Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Color Wheels & Vance Kirkland



 For the second half of my student teaching experience I was at Eaton High School. The classes at Eaton consisted of an Arts & Crafts class that was a semester long, as well as traditional Art I - IV. The Arts & Crafts Class is a semester long and designed for the students who want a Fine Art credit but are not comfortable taking a full art course. 

I had a lot of fun with these kids in getting them to be creative with their ideas. Part of the challenge however was to convince the kids who didn't think they were creative that they could be if only they applied themselves. To start with on this lesson we did a color wheel project. They had to chose a design and then apply it to a color wheel using shades and tints within at least three color areas. The only colors the students were allowed to use were the primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) and white and black to make the tints and shades. Their design could be anything they wanted. The above example the student used a spider web like design and left white spots to represent the dew drops found on spider webs in the morning. A lot of students used graphic images they found online to trace out the shape and use it for their design.

 Once the students were finished with their color wheel, they then moved on to the Kirkland dot painting. Vance Kirkland was a pioneer in art education who did these massive paintings inspired by photographs of phenomena in outer space. Krikland used a variety of techniques that I required the students to use as well. This included using wide areas of solid color, paint splatters, as well as perfectly placed dots of color. They had to justify the colors they used in relation to the color wheel. It was a really fun assignment and I was able to get quite a few of the students who thought they weren't very creative to really push their own boundaries and come up with some spectacular designs and ideas.

 The examples that I have shown were the students who by far made the most progress. 











The Lesson:


PROJECT OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Students will:

 Use their knowledge of the color wheel to create a dot painting like Vance Kirkland. Students will build upon their knowledge of the principles of design by learning about movement. Students will also learn about abstract art and how to create a composition using the elements of art in an abstract way.



STUDENT PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:



Perceiving/Knowing

Examine and articulate the effects of context on visual imagery.

Identify and describe the sources artists use for visual reference and to generate ideas for artworks



Producing/Performing

Establish the appropriate levels of craftsmanship when completing artworks.

Explore multiple solutions to visual art problems through preparatory work.



Responding/Reflecting

 Use appropriate vocabulary to define and describe techniques and materials used to create works of art.

Identify assessment practices to manage, monitor and document their learning. 



INTERDISCIPLINARY INFORMATION/ CONNECTION:

 Students will use basic math skills for measurement and fractions to use the appropriate amounts of color and space.

           

DESCRIPTION OF LEARNERS IN CLASS:


With learners at the Period of Decision stage of artistic development it is important to encourage them that to express their ideas in a creative form. They are more concerned now about actually producing a work of art and the quality of it. There are learners in the class with IEP’s and several at low reading levels. In order to accommodate these students I will be reading information on the presentation out loud and specifically asking the students, once finished with the presentation, if they understand the information. For the exit slips I will make special worksheets for the students with IEP’s who struggle doing them.



MATERIALS:



Each student will need:

1 20x30 Illustration Board

Paint Brushes

Acrylic Paint

Q-Tips



Teacher will need:

Same materials as students for demonstration

Presentation

Rubric/ICAN handout



PRE CLASS PREPARATIONS

Prepare presentation with color theory information

Prepare rubric/ICAN handout

Prepare demonstration example

Have boards set aside.

Have paint set out

Have palettes ready



VOCABULARY:

 Color

Movement

Space

Abstract

Line

Value



STIMULATION PRESENTED:

1.      Presentation will be shown of Vance Kirkland and his art. Students will discuss the way Kirkland worked on his paintings (comparing his size to the size of his canvas) and the way he used circular shapes to create a composition.

2.      Students will be shown an example, and will be shown how to paint the background of the board, the dropped discs of color and to use the Q-tip to create smaller circles.

3.      We will discuss good use of paint and color and staying neat with the circles, even if some are dropped or spattered.

4.      Students will be told to pick colors based on the color wheel they created. We will discuss using analogous, complimentary and monochromatic color schemes.



OUTLINE OF CLASS ACTIVITIES: 



Day 1:

  1. Students will be shown presentation of Kirkland and his style.
  2. Students will be shown demonstrations for painting their Kirkland style dot painting.
  3. Students will be shown painting techniques.
  4. Students will be given the rest of class time to work on Kirkland painting.

Day 2:

  1. I will ask the students questions about Kirkland, specifically where he lived and worked, how he painted considering his height compared to the size of his canvases, and what inspired his dot paintings.
  2. Students will be given the majority of class time to work.
  3. Exit slip will be required for students to tell what “movement” is and how it is applied to art.

Day 3:

  1. The beginning of class will be used to discuss color schemes and how they should be considered as they get into the foreground layers of the painting.
  2. Students will be given the majority of class time to work on their painting.
  3. As I go around to the students I will discuss composition issues with each one and things to address with technique and craftsmanship.

Day 4:

  1. Students will have the rest of time to work.
  2. During class time we will discuss the sketchbook assignment of movement and how it applies to different aspects of art.
  3. Exit slip will be for students to analyze how movement is used in Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”



EVALUATION


The Exit Slips will be the formative assessment in order to judge how the student comprehends the topics being discussed. This will allow for adjustments as the lesson progresses. The summative assessment will be the rubric given to the student to judge how well they followed directions, used craftsmanship and used movement in order to mimic the style of Krikland.



BIBLIOGRAPHY

images:

http://www.incredibleart.org/lessons/high/hiza_dots.html



information from:



http://www.incredibleart.org/lessons/high/hiza_dots.html

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Optical Illusions are Optically Amazing

Today I started introducing a lesson with the sixth graders on Optical Illusions. I showed them some artists, such as MC Escher and Bridget Riley and then on the ELMO I showed them some optical illusions my cooperating teacher had. They were the fun ones where you have to tell if an open shape is bigger or smaller than a closed shape. The kids were baffled they were the same size. There were some other fun ones too. The examples I made for the kids to work from were fun and pretty easy. The sphere one reminds me of the bonus rounds on Sonic & Knuckles back when I was a wee tot playing Sega. It's fun stuff.

Small note with this one, make sure the kids mark which colors go in the boxes. A lot of mine had trouble skipping spaces.

The more slacker prone students thought this hand drawing would be the easiest until they really started it. Oh my goodness, one kid was acting like it was the hardest thing in the world just to make straight lines in the background. They crack me up how dramatic they can get.







The lesson plan:


Grade Level: 6th
Lesson Plan Title: Op Art
Stevie Fickert

PROJECT OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Students will:  Learn about optical illusions and artists who used them. They will be shown different examples and be expected to create a work of art that mimics the examples given, both in style and in color patterns. Color theory will be discussed in coordination with the optical illusion itself and how color effects the way it works.  

STUDENT PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:
Perceiving/Knowing: Connect selected ideas, concepts and processes used in visual art with those used in other academic disciplines.
Producing/Performing: Generate ideas and engage in thoughtful planning when solving a visual art problem.
Responding/Reflecting: Explain what makes an object a work of art using a range of criteria.

INTERDISCIPLINARY INFORMATION/ CONNECTION:  Math - Using basic geometry to create visually interesting patterns with color.
   
DESCRIPTION OF LEARNERS IN CLASS:  With learners at the Dawning Realism stage of artistic development it is important to remind them that trying to make an object look realistic is the goal. They are concerned about producing a more realistic looking product at this stage rather than just producing work for the sake of production. There are some students in the class who are starting to go into the Pseudo-realistic Stage of development. Some learners in the class have IEP’s that the lesson can be worked around.

MATERIALS:

Each child will need:
A sheet of drawing paper
Colored markers
Ruler
Compass
Pencils
Black and white colored pencils
Erasers
Teacher will need:
Same materials as students for demonstration
Projector for presentation
Elmo for projecting demonstration
Pre-test and post-test materials

PRE CLASS PREPARATIONS

First Day:
Create examples of the three options of op art the students will be given
Create handouts of facts about Op Art
Create Prezi presentation for introduction
Create pre-test and post-test over information to show growth

Second Day:
Have materials ready to be passed out
Have examples posted in the room for reference

Third Day:
Have post-test ready
Have materials ready to be passed out

VOCABULARY:
Value
Tint
Hue
Shade
Contrast
Complementary Colors
Analogous


STIMULATION PRESENTED:
First Day:
Students will be given a pre-test over Op Art. Students will be shown a Prezi presentation of Op Art and shown examples from some of the key Op Artists. They will discuss the technique and movement of the eye through the pieces. They will be shown the examples of the three choices for projects given and each one will be explained how to create them. They will be told that they can vary their designs and incorporate multiple types of Op Art if desired. Color choices will be discussed as a part of the illusion.

Second Day:
Table captains will pass out materials while the information covered the first day is refreshed. Students will be reminded to draw lightly so they can erase easily. Students will have almost the entire class time to work. At the end of class they will be given a study sheet for their post-test.

Third Day:
Students will be given the post-test at the beginning of class. Once they complete their test, they will be given the rest of class time to finish their drawing.

OUTLINE OF CLASS ACTIVITIES:  
First Day:
Pre-test will be given in order to show growth
Give presentation about Op Art and discuss color, drawing technique, and design
Show students examples and demonstrate how to begin each of the different examples
Tell students they can choose one of the three or do a variation of the examples given
If time allows, pass out drawing paper and let students begin sketches
Second Day:
Begin class by asking the class to restate key points from the presentation
Have the Table Captains pass out supplies
Talk about good drawing habits and remind them to draw lightly
Give the rest of class time for work
Third Day:
Begin class with the post-test about Op Art
Have Table Captains pass out supplies
Give students the rest of the time period to finish their pieces
EVALUATION: Students will be given a pre-test and post-test to evaluate their growth. Their work will also be graded by a rubric based on the expectations of the piece; such as color, contrast, value and hue.