Impressionism, Monet and Sunsets

Before students start their unique, final landscape paintings, they worked with the tempera paints and brushes to master their brush strokes. In a structured mini-lesson, students experimented with techniques used by the French Impressionists, which I demonstrated in class and they recreated a "Monet Sunset". This mini-lesson let students focus on technique, rather than the subject, which built up their confidence and reinforced the techniques demonstrated in class. We spent about 2-3 classes @ 45 minutes to complete this exercise. Students also learned about Pointillism and the dots used to create an image that is blended together by the viewers eye. 

Below are pictures of Grade 6 students at work and enjoying the process. Many students had never painted in this style before nor really had a full understanding of Impressionism and how to create depth in an artwork and go about their painting. Many lessons have been learned!

Linear Perpsective and American Painters

Grade 7 students studied Linear Perspective drawing techniques to further their knowledge and understanding on how to create depth in their artwork, especially with geometric forms found in a cityscape. We examined the artworks of American painters Edward Hopper, Childe Hassam and Georgia O'Keeffe (yes, she did paint some cityscapes) and compared and contrasted their different styles and themes in their paintings. Additionally, we studied important terms and concepts that are essential to drawing perspective.

Important Terms and Concepts

– Picture Plane

– Viewfinder

– Linear Perspective
  One, Two and Three-Point Perspective

– Depth

– Horizon Line

– Vanishing Point

– Construction Lines (aka Orthogonal Lines)

 

Save The Date! The 2013 Spring Middle School Art and Music Festival

Food Paintings by Grade 6 Artists

Grade 6 students completed their food paintings that utilized Tempera Paints on canvas panels. Students did an amazing job painting and arranging their compositions, which demonstrated their understanding of creating a 3-D form on a 2-D surface. Students learned technical painting skills and color mixing techniques to make tints and shades, as well as how to analyze a work of art and create the illusion of depth in their painting. Check out some of the stellar artwork coming out of grade 6 this year... warning, looking at these paintings may make you hungry!
Click on photos for gallery view. Enjoy!

Burritos by Jason M., Grade 6

Half-n-Apple by Michael P., Grade 6

Untitled by Victoria G., Grade 6

Meat by Horace F., Grade 6

The Fine Fruit by Mai-Linh T., Grade 6

A Picnic With Watermelon by Alexandre K. Grade 6

Milks Favorite Cookie by Christina D., Grade 6

The Popsicle by Casey G., Grade 6

Salmon Sushi by Eika O., Grade 6

Now Are You Hungry? by Ben S., Grade 6

A Good English Snack by Yoshiya O., Grade 6

Dipped by Lili B., Grade 6

3mix Cake by Ayane N., Grade 6

The Leaning Tower of Pancakes by Emily L., Grade 6

120 Calories Worth by Robert C., Grade 6

The Slice by Eloise E., Grade 6

Single Seed by Madison A., Grade 6

Seeds by Mayu E., Grade 6

Untitled by Calev B., Grade 6

Dinner Was Served by Matthew R., Grade 6

Cheeze by Neils V., Grade 6

Compressed Breakfast by William D., Grade 6

Pi Apple Pie by Saahir G., Grade 6

Fluff by Melanie W., Grade 6

Steak Medium-Rare by Julia Z., Grade 6

Midday Snack by Rosale M., Grade 6

Four Reddish Raspberries by Io P., Grade 6

Videos for Perspective Drawing

I recently discovered the online videos of artist and art educator Robert Waldo Brunelle Jr, who is a former middle school art teacher that demonstrate perspective techniques step-by-step. Below is a great video with simple graphics and a chipper piano soundtrack on how to draw a city block in Two-Point Perspective.
This is a great video to draw along with, as you watch it and practice the technique.

Below are links to other videos from Brunelle that show you step-by-step ways to draw room interiors from basic layouts to intermediate designs.

How To Draw A Room Using One-Point Perspective

Variations On Drawing Different Kinds of Rooms In
One-Point Perspective
 

Grade 7 Students Learn About Linear Perspective

I love teaching this technical drawing skill that dates back to The Renaissance and the artist Filippo Brunelleschi who used Linear perspective in his drawings of buildings in Rome and Florence Italy during the 1400s.

Check out this brief video that tells about Brunelleschi and his experiment for drawing perspective.

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-history/art-history-1400-1500-renaissance-in-italy-and-the-north/florence-1/v/linear-perspective--brunelleschi-s-experiement

Before students learned about Linear Perspective and One, Two and Three-Point Perspective drawing techniques, students participated in an assessment drawing exercise where they had to respond to perspective questions/situations and use their prior knowledge.  The results of their drawings demonstrated their skill level and understanding of perspective. It also indicates to me, what students know and don't know so I can differentiate the lesson and bring everyone up to speed, yet challenge advanced students. Below is the assessment and I timed each slide (slides 1 thru 4 were 2-4 minutes pending difficulty and slide 5 was minutes) so students had to manage their time accordingly.

 

Mission Patch Art and Design Competition Winner

Congratulations to Grade 7 artist Alessandro Cartegni, who designed and won for best Best Design in the SSEP competition in the middle school.

Two mission patches designed by NEST+M students (one Lower School and one Middle School) will accompany our winning Flight Experiment Design into outer space. The Mission Patch designs will be sent back to NEST+M after returning from outer space, embossed with a certification stating that they flew in space.

Alessandro combined fine art talents and computer graphics to create his modern Patch Design, which stood out with bold shapes and bright, high contrasting colors.

Alessandro Cartegni, Grade 7