Monday, November 3, 2014

High School Art: Trompe L'Oeil Drawings

Students in High School Art set up a miniature still life using small objects that they felt were meaningful, interesting or beautiful. They attached each object to a background board and drew the still life from observation. They worked hard to make each object realistic and life-sized to create a strong Trompe L'oeil (French for "trick the eye) effect. Students also focused on creating realistic, blended and high contrast shadows.

Allison
Rachel
Ben
Jack

Michael
Faith
Heather
Abigail
Lee

Victoria's coming soon! 

Monday, October 27, 2014

Middle School Art: Elements of Art and Principles of Design Cubes

Students studied each element of art and principle of design in depth and went on to create their own cube showing every concept.  Each side of their cube shows one element and one principle working together to create an interesting composition and clear showcase of the concept. 

Middle School Art: Ink and Watercolor Leaf Contour Drawings

One of the "tricks" of being able to draw well is learning how to teach your eyes and hands to work together effortlessly.  Middle School Art students practiced this skill by creating blind and modified contour drawings of autumn leaves. Student used ink and watercolors to complete their works. 

Middle School Art: Silhouette Collages

Middle School artists began the year by looking at the art Guiseppe Arcimboldo, a Renaissance painter who created portraits made up of other objects (such as fruit, vegetables and birds). The students took this concept and made it their own by filling their own silhouette with images of things that tell something about themselves.  Students used pencil, ink and watercolors to complete their works.

Inspired by the Masters I: Van Gogh - Sunflower Paintings

The students studied the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh and created a painting inspired by his sunflower paintings. Student looked at a vase of real sunflowers and drew them from close observation. Students used thick tempera paint to create Van Gogh's impasto technique and distinctive brushstrokes. 

Inspired by the Masters I: Matisse - Paper Collages

Students studied the life and work of Henri Matisse and created their own abstract collage inspired by "Les Betes de la Mer" ("The Beasts of the Sea"). Students used geometric shapes for their backgrounds and added organic shapes inspired by the sea. 

Inspired by the Masters I: Kandinsky Abstracts

Students studied the life and art of Wassily Kandinsky and created an abstract composition using geometric shapes and lines. Students tried to create pleasing and balanced compositions with these basic elements and used watercolors to add bold colors to their pieces.

Inspired by the Masters Workshop: Monet's Impressionist Landscapes

Students studied the art and life of Claude Monet and created their own impressionist landscapes using the stippling technique with acrylic paint on cardboard. Students used landscape photographs for reference. 

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Middle School Art: Murano Glass Color Studies

Students learned basic color mixing theory and practiced their new skill by painting primary colored vases, revealing secondary colors where the "glass" overlaps.  The vases were inspired by the beautiful glass art of Murano, Italy. 

Middle School Art: Cubist Still Life Inspired by Picasso

Students began by studying the life and art of Pablo Picasso.  They used his cubist style to inspire their own cubist drawings.  Students drew a still life from observation from multiple perspectives, deconstructed both drawings, then reconstructed the pieces into a new cubist composition. The drawings were finished with colored pencils in a limited color palette. 

Middle School Art: Starry Nights Inspired by Van Gogh

Students in Middle School Art studied the life and painting style of Vincent Van Gogh. Inspired by his distinctive brushstrokes, students created their own version of a "Starry Night" with acrylic paint, watercolors and oil pastel.