New Photos

Be sure to check out the photos to the right. Session 2 6th grade 1/2 portraits and 8th Grade mixed media compositions were just updated.

8th Grade Mixed media

The 8th grade class is working on altered books for their second mixed media assignment. We looked at the work of Brian Dettmer and a number of other book artists. Students were each given a discarded hardcover book. They have developed plans for how to use that book as the basis for a sculpture. The results of our first project were excellent, and I'm looking forward to seeing the finished altered books!

6th grade

Sixth grade visual arts students have been learning about shading, value, and proportion as they complete self-portrait drawings. These drawings will form the centerpiece of a self-portrait box composition. The finished composition will include a collage of many different personal symbols along with the self-portrait drawing. We will study the work of Joseph Cornell as we begin the collage portion of this assignment.
Students should begin to gather and bring in images and small objects to include in their collages.

2008 Fall Fling Auction Artwork

ACMS students created a group of paintings to be auctioned in the Fall Fling fundraiser. The artwork for this year was an abstract painting based upon students ideas about the significance of the Olympics. Students represented their ideas about the Olympics through painted words and symbolic images.

6th Grade Visual Arts

The sixth grade visual arts classes have started their life drawing unit. They have experimented with the different grades of drawing pencils. Students should know the difference between a B and a H pencil. Students also practiced four different types of shading, as well as gaining a better understanding of the importance of value and proportion.
Today, the sixth graders are beginning their first drawing project. They are creating a self-portrait drawing using a half of a photograph as a reference for proportion and value.

8th Grade Mixed Media

The 8th grade mixed media class has been exploring new approaches to creating landscapes and portraits.  We have discussed the artwork of Anselm Kiefer and Zac Freeman as examples of artists who have used nontraditional means to create these traditional art forms.

Students developed a plan to tell how they would use at least two different media to create either a landscape or portrait.  The media choices were open to almost anything from dirt, to acrylic paint.  Students also had the opportunity to look at digital photos of their own works of art from 6th grade to the present as a possible source of inspiration and reminder of past experiences.

By the end of last week, all students were diligently executing their plans.  It will be exciting to see what comes out of this first assignment!

This week, we will have our first in-process critique with this artwork.

Sketchbook due dates

All visual art students now have their sketchbooks.  Each student is to complete a minimum of two full-page sketches per week.  All students were given a sketchbook assignment sheet to tape inside of the front cover of the book for more detailed instructions.

The first sketchbook checks for the second term will be-

6A  Monday, 12/1

6B  Tuesday, 12/2

8th Grade  Thursday, 12/4

 All students should have a minimum of four pages completed by the first sketchbook check.  This should include at least two life drawings.  Students are expected to bring these books to class everyday as we also use them for journals, planning, and classwork.

Final Sketchbook Check Dates

The final sketchbook checks for the first term are approaching.
6th grade will be collected on Tuesday, October 28th.
7th grade will be collected on Thursday, October 30th.

All students should have at least 24 complete drawings including a minimum of 10 clearly marked life drawings.

New Artwork and Arts Night

Be sure to check out the new artwork posted to the right. There are examples of the 7th grade surreal mixed-media compositions, as well as self-portrait boxes by the 6th grade.

Don't forget that Arts Night is coming up on November 5th! This show will include artwork from every first term visual arts student. Please contact me if you have questions or would like to help.

2-D 7th Grade

Students in the 7th grade 2-D course recently completed their surreal compositions. They studied the history of Surrealism and used a mixed media approach to create a surreal composition. They combined collage and painting for this composition.

We have started their final unit, which is printmaking. The first type of print that they created was a stencil. Some of these stencils will also be incorporated into the artwork for the Fall Fling auction. Students will look at the artwork of Kathe Kollwitz and Barbara Kruger. Through an examination of the big ideas used by these two artists, they will begin to look at the ways that printmaking can be used as one of the most efficient art media for sending a message to many people. Students will develop their own messages and create a linoleum block print.

6th grade

6th Grade Visual Arts

The 6th grade visual arts students have been working on the final portion of their life-drawing unit. They have learned to identify and use linear and atmospheric perspective. Students had the opportunity to work outside for several days so that they could demonstrate their knowledge of perspective through a landscape composition.

The final unit of the 6th grade visual arts course will focus on the ways that artists convey mood. Students will look at the ways that artists manipulate the elements of design to create a specific mood. They will also be creating some mood characters of their own and making a three-dimensional mask of one of those characters.

6th grade

This Week, the sixth grade visual arts classes started the final part of their life drawing unit. They are studying perspective. Students looked at photographs, paintings, and drawings to identify the ways that artists create a sense of space on a two-dimensional surface. They learned to identify examples of linear and atmospheric perspective, as well as finding vanishing points and horizon lines.
Our first perspective project is an exercise where students will create a word or name in three point perspective. After that, they will use their knowledge of perspective and life drawing to create landscape drawings from around the school.

2D class

The 7th grade visual arts class recently finished their abstract paintings. Now, we are working on some compositions inspired by the art and ideas of surrealism. The students started with some research and discussion on surrealist art. We looked at lots of examples and identified some common characteristics of this style of art.
This will be our final painting project before we move on to printmaking. The surrealist composition poses the additional challenge of creating a mixed media piece. Students will combine collage and painting for this assignment.
Our display cases are filling up with work from all of the visual arts classes. If you haven’t had a chance to stop by lately, I hope you will come check it out. Don’t forget our big art show at Arts Night on Wednesday, November 5th.

6th grade

Sixth grade art students learned about the life and artwork of Joseph Cornell, this week as they began to work on the collage portion of the self-portrait boxes. Students should continue to gather images and small three-dimensional items to include in the box.
The next 6th grade sketchbook check is Monday, September 29th. Students should have at least 14 complete sketches at that time.

6th Grade assignment

Sixth graders are finishing their self-portraits. The next step in their self-portrait box project will involve creating a collage of different images and small items to tell about themselves. This collage will serve as the background for the portrait. Sixth grade visual arts students should begin to bring in items and images to use in this collage. These can be photographs, small toys, magazine clippings, etc.

7th Grade 2D

7th Grade Visual Arts

The 7th grade visual arts class recently finished their monochromatic self-portraits. They learned to use a grid as a drawing tool, as well as learning to stretch one color of acrylic paint to its limits through the use of many tints and shades.
This week, we started work on the second painting project, an abstract painting. Students began in groups. Each group had magazine articles and photographs of work by Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, or several op art artists. The group had to work together to research their artist and present their findings to the rest of the class. Next, they will draw four sketches of ideas for abstract paintings. They will choose one of these ideas to turn into a painting. This painting will allow them to work with a variety of colors and designs in a way that the monochromatic portraits did not.
The next 7th grade sketchbook check date will be September 22. All students should have a minimum of twelve complete sketches by that time.

6th Grade Visual Arts 09-02-08

Sixth Grade visual arts students recently completed a half-portrait drawing assignment. The students used half of a self-portrait photograph in order to determine the correct values and proportions to draw the other half of the portrait.

At the end of last week, we had an in-process critique on these drawings. Each student had the opportunity to both give, and receive feedback. After the critique, students had a chance to make revisions to their drawings.

This week, students will learn a couple of different methods for creating a self-portrait drawing. They will choose one of these methods to create the portrait for a self-portrait box. This assignment will combine their life drawing skills with an exploration of symbolism and collage. We will also look at the work of Joseph Cornell for inspiration.

**Sixth graders will have their first sketchbook check next week. 6A will turn in their books on Monday, 9/8. 6B will turn theirs in on Tuesday, 9/9. All students should have at least eight complete drawings by next week.

7th Grade Begins Monochromatic S-P Painting

The 7th grade 2-D class learned about the art and methods of Chuck Close. One of Close's most prominent techniques is the use of a grid to create large scale portraits. This served as an introduction to the students using a grid to draw their own self-portraits from a photograph. We went from there to talking about value and working with a monochromatic (one color) palette.
Each student chose one color with which to create a wheel of tints (color+white) and shades (color+black). They will continue to work with this color of acrylic paint in addition to black and white as they paint over their self-portrait drawings to create a monochromatic self-portrait painting.

The first sketchbook due date for this class will be Tuesday, September 2nd. Students will turn in their sketchbooks for feedback on this day. They should have a minimum of 6 complete drawings by that time.

Below are the criteria upon which the sketchbook will be graded for this check:


Does the student have at least 6 complete full-page drawings? 3 2 1

3 = You have at least 6 full-page drawings. These drawings demonstrate a skill level equal to, or greater than what you have shown in class.

2 = You have 6 drawings, but a few drawings are incomplete or do not show your best effort.

1 = You have less than 6 complete drawings, and/or you have many drawings that do not show your best work.

Are there at least 3 clearly marked life drawings? 3 2 1

3 = You have at least 3 clearly marked life drawings. These drawings include shading and show evidence that you have used drawing concepts from class.

2 =You have at least 2 clearly marked life drawings. These drawings include shading and show evidence that you have used drawing concepts from class.

1 = You have fewer than 2 clearly marked life drawings, and/or the drawings do not show your best effort.


Do the drawings demonstrate use and understanding of the concepts taught in this course? This includes both themes and drawing techniques. 3 2 1

3 = All of the drawings in your sketchbook demonstrate use and understanding of the concepts taught in this course.

2 = Most of the drawings in your sketchbook demonstrate use and understanding of the concepts taught in this course.

1 = Very few or none of the drawings in your sketchbook demonstrate use and understanding of the concepts taught in this course.


Final Score= ________ X 12=____________
Total Points Final Score

6th Grade Begins Life Drawing Unit

The sixth grade visual arts classes have started their life drawing unit. They have experimented with the different grades of drawing pencils. They should know the difference between a B and a H pencil. Students also practiced four different types of shading, as well as gaining a better understanding of the importance of value and proportion.
Our first drawing project is almost finished. Students have completed a self-portrait drawing using a half of a photograph as a reference for proportion and value.
Tomorrow 6th graders will have an introduction to the critique and reflection process that will become a regular part of our working process. Our first critique will be a practice run using photos of work by students who are not in the class. Then, we will move on to use the student's self-portrait drawings for the next critique.

08-09 Yearbook Staff Application

Below is a copy of the application to be a member of the ACMS yearbook staff. This is open to all 7th and 8th grade students. We will have an informational meeting this Wednesday at 1:20. Students who wish to be on this year's staff must submit completed applications by Monday, August 25th. The completed application will also include two teacher referrals. The forms for these referrals will be given to interested students on Wednesday.

Student Application for The Eye 2008-09,
The ACMS Yearbook

This completed application must be returned to Mr. Edmison by Monday, August 25th

First and Last Name:

Advisor:

Class:



All yearbook staff members must be committed to being a part of all facets of the yearbook production process. This will involve fundraising, writing, photography, page layout, advertising, and sales. Yearbook staff members must be available to meet every Wednesday at 1:20 for the first two terms, as well as 8AM morning meetings to be held on Tuesday and Thursday as needed.


I understand and agree to the requirements for the ACMS yearbook staff.


__________________________________________ _____________________
Student Signature Date



The second part of your application consists of a 100-word essay. This essay may be typed or hand written. It should be your own work and exemplify your best writing skills.
Your essay should address the following questions.

Why do you want to be on the yearbook staff?

Understanding that you will be expected to help with all aspects of yearbook production, which aspect is most interesting to you?

What past experiences have you had that would make you a valuable member of our yearbook staff? (i.e. fundraising, publications, computer proficiency, writing, etc.)

Sketchbook Guidelines

Every student in visual arts class received his or her sketchbook as of last Friday. This is a required component of the course. Below is a copy of the sketchbook assignment guidelines that we went over in class.

Sketchbook Guidelines

All Art students are required to complete at least two full-page sketches per week.
You should have at least twenty-four sketches by the end of the session.

At least ten of these sketches should be from life. Life drawings are drawn from what the artist sees. They may be portraits, landscapes, animals, or still-lives. They should always be drawn while looking at something from real life. You may also use photographs as models for your life drawings.

The rest of your drawings may include abstracts, cartoons, master copies and other subjects that do not involve the direct observation of subjects from life.

Required Life Drawings

-A page of drawings of your hand
-At least 3 full page portraits (These may be of yourself, another person, or an animal.)
-2 still-life drawings

The subjects for the remaining four life drawings are up to you, but remember that they must be from observation.

2007 and 2008 ACMS yearbooks are still available!

Just in case you missed it-
We still have a limited number of copies of both the 2007 and 2008 ACMS yearbooks.
Please see Mr. Edmison if you would like to purchase a copy of either of these books at a discounted rate.

2007 yearbooks are $4.00.

2008 yearbooks are $25.00.

Get them while they last! All proceeds will go to help pay for the production of the 2009 yearbook.

* A hard copy of this letter was sent home with students on 8/11.

ACMS
Visual Arts
Jacob Edmison, Instructor
jedmison@atlantachartermiddle.com
(678) 904-0051


August 11, 2008

Dear ACMS Parents,

I am excited to be here for my third year as the ACMS Visual Arts Instructor! We will begin two different art courses this week. The sixth grade visual arts course will provide students with a chance to explore many facets of the art world. The first session of seventh grade art will focus on two-dimensional art and design.
One important element of our art program is the student sketchbook. This sketchbook will be an artifact, which the students will be able to use to reflect upon their artistic journeys. It will provide them with a tangible and readily accessible record of their growth. The sketchbook will also travel between home and school, allowing parents a chance to witness their child’s artistic development. We will discuss a variety of ways for students to use their sketchbooks including sketching, planning, and journaling. Students will be required to complete at least two full-page drawings per week. At least ten of these will be drawings from life. It is my hope that this will become a habit for my students long after their twelve-week session has ended.
We have arranged to purchase these sketchbooks for $8.00 each. This year, we will also offer a thinner version of this sketchbook for $6.00. The larger sketchbook has 110 pages, while the smaller has 80. Both books have high quality drawing paper and a hard cover. The sketchbook is the only required supply for this course aside from a pencil. All visual arts students should bring either six or eight dollars to purchase their sketchbooks by Friday, August 15, 2008.
I will occasionally need parent volunteers to help with special events such as art shows, field trips, and projects. If you would like for me to contact you when these needs arise, please email me at jedmison@atlantachartermiddle.com with your name and contact information.
I would like to take this occasion to thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with your children. It’s going to be a great year!


Sincerely,


Jacob Edmison,
ACMS Visual Arts Teacher

Buy a Yearbook

Don't forget to buy your yearbook. The yearbook can be ordered from Mrs. Larson, in the front office, for $25.
This year's yearbook will be hard cover, full color, and approximately 68 pages, so get yours today!

6th Grade Art

The sixth grade art class has started their drawing unit. They have learned about different types of shading as well as the importance of proportion and value. These students have also experimented with a variety of different types of drawing pencils and learned the differences between these pencils.
We are currently working with three different methods for creating a black and white self-portrait drawing: using half of a symmetrical photograph, using proportion guidelines and observation from a mirror, and using a grid. Soon, the students will choose one of these methods to use to create the self-portrait that will become the centerpiece of their self-portrait box. These boxes will also incorporate painting and collage.

Sculpture Class

The 7/8th grade sculpture classes have begun their exploration of three-dimensional art making with several projects using found object assemblage. Their first project was an assemblage symbolic self-portrait. Students used a wide variety of materials for some very unique and meaningful creations. Many of these sculptures are on display in the newly renovated display cabinet across from the art room.
Their second assemblage project incorporates movement. We examined a variety of examples of kinetic sculpture and discussed different ways to create movement in a sculpture. Students are still working on their kinetic sculptures. Some use natural forces such as wind and gravity to incorporate movement, while others incorporate electrical motors from record players, filmstrip projectors, and other sources.
Our third project will use found object assemblage to create an armature for a sculpture. We should be ready to begin this project sometime in the next week. We will examine a variety of examples of papier-mache creatures, including some large scale puppets. Students will use papier-mache to cover this armature.

Arts Night 2

Our second Arts Night celebration of the year will take place on the evening of February 21st. It will include artwork from all of the second session visual arts students.

If you are interested in helping with preparation and set-up for this show, please contact Mr. Edmison.

6th Grade Art

The sixth grade art class just finished posters for two different contests. ACMS will have a couple of entries for the River of Words contest. We will also have one school winner go on to the county level for the GTIPI Safety Belt poster contest.

Sixth grade has started a new unit on mood. This unit will include a 3-D mask project, as well as some 2-D work to explore different ways to express a mood through visual art.

Yearbook Ad Deadline Extended

The deadline for both personal and business ads in the ACMS yearbook has been extended to February 15th. This is the latest we will be able to accept ads in order to meet our deadline with the publisher. Please see this week's courier for order forms.
This is a great opportunity to add your own personal touch to the yearbook, while helping us create the best yearbook possible!

Final Sketchbook Check

Sketchbooks for the Mixed Media and 6th Grade classes will be turned in on February 13th for the final sketchbook check. Students should have a minimum of 24 complete drawings at that time. At least 10 of those drawings should be from life.

6th Grade Art

The sixth grade visual arts class is working on a self-portrait box. We are studying the art of Joseph Cornell in conjunction with this assignment. The students drew a black and white self-portrait using either a grid, half-portrait, or observation from a mirror. Now, they are creating a box which will act as a frame and background for the portrait. This box will be covered with a collage of images and small objects that tell about the personality of the student.
Students should begin to bring in small three-dimensional objects like toy cars, action figures, artificial flowers, or any other small object that can be attached with hot glue.

Yearbook class deadlines

We made our first big deadline! Half of the yearbook was submitted to the publisher on January 14th!
Here are some upcoming deadlines for yearbook students:

January 25th - next photo/article layout assignment due

February 8th - final photo/article assignment due

Mixed Media - What's The Big Idea?

The 7th and 8th grade mixed media class has explored the concept of a big idea in the work of several artists including: Deborah Butterfield, Anselm Kiefer, Banksky, and Zac Freeman. They are currently working on developing their own individual big ideas, and planning several works of art to explore these ideas.
Below is an outline of the process that these students are going through.

So . . . What’s The Big Idea?

A big idea is a recurring subject or idea that runs throughout much of an artist’s work.
An artist’s big idea guides him or her through the artistic process and helps give meaning to the artist’s body of work.
You are going to develop your own big idea through your next three pieces of artwork. Your first step will be to decide on your idea. There are many ways to approach this. It should be something that interests you enough to want to explore and develop this idea over the next several weeks. You may even decide to continue to work with this idea after you have finished the three required pieces for this series. Your idea could be an animal, type of artwork (i.e. portrait, landscape, fashion, graffiti, etc.), a story, a current or historical event, or an environmental issue.
In order to begin the process of creating a big idea, begin by listing at least 5 possible ideas that you might want to explore. Then, in the next column, list brief descriptions for artwork that you might create to explore each idea.

Ideas /Artwork to explore this idea

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project #1
1) Write a detailed description of your art project. What will your composition include? What style will you use? What techniques do you plan to utilize (i.e. monochromatic painting, printmaking, abstract painting, papier-mâché, collage, assemblage, etc.)?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
2) What is your intended meaning for this work of art? How does this piece help develop and explore your big idea? Is it an illustration, social commentary, a historical piece, or none of these? If it is none of these, then, what is it?
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
3) List all materials that you will need to complete this assignment. Think about this carefully. If you do not list it, don’t expect it to be available.
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
Create a schedule for completing this work of art. What will you need to accomplish each day?
You are creating a series. All of your pieces may not require the same amount of time. It is possible that some may only take three days to complete, while others may take eight.

Day 1
______________________________________________
Day 2
______________________________________________
Day 3
______________________________________________
Day 4
______________________________________________
Day 5
______________________________________________
Day 6
______________________________________________
Day 7
______________________________________________
Day 8
______________________________________________

Yearbook PDA ads deadline 2/4/08

January 14, 2008

Dear ACMS Parents:

Support our school and recognize your student—post a Personal Display of Affection (PDA) ad in the ACMS yearbook!

The yearbook is one of our favorite school traditions. Students anticipate reliving the school year through photos, student portraits and event highlights. Soon your child will be bursting with excitement to review the yearbook. Imagine the surprise when your child finds a personal message from you!

To order a PDA for your student, please return the enclosed PDA Order Form, along with a favorite photo of your student. Please identify the photo (to avoid damaging the photo, write the name on a sticker and place it on the back of the photo rather than writing on the photo). Provide a personal message to be printed next to the photo. PDA submissions must be received by February 4, 2008. If you have any questions, please contact Jacob Edmison, yearbook adviser, at (678) 904-0051.

Thank you for supporting our school!

Sincerely,
Jacob Edmison

Yearbook PDA Order Form

Yes, I want to post a PDA for ________________________in the yearbook!
(print student name)

Ad Size
(check one) Price Maximum number of words in message

 1/8 page ad $30.00 15 words + 1 photo (business card size)
 1/4 page ad $50.00 30 words+1 photo
 1/2 page ad $100.00 50 words+2 photos
 Full page ad $200.00 100 words+3 photos

Enclosed is a check* for $
Signature:

* Make checks payable to Atlanta Charter Middle School

Please send this order form, along with a photo, to the following address:
Atlanta Charter Middle School
820 Essie Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30316

Or return to Jacob Edmison at ACMS.