Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Warhol's Ink Blot Monoprints: pet portraits



Here's a little snippet of the video we watched to prepare for our lesson.
"Fantastic...yeah." - probably what Andy Warhol would have said seeing our second graders in action, creating his style of blotted line drawing monoprints, or a print that can only be produced once.  Warhol created his own unique style of drawing in order to stand out in the crowd of graphic artists looking for advertising jobs.  This technique, which involves drawing with ink on a tracing paper sheet and rubbing newsprint over the top, gives a very special line quality to a drawing - some parts are thin or thick, fuzzy or smoth.  It is definitely a challenge for students who are concerned with things being neat or perfect - it was an exercise in staying loose and having some surprises in your work!  I am a huge fan of this kind of art because it is so expressive and has that special handmade quality.
Andy Warhol made a number of artworks about his cats, all named Sam, so we took that idea and made our own pet portraits.  Enjoy!






















Saturday, February 4, 2012

Smartest Artist of the Month: February 2012

Megan A. Sun is our featured student artist for the month of February.  Megan is a 3rd grade student from Ms. Pickering's class who takes her work seriously and remains focused on improving her skills during her art time with me.  There's nothing I appreciate more in a student!  Her work is always well-crafted and creative, and her classroom behavior is top notch.  Megan would like to share that her "favorite hobby is art, especially when it is artistic and creative."  Here are a few of her creations from this year - keep up the great work, Megan!




Friday, February 3, 2012

A fun, yet completely unfinished, week...

Some weeks everything is just "in progress" - here's a sneak peek of some really nice work that should be finished soon ...

Paper "quilt squares" for a 3rd grade Gee's Bend style quilt

5th grade face jugs, safely waiting in plastic for step 2

5th grade helped me put to use some saved "recyclables" that had overstayed their welcome

2nd graders made ink blot prints like Andy Warhol - Pet Portraits

1st grade Georgia Folk Art, beginning stages

4th graders learn about value, shading and cross-hatching as they illustrate a favorite fictional character