Blog Archives

7th grade happenings

11/29/2014

Since I am mostly teaching 8th graders this semester, I have not spent much time blogging about what 7th grade students have been creating during our one class together (next semester will be the opposite of this semester). So, as to not forget about the great work these guys are doing, here is an overview of the ways in which we explored perspective for the last project.

I have been teaching perspective for a while now. It can be a tough concept to teach at times because it is very rule-based and I always tell my students that in order to be successful at it, you kind of have to turn your brain off and accept that you are limited to the rules of drawing either vertical, horizontal, or orthogonal lines. I also try and reinforce those concepts using more than one kind of method. So, here are some of the works we did while playing around with the concept of perspective, but you can always view the full gallery here.

Hallway Drawings

When we do this drawing exercise, I have students go into the hall to pick their point of view. Beforehand we go through various ways to use perspective by creating a generic hallway. Here are the results of putting that practice to work:

Colton B - area by Mrs. Gustafson's room

Caiden B. - area by the gym and cafeteria

Jordyn M. - area by Mrs. Stevenson's room

Name Drawings

Students were also asked to use perspective to draw their name. Here are some of the results.

Photoshop Hallways

The last way students were asked to explore perspective is through digital means. They used images I had taken of the various hallways and using the pen and brush tools in Photoshop, they outlined the vertical, horizontal, and orthogonal lines. They then used various fill tools to complete the pieces.

Joey S.

Eli G.

Phat P.

Things

11/26/2014

We wrapped up the last project theme yesterday before breaking for Thanksgiving this week. It is always fun for me to view the work students have spent time imagining, planning, and bringing to life as I read their statements on Artsonia. There were a lot of ways the theme of Objects, Artifacts, and Things you can leave behind and I when viewing the results of the work students made, I feel like they exhausted them all. Here are some of the diverse results:

Kollan D.: I used a watercolor around the fire extinguisher to give it a fiery look. I thought after I made it from collage that it would be ironic if the fire extinguisher was on fire. I think this explores the theme of "objects" because fire extinguishers are something you see every day in most buildings. Art can make normal object seem interesting by using bright colors, like Jim Dine and Wayne Thiebaud.

Kenzie G.: I really liked the idea of painting on objects so create the look of a painting. By doing so, I am creating the idea that everything is not as it seems. I personally play volleyball, so I knew how to make the volleyball seem more realistic. Also, volleyball takes up a huge portion of my time, and this is just another way of expressing my log for the sport. Alexa Mead was my inspiration for this piece as she paints on objects to make them look like a painting. I liked the theme that there is more beneath the surface of something, and she conveys it well.

Kelsey C.: I used broken crayons and my arm brace for this 3D art piece. I used the broken crayons to portray all of the broken things that the brace holds and keeps in place. I chose to do this concept because I tore my ligament off my bone and this brace is a huge part of my life right now and I thought it would be a cool way to portray something that is going on with my life right now. As I said before, this brace is a huge object in my life at this moment. It was important for me to show that this brace has made an impact on me.

Austin W.: In this project, I used printmaking. I used light, bright colors for the background and then used string to block the dark colors and show the bright colors! I used several other techniques and tools to make this art look so interesting and colorful such as bubble wrap, string, and other tools used particularly for this project. The artist that inspired me to do this art was probably Jim Dine because he uses lots of color and cool and different designs for his masterpieces. I also liked how in my project I used every color to drag out the amount of color in the project. Printmaking allows everybody to make cool artwork even using useless materials that will make the artwork look even more interesting and have such cool designs. Finding any item with bizarre designs and awesome imprints through out the house or room will even make this project look cool!

Heather B.: The materials I used are pastels and sharpie, I used pastels so that I could blend the colors and make the lava lamp effect. With the bright colors standing out from the dark. I used sharpie to make circles for the background in all three lava lamps. One technique I used is blending colors together to make a new shade. This helped get the effect of the “lava” part standing out and looking more like the real thing and like its glowing. I used my lava lamp at home for a referance and this is an object that has meaning to me. That is then how is fits the theme objects, artifacts, and things you leave behind. This also shows the theme like Mitchell Feinberg’s work that has many of the same thing that makes up in piece of art work. As mine is three lava lamps (objects) that make up one piece of art work.

Lauren D.: I used photography to make this piece. I took a photo of my shoes on the bus and turned the background black and white. This shows still life because it is focusing on an inanimate object. The bus is a place where I can focus and create new ideas. I’m trying to say this with my picture by making the shoes pop and background fade, as if you are staring straight at the shoes. This shows still life because you have a meaning in an inanimate object. My piece can be compared to Mitchell Fienberg’s art. He uses photograph to show his concept, and I did too. He also uses clothing in his art like shirts or watches, and I used shoes.

Tryston V.: I choose to use felt because felt is fun and it is easy to do but it looks really cool. Also i can bring this home and give it to my sister as a Christmas Gift. I did not really know about felt but i will definitely use it more. This can relate to me because it is a sports shoe and i play lots of sports like basketball and i run sometimes. I love playing sports but i also love seeing shoes and looking at them so this fits my personality perfectly.

Maddie D.: The reason why I chose to do an old fashioned camera is because I thought of things that have changed a lot in the past few decades. One of those things is technology. I thought that by doing an old camera can show how much better things have become. I used plexi glass to make this. I did an etching technique and I used printing. I thought that this would be very cool and different if I did it this way and I added the designs just to spice it up a little bit. My personal connection to this piece is that when I go to my grandpa's house he has this old camera on a shelf on display and I always thought that it looked really cool and I liked how it was an antique. For this theme I was inspired by Mitchell Feinberg. I saw the printing that he made in those clay pieces and I thought that those were really cool. So I did a print myself and just used a different kind of printing.

Anna P.: This piece is very similar in it's theme and concept to my other piece, which is a necklace made out of calligraphy nibs. This is a glove that has calligraphy nibs sewed onto it. This shows the theme of things you leave behind and the concept that anything can be transformed into art. I took an ordinary object and made it extraordinary in a way that others may not think to do. By doing this, I believe more people can find a connection with my work because of the fashion element. This piece is similar to the piece by Jim Dine, in which he created a separation wall using tools. Both of us created a new object out of other more common objects.

Olivia L.: This triangular box has three sides because it represents the three possible out comes of a soccer game. One you can win, two you could lose, and three you could tie a game. This is similar we every competition or problem in life. This can be related to every community of people. This concept of three outcomes is also personal to me because soccer is my favorite sport. I used similar concepts as the artist Audrey Flack. They are similar because we both use very bright colors. This was a very fun piece to make.

Gelli Plate Madness

11/21/2014

I am so excited about the demo I did for students today using Gelli Arts Printing Plates. As I have been writing for the past few weeks, students are working on the concept of Objects, Artifacts, and Things we leave behind. Students really dug into this project, but some had a hard time devising two images in the time allotted.

Since we only have until Tuesday to get it all done, I started experimenting with my Gelli Arts plate and getting a variety of effects based on the objects I layered on it. I have decided my favorite is string, with the VCR tape as a close second. I introduced these methods to the kids (and how adding additional lines through sharpie can enhance the image or make people see something within the printed shapes) and everyone took off with it.

Check out the work below:

Students also worked with some other materials as they finish up this project theme.

Back to Work

11/19/2014

Students were back at it today after a brief break due to poor weather conditions on Tuesday. I decided to implement a new method for implementing "I can" statements that I learned from Art Teacher, September Buys, at the MAEA conference this past weekend. I had students make a calendar for the rest of this project and start to fill it out with personal "I can" goals to help them stay on track and complete their work on time. They leave them out on their desk and I can go around and conference with them about their goals and whether or not it will work. It has been great so far! Check out some more work below:

Snow Day! and other cool things happening in Art

11/18/2014

Snow Day!

Today is the first Snow Day of the year! I am excited about having the day to catch up on things and relax. I also decided to share a challenge with my students to create art and post it to Artsonia. They did not disappoint! Here are some of the works posted from today:

Eli: Today as I woke up this morning I checked the internet to find that it was a snow day! I then looked at schoology and I saw Mrs. Campbell's Snow day Art badge. I decided to sit at my sunroom window that revealed the mighty oak tree that still was holding some of its leaves. Then, I started drawing. I got a pencil and I started making branches and the main part of the giant oak out the sunroom window. After that, I used a rust colored pencil to display the leaves that still hang on the tree. I also used brown Tissue-Paper to make the drawing have some dimension to it. After that, I used white paint to represent the snow on the branches. I love the "Snow Day Art!" idea, and I thought It was a fun thing that I could make in my spare time on this snow day!

Sydney: This piece is made from pictures in a magazine and paper with green and a hint of yellow paint. I made them into snowflakes by cutting out squares from the magazine and cutting out shapes to make all the snowflakes different. As you can see I painted over them too to make them look more collage looking.

Since its snowing today and im into the cold right now I made snow flakes out of hot glue. Happy snow day!

More work

8th grade students are continuing to work on their theme, with some final entries making their way to our online gallery. I am so pleased with the intelligent risks students are making with their work and how they are going beyond the materials they have used in the past. It is going to be fun to see all of the finished works roll in before next week's Thanksgiving Break. Here is a peek at a few:

Olivia L.: To execute this piece I used the printmaking technique. This supports my theme because prints can be repeated as many times as wanted, and that replicates my feeling for soccer. Every time I play a soccer game that outcome can be repeated if I put forth my effort. The same is for print making. An artist that I connect to with my art is Audrey Flack. I can do this because I was inspired by her bright colors in her work. That is why I chose these bright colors for my piece.

Logan S.: The material I choose was cardboard and I choose it mainly because I didn't want to have to mess with clay but, it turned out very aesthetically pleasing in the end so that is a plus. It also conveys that all objects eventually get destroyed because cardboard is a not very sturdy or tough material. The shoes in question are actually modeled after shoes I own and wear they have wing because shoes can take you anywhere. I think my art most resembles Wayne Thiebaud's art because it conveys a positive message and is fairly realistic.

Jayson G.: My piece uses groups of certain kinds of clothes to communicate my ideas. The piece represents how people can express themselves in many ways, even though we think about it; we are all very similar to each other. Although each picture may just be hats or shirts or shoes, the different colors and styles of clothes represent different ways people express themselves. This concept is evident in my personal life as well as those in my community. Everyone uses things like clothes to express him or herself, and people often recognize others by these characteristics. Art is a good way for people to communicate ideas and themes to others. Artists like Mitchell Feinberg have used art for this exact reason. Feinberg made a piece consisting of cigarettes and a watch. Although it is not directly said, the piece makes people think about how cigarettes impact lifespan and the consequences of using them. By using art, people are able to make people see and think about different ideas and themes.

Here are some pieces in progress:

Where Mrs. Campbell Was...

I have the awesome pleasure of being able to speak to other teachers from time to time on the great work my students do in my classroom. This past weekend, I had the honor of participating the MAEA conference in Lansing, MI. It was an amazing time filled with learning from educators across the state of MI and beyond. I had a great time sharing what we do in our classroom, too. You can read more about it on my blog.

It was also quite an honor to be selected as MAEA Middle Level Educator of the Year. I was nominated by previous winners and Visual Arts teachers, Kim Cairy and September Buys.

It was also fun to see the top 15 Middle Level show, that features two of my students from last year, Sara Thompson and Morgan Baker. I had a great time at the conference and am so proud of sharing what I get to do with my students in my classroom.

Work by Morgan Baker

Work by Sara Thompson

More work

11/12/2014

Students are continuing their work this week on various objects using many different types of materials. You can see the process pictures below. It is important to note that as students start their projects, they refer back to their sketches and make needed adjustments along the way.

Working on Projects

11/10/2014

Students are busy working on their projects that incorporate the theme of objects. It has been interesting to see what ways they have interpreted this theme as they work towards also using media that they have yet to explore in previous works. The slideshow below shows the diversity in both material and interpretation of concept.

Manipulating Materials and Interpreting Objects

11/7/2014

8th graders continued to work on their projects today, exploring the purpose of objects and how they can be expressed through a variety of media. It is fun to see how students are working with materials and experimenting what is possible with this assignment. I also challenged students to work with media that they have yet to use, which is getting them to stretch outside of their comfort zones and learn new ways to create.

Jackson is working with paper clips to create a wearable piece of jewelry from this object.

Nolan is creating a reduction print of his pencil, which has been his preferred media to work with on previous projects.

Dakota is working on the potter's wheel to create a functional object.

Jordan is working at altering a book and showing images of technology within the pages of a reader's digest.

Anna continues to work on her calligraphy nib necklace and is attempting to create a hand decoration with more nibs and black string.

Gabe is working with a clay mask and will use various images within the face to explore how we interact with objects.

Objects and other things

11/6/2014

8th grade students started turning their sketches into works of art today as they began to work on final projects. Take a look at some of the solutions to the project theme below:

Anna is creating a necklace our of calligraphy nibs, reimagining what this object can be used for.

Dalton is creating a smaller scale computer out of cardboard and duct tape.

Kat is creating an apple out of wire and will add a paper element to it once constructed.

7th graders are finishing up their films. This one is on the topic of cyberbullying. It will be fun to see the finished products when they start coming in tomorrow.

Lewis and Clark

11/5/2014

Today was our Lewis and Clark outdoor adventure for 8th grade students. It was a great time and you can see more of what we did by watching the video below: