TASK Party 2015!

For the last days of our Artist Solve Problems unit we decided to throw a TASK Party! What's a TASK Party you ask? Well, simply put, there is a box filled with tasks. The student takes a task and does whatever it says.

That's a lame description so for a better idea, check out the videos below...,

Create a hand and slap someone

Sleeping

Create a hula hoop and get down with your bad self

Where we gonna find a blonde?

Painting Bootcamp

Last week, the Art One class explored a week+ in Acrylic Painting Bootcamp. The purpose of this intensive week was to give the student's a foundation in using acrylic paint. We had a loose theme of "landscape" to give them a starting point. however, it was more about learning the painting process.

We started the week with a few simple color theory exercises. My philosophy is that exercises should be exercises, not projects. Students should spend just enough time running through a color theory exercise to gain knowledge. No sense in spending three weeks on a color wheel.

Some times mixing colors works and sometimes the unexpected happens. That's ok, that's how we learn. :)

We even explored a few tippy tappy trees, Bob Ross style.  We watch a few Bob Ross videos including ones on painting clouds, painting mountains the one were Bob Ross cleans Picasso's clock in an epic rap battle!

I asked the students to create black and white pencil sketches of what they wanted to paint. Then we went to the iPad lab and we learned a few techniques in Sketchbook Pro. The students had the opportunity to create digital color sketches on the iPads before returning to the art room to create using acrylics.

When we started painting, the students had reference photos as well as their pencil sketches and their digital iPad sketches.

A digital version above and the final acrylic version below that.

A digital version above and the final acrylic version below that.

Now the Art One students have a great foundation in acrylic painting. They can use this medium for any project going forward for this class or any other future classes they may take.

Artist Solve Problems - Challenges

We are starting a new unit with Art One.. Artists Solve Problems.

This unit deals with limitations artists either have to endure or that they set on themselves. To kick off the new unit, we broke the class into three groups. Each group rotated through three different "limitations". Here is a look at all three...

Limitation One: Toast!

For the first challenge, each team was given a loaf of bread and three different methods of toasting. These included a toaster, a toaster oven and a heat gun. The teams then had to decide to work in groups or individually to create a work of art using only toast. Above, a group image of Mickey Mouse.

I snuck in a Zonkey in...

Limitation Two: Pancakes!

We've all seen the pancake art where someone creates one of the characters from Frozen out of pancakes. Well just how hard is this challenge? Pretty hard!

Still, as a teacher I am please to say that even though our pancakes weren't quiet as well done as the ones on Pinterest, my students did learn to make pancakes.. an experience many had never had... and really, what could be more important than knowing how to make pancakes?

So in theory, we did everything right...

This is our Donald Trump pancake... Nailed it!

If you try this, don't forget the syrup. It's one of the four major food groups; candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup.

Limitation Three: iPads

For this challenge, each team member was given an iPad and told that they could create anything they wanted but that they must use all iPads for one team image. 

This is easier said than done because first, there was a time limit of just over a half hour. In that time they had to agree how to use the iPads, which apps to use, what image to create, etc. A lot of group decisions which isn't always the easiest of tasks. 

This team did a sensational job of going through the process and in the end created a great image!

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Artists Steal

Here is a look at some of the project, some still in progress, from our Artists Steal unit. Our artists could borrow, steal, appropriate or intertextualize (is that even a word?) to create their final works. Above, the Scream has a zipper for a mouth. See how many of the following you can "get".

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark!

As we head into our next unit, Artists Steal, I thought it might be a good time to learn a very important art rule... Don't be afraid of the dark!

Yes, contrast can be our friend but sometimes art students can be a little intimidated by the dark. For this two day value and shading bootcamp, we "stole" a portrait we were interested in duplicating.

"What!? You just snagged a pic off the net?" Well, yes. Because this is a workshop on contrast and little else. Focus people.

So here is a look at few of these exercises. This group had no problem and I'm pretty sure from now on none of them will be afraid of the dark.

Welcome to Tantamount!

I stole this idea from Diane Jaquith who did a similar project she titled Tantalize. She stole the idea from a NYC group who did a project called Tantamounter. The basic concept the group came up with.. there is a slot in a door. You enter an item into the door and a little while later you get your item back along with a work of art that is tantamount to the original piece. Here's how we did it...

I stopped by the english teacher's class last week and told him about the idea. I asked if he would collect things from his class. He fulfilled his end of the bargain...

When the Art One class enter today, I explained the rules. You have one class period to create a tantamount piece. ... So I guess I mean I explained the rule. OK go!

They dove in head first. It was a lot of fun and at the end of class we had completed all the pieces. We're excited to hand this all back over to the english class.