GWMS Week 5.8

G.W.M.S

I can not believe this will be the last video for the year!  I have been so pleased with the students' acceptance of TAB, as well as the support of the administration at George Washington.  

Wishing everyone a happy and safe summer!

GWMS Week 5.7

G.W.M.S. Week 5.7

All of the center are open!  Sewing has been a big hit.

GWMS Week 5.6

G.W.M.S. Week 5.6

Sewing has begun and we have lots of stuffed animals being made in the art room!  It is great to watch the students' sketches being transformed into 3-D soft sculptures.

The construction center opens this week!

GWMS Week 5.5

G.W.M.S. Week 5.5

Painting continues while others move on to printmaking.  I have really enjoyed seeing the variety of prints the students are making, especially the collographs.

We had a great teacher appreciation week, especially the fantastic lunch provided by the GWMS parents!

GWMS Week 5.4

GWMS Week 5.4

We have been talking about how to look at things around us in a new way - to notice the little details, and not just rely on our memory to produce a work of art.

Students are finding images of interest to them on the internet and looking at objects in the art room to use for subject matter in their paintings.  

Next week, we will begin printmaking!

GWMS Week 5.3

GWMS Week 5.3

Painting is open!  The students are always so glad when the painting center is available for them.  This past week we experimented mixing colors with tempera paint.  I am looking forward to this week and seeing what they can do with watercolors.

GWMS Week 5.2

GWMS Week 5.2

The last group of students have started the 5th rotation in the art room - I can not believe this year is almost over!  I have learned so much as a first-year TAB teacher.  I like to think the students have learned a lot too.  As the 8th graders prepare to move onto high school, it is my hope that many of them will continue to study art.

GWMS Week 4.7

Week 4.7

Today is the last day of the fourth rotation.  Hope everyone enjoys their spring break!

GWMS Week 4.6

G.W.M.S. Week 4.6

Only one more week of the fourth rotation - time sure flies!  This past Thursday was Collage, District 103's fine arts festival.  The elementary art teachers and I displayed work from our school in the media center for the night.  We had a great turn out and it was nice to see the students' art being celebrated.

GWMS Week 4.5

GWMS Week 4.5

The students are having fun exploring painting and printmaking.  We also had several students work on the "Doodle 4 Google" project - it would be fantastic to have a GWMS student's design win!

GWMS Week 4.4

GWMS Week 4.4

We all hope spring is just around the corner!  Even with snow on the ground, there are flowers blooming in the art room.

GWMS Week 4.3

GWMS Week 4.3

Some lovely collage projects have been created this past week!  

In Art Club we worked on another collaborative art project inspired by the Mandala Project.  We did not have enough students to make a whole "blanket" so we filled these display boards instead. 

GWMS Week 4.2

GWMS Week 4.2

We wrapped up the second week of the fourth rotation.  The drawing center and the collage center are open, with painting opening tomorrow.  

Below is a picture of a canvas painted by the GWMS Art Club.  We are participating in the "Dream Rocket" project (dream rocket), sponsored by the International Fiber Collaborative.  They plan to stitch together 8,000 panels to cover a replica of the Saturn V Moon Rocket.  I am so glad that we could participate in this project!

GWMS Week 3.7

GWMS Week 3.7

The third rotation is over tomorrow.  We missed four days this time around because of the crazy-cold weather.  Luckily, the art room is always warm and full of energy.

I decided to have students work on a collaborative project to conclude this session.  All six of my classes had the chance to paint on popsicle sticks with acrylic paint.  I hot-glued the sticks  to a canvas that we painted black.  (I originally saw an image of this project on Pinterest - so thank you, to whomever came up with this idea)  I think it turned out very well!

GWMS Week 3.5

GWMS Week 3.5

Our fiber center was opened this week and the students jumped at the chance to make their own stuffed animals and pillows.  We viewed examples of "Ugly Dolls" as inspiration, but the students definitely had their own ideas.  I think they turned out fantastic! 

GWMS Week 3.4

GWMS Week 3.4

Drawing, painting, collage and now printmaking are open in the GWMS Art room.  The students had the opportunity to create monoprints as well as relief prints using styrofoam or cardboard collographs.

GWMS Week 3.3

GWMS Week 3.3

Two weeks off for winter break, plus two extra days off for the "Polar Vortex Event" gave us a three day week.  The students transitioned well back to school and were ready to make art.  This week's video shows what has been happening in the collage center.

GWMS Week 3.2

GWMS Week 3.2

Today begins Winter Break.  As wonderful as this year has been, I am happy to have some time to relax!  This third rotation has been going so well.  The students continue to create art that is important to them.  As we approach the holiday season, some students chose to make work that shows their excitement about Christmas.  This is what I love about TAB! So often it seems that adults are imposing their ideas about the holidays on children.  Unfortunately, the reality is that it can be a very stressful and not always happy time for students.  I am so glad that I could offer a calm and accepting place for all students to explore their own ideas.  

Wishing everyone all the best in the new year - Happy 2014!

GWMS Week 3.1

GWMS Week 3.1

Welcome to the third rotation of the year!  We are off to a great start.  With winter and the holiday season under way the students' art reflects what is happening in their life.

GWMS Week 2.7

GWMS Week 2.7

We are wrapping up our 7 week rotation - it always seems to go so fast!  Several students continued using the viewfinders, this time looking at candy wrappers.  This lesson came from Artful Artsy Amy's blog.

With the help of some students I put together several figure templates that could be traced or referenced to create artwork with a figure in motion.  Here is an example below:

I found a great pattern to make the "articulated manikin" on the arte a scuola website - you can make one at home!