Cultural Fairy Tale

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Students will choose a fairy tale from another country.  They will then research the illustration style that that country or another country in the same time period used.  They will digitally sketch an illustration that matches the style.  They will then stylize it so that it is modern.

Pop Culture Collage Painting

Outcome: Students will create a self-portrait using their face and pop-culture references to that they relate to.

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 Pre-Lesson: Students will practice painting self-portraits in the week leading up to this activity.  They can start with black and then can use colors as they choose later in their paintings.  Students should end the week with at least 3 self-portraits that show a progress in their understanding of how to paint a self-portrait.  These do not need to be high quality finished pieces.  

Lesson:  Students will paint their self-portrait.  They will need to choose colors that they can use either to convey the details of their portrait or that they relate to personally.  

They will then start collecting and attaching pop-culture or other images cut from magazines, or if necessary printed off the internet.  They will attach these images to their portrait using rubber cement to obtain a clean finish. They will need to choose at least one physical feature that will not be uncovered, it is up to the student to choose if they are accenting this feature due to dislike or because they favor it.

They will need to write an explanation/artist's statement when they are finished that explains their color choices and image choices.  

Assessment: 

Students must explain their concepts in their artist statement

Their work should reflect what their artist statement says

Students should have a completed painting with at least one feature showing on their face and multiple collage references with an explanation for each one.

Claymation Activity

Students will create a one minute claymation sequence.  They will team up together and will create a stop motion video using clay.  Each team will use their smart phone or tablet with a stop motion app.  They will have three weeks to complete their animation.  They will need to design a storyboard with sketches, draw character sketches, create their clay figures and then shoot their video.

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Weaving part 3

Basket weaving

Students will weave baskets using rope or reeds.  They will use their understanding of weaving from the two previous weaving activities.  Students will then weave a basket.  They will complete 3 baskets using multiple colors.  They will have to research different basket weaving techniques used by native american tribes and will attempt to use 3 different techniques for their three baskets.

Weaving Part 1

Students will learn the basics of weaving.

They will be given a loom made of tag board/found wood with notches cut into the ends.  They will wind yarn around the notches to create the loom.  They will then learn how to weave the yarn in between the strings.  After they have successfully completed four tight lines of woven fabric they can then choose their own fabric or yarn if they have access to any.  Students must complete a foot of woven fabric made of their chosen materials.

Weaving Part 2

Paper Weaving
This is meant as a secondary weaving activity.  Students can learn to weave using something with less give that requires more coordination.
Roll Newspaper into rolls
Weave newspaper together into basket shape
Start with the bottom of the basket
Roll different shapes of newspaper rolls
Weave newspaper back and forth

Materials:
Newspaper
Painter's Tape

Drawing Practice

Objectives: Students will practice drawing from observation and drawing from imagination
This lesson is meant to be drawn from a specific theme, in this case the theme is invention.

Light bulb

Pre-Lesson Discussion
Slide Show

Observation Light-bulb
Students will have a selection of lightbulbs on a table to choose from and to draw.   Students must draw from observation and not add any imagined details.  Students should try to focus on the shadows and reflections they can see through the glass of the lightbulbs.

Materials:
Paper
Pencils
Erasers
Light-bulbs


Imagined Light-bulb

Students will draw imagined future lightbulbs.  They don't have to be possible.  Their drawings should show the lightbulb as well as what the lightbulb can do.  Students should be able to show an understanding of what their lightbulb can do in their picture.

Paper Beads

Use strips of paper to roll into beads

Cut strips into different shapes and roll on dowel rods to shape.
Students will create paper beads and will string them together to create sculptures.  There is no scale requirement.

Materials:
Magazines
Dowel Rods/Toothpicks (depending on size of bead hole)
String
Wire
Glue

Origami Lesson

This lesson can last at least one month if wanted, or can be a week long unit

Pre-Lessons leading up to Paper Crane week:
Learn how to fold a basic shape: Not sure what that would be yet
Learn how to fold a star box


Paper Crane lesson:
(See PowerPoint for this information in an applicable way)

  

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1. History of Paper Cranes
1. Importance of the Crane
2. Sadako
2. Images of Paper Cranes
3. Discussion of different things that class can do with paper crane activity
1. Decorate the school
1. collaboration
2. Make 1000 for some reason
1. personal project
3. Use paper cranes to construct paper sculpture
1. Personal or Collaboration
4. Plasti-dip cranes
5. Cut Paper
4. Crane Tutorial

Follow up lessons:

Students continue to experiment with origami and paper folding, can continue on Crane Veign and create art using the cranes as the material

OR

Students can continue to expand their origami experience.

If they choose this option they must incorporate another art technique into their origami: photography, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics etc.

Design a Board Book

Taking inspiration from books like the Little Miss Austen collection, design a board book that is based on a classic novel.  Choose a novel from a list and read it.  Locate the key points/characters that would be translatable to a children's novel.  Gather inspiration images from online of illustrations of different scenes from the book and create your own images.  You can use the images and alter them so that they are yours or you can draw your own.

This project can be altered for a younger age.  Using one story, as the teacher find key characters and descriptions of the characters.  Assign each student a character and have them draw them and write a little explanation for their reasons for how they look.  As a class create the story of the book, it doesn't have to follow the plot of the original story.

Product Re-Design

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Students will re-design a food package to make it more appealing to look at while maintaining its practicality. Food packaging is starting to be re-designed to be more appealing to buyers.  Students will pick a food item and they will re-design the packaging.  They can use photoshop or illustrator to create the design.  They have to create a design.  Pitch the design to the teacher and the class.  They have to then create a prototype that will have to actually hold the food packaging.

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Rolling pin print

Students will create a continuous print

Original Link from PinterestThey will create an image in photoshop that when connected will be seamless.  They will print out their image and then transfer it to a rolling pin.  They will carve out their image carefully.  It will make it easier if they clamp their roll down so that it doesn't roll easily and their hands wont get in the way.

Printmaking Brand

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Students will create their brand symbol and will trace it onto Styrofoam.  They will cut it out of the styrofoam and add the details and they will mount it on a small wooden block.  This will be used to stamp their works in the future and will be used as a watermark for their art labels.  Students will need to provide an explanation for their symbolism.

Painting follow-up to Field Trip

As a follow up to the field trip that students sketched, they will paint a landscape

Lesson Plans: Students will create paintings using references from their field trip sketches.

Students will look at Seurat's sketches for his paintings and they will paint a landscape based on their sketches from their field trip.  They can mix several drawings together but when finished the painting needs to look like one cohesive image.

Portable Paintings

Lesson Plans:Students will create miniature paintings while on location

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Students will take small canvases and a selected palette of colors on a field trip.  They will find a location they would like to paint and they will paint it.  They can sketch outside of the paintings to practice their composition.  Students will use acrylic so that their paintings will dry quickly and will produce multiple paintings.

This project will take one day.

Students will also sketch scenes in charcoal as a planning for second painting activity.

Cement People

Lesson:Students will create figures meant to be hung by their arms.

Find plastic figurines, possibly legos or some other humanoid figure.
Add wax sticks to their figure to attach it to the wax base.
Place base at the bottom of a metal tube and pour investment over it.
The mold will then be placed in a kiln to burn out the plastic and wax.
Let the mold cool and melt down a metal.
Pour the hot metal into the mold
Put mold into a container of water
Shake mold so that investment and casting fall out
Swirl casting around in water to loosen and release from investment
Allow casting to cool if necessary
Dry off casting
Saw off any parts that aren't connected to figurine
File down figurine
Attach strings to figurine.
Hang from the ceiling.

Students are required to complete at least 5 figurines.
This project will take 6-8 weeks.

Photography Experiment

Photography Experiment

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Students will experiment with perspective and quick sketches in a photography project.  They will draw quick sketches of figures' heads and then find locations to shoot photos similar to the example.  This can either be an in-class project or a quick fun side project that students complete as homework.

Lifesize Zoo

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This is a collaborative class project meant to take up the semester.
       Students will be each be creating their own creature chosen from a list the class makes.  The teacher will use Monsters Inc(this is just an example, choose one based on current popular media and students' awareness).  They can create a general grid for their images and the grid can be a scale grid as in 1 inch=1 foot for scale.  Students will need to find multiple angles of their subject to gain a 3D perspective but will need to have one image that is facing square forward for a
     Students will start by making small maquettes of their chosen monster.  First they will use clay to create them to gain an understanding of the 3D aspects of their characters.  They will then create maquettes using cardstock.  This will be an incredibly complex project for the students.  The maquette serves to give students an idea of what they will be doing in their larger works.
     Students will then start the creation of their large monster.  They will need to use recycled cardboard for their structure and create the structure of their subject.  When their structure is complete they can use paper to create texture and pattern and then can paint any features onto their creation as needed.

These will be used for a final presentation at the end of the school year for parents and the school to see. Students will be responsible for designing the layout for their creatures and any background they will need. They are required to have a background/setting for their creatures, can't just be on their own in a gymnasium.

(This lesson is created based on the idea of a class that meets twice a week)
Week 1:
Day 1:Students will discuss their subject and come up with a working list of characters to choose from.  They will gather images for their character and use the agreed upon scale.
Day 2:Students will create a maquette of their creature using their images, sketches, and scale

Week 2:
Day 1: Students will start measuring their pattern pieces for their monsters on butcher paper and cutting out cardboard pieces needed.

Day 2: Students will continue cutting their cardboard pieces out

Week 3:
Day 1: Students will start attaching pieces together using masking tape/cardboard tape

Day 2: Students will continue to attach their pieces together

Week 4:
Day 1: Students will continue to attach their pieces together

Day 2: Students will continue to attach their pieces together

Week 5:
Day 1 Students will start adding the texture pieces and pattern pieces to their monster.  They can use tissue paper, painted paper, yarn, etc.

Day 2: Students will continue adding texture.

Week 6:
Day 1:Students will continue adding texture.

Day 2: Students need to start finishing their texture pieces

Week 7:
Day 1: Students will finish their texture and will add faces and finish any detailing necessary.

Day 2: Students will discuss their landscape/setting for their monsters, they will be given a location choice for their display and will have a chance to go to their location and discuss their setup options

Week 8:
Day 1: Students will create their landscape

Day 2: Students will install their monsters

Week 9:
Day 1: Students will hold their art opening

   

Cartoon Style Experiment

Original Inspiration Pin

Show students multiple design styles.  Research different drawing styles of design images.  Students need to pick at least three styles to draw their subject in.  They will start by choosing their subject.  They will then find their three styles that they will use to create their subject.  They need to provide their original image of their subject, their personal way of drawing the subject and their three subject examples.  They need to provide example images of the styles they created and their preparation sketches.  They are free to choose their materials for this project but will need to explain their choices.  The students will end the project by turning in four original works and one photograph/image by someone else.

Gridded Self Portrait

Original Inspiration Pin

Students will take a photo of themselves and draw a grid over it.  They will then draw a larger grid over a piece of large paper.  They will be asked to draw their face using the grid references but they need to use mixed media for the grids.  They can alter their image through the grids as the inspiration photo did or they can simply use mixed medias for the grids to create a special effect.

Materials:

• Personal photo
• Large Piece of Paper
• Markers
• Pencils
• Colored Pencils
• Paint
• Ruler

Learning Goals:

• Understanding materials
• Altering a photo through a drawing