Kluender- Art 7/8

Parents of Art 7/8 students, 

I will be sending a notice home with your child regarding the use of x-acto knives in class for their project. Please see a copy of the notice below. 

September 16, 2016

To:  Art 7/8 parents

Art 7/8 students are working on a lesson inspired by artist John J. Audubon. They have been working hard on creating bird drawings that are being filled in with unique patterns. Students will be cutting out these intricate designs to layer on hand-colored paper. Students will have access to scissors, but to do more intricate cuts, I’d like them to be able to use x-acto knives. We will go over safety rules and expectations in class regarding the use of the x-acto knives to ensure everyone’s safety. Any student not following the guidelines below will not be allowed to continue to use the x-acto knives and will finish with scissors.

Listed below are the safety procedures and behavior expectations the students are expected to follow in this project.

1.  Students must work quietly and remain seated while using the x-acto knives.

4.  Place pads under the cutting area to protect tables.

5.  Hold the x-acto knife like a pencil.

6.  Keep hand that is not cutting above the cutting area to hold the paper in place and protect that hand from injury.

7.  When cutting curves, turn the paper with your free hand.

8.  Cut only paper related to the project.

9.  No one will be allowed to leave the room until all equipment is accounted for.

10.  Do not bring x-acto knives from home.

11.  Do not remove x-acto knives from the art room.  Hanover County policies relating to weapons will apply if a student is caught with an x-acto knife outside the art room.

12.  Anyone participating in unsafe actions will continue the project with scissors.

Please contact me if you would like your child to opt-out of using the x-acto knives. I have small scissors that they can use instead. I am available to answer any questions or concerns you may have.

Thank you,

Mrs. Melanie Kluender

mkluender@hcps.us

804-723-2260

Kluender- Art 78

Today, Art 78 students began adding PATTERN to their bird drawings! 

You can achieve CONTRAST and INTEREST by varying the sharpie line width and alternating black-on-white and white-on-black patterns.

We used some of the patterns we found in magazines earlier. I also had handouts and books with plenty of ideas.

Kluender- Art 8

Today, Art 8 students were asked to draw an apple from memory. Then, I projected an image from an actual apple onto the board for them to draw from. We discussed how the two drawings differed. Most agreed that the apple drawn from observation was rendered much more realistically. 

We talked about ways to improve our observational drawing skill, a main focus in Art 8. Students were encouraged to start paying attention to the details of objects in real time. For example, upon seeing a beautiful sunset, instead of reaching for the phone to capture it, notice the fading colors of the sky and observe the shapes of the clouds. Learning to stop and observe detail will allow you to become a better artist. Students were also given tips about beginning with basic shapes before adding detail, drawing lightly and how to hold their pencil for sketching.

Our first big project will involve a pencil drawing done from OBSERVATION. We will add watercolor and colored pencil techniques to it to give it the appearance that the color is "draining" from the drawing. The subject matter is open for students to figure out on their own, but I will be working with them individually to fine tune their ideas. The IDEA is the hardest part! I'm encouraging them to think of a few different ideas for backups.

Kluender- Computer Art 78

Today, Computer Art 78 students learned that a POWER WORD is a word that has personal meaning to them. This word could send a message, evoke and emotion, show aspects of their personalities, or represent an interest. After brainstorming ideas for personal power words, we narrowed it down to one to use for our KALEIDOSCOPE design. 

We created a design using different fonts. Then, we traced, traced, traced to  get the design onto a large square paper.

Kluender- Art 78

Today, Art 78 students discussed many different types of art and creative careers. We talked about the fact that "artists" don't have to be painters, sculptors, or illustrators. They can be fashion designers, architects, video game designers, work in advertising or the performing arts among many, many other careers. We discussed the importance of Art class whether or not you decide to be an "artist" because developing and using the "right"side of our brains makes us better at problem solving, critical thinking and well rounded and creative thinkers.

Students were then introduced to John James Audubon, a painter and orinthologist. We discussed how his work was not only beautiful, but was important to the scientific community as well. 

We used reference pictures of birds to create basic line drawings and identify the contours.

Next class, we will be adding foliage to the background area.

Kluender's Classes

Hello,
Keep an eye on this blog for up to date information and pictures of what we are doing in the Art Studio.
Here is what each class will be working on as we begin our first nine weeks:


Art 8

• Art 8 will be focusing on sharpening their skills in the area of OBSERVATIONAL DRAWING. We will learn how to become better at drawing what we see versus what we think we see. 
• Ever wonder what that HB, 3B or 4H is on your drawing pencil? We will learn how to use drawing pencils and practice creating a range of VALUES. 
• We will discuss how adding CONTRAST in an artwork can add interest to the COMPOSITION. We will add watercolor and colored pencil techniques to our pencil drawings. 

Art 7/8

• Art 7/8 will be led in a discussion about different types of jobs artists can have. We will be introduced to an artist whose work was beautiful, but served a very important purpose as well, JOHN J. AUDUBON. 
• We will use reference images of birds and foliage to create a unique COMPOSITION. 
• We will use various pen & ink techniques to create PATTERN and CONTRAST in our artwork.
• We will use X-Acto blades to cut our intricate designs out and layer them onto hand-colored paper.

Art with Computer 7/8 (CA 7/8)

• CA 7/8 will begin by discovering their own POWER WORD. This is a word that holds personal meaning to them. We will create a unique KALEIDOSCOPE design using this word.
• We will be introduced to ADOBE PHOTOSHOP. We will create a DIGITAL KALEIDOSCOPE using a photo and various FILTERS.

WELCOME BACK!

I'm working hard to get ready for your return to the SJMS Art Studio next week! I'm excited to see many returning young artists as well as meeting new faces. I've been planning lots of fun, thoughtful, challenging, and creative lessons for you! 

I will be sending home a course syllabus the first day of class that includes information about what to expect in the class, the course fees and materials list, my grading policies, and an explanation of acceptable phone use in the Art Studio.

What should you expect to see in Art?

Each block will consist of these parts:

1. Journal Time- This is a 10-15 minute daily warm up done in their sketchbook. Students are required to work silently during this time to allow for ideas, thoughts, creativity and completion without disruption. Journals are graded in "chunks" throughout the grading period.

2. Introduction- Immediately after journal time and before individual work time, I will go over what to expect for the day. This may include a lesson introduction, a demonstration, or a refresher from the previous block. 

3. Individual Work Time- This is when students get time to work on their assignments at their work spaces. I will circulate the room to assist where needed and talk with students individually about their ideas. This year, I will be including "Studio Stretches" to ensure students are not asked to sit for periods of time lasting longer than 30 minutes. A "Studio Stretch" will be a small break to get water, go to the restroom, or take a gallery walk to others tables to see what their peers are working on.

4. Clean Up- We can usually clean up the Art Studio within 5-10 minutes when we work together as a team. Sometimes I will assign a "helper table"  and sometimes I will divvy up duties using a card system at their seats (ex. hearts will collect scissors, clubs will return colored pencils). At some point in the year, students may be asked to clean up a mess that isn't "theirs". It's just goes with the territory in a shared studio space, so I THANK YOU in advance now for helping out when needed.

I look forward to seeing you next week! 

:) Mrs. Kluender (...like blender)