8th Grade

Students in the 8th grade mixed media class are working on the second piece in their big idea series. We've had a wide variety of ideas explored, and the students have really taken up the challenge to find multiple means of visually interpreting an idea.
Some of the finished pieces are already on display here, at ACMS.

Final Term 2 Sketchbook Check

Final sketchbook checks will begin next week. Students should have at least 24 pages of sketches, including at least 10 life drawings.

8th grade sketchbooks are due on Tuesday, 2/10.
6th grade sketchbooks are due on Thursday, 2/12.

6th grade

The sixth grade visual arts classes completed their drawing unit, this week. The final part of this unit was an exploration of linear and atmospheric perspective. Students created a watercolor painting of the hallway using what they learned about perspective.
Our final unit for this term will be on the ways that artists create visual representations of moods. We will look at the use of formal elements, as well as ways that those elements can combine to create a landscape or portrait reflecting a particular mood. Students will develop their own mood characters and create a three-dimensional mask from one of these characters.

6th Grade

This week, the sixth grade visual arts classes started the final part of their drawing unit. We have discussed examples of linear and atmospheric perspective. Students have learned to identify key characteristics of these two types of perspective, and have started two linear perspective drawing exercises. Earlier this week, they created a piece of word art using three-point linear perspective. Now, they are working on a drawing of an interior architectural scene using one point perspective.

6th Grade Visual Arts

The sixth grade visual arts classes are finishing their self-portrait boxes. Their portraits are hanging all around the art room.
Next, we will be moving on to an exploration of the techniques artists use to show perspective. We will discuss examples of artwork using linear and atmospheric perspective. Students will complete exercises with these techniques as we prepare for a life drawing using perspective. Whether the subject for this drawing ends up being indoors or out will be up to mother nature.

8th Grade Mixed Media

The mixed media class is finishing their altered books, as they begin to learn about big ideas. A big idea is a subject or idea that recurs throughout many pieces of an artist's work. We have had class discussions on big ideas found in the work of Deborah Butterfield, Banksky, Zac Freeman, Kathe Kollwitz, Pablo Picasso, Louise Nevelson, Bev Doolittle, Andy Goldsworthy, Chuck Close, Ando Hiroshige, M.C. Escher, as well as some examples from my own portfolio.
Through the next several weeks, students will go through the process of developing a big idea, planning a series of at least three works of art using this idea, and creating this series of artwork.

Upcoming Sketchbook Checks

I will collect sketchbooks on the following dates:
8th grade - Monday, 1/12
6A - Tuesday, 1/13
6B - Thursday, 1/15

Students should have a minimum of sixteen pages of sketches for this sketchbook check. These drawings should include at least seven clearly labeled life drawings.