Originally, I planned on being able to have one last project in art 1, spending a day or two reviewing for final exams, and then having a written test.  Not exciting, but it is what it is.  Then STAAR happened.  I didn’t really take into account that state testing would take kids out of my room for 3 days (and me for one to administer), thus having me lose almost a whole week and pushing back my plans.  There wasn’t really much I could do that could be done in less than 2 weeks that was meaningful.  And, I couldn’t just let them do nothing for 2 weeks.  Plus, I really didn’t want to write an exam.  It’s not my favorite thing to do.  So, I came up with a final project that would also become their exam grade.  I call it “”.

Over the next few posts I will document our exploration through the multimedia process.  I am not sure of the outcome, but I am excited about the journey.

First we will create monoprints using tempera and water.  I have done these before, albeit 6 years ago, for a project on symmetry and the art of Moko Tattoos.  This will become the “ground” or base for the artwork.  I have found that often students are intimidated by the white surface.  It’s so clean and error free.  Hopefully having this monoprint background will help break that fear.

Second students will find several images from magazines.  I suppose if a student really wants a certain image from the interwebs I will allow it.  They image will then be in b/w unless the student has a color printer at home.  I am hoping to halt images at 3 or 4 so it doesn’t become too crowded.

While I was out administering the STAAR test, students did 2 Arts & Activities reading about composition and leading the viewer through a composition. Here and here.  We will review the major concepts from the readings and I will expect them to create their artwork with the concepts in mind.

Students will then be asked to add more to their collages using a variety of other media: pencil, colored pencil, marker, sharpie, pen, paint, and well, I guess anything else we have used this year.  I am hoping they will had additional layers of depth and interest with the additional media.  I have created a pin board for them with some collages, but I really am unsure what to add to the board.  I don’t know what to search for to find examples to show.  But, maybe that is good as it will leave the door wide open and they won’t have preconceived notions of what this “should” be.

Pack your bags and join me on the journey to places unknown and unfamiliar.  My art 1 kids are always surprising me, I hope they do here as well.  (And I hope they will be able to work in our short time frame–this is the most nerve-racking part of this.)