Category Archives: Lessons

May4

This Book I Read…

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Lately I’ve had several issues on my mind that seem to revolve around the same similar topics:  copying, tracing, originality, etc.  I feel these are in the same vein, if you will, of something that we as artists need to understand what is acceptable and what is not.  I also feel we as art teachers need to teach our students the same things.

Several months ago I “started reading for free” this book by Austin Kleon called Steal Like an Artist.  In other words, Kindle let me read a small amount of the book for free to see if I wanted to buy the book.  I never bought the book for my Kindle.  However, last week I needed something to fill my cart on Amazon so I could get free shipping.  I put this book in because it was 40% off.  I AM SO GLAD I FINALLY PURCHASED THIS BOOK!!!

I thought it would just be just a cute book.  It’s a quick read, but one full of lots of food for thought about these topics that have been on my mind lately. I am sure that not everyone will feel about this book like I do, but it really resonated with me and the ideals I want to teach my kids about making art, or just being creative in general.  I highly recommend it.

Some of my favorite parts include:

“What to copy is a little bit trickier.  Don’t just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style.  You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.  ~page 36.

“Imitation is about copying.  Emulation is  when imitation goes one step further, breaking through into your own thing.”  ~page38.

“Remember ‘Garbage in, garbage out’? You’re only going to be as good as the people you surround yourself with.” ~page 102

I want my students to read this book.  Not all of my students, but my art 2 and higher students.  I think it will help them to think deeper about what they are creating and HOW they create it.  Or, at the very least, it will give pause when they begin to create that next artwork for class or themselves.

Apr24

Dealing with Disappointment

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Recently one of my classes took on the monumental task of creating a cardboard “city”.  I had shown them a photo I found on Pinterest.  I asked them if they were interested in this and they said they were and were excited to try and build something in the same vein.  I knew that it would be difficult.  I save cardboard for ever it seemed.  I also knew the skill level of my students.  I would never had expected them to rise to this level.  But I did expect more.

My students originally thought they would make a ship, but somehow they changed it to a castle.  I thought, that is going to be great.  They will cut out brick and make it look like a bas relief.  Wonderful.  One of the students even said she would make a dragon to go with it.

As time went on and I checked on their progress, I grew more and more disappointed with the castle.  It had a great basic shape, but other than that…it looked like something I would order out of one of those catalogs for prom.  The covered the whole thing with craft paper and drew squares.  These were my seniors, my advanced sculpture students, and they had over 2 months to work on this.  How could this be what they created?

Now it is over a month later and I have had time to think about it.  I still don’t know how to deal with the disappointment of this project.  Should I consider it a project flop that Ian Sands could put in his book?  Should I just brush it off as a early case of senioritis?  Was I expecting too much?  Did I not push them enough to do more?  I know they learned a lot about creating something so large and working in a group. As a teacher, I appreciate what they learned from this project.  But shouldn’t sometimes the product be important too?

I don’t know.

How do you deal with disappointment in projects?  What do you as a teacher learn from it?

By the way, the dragon head turned out awesome.

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Apr22

The Umlauf Sculpture Garden

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Last week I took my senior (and one junior) sculptors on a field trip.  Field trips at my school don’t happen very often, so when my principal said I could go, I didn’t hesitate in making the plans.  I picked a day in April when I thought it would be a great time to visit an outdoor sculpture museum.  And, man did I pick a good date.  It was sunny and mild.  The flowers were blooming.  The trees were green.  And the air was fresh.  It was a spring day in Austin.  And, it was a great day to visit the Umlauf Sculpture Garden.

I am not sure how many of my students had actually been to a museum before.  Perhaps they had been to the historical museum in their town, but that isn’t really the same.  At first my kids seemed bored.  But as we watched them, I think they were more unsure how to act.  What did they know of a docent and what a museum tour would be like.  I was worried that the trip would be a bust.

But then we moved off the patio and went over to see St. Michael and Lucifer.

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Our guide told the students they could touch the sculptures…and oh man, it was a whole new ball game.  My kids started to liven up.  They impressed me at every turn.  They were so well behaved.  They were genuinely interested.  It was one of the best days of the school year.

Student: “I liked that the Sculptures were surrounded by nature. It was something I haven’t seen before. I also like that they were very realistic and had stories behind them.”

Student: “I liked the way everything was placed in the garden, everything was placed according to the art piece. Like the pope was placed on higher ground overlooking the animals. How the lovers piece was in front of a pond with lots of lilies and it looked beautiful.”

Student: “They all had sentimental value and meaning to Umlauf. I really enjoyed how he made his sculptures with so much detail.”

Student: “I liked the second sculpture of the lovers series. I really liked the one where the man was lifting the woman, because I really liked the way her feet were curved, and to me it was a better pose than the first one we saw.”

Student: “My favorite sculpture was one of the sculptures outside. It was one figure with an arrow or spear, going in to stab to be what looked like the devil. It’s a religious piece and I just really enjoyed it because I grew up around a very religious granny.”

 

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One of my personal favorites by Umlauf.

One of my personal favorites by Umlauf.

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THS Sculpture 2013-2014

 

Apr9

Cinquain Poems and Illustrations

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I’ve been told it is National Poetry Month, so this lesson couldn’t have been planned at a better time.  In art 1, students are learning how to create CINQUAIN poems and then will create illustrations based off their poems.  I am very excited about this project.  A cinquain is a 5-line poem that follows certain guidelines.  You can find out more here.    Here is the worksheet I am giving my students.

After the poems are written, students will then create thumbnail sketches of illustrations that relate to their poem.  Things students should consider when creating illustrations are making images close-ups, cropping images some parts go off page, and details.

The final illustrations will be on 4″X4″ paper.  Students will have the choice of completing their drawings with pencil, colored pencils, or a combination of the two.  Illustrations will be mounted, along with a printed out copy of the poem, on black paper.

Teacher example:

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Mar25

Altered Books

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Art 2: Painting and Drawing have started their altered books.  It is a project I have been doing for 5 years and every year is a completely different experience.  Every year I don’t know what to expect.  Every year I say I am not going to do them again next year; and you know what, I don’t listen and I do them again.

Our school library removes books from its circulation every year and they are free for the taking.  So, in the spring time, I load up on books that I think will be good canvases for next year.  I pick the books carefully.  They are always hard covered.  I pick based on size, both width/height and thickness.  I look at titles that might be interesting to the kids.  For, when I choose books to alter for myself, these are the things I base my choice on.

I introduce the project by talking about how the books are being expelled and we are going to recycle and reuse these books.  I talk about how the book will provide many canvases in one place for the artist to work on one theme.  I tell them that many artists work around a single theme on several artworks and that this is good practice for that.  I also mention that it is good practice for those who will be going to AP Art and will have to come up with a concentration.

From there we talk about the book expectations and the prompts.  I expect each book to have a minimum of 6 pages.  I expect each book to have a cover and a table of contents (listing which prompts were used for which artworks.)  I expect the book to have a theme.  I expect each page to have originated from one of the prompts.  Other than that, there are no other “rules”.

I am sure what you are asking is what are these prompts?  Here is the list of prompts.  The prompts are a way to help the students get their juices flowing.  They are a starting point, or a jumping off point.  They are a beginning…but NOT an ending.  I stress this. They are to take a prompt and use it to help them create an artwork around their theme.  They can interpret the prompt any way they want.  There is not a right or wrong answer. (Unless they are wanting to use copyrighted or trademarked images of course.) Prompts include drip paint and make a print, layers, texture, sew page, and many others.  I ask students to use a prompt once and only once as their jumping off point.  I want them to explore different ways of making art…adding materials they may not have thought of or doing things they may have at one point shrugged off.  And again, I stress the prompts are starting points, not ending points.  And this year, I think they are really understanding that.

This year I decided to try something different.  After talking with several teachers about process over product, I decided to have that be the emphasis on this project. Normally I grade each page individually.  And normally, I hate that process.  I could not come up with a better way to grade the book though.  I even told the students that I would be grading the book that way on the first day of the project, a Monday.  On Tuesday I walked in and said I had changed my mind and we were going to concentrate on the process instead.  I said that I would rather them try 10 new things and work really hard and have their book fail, but having learned something over having a fabulous book where they learned nothing new, took no chances, and didn’t grow as an artist.  I told them on Fridays we would have a reflection on what they did that week and how they acted like artists and did what artists did.  They seemed to be okay with that.   You can read about what I set up in the second half of this post.

And, that Friday we had our first reflection.  I have yet to open the document with their responses. I am scared to see what they wrote.  I don’t know why.  I am excited, but nervous.

In any case, I have watched as half of one class is invested in this and becoming excited at the prospects of what they can make. And I have watched the many of my other class bring their book home with them and back the next day or stop in during morning tutorials to work on their book.  I love it that they are excited about it.  It is a great feeling when a student shyly comes to you and asks if it is okay if they do this or try this.  And then to see their face light up when I gladly say yes.

Mar19

Process Over Product?

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A couple of months ago, I joined an art teacher’s forum on facebook.  It was a great find–a great use of social media.  I am in contact with hundreds, if not thousands of art teachers from around the globe.  It has really got me to thinking about how I run my art room, what is important, what isn’t important, what is art, what is craft, should we have more choice, should technique be the main focus, should, should, should.  In short, it has made me think, learn, and grow…3 things that are important to stay a relevant and qualified teacher.

It is through this group that I was introduced to TAB or choice-based art.  It is through this group that I have been introduced to this group of teachers from Apex, NC at Apex High School.  They have been experimenting with choice this year, and recently they have  brought to the front of my mind the question of process over product.

Is the artistic process more important than the product produced?  I don’t know.  Is the process just as important than the product?  I also don’t know. But as I begin to explore this topic and experiment with it in the classroom, I find I might lean more towards them being equals.

As I began to think about stressing the process in art making and really trying to have my students participate more in the process and making decisions regarding their art just like artists do, I began to think about how do I assess this?  Unfortunately, assessment is always towards the front of my brain. (It’s hard not to think about it when you have to have a minimum of “X” grades per marking period without question, complying with district policy, blah, blah, blah.)   I want my assessment to be fair and meaningful.  I want my assessment to be as objective as can be in a very subjective area like art.  I create rubrics for almost everything.  I have to. Otherwise, I feel like I am grading on a whim.

But back to assessment.  How does one grade process?  How does an artist think?  What actions does an artist do?  Fortunately for me, the very nice people of Apex have sort of figured that out and are willingly sharing their work here.  The questions/artistic habits that Melissa Purtee designed are wonderful and so helpful.

This week I participated in a video art chat and the topic of process over product was the topic.  Ian Sands, a teacher at Apex, discussed how he and the teachers at Apex HS are having the students do what they call a “snapshot”.  Bi-weekly the students go into blogs that they have created and they write about their process.  They must pick 3 of the artistic behaviors and add pictures.  It is a really interesting way to be able to assess the process and to see how the kids are working, thinking, and growing as artists.  The teachers are also discussing using the snapshot as their grades and not grading the final product.

This is where I become unsure.  This is where I veer off.

I decided to give this focus on process a try.  On Monday, my Art 2: P/D students started altered books.  For me, this is a project for the students to really focus working around a theme and trying new ways of making art. (They have prompts to jump off from.  Prompts include things like draw with glue, layers, glazes, burn the page, etc.  I want them to think about doing things other than just “traditional” drawing/painting. )  I have always graded the altered book in a way where each page was graded and then the book as a whole was graded.  I had a rubric that I had created for the assignment, but I wasn’t in love with it.

However, the project has always been more about the process of art making.  Why not then assess it more about the process?

I walked in to class today and told the kids we were trying a different approach to grading this time around.  I told them to disregard everything I talked about regarding the rubric and individual page assessments.  I have decided to have the students do a weekly reflection for the duration of this process instead.

I borrowed the artistic habit domains and wrote up the questions in Socrative. (No time to really set up blogs at this point.) They will answer 2 of the domains each week…their choice.  (I do think I will tell them that they can’t always answer the same two.)  Then that will be their grades.

However, I will still give them an overall product grade based on some basic questions that I outlined for them yesterday…more of did you fulfill the requirements of the altered book type things.   I can’t walk away from the product completely.  I think the product is equally as important.  I think it is important to see things through to the end, even if it is not successful.  Then you can reflect back on the artwork to see what worked and what didn’t.  But this is a conversation for another post.

I am excited to see how it goes.  I am excited to see what students will write. Many are already excited about the altered book, and I think this focus on process over product will let them be more free and willing to try new things.

I will update as we continue with this process process.  (See what I did there?)

Mar4

Update on Giving Choice

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We are starting on our second week of choice in Art 1 when creating a project about informal balance.  Today I walked around and talked with the different groups to check in on their progress and to make sure they are on the right track.  I want to say that about half understood informal balance and are able to incorporate it into their artworks.  About a third of those who didn’t understand it and were not consciously addressing are now able to once talking through things with me.  And, well, out of those that are left, some just are making things out of egg cartons, and one group basically said they weren’t going to do anymore, and to just give them a 70.  At least they were honest about it.

I am excited and surprised by many.  I have to be honest that there are some students that are surprising me in their art.  Some that I thought would be the ones making the egg carton alligator are thinking outside the box.  While others that I thought would nail this are the ones making the alligator.

Choice hasn’t been easy for me.  Not knowing the outcome is hard for me.  But, I have to learn to go with it.  I will update once the unit comes to an end.

STUDENTS WORKING HARD 🙂

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PROMISING ARTWORKS AND OUT OF THE “CARTON” THINKING

shark

shark
beginnings of a truck

beginnings of a truck

plan on using texture to balance

plan on using texture to balance

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using the egg cartons to make a 2-d work (bas relief)

using the egg cartons to make a 2-d work (bas relief)

will balance with color

will balance with color

Trees

Trees

ARTWORKS THAT ARE “PREDICTABLE” AND NOT OUT OF THE “CARTON”

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Feb27

Giving it up to the students

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Art 1 started a new unit this past week.  They are learning about informal balance and ways that artists can created a balanced image that is not symmetrical.  We likened it to being on a see-saw as a child with your much bigger older brother and how much better it would be if both sides weighed the same.  How could you balance out the see-saw if you were stuck with your bigger older brother and not someone your size?  We learned that warm colors are heavier than cool colors, dark values weigh more than light, rough textures over smooth textures, and many others.

From there I introduced the project.  Each student was to be given a cardboard egg carton that I had been saving over the past 2 years.  Then they were to form a group of 2 or 3 students.  Their problem to solve in their group artwork was to create something that was balanced, but not symmetrical.  They needed to use any and/or all of the different techniques that we talked about.

A student asked me, “Is this 2-D or 3-D?”  I turned to him and said, “I don’t know, you tell me.”  I could see the the wheels and gears in their heads start to turn.  I see that some of them were excited.  I could see that some were scared.  I was both.  What would the end products look like?  Would I be able to pull off a choice-based project?  Would the kids be receptive to this?  (I am sure that perhaps you are asking what is choice-based?  You can find out more here and here.  The second  link is to the first part in a 5 part series about choice-based art in the high school classroom.  I invite you to read all 5 parts.)

Today was a crazy day in the art room during my first session of art 1.  I had kids cutting and painting (both traditionally and with spray paint) and gluing and planning.  It was chaos and it was awesome.  Everyone was working (with the exception of one student.)  Their artworks were all different.  They were exploring different things.  They were collaborating.  They were behaving like artists.  I am tired, but I loved it.  Tomorrow I do need to start to walk around and talk with the groups about their plans to make sure they are keeping the problem of informal balance in mind with their artworks.  But until then, I will have a smile on my face as I think about the awesomeness that occurred during period 2 today.  I hope periods 6 and 7 are the same.

Feb20

Additive Texture Forms

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One thing that I love about working with clay is being able to add texture.  There are so many ways to add texture…stamping, carving, texture glazes, and additive texture.  I never had to be told to add more texture to anything I have created in clay.  I am very particular about it.  But, not all my students have it come so naturally.  So, our next project will be all about adding texture.  We will talk about repetition and how it can be used to create texture.  We will talk about what kind of textures there are–smooth (which unfortunately is not allowed on this project), bumpy, spiky, etc.  We will explore different ways of adding the textures; and we will talk what kinds of textures are created by the shapes or forms used.  Two people could use the same form to add, but the way in which they add it will make the over feel of the form different.

Students will create a form from any of the hand-building techniques we have learned and from there, add texture by repeating a shape or form.

This is my piece based on the lesson.  My students who have watched me work on it over the past 2 days have describe it as a sea anemone, a bunch of cereal like fruit loops, and a mop.  They all want to touch it.  It is fabulous to get them talking about it and asking questions.

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Link to grading rubric.  This is a new rubric form that I have been working with.  This is the second time I will be working with it.  I am experimenting with different rubrics to find one that works for me and my students.