Sunday, March 13, 2011

Color Pencil Skull Drawing


Assignment:
Color pencil skull drawing  

Objectives:
The student will use observational skills to draw a skull/skulls using color pencils. The student will apply color theory concepts and are highly encouraged to experiment with different types of lines. The student will demonstrate principles (unity, harmony, variety, contrast, proportion, and balance) and elements (line, texture, color, form, shape, and value) of art. 

Supplies:
Black paper, Prismacolor pencil, 2 real skulls from the Science department.  

Vocabulary:
observation, arrangement, balance, color, form, proportion, line, 

The Process
Step 1
The skulls will be set up on the table the student will choose the angle they wish to draw. The student will use a white pencil to create the initial line drawing. 

Step 2
After the student has made the  initial drawing they will choose what types of line and color combination they wish to add. Again, they are encouraged to experiment using lines and color combinations. 


Example

Farida's
Merna's
Amina's
Jomana's
Nouca's
Post project essential questions:
What was successful about your project?
What part of the project did you find challenging?
What do skulls and/or skeletons symbolize in the Egyptian society?
Did you feel uneasy sitting at a table with a real skull?

Please answer and e-mail your responses to:bmedina@schutzschool.org.eg


Thursday, March 3, 2011

Skeleton Ink Drawing



Assignment:
Draw a section of a skeleton and render it with brush and ink.  

Objectives:
The student will use observational skills to draw a section of the skeleton model. They are to think in the terms of shape and form. The student will use a water base marker to outline then apply a wet brush to render the bones.
The student will demonstrate principles (unity, contrast, proportion, and balance) and elements (line, form, shape, and value) of art. 

Supplies:
Paper, eraser, pencil, skeleton model, water base marker, brush, water 

Vocabulary:
observation, arrangement, balance, color, form, proportion, line, rendering (shading), value (light-medium-dark) 

The Process
Step 1
The skeleton model will be set up on the table in a certain position. The student will choose the section they wish to draw. The student will use a pencil to create the initial line drawing. 

Step 2
The student will use the water based marker to outline the bones. 

Step 3
The final step will be to use a brush and water to dilute the inked lines for shading. NOTE: The more water applied and thiner the line the lighter the value. The less water applied and thicker the line the darker the value. 

Making the initial drawing

Step 2 and 3-adding the lines and rendering with brush and water. I encourage my students to work in sections as not to smear the lines form the marker. 
When I presented the project many felt overwhelmed by the task, but as you can see they are doing just fine.

Farida's ready to add some more lines.Working on a project upside down proved to be an abstract concept for a couple of students.  
Jomana drawing some large ribs.


Example
Nouca's
Amina's
Farida's
Post project essential questions:
What was successful about your project?

What areas of your project could you improve in?
Did you find it difficult controlling the the amount of water applied to the marker lines
What does a skeleton mean to you?

Please answer and e-mail your responses to:bmedina@schutzschool.org.eg

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Intro to Photography

Assignment:
Photo session at Montazah Palace in Alexandria, Egypt.  

Objectives:
The student will use a digital camera and apply the rule of thirds to take photographs of the following subject matter: People, Objects, and Nature. The student will demonstrate principles (emphasis, unity, harmony, rhythm, variety, contrast, proportion, and balance) and elements (line, texture, color, shape, and value) of art. 

Supplies:
Digital Camera, subject matter  

Vocabulary:
Rule of thirds, grid, exposure, contrast, depth of field, cropping, DPI, image resolution, pixel, saturation  

The Process
Step 1
Discuss the 
compositional rule of thirds
"The rule states that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would."

Rule of Thirds
Show students a slideshow of various photographs. 

Step 2
Take photos. 

The results:

Arpita no.1
Arpita no. 2
Merna no. 1
Merna no. 2
Nourhan no. 1
Ahmed no. 1
Nourhan no. 2
Ahmed no. 2
Sandrine no. 1
Sandrine no. 2
Jomana no. 1
Jomana no. 2
Post project essential questions:
What was successful with your session?
What part of the project did you find challenging?
What subject matter did you find most interesting?
Do you plan on using any photo manipulation software (photoshop) to alter your images?

Please answer and e-mail your responses to:
bmedina@schutzschool.org.eg

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Apple Painting with Tempera Paints


Assignment:
You will be making two enlarged detailed drawings of popcorn.  

Objectives:
The student will use observational skills and learn to render objects with tempera paints. The student will learn to mix certain combinations of colors to make brown, darker values, and lighter values of colors.
The student will demonstrate principles (unity, harmony, variety, contrast, proportion, and balance) and elements (line, texture, color, form, shape, and value) of art. 

Supplies:
Paper, eraser, pencil, apples (green and red), tempera paints, pallet, brushes, water 

Vocabulary:
observation, arrangement, balance, color, form, proportion, line, rendering (shading), value (light-medium-dark), cast shadow, highlights, mid-tones, tints, shades, mixing 

The Process
Step 1
Take one or two apples and cut them into quarter, half, and three-quarter wedges. Arrange the cut apple pieces along with a whole apple and knife on the table. The student will use a pencil to sketch the arrangement.
Step 2
After the student has drawn the initial arrangement they will pour red, yellow, orange, blue, green, and white on to a pallet. The student will paint the background and the cast shadows first. 

a. The background will be a mixture of white/orange/blue and the cast shadows will have more blue added. 
b. The inside of the apple will be a mixture of white/yellow/blue/orange. 
c. The skin of the apple will be a mixture of red/orange/yellow/green. 
d. The blade of the knife will be a mixture of white/blue.
e. The handle of the knife will be a mixture of red/yellow/blue to make brown.   

Examples form the Internet:

Example 1


Example 2


Example 3
Student Work: 


Merna
Farida


Ahmed
Amina
Post project essential questions:

What was successful about your project?
What areas of your project could you improve in?
Did you find it difficult to mix colors together to make brown or gray without using a pre-mixed brown or black?
Between classes what eventually became of the apple physically?

Please answer and e-mail your responses to:bmedina@schutzschool.org.eg


Friday, January 21, 2011

Color Ink Still Life Drawing

Assignment
Still life ink drawing

Objective
The students will use brush and ink to make a still life drawing of consumables. The student will demonstrate principles (unity, harmony, variety, contrast, and balance) and elements (line, form, shape, and value) of art. This project is also intended to raise awareness about packaged and manufactured food products that are consumed on a daily basis in contrast to fruits and vegtables.

Vocabulary
Still life, arrangement, contour line, consumables, packaging, value (light-medium-dark), tints, shades, cast shadow, contrast, form, and overlapping.

Supplies
Pencil, Paper, Brush, Ink, Water, Junk Food Packaging, Fruits and Vegtables

The Process

Step 1
Find discarded packages of consumed junk food around campus (or fresh produce). The empty packaging (or fresh produce) will serve as the subject matter for the student's composition. The objects will be alligned along on the table in a random order. The student will use observational skills along with pencil and paper to sketch out the still life.

Step 2
Once the still life has been drawn, the student will then use ink to add line, color, and shading (tint and values) to the objects on the paper.



Noureen
Merna
Jomana
Amina
Ahmed


Post project essential questions:
What was successful about your project?
What were some of the challenges you had rendering/shading with ink compared with pencil, charcoal, or paint?
Do you see packaging design as a form of art, why or why not?
What do you think about the waste generated by packaging?

Please answer and e-mail your responses to:bmedina@schutzschool.org.eg

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Ceramic Clay Box

Assignment

Slab construction clay box with unique opening.


Objective
Students will learn and demonstrate hand-building and slab construction techniques making a box using earthenware clay. The students will demonstrate the Principles of Art (Proportion and Balance) and the Elements of Art (Form, Shape, Color, and Space).
Vocabulary
Ceramics, Clay, Earthenware, Hand Building, Wedging, Slab, Coil, Wet Stage, Greenware Stage, Bisque Stage, Glazing, Firing, Kiln, Kiln Elements,


Supplies
Earthenware Clay, Clay tools, Water, Kiln, Glaze, Pencil, Paper,


The Process


Step 1
The student will use paper and pencil to create a concept (shape, opening, color, decorations) of a box. Once the design is approved the student will be given a chunk of clay. The clay must be wedged for a couple of minutes to eliminate air pockets.


Step 2
The student will place the wedged clay between two long 1/4 inch thick sticks and use a PVC pipe to roll out the clay into a slab. The sticks will provide an even thickness. A fettling knife will be used to cut out the shape of the base.


Step 3
Once the shape of the base is established, additional slabs will be rolled out to make the walls of the box. The student will connect the walls/slabs together by scoring the clay with a fork. Scoring creates texture and along with water will adhere two pieces of clay together. A thin coil will be rolled out and place along the joining walls/slabs for structural reinforcement.


Step 4
When all the walls are connected to the base, the final slab (top) is rolled out. To prevent the top slab from sinking-in,  the box will be tightly stuff with newspaper prior to the top being scored and attached. Any additional pieces of clay can be attached at this time i.e. handles, decorations, etc. The box will rest for a few days until the clay enters into the greenware stage of drying.


Step 5
As the clay box is entering the greenware stage the student will use the fettling knife to create the opening. The newspaper inside the box will be removed. At this time a gouge can be used for making lines or shapes. The student will use their fingers and water to smooth out any edges or lines. The project will rest until it is bone dry and ready to be placed into the kiln.


Step 6
When the project is bone dry (1-2 weeks) it will be placed into the kiln and fired at a Cone 6/approx 900 degrees Celsius. When it comes out of the kiln (24 hours later) the clay has transformed into bisque ware and is ready to glaze.

Step 7
The final stage is glazing the bisque ware box. 2-3 coats of glaze will be applied using a brush. The student will choose their own colors. The glazed box will be fired a final time in the kiln truing the glaze into a shiny glass-like coat of color.

Amina smoothing out her Fez/Tarboosh box with a wooden rib

Nabil joining the third wall.

Wet stage boxes on the path to greenware

Smoothing out the edges

Glazed cake box

Cake box in sections

Present box

Puzzle Box


Fez/Tarboosh box with Arabic Calligraphy

Snowman cookie jar-approx. 20"



Post project essential questions:
What was successful about your project?
What challenges did you face in constructing your clay box?
Did you feel like you had to use a different way of approaching 3D Art compared with 2D Art?
Was your glazing what you expected?

Please answer and e-mail your responses to:bmedina@schutzschool.org.eg