Creative Critter Progress

Julia Dec 20, 2012 0 Comments

The first clay project this year was to hand-build a simple pinch pot and then transform it into a Creative Critter by adding features such as faces, wings, tales, feet and other details. They all turned out so unique!

Before leaving for the holiday break, we tucked these clay babies into the kiln where they will be bisque fired and prepared for glazing when the kids come back in the New Year.

Stay tuned for the finished projects! Next I will be introducing Kapaa Middle School Art students to the pottery wheel… get ready for a fun mess!

Recycled Magazine Bowls

Julia Nov 24, 2012 11 Comments

Our most recent crafty Art project was to make a bowl out of folded magazine pages secured with white glue. This project introduced students to creative ways to re-use and recycle old magazines and create something 3-dimensional, functional and beautiful!

While the original objective was to create a bowl, several students stretched their imaginations and invented creative forms and unique containers!

As an introduction to the layering and 3-D construction process, I shared the contemporary artwork of Japanese artist Haroshi. Haroshi’s skateboard sculptures are similar to the magazine bowl project because they are made from recycled materials (skateboard decks), display colorful layers, and often have a functional purpose.

” I can make what I want, I can skate where I want- that’s being free. But at the same time there are risks. That’s what I think art and skate are.” -Haroshi

Complement A Master

Julia Nov 14, 2012 0 Comments

Students “complemented” a master painter by choosing to reproduce one of her/his most famous paintings using colors that are complementary (opposite on the color wheel) to the original. Advanced Art students were required to apply skills in a new context while learning to paint with acrylic on canvas. The original painting can be seen in the bottom left corner of each image, with the student’s complementary version behind.

Students followed several steps in a lengthy process before achieving their final results. They began with research, preliminary sketches, color wheel painting, and measuring a proportionate grid. They worked closely with their sketchbooks throughout the painting process, referring to their notes, sketches, and color wheel.

Once the paintings were complete, students wrote an Artist Statement reflecting on the process, and comparing their final complementary painting with the original “master.” View a sample here!

I’m so proud of my students for their hard work and great effort! More samples of Complement A Master paintings are currently on view in the KMS office and G-101 Art Room display cases!

Collaborative Circle Paintings

Julia Nov 3, 2012 1 Comments

Beginning Art students at Kapaa Middle School worked with Acrylic Paints as they investigated color-mixing, layering, radial design , and a collaborative work environment. Once each student had established a background wash and a few circle designs, they were instructed to move about the room to music. Every time the song changed, they would move to a new location and another painting!

Students created colorful circles on one-another’s paintings while also forming a “circle of trust” and a foundation for a supportive and respectful classroom environment. In the end, each student completed the final touches and details on her/his own painting.

My Love

Julia Sep 15, 2012 0 Comments

This is a simple ink drawing that I created on the front of a birthday card for Chris’s 32nd birthday. He is my inspiration and my support in all aspects of life. I love him so much!

Sensational Sketchbooks

Julia Aug 30, 2012 16 Comments

The 2012-2013 school year is off to a great start in the Kapaa Middle School Art classroom! It is becoming my yearly tradition to begin with the construction of a sketchbook that each student makes and then uses throughout the rest of the year. I try to come up with a different theme or design for the sketchbook cover each time because it keeps things interesting for me and also for my repeating students. Here is a sample of some of this year’s student cover designs…

The final covers are laminated and folded vertically down the center so that “Sketchbook” appears on the front, and student names are on the back.

This year’s theme involved vertical “stacks” of letters and shapes. The lesson explored letter design along with the element of texture, and principles of pattern and balance.

Although students were given the same steps and basic instructions, they still came up with a wide variety of interpretation and unique perspective.

Great job to all of my Art students! I hope that you become good friends with your hand-made sketchbook over the year, and that you spend many creative hours together!

Now for a weekend of grading! Here they are all color-coded, lined up, and ready for evaluation…

Menehune Food Mart Mural

Julia Jun 5, 2012 2 Comments

Kapaa Middle School Art students were invited to share their creative talents as part of a “store makeover” at our local neighborhood Menehune Food Mart. We partnered with graphic designer Jackie Kanna through Life’s Choices anti-drug office. Our goal was to express a positive community-friendly message and make a healthy anti-drug proclamation to Kauai’s youth. Click here to view the press release issued by Mayor Carvalho’s office.

Derek Kawakami, State House Representative and part store-owner, jumped in right next to the kids and added his own artistic contribution!

Current statistics report that on average, boys living on Kauai drink alcohol for the first time at age 11 and girls at age 13. More shocking, Kauai County has the highest amount of alcohol-dependant and alcohol-abusing 8th graders in the state. As part of this mural project, all of the students and adults who participated took a pledge for healthy and age-appropriate use of alcohol and sealed it with a hand-print on the wall.

The day concluded with a “store-reopening” ceremony, including speeches by our state senator, county officials and the school district superintendent. There was also a traditional Hawaiian blessing plus lots of media coverage. Please come by when passing through Kapahi and check it out in person!

Scroll through the full mural below…

Coil Baskets

Julia May 13, 2012 5 Comments

Kapaa Middle School Art students loved creating forms with clay, so I thought we would try another 3-dimensional project introducing a completely different medium. I learned this coiling technique from my middle school Art teacher, and it has stuck with me through all of these years! We used simple clothesline for the baskets’ interior core structure, simultaneously wrapping it with colorful yarn to create patterns, and coiling from the center outwards to create the overall form. A paperclip was used to stitch the yarn through each coil and fasten it in place. Instead of yarn, raffia, sweetgrass, or even long pine needles can be used to achieve a more natural look.

The main themes for this project included visual and physical rhythm, radial symmetry, and 3-dimensional form. Most students seemed to really like this project, and some of them even worked outside of class to make additional handles and lids. The final critique was conveniently scheduled to fall just before Mothers’ Day!

Terrific Texture

Julia Apr 1, 2012 1 Comments

Art students finally had the opportunity to choose their own subject for this Scratchboard assignment. They were instructed to create an etched drawing that demonstrates an understanding of texture and value.

Every student began by researching a design idea on the Internet, and then created a preliminary drawing on paper. The pencil drawing was then transferred and etched into black scratchboard with sharp tools.

Linoleum Block Prints

Julia Mar 8, 2012 4 Comments

KMS Art students wrapped up the end of 3rd quarter with a Pop Art Printing project that featured a self-portrait of each individual. The lesson was inspired by the graphic and colorful prints created by Pop Artists in the 1950s. Students were briefly introduced to the artwork of Roy Lichtenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns and Richard Hamilton. Our main influence, however, was derived from Andy Warhol’s iconic images that define the Pop Art movement.

“Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” -Andy Warhol

Cool and Kitschy

Julia Mar 7, 2012 3 Comments

KMS Art students worked on this art activity alongside the Pop Art linoleum block printing assignment. After exploring the artistic themes and subjects of the original Pop Artists of the 1950s and 1960s, students brainstormed a list of popular icons and products that would be good modern Pop Art subjects for their own generation. I chose a handful of images from their list to print and xerox, making enough gray-scale copies for every student to color.

Students used colored pencils to imitate the Pop Art style, emphasizing bold solid colors, sharp-edged lines, repetition and enlargement. Several middle school students (not in my classes) got wind of this activity and came in to ask for their own copy to color… evidence that our Pop Art themes were spot-on!