawing paper with  graphite pencils.