Practicum

for my practicum, i went to an elementary school in kaysville

and i taught an art lesson to a sixth grade class.

the lesson was called "kaleidoscope name drawings"

i found my original inspiration for the lesson plan while on pinterest.

i then created my lesson plan off of the tutorial i saw. 

(you can find this tutorial here: http://www.teachkidsart.net/kaleidoscope-name-design/)

i went into the classroom before school started and set up everything.

i asked the teacher where the materials were.

i also cut the paper i was going to use for the black matting board at the end of the project.

when i came to the classroom later in the day to do the practicum, the students seemed very excited.

their desks were set up with three rows of nine desks.

the nine desks were split into three desks to allow walking space to get to the back of the classroom.

there was a pretty even ratio of boys to girls in the class.

this school wasn't against the arts, but there wasn't a specified art teacher. 

the regular education teachers were responsible for teaching art.

but only if they went along with the lesson and common core.

the teacher introduced me as one of her former students 

and then it was my turn.

i stood at the front of the classroom.

i asked the students if they knew what symmetry and mirror symmetry was.

they respectfully raised their hands to answer and waited for me to call on them.

they answered my questions with confidence and ease.

i then showed them the project that we were going to create.

this is the example i showed.

they ooh-ed and ahh-ed and i assured them that it was easier than it looked.

then we got started.

i stood in front of the classroom for the big visual instructions.

and i used an overhead projector to demonstrate the more detailed instructions.

i walked around the room the rest of the time to make sure the kids were on task

and understanding the assignment.

it all went so smoothly.

there were a few kids that didn't like how theirs turned out the first time

and they asked to start over. 

even though i really emphasized the most important instructions,

there were some students that still didn't get it.

the students were a little rushed and i know they didn't do their absolute best work,

but most of them finished the project in the time allotted.

they didn't have enough sharpies for each student

and this made the project go a lot slower than planned.

the students had to sit around a wait for their turn.

other than that, the lesson went great.

this was the end exhibition.

the students that didn't understand the project at all were on the low end of the grading scale.

they weren't able to flip the triangle to create the symmetry and mirror symmetry.

students on the medium part of the grading scale were one that sort of understood the project.

but they did not have a visually appealing artwork and were sloppy in their tracing and coloring.

the student that were on the high part of the grading scale did an excellent job.

they had visually appealing artwork,

completely understood the project, 

and were good at the technical components.

overall, the project went very well.

i had a very well mannered classroom and the students were good at following directions.

Gesture Drawing

gesture drawing google definition:

a work of art defined by rapid execution.

typical situations involve an artist drawing in a short amount of time.

often as little as 30 seconds.

or as long as 2 minutes.

often performed as a warm-up for a live drawing session.

so that's what we did.

we were to do a gesture drawing.

i looked around my kitchen.
an oven mitt was the most interesting thing that was in there.
besides food, of course.

i know the picture is hard to see,
but it's because it was a very light sketch
and it isn't that dark in real life either.

also don't mind the crease in the middle.
this project has seen better days.

i set the mitt on my kitchen table and with my pencil being held loosely in my hand,

i drew the main parts of the oven mitt.

the outside and a few minor details.

and that is my gesture sketch.

through this project i learned that:

it's very relaxing to just sketch big shapes.

you can get so tense when trying to be perfect and precise 

in your drawing.

it's nice to be able to let go and just, draw.

it's therepudic actually.

it is also i great way to see the general idea of what you're sketching.

sometimes, you can get so caught up on one detail,

that you miss the big picture and the drawing doesn't turn out how you envisioned.

why i did what i did:

i have had experience with sketching.

i know the benefits from it.

and i put it to practice here.

i didn't take my time, i just rushed through it.

because doing gesture drawings shouldn't take a long time.

it should be fast and to the point.

and that is exactly what i did.

this is a great way for:

~students to understand what it means to do a gesture drawing~

~letting the students look at the bigger picture instead of details~

~helping the students understand that you can draw fast, but still make it look like something~

Batik

google definition of batik:

a method of producing colored designs on textiles by dyeing them,

having first applied wax to the parts to be left undyed.

and that is what we did.

i first researched different types of batik.

i looked up patterns and wallpapers and i drew the ones that i liked in my sketchbook.

i mixed a few of those sketches to come up with my final design

i am really happy with how it turned out.

through this project i learned that:

there are techniques to help you keep the white space in your artwork,

if you're working with fabric.

fabric is hard to work with because the paint likes to bleed everywhere.

but with this technique that i used, 

that wasn't an issue.

i learned that you can make your own designs by being inspired from others.

there is no way i would have done this project if i hadn't seen other batik's

 and taken some of their designs and made it my own.

i wasn't expecting my design and project to turn out as great as it did.

but i am super happy with it.

i also learned that pulling the glue off the fabric wasn't my most favorite thing in the world.

(see tutorial below for clarification of the statement above)

why i did what i did:

like i said before, i researched other batik drawings and patterns

and came up with my own design.

i drew a vine and had leaves and roses on it.

i liked how it turned out.

the colors i chose were not something that i would have normally picked out.

but after being inspired by my research, i took a risk.

this is a great way for:

~teaching students a different way to do artwork~

~helping students understand that research can inspire you~

~letting the students explore their creativity~

tutorial for this project:

http://elementaryarteducationjenn.blogspot.com/2014/12/batik-tutorial.html

and can also be found on this blog:

http://theartofkids.blogspot.com/

Expanding 8

this was one of my favorite projects.

we got into groups of four. 

we each were given a list of coordinates that would go an on x,y graph.

some of the coordinate lists had math problems as the coordinates.

(ex: 2+3, 2+4, 2+5, etc.)

we put a clear piece of plastic over the graph paper 

and graphed the coordinates on the plastic.

when we finished, we connected out dots 

and placed our individual pieces of plastic on top of each other.

we then determined what pattern we could make on our individual plastic pieces

to make the whole image a lot more interesting.

we added different numbers to our original coordinates.

this is how my group's turned out.

 

through this project i learned that:

you can combine math and art to make something really interesting.

i liked how it looks organized and disorganized at the same time.

there is a structure to it, but it also looks disfigured.

i learned that group work is also very important.

we had to come to a consensus as a group to determine what we thought would look best.

why i did what i did:

we chose to continue with the original shape and pattern that we had.

we made the pattern longer and turned only one of the plastic pieces backwards.

viola!

this is how it turned out.

i am very happy with how it looks, and i think my group felt the same.

this project is a great way for:

~integrating math and art~

~allowing students to work in groups, problem solve, and come up with different solutions~

~learning a different way to create artwork; through mathematics~

Contour Drawing

contour drawing google definition:

an essential technique in the field of art because it is a strong foundation

for any drawing or painting.

it can potentially modify a subject's form through variation within the lines.

it's objective is to capture the

life, action, or expression of the subject.

we were to go home and do a gesture drawing of something we found

around the house.

naturally, i chose an oven mitt.

this is how it turned out.

i started off with a light sketch of the shape mitt that you can't see anymore.

this light sketch took under a minute to do.

this type of sketch is called a gesture drawing.

(for my post on the gesture drawing look here:

http://oodlesofcodles.blogspot.com/2014/12/gesture-drawing_2.html)

i then took a better and closer look.

i noted the stitches that went all through the mitt.

i noted the parts that were darker than others.

i created definition between some of my lines.

in all, this drawing took under 5 minutes to do.

through this project i learned that:

it's okay for it to not be perfect.

it's okay to be sloppy.

it's okay to not hold the pencil the way you're used to.

it's okay to do sketches.

it's okay to mess up.

it's okay to practice.

why i did what i did:

i have had experience in the past doing still life's and

working with sketching.

i decided to pick something easy but with a little bit of detail.

i started with getting the general shape of the object first.

because that way, you can erase easy'without too many consequences for messing up.

i then added the detail.

even with the detail, it still looks like a sketch.

mission accomplished.

this project is a great way for:

~students to learn how to sketch and let go with their artwork~

~give the students an opportunity for a slight break from intense art~

~let the students see that it is okay to not make a perfect drawing the first time~

~students to know what a contour drawing is~

Rhythm Two

this is another rhythm sculpture.

we went to an art museum.

there was this sculpture that had clog shoes hanging from the ceiling.

you had to put a coin in this machine

and then the clogs would play music.

it was a very cool interactive sculpture.

we drew what we heard

using only shapes and the primary colors.

~~see the top of the paper~~

we then went upstairs at the museum.

we picked one art piece that we liked the best. 

using some of the shapes and techniques that the artist used,

we were to create how the piece made us feel,

using the shapes that we had drawn with the music piece,

we were to create our own piece.

through this project i learned that:

there are ways to incorporate sound and sight in an art piece. 

by going off of one art project, you can create something different for yourself.

you can be inspired by other's artwork.

you can be inspired by music and sounds.

why i did what i did:

 i love to have objects overlap.

the piece that i chose to be inspired by was filled with overlapping shapes and colors.

i wanted to adapt that thought and do the same thing.

i used the same shapes and patterns that i drew

when listening to the music sculpture.

this is a great way for:

~students to translate sounds and images into their own artwork~

~give them an art museum experience~

~let the students become interactive with artwork~

Milk Jug Masks

african masks are traditionally used in ritiuals and cerimonies,

in the african culture.

we made our own out of milk jugs.

this is how mine turned out.

this was one of my most favorite projects.

it was so creative and fun and i honestly just dived into it.

i started by using the handle of the milk jug as the nose on my mask.

i then cut eyes out on the top. 

we covered the milk jug with scotch tape to give it a texture.

i crumpled some of my tape up and gave my mask

eyebrows and a beard.

i then used shoe polish and coated the top of the mask.

when that was dry, i used paint and painted designs on the face of my mask.

now here was the fun part.

i took a hole punch and punched holes on the top of the mask.

i used raffia an thread it through the holes to resemble hair.

the red curly raffia is my favorite.

#character.

through this project i learned that:

you can use random materials to create something really cool.

who would have thought that a milk jug, shoe polish, and raffia would create such a cool mask?

i sure didn't.

i learned that you can take non-conventional materials and make them into something unique.

why i did what i did:

i just did what my hands told me to do.

i saw a few examples of these milk jug masks and then i was inspired.

in class, we ran out of the tan-colored raffia, so i had to go to the store and buy my own.

while i was there, i saw that there was colored raffia.

and then it was all over.

i fell in love with it.

i love how it brought so much character into my piece

and made it unique from everyone else's.

this is a great way for:

~students to learn how to make something cool out of things they find around the house~

~learning about african masks and ceremonies~

~letting the students use their creativity to create something the could be excited about~

tutorial for this project:

http://artforchildrenisfun.blogspot.com/2014/11/milk-jug-masks-tutorial.html