Category: Sculpture

Week Twelve

4/23/2018

Finishing Up with DE

Students in my KCAD 3D DE class are working on their final exam projects as we get closer to the end of the course. With only a week left, students are at different points of progress when it comes to their final works. It has been an awesome time seeing students select what materials they want to work with for their final projects and how they can adapt the skills and ideas we discussed throughout the term into something that is uniquely their own making.

I have been so impressed with the students from this term and cannot wait to see what they land on for their final works. I am also excited to see many of them return as a part of our program and even more excited and proud for those who will graduate and begin their next learning journey at the college level!

Architecture Almost Complete

Students continued their STEAM projects this week that worked at designing an building models based on architecture. Students will finish up and present these works on Monday/Tuesday of next week. I have appreciated seeing students work together in groups for this effort and discover skills and talents using a variety of tools.

These pieces will go on display in the Library of our school for the remainder of the school year and we look forward to keeping some as examples and decoration for our classrooms.

Working on ArtPrize10

Working on our @ByronCenterPS #ArtPrize10 Youth Collaboration piece for @ArtPrize collaboration today pic.twitter.com/YVc7kmdfDC
— Janine Campbell (@campbellartsoup) April 17, 2018

Students were busy at work last week getting the background for our panels painted for ArtPrize10. We are so excited about this installation that celebrates diversity and how we can come together as a community to work on this statement. Now that we have our backgrounds decorated, we need to finish up the portraits on the bottle caps and apply those to the panels along with reflective paper.

It is going to be amazing to see the other schools' work, too. Especially when we put them all together. I am also looking forward to sharing our completed panels at our Arts a la Mode/Empty Bowls/Fine Arts Night celebration on May 22nd!

LOVE the additions students made to our #artprize10 Youth Collaboration entry as a part of the @ByronCenterPS @ArtPrize work. Hoping we will find a venue this year to showcase our work! More to do tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/3NaBoCOBmh
— Janine Campbell (@campbellartsoup) April 18, 2018

Week Seventeen

1/12/2018

Finishing up the Semester

As we near the end of the semester, students were asked to go through their portfolios on Artsonia and select a piece they would like to revisit in ways that would help them show growth over the term. This is a variation on a project I ask students to engage in annually as a way to pause, reflect, and react to the learning that has happened during their time in the art classroom.

It is very exciting for me to see students use this project to show what they have learned. It is also interesting to learn why students select the works they want to revisit. For some, it is because it was their favorite thing; for others, it was something they struggled with at the time and this is their chance to do something better. Regardless of the reason, I am thankful that students had a chance to do this and I really enjoyed reading their statements that went with the work.

Ashlynn: I did this flower because in fifth grade I did a water color flower, and for something old something new I decided to take the techniques from the fifth grade art work and make it better. So I colored my flower and used water color paint, just like I did in fifth grade.

Kennedy: For this projects I decided to re-make a shoes drawing i did with pastels in 5th grade. I started out by looking at my shoe and drawing out the outsides and the lines, then i colored it in. I did the same thing with the other shoes, only using pencils instead of colored pencils. For my background I used water color to make a splash pattern by blowing on it.

Serenity: I decided to recreate my watercolor flower painting from 5th grade. In the original I didn't make it look like a flower very well. The flower was too zoomed in. However, in this piece I zoomed out and made it look more like a flower. I made a new work that focused more on the content of the painting. The original also had colors that were not blended and causing the work to have poor craft. In this piece the colors that I used were blended together more, causing the work to have good craft. This art work helped me personally by helping me show the improvement I have made not only as a artist, but as a person. I wanted to revisit this project because I honestly thought it looked bad when I original created it in 5th grade. I wanted to take this opportunity to recreate it and make it look better.

Finn: My new project shows improvement in creativity because before I just grabbed a bunch of images off of google and placed them inside my profile, and in this project I made the background inside my face, made the planet, and I made the stars. I also improved my craft. I did this by spending more time on the quality of the components in this project, and in the other project my background was just made out of a bunch of random colors and scribbles. I made this piece the way it is because I love the way galaxy or space things look and also how greens, purples, reds, and blues look together.

Jackson: In the old water color abstract I had diferent clear sections which looking back on I didn't like so with this one its more non objective. Also in the old one I had random scribbles through out it making it worse. I feel like this one was a lot more crafty because in the old one it was just crappy and scribbly but with this one it actually took time. The composition on this one was a lot better too because it used a wider variety of color. I don't really have a personal connection to this artwork because it was "Non objective". I wanted to revisit this because in my last one it was awful and I didn't like it so I thought of this as a retry.

Evie: I remade a piece I made in 5th grade, the year I came to Byron Center. It was a portrait of what I looked like back then and it was supposed to be realistic. Remaking it, I took everything I've learned and made it in a style I draw with more. I decided since this was a remake from an old drawing, instead of keeping the drawing of me in 5th grade, I'd make it how me and my friends draw me currently. I'ts like a persona in a way, it's something my friends have helped me with and I am very grateful for their help. I also made it digital instead of traditional. I took the circles in the background from the last drawing and made it a ball type thing with words my friends have called me and use to describe me. The art remake is very important to me, it shows how much I've grown with people and especially with art. I used far more shading and took aspects from the last drawing (circles and words) and made them into something new and even combined them! I'm far more content with this piece and I hope to learn more in art.

Khiem: This art is the continue of the last art in 7th grade challenge 3 treasure or trash. Some of the thing that I change is the way I chose to color it. In the old art I use the different color but in this one I chose to use My old fashion way, pencil. Something new that I do is the point of view. The first one is up looking down but in this one I chose to look from a wall. The first C is creativity is that I use shading pencil instead of markers. Another C that's different is the content I chose to take a different point of view from the original. This my room that change a little by using my imagination like the fish tank.

Mary: In the revision of the autobiography I did last year, I wanted to re-do my attempt at 'anime' and wanted to improve. I was honestly horrified at the older version, so I just had to redo it.I am also remaking this character; putting in more depth and such.I hope you enjoyed this piece, I cannot wait to make more like it!

3Doodler Fun

This was an exciting end of the week in our classroom as our latest funded project from DonorsChoose arrived! Thanks to generous donors and the matching funds from 3Doodler, we were able to get 6 3Doodler pens for our classroom!

Students spent today experimenting with the pens, even completing some of the projects from the booklet. I am so excited to be able to use these in the classroom and cannot wait to see what students make next with them.

Week One of DE

For the past seven years I have been able to reconnect with my former middle school students as high schoolers in the Kendall College of Art and Design Dual Enrollment program. Each Spiring, I teach a course in either Color, Photo, or 3D. It has been an awesome experience and one that I look forward to each year.

This week, we had our first class in 3D Design. It was fun to see students I once had years ago and meet new students, too. We started out this week with collaborative work, creating sculptures on the first day out of styrofoam cups and some drawing exercises on the second day to prep for some relief paper sculptures based on the work of Heather Hansen.

From what I have seen so far in this short period of time, I know we are going to have some stellar work made by some stellar students over the remaining 14 weeks of class.

Next week, these drawings will be translated into paper relief sculptures (one symmetrical and one asymmetrical). It will be interesting to see how students use 2D images to inform the 3D work they make. This is my first time approaching this project in this way and it was amazing to see how engaged students were throughout the drawing process (one commented that they would like to do more of this kind of work on their own).

Part of my job as an art teacher is to teach the fundamentals of seeing and making art; the other part is to instill the idea that there are multiple ways to make art and that anyone can do it.

Happy New School Year!

9/8/2015

Well, after what seems like half a lifetime of Summer vacation, we started back up in the BCWMS Art room today! It was a great day filled with meeting new students and picking right back up with the ones from last year. Here are some of the highlights from our first day back:

Clay on the First Day!

Clay on the first day in the BCWMS art room is no secret. I have blogged, presented, and posted about it time and again since we started the tradition about five years ago! Today was probably the MOST successful start to the year using clay. The kids were on fire as they recalled vocabulary from last year and showed off their slab-making skills. I am very excited about our use of the clay bowls this year and how we have rethought our Empty Bowls event for 2016. I will post more details on this as we get deeper into the project.

Testing Out Dot Day Ideas

Last year was the first year we participated in Dot Day on September 15th with our collaborative paintings. This year, I am working on a new idea and thinking more 3D for the collaboration. I worked on this prototype yesterday. The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds is a celebration of making your mark and seeing where it takes you. In the spirit of that adventure, students will be making circles that they create designs on and then build them into a larger sphere in hopes they see how much more they can be and accomplish when we work together and support each other as a team. These will then hang outside of the classroom in our smART space. After School Art students got a jump on making their individual circles today in class.

Tour the Room

I am so thankful to be starting my tenth year at BCWMS as the Visual Arts teacher! As my twelfth year of teaching gets underway, I am so excited to have found some new ways of organizing my classroom and decorating the space to make it more efficient and user friendly. Enjoy a little peek into our chaos below!

Here is a view from my desk. Equiped with my ELMO and computer, I am ready to take on the day. I like having my students set up in groups and enjoy the collaborative efforts that result in this set-up.

I updated this bulletin board this year. I also found a new home for the drying rack in this spot next to the painting supplies. I am still in the process of figuring out the right layout and labeling, but I know it is a better solution than years past!

I am probably most excited for this area! I created detailed lists of what can be found in each cupboard. Last year a student helped create the colorful labels. I think this will help selection of materials move smoothly throughout the year!

This is where students keep their computers when they are not in use. I also purchased the paper containers this year in hopes they will be a neater solution to year's past. I also bought the dress form, which is currently sporting my Gelli Arts apron, in hopes we will have another fashion designer enter their works in competition this year.

This is a fun area of the room. These guys help me watch over the kiddos and keep them on track.

I color code my hours. This space helps students keep track of their 3D work. Each student is assigned a number and they use that to put their pieces on the shelf.

We have this awesome wall unit to house portfolios. Students are assigned table numbers and then they are grouped by color.

Our participation in the Scholastic Art Awards is one of my highlights of my career. Since 2008 we have had more than 80 works from BCWMS recognized at the regional level with four National Winners. This year I made a bulletin board for the hallway outside my classroom inviting all interested students to get involved with ways to get started.

I hope everyone had as fun of a start as I did today! Good luck to you and your year of Artventures!

Working with Environments

10/9/2014

8th grade students took up the challenge earlier in the week to work with environments, spaces, and places for this next project. We finished up planning mid-week and it has been fun to see the diverse choice of materials (yet again) that students selected for enact their vision when exploring the topic. From paint, to paper, to clay, and cardboard, these students are utilizing many mediums to engage with the concept and share their ideas.

Andrew is creating a shelter of sorts using a repeated origami element that is stacked.

Olivia is working with the Grand Rapids' skyline and paint effects for her project.

Kenzie is working with cardboard as the base for her 3D painting.

Logan is creating a stop-motion animation that explores the idea of impacting environments through action.

Harrison is creating a landscape using a clay mold of his face as the base.

Payton is creating a globe vessel and plans to store additional items inside to tell a bigger story.

Printing and Paper Sculptures

4/22/2014

7th grade students worked on making multiples today as they printed their action poses inspired by Red and Black Figure pottery from Ancient Greece. Before selecting paper and ink colors, we discussed the idea of contrast and how colors interact with each other when they are used in a work of art.

8th grade students are working on their maquettes for their larger paper sculptures. It is fun to see the mini versions of their final works. Maybe in the future, we will just do a bunch of mini paper sculptures like Jennifer Collier (one of the artists we used as inspiration for this project).

The Planning Process

4/18/2014

I decided to try something new in class today as students were finalizing their sketches for upcoming projects in 7th and 8th grade art. Usually students create several options on newsprint and then apply to a final product, making decisions on their own throughout that process. Instead of working in isolation and only getting feedback half way through or at the end, students spent part of today reviewing the planning sketches of their peer and indicating their favorites with a check or a star. This gave students a chance to rethink their initial favorites and take their peers' feedback into consideration when moving onto the next stages before finishing their projects.

7th grade students are working on a printmaking project inspired by Red and Black Figure Pottery from Ancient Greece. Students selected an action image of their choice and planned out their patterned prints before getting feedback from their peers and applying the final design to their block.

8th grade students created maquettes to test out their planned paper sculptures before creating them on a larger scale. Creating a smaller model of the final design allows students to find the best possible solutions in a quick amount of time without wasting many resources. It was fun to see students struggle their way to solutions as they cut, folded, scored, and glued their designs together.

A Week of Clay

12/7/2013

Students worked on clay projects this week, transforming rather dull gray lumps into lively creatures and figures. We discussed the various stages of clay as they transformed their pieces based on the planning work they completed through a series of thumbnail sketches.

7th grade students based their creatures around the transformation of a hollow clay balloon (that some decided to turn into a rattle by adding additional clay pellets before enclosing it). 8th grade students reused old water bottles as armatures to create anthropomorphic pottery pieces that represent their personalities.

While doing the demonstration for the 7th grade project process, I always ask students to tell me what to make and they vote on the final creature/sketched pose from my thumbnails. In the past I have made monkeys, chickens, fish, unicorns, and more. This year they wanted me to make a shark - you can check out the progress below (not too bad for a first try):

7th grade students finished their projects on Friday and 8th grade will be done on Monday. We will be adding color to the pieces once they have been fired!

Lots of Choices

11/26/2013

For the past two weeks, students in both 7th and 8th grade classes had a lot of decisions to make as they worked through their projects. 7th grade students focused on story-telling as they worked on creating videos, video games, or comics. 8th grade students worked with form as they decided what to create with paper. You can see all of the results on our online gallery, but here is a peek into the process below:

7th grade students used the website www.gamestarmechanic.com to create their video games. They focused on telling a good story and weaving in other class content in their games.

Some students chose to tell their story through a comic.

Other students created their videos for the Meijer Great Choices Video Competition to focus on Healthy Choices, Character, or Diversity.

Here are a few of the finished sculptures created by 8th grade students. You can see more on our Artsonia gallery.

A Week Full of Printmaking

11/17/2013

7th grade Greek Inspired Prints

7th grade students learned about how contemporary artists Karen Lamonte and Michael Stuts draw inspiration from ancient art from Greece and Rome. After comparing their work to the originals, students were asked to create action poses inspired by what they found in Greek Red and Black Figure Pottery. You can see the results on our online gallery and follow along in the process by watching the slideshow below:

Students also learned interesting facts like why the Parthenon no longer has a roof, that Nike is not just a great shoe company, and the ugly truth about those classical white statues everyone thinks look so elegant. We are currently in the process of working on our plaster casting of fingers based on our exploration of Pompeii and should be complete by Thanksgiving with that. Below is a little preview of where we are at so far:

8th grade Self Expression Prints

8th grade students also got in on the printmaking action this week by creating a two-color reduction print using Wondercut and Linocut tools. We looked at the work of Swoon, Kathe Kollwitz, Andy Warhol, and Banksy before editing our images in Photoshop and transferring them to our printing plates. Reduction printmaking is always a little tricky because you have to think in reverse and make sure to get your registration just right. You can see the results on our online gallery and the process below:

Keep Calm and Abstract On

10/4/2013

Image made by Drew L. for Photoshop Phriday based on the concepts and work done from this week.

8th grade Abstractions

8th graders worked on the concept of abstraction this week through a series of activities that ranged from drawing, painting, sculpture, and digital work that explored concepts of representational abstraction (mostly with portraiture). The below are some of the results:

You can see the full array of images on our online gallery at www.artsonia.com/schools/byron1.