Surrealism

Surrealism started in the 1920’s as a movement in painting, writing, dance, film, and all aspects of art.  It was known for its element of surprise, imagination, and unexpected juxtapositions that make its audience question art.  In visual art, its images are usually ugly, confusing, fantastic, subconscious; not usually ‘pretty’ images.

Artist Rene Magritte, a surreal artist, was known for combining objects that don’t go together.  He would paint an umbrella with a glass of water, raining men with bowler hats, a man with a pumpkin for a head, or a train leaving a fireplace.  Confused by these images and ideas?  Exactly!  The students were not told the lesson, but told to write down some nouns that DON’T go together on a scrap of paper; bumble bees and coffee, rocks and pencils, soda and dandelions, unicorns and toenails.  Brainstorming together is challenging, but produces great results. Combining these images is a way for the students to create and understand surrealism. The students were asked to pick their favorite images and draw them with pencil.

Cartooning

The students requested cartooning and I love to accommodate.  This lesson is so much fun because the students can really be silly and funny with their ideas and drawings.  Their imaginations are filled with great ideas.  They just need help to get it all on paper.

I had the class “cartoon” an object.  They had to pick an inanimate object to draw first, like a water bottle, and add humanoid traits.  Cartooning is a form of abstracting, so the class had to draw the object correctly before they were to abstract it to a cartoon. The art of abstracting the object is quite fun!  The students were making things too big, too small, adding props, and creating strange situations, making fun and interesting characters.

We also has the student take turns teaching the class the cartoons they knew how to draw...Snoopy was a big hit.

Hand Drawings

This week the Art Club drew from life.

Art colleges and schools usually have a life drawing class where a model holds still for 15-20 minutes.  The students are forced to draw very fast and observe quickly.  I considered having us draw in partners, but holding still is so hard for middle school students!  Instead, each student drew their own hands. 

We talked about common gestures for our hands and how our hands can hold objects. Observing your skin, bones, fingerprints, and fingernails are strange sometimes.  Hands are not beautiful subject matters to draw, like flowers, and it is difficult to attain realism.

These 5th and 6th graders were brave to work on a new subject.  Drawing from life is extremely hard. I gave the class only one hour to draw their hands and told them not to shade.  I wanted them to get the size and proportion correct.

I am very proud of them and their results!

5th Grade

5th Grade

5th Grade

5th Grade

Working on Pointilism

These students are working hard on pointillism...one dot at a time....

I've asked them to draw their design on scrap paper (without the dots) to practice what will work better through dots. Textured objects work well in pointillism; veggies and fruits, animals, nature and leaves, fish and shells. We are working on small paper(thank goodness).  Every point of color must be put on one dot at a time without scribbling or making small lines.  Take deep breaths everyone and place your dots slowly.  If you get frustrated, just take a break and come back to it later...


Here is some finished work....

Drawing Ideas

High School Student work, pencil

High School Student Work, colored pencil

"I don't know what to draw..."
This statement happens so often!  Students feel as though they have to draw 'something pretty' or at least 'something identifiable'. 

I will continue to post drawing ideas each week.  Feel free to post some of your own ideas or drawings...


Draw a necktie and design an interesting pattern on it.
Draw a medal for yourself. It must be designed for the thing you do best.
Draw a city on another planet.
You are a toy designer; draw your new toy.
Draw a logo for a t.v. show

Drawing Ideas

"What should I draw?" 
"I don't know what to draw..."
These are some of the things that budding artist struggle with when designing artwork.  Here is some ideas that you can start off with.  Remember: not all art is 'pretty'...

1.      Draw a vase and a beautiful arrangement of flowers
2.      Draw a picture of the inside of your stomach and the food in it after a big meal
3.      Draw your idea of Paradise
4.      If animals could draw, what would their artwork look like? Draw their artwork.
5.      Why are people afraid to visit cemeteries at night? Draw it.

Art project library

There are more projects we can do from my old blog www.artprojectlibrary.blogspot.com that I started when I had the studio open. There are project ideas, explanations, and examples to look at.
I called it a library the year my sister graduated from Drexels Library Arts. She was obsessed with libraries!

Let me know if any of the projects interest you, or try them at home and show me!

Portfolio Review

Every student in the art club was required to submit a recent drawing. This assignment is similiar to a portfolio review that a professional artist or college artist might have to give.
A portfolio is like an audition for a performer.  A singer would have to sing a song; an artist brings his or her best recent drawings. We collectively looked at each drawing and critiqued it.  I always ask questions, "Did you follow the directions?" "Did you draw the object life-size?".  Life-size was not a requirement, but it is a good thing for learning artists to be critical of.  "Did you draw this pear bigger or smaller than the real pear you had?"

Having the real object to observe made a true difference in the quality of the students drawings.  It was clear from the drawings which students had a real vegetable or fruit to draw.

Working on Black Paper

These girls are working on our black paper project.  They started with scrap paper to work out the design first, then they are drawing their design again on the final paper.  Looks Great!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Do the Gelly Roll! (working on black paper)

I love this project! This project is a large size 'doodle' on black paper using metallic 'Gelly-Roll' markers (available at scrapbooking stores and Michaels). High quality black paper works the best with the roll markers. Black construction paper is too textured and is not acid free. I usually give an assignment as an ideas starter, for example, a pet or flower to start. The students are to 'doodle' in the background of the initial drawing, using repeating patterns and connecting objects. These markers have to be held at a 90 angle, and can be tricky for beginners. Sometimes we use light colored pencils and experiment with how the colors show up on the dark paper.  We talk about repeating designs and balance during this class.  Each student is required to show me their ideas on a scrap paper before they get a piece of black paper. The designs look best when most of the black paper is filled in and the colors are bold.