This is the time of year when Chris and I launch into a frenzy of homemade crafty projects in preparation for the holidays. In an attempt to avoid the commercialism that can often feel overwhelmingly expensive and sometimes wasteful, I decided to use recycled materials as inspiration instead.
Handmade jewelry made from beach treasure might be a nice gift for some of the ladies I know, but now what can we do for the guys?
Click the image above to see video I made that promotes each elective class at Kapaa Middle School. You’ll get a sneak peek into the KMS elective classrooms! As elective teachers, we like to provide fun, hands-on, real-world learning experiences that also support the core curriculum. Enjoy!
Note: Registration for next year is happening this month… please see the calendar for specific dates.
Kapaa Middle School Art students recently finished a two-part project featuring skeleton drawings that were cut out and mounted on a watercolor background. As an introduction, we studied the Hispanic holiday of Los Dias De Los Muertos and looked at skeleton artwork by the famous Jose Guatelupe Posada.
Students began with a small printed image of a skeleton and instructions to not only draw the image, but to enlarge it by 4 times! This was accomplished by measuring a grid that enabled them to draw the complex figure in small sections while maintaining the correct proportions.
While the process of measuring, drawing, shading and cutting of the bones was painstaking and meticulous, the background allowed students to be more expressive and free-form. Students were introduced to 6 different watercolor painting techniques which they practiced in their sketchbooks. The only requirement for the final background was to incorporate all 6 techniques.
“An artist will sooner and with more certainty, establish the character of skeletons, than the most learned anatomist, whose eye has not been accustomed to seize on every peculiarity.”
– Rembrandt Peale (American Artist & Naturalist)
One day in class I decided to share a short film called One Beach, that features artist/environmentalists who collect plastic garbage from their local beaches and turn it into art. Although created from trash, the variety of artwork that is illustrated in this film is both beautiful and meaningful. As a beach-lover myself, I found this film to be relevant and inspiring. Some of my students did too!
Currently my Art classes are collecting bits of colorful plastic and trash from the beach. I encourage them to do a quick beach clean-up every time they go fishing, surfing, or “cruzing” with family or friends. Once we have a good amount, we will collaborate to make one artwork per class. Some students can’t wait for the group project and have already gotten innovative on their own (sample student artwork above)!
Julia