Exploring Visual Design Part 4

Above is a fantastic example of a student's demonstration of knowledge about organic shape, geometric shape, positive space and negative space. This lesson is adapted from Positive/ Negative Bugs from the Incredible Art Department.

There were a few activities that led up to this final product. First I demonstrated the difference between positive and negative space with a volunteer who stood at the front of the class with his/her hands on his/her hips. I explained that if the volunteer were in a work of art, with edges of a page, the person would be the positive space. I then pointed to the space around the person, and between their arms, labeling that as negative space. With our new knowledge, we looked at a few difference pieces of art, finding the positive and negative spaces in each. Next, each student made a quick collage, cutting black paper, or positive space, and arranging the shapes in a balanced manner, on white paper, the negative space. Finally, I led students through creating their own positive and negative space animal design.

If I were to do this project again next year, I would change the size from 12 x 18 to 9 x12.  I thought a larger size would make it easier to add details to the animals. But despite my warnings to draw large, many students did not. So, we spent about two or so weeks on this activity, when I only wanted to spend about one. Overall, I am pleased and many students were successful.

I did this lesson for the first time about two years ago with eighth grade.  You can read about it here.

Exploring Visual Design Part 3

This is not the best image...
I have been a little hesitant to take photos of high school student work.
I try to be relatively anonymous about who I am and where specifically I post from etc, but I know that with just a little detective work, someone could figure it out. Its not that hard.
When I taught middle and elementary school, I felt relatively safe posting student work. They probably wouldn't find me online, nor really care that I posted their artwork. But now that I teach high school... if they really wanted, they'd find me online. (Heck, they see me in the grocery store and the football games!)  And I think that they'd take a little more ownership over their work than my little ones.
Its a conundrum that I will try to contest this year.

The image above was selected to be in our miniscule art show last spring. It is an example of organic shapes and curved lines, versus geometric shapes and angular lines.

After our exciting Elements and Principles Memory game, we started very basically with line.
We looked at slides I made from Exploring Visual Design, about line quality and line personality. I tried to reiterate the difference between outline and contour line with this exercise created by my predecessor.

We also did a few studies of our hands and shoes using contour line.
Next, students designed as many words as possible on the following sheet, also created by my predecessor but adapted by me.

The following class we talked about how an area enclosed by a line is a shape. There are also two basic classifications of shapes: organic and geometric. Students then designed two images, one using organic and curved lines, the other using geometric and angular lines. The opening image is an example from last year. At this point, almost three weeks in, students were itching for some freedom. I was pretty impressed with their creativity and even more happy that this was a great opportunity to simply demonstrate gained knowledge.

Exploring Visual Design Part 4 will be an exercise in positive and negative space.

Bridget Riley and Op-Art

Grade 8 students recently learned about Bridget Riley and Op-Art. After reading an Art & Man article, students worked in groups of four to answer a few questions about where Riley gets her ideas and how she puts them on paper, then brainstormed a few ideas of their own. Above is our Facebook wall with examples of Op-Art, some background information and Riley's friend Viktor Vasserly. We also viewed a power point of other op- art works, pointing out what lines, shapes or spaces were repeated and how they were transformed.

 

We primarily focused on repeating and transforming a line, shape or space to show the illusion of depth, movement or visual confusion. I also placed great emphasis on craftsmanship. Students could decide what materials they wanted to use to add color: black or blue sharpie, markers or color pencil. Protractors, rules, compasses, triangles and tracers were also made available. It was difficult at first for some students as the possibilities were endless, but once they thought of a specific element and doodled on graph paper, things started moving.

I had multiple students ask me if I was related to Bridget Riley. Another even commented when he saw the photo on the board that he didn't know that I had dark hair before. 

What do you think?

For the record, I do think Riley looks like my mom!

adventures in positive and negative space

teaching Thursday was amazing.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are middle school days and I typically do not look forward to them. I love teaching, but I do not enjoy the noise and "badititudes" (as a veteran co-worker puts it) the sixth and eighth grades bring to my room.

I do try to squash it. In fact with one sixth grade class we follow the "7 Minute Rule." I have a timer, and for seven minutes there is no talking. If you raise your hand to ask a question, I will answer, but its seven, solid minutes of getting work done. Then, there are three minutes to quietly talk, at your table, while working. This continues until clean up... so far its worked and even been requested to follow in the fourth and second grades!

back on track: I especially do not look forward to Thursdays, as I end my day at the after school program, making my day span from 6:30am to 6:30pm. ew.

every, single class I had Thursday was enveloped in their work. its Saturday and I am still in awe that this happened! I know there were a few tests being taken that day, so some kids were nervous and quiet. And I'm sure the cold weather makes a preteen want to sleep forever, but even the chatty kids were at acceptable volumes and work was being done. AND, I even had great conversations about their works.... from compositions, to color selections, to brushstrokes. amazing.

8th Grade- Positive and Negative Animal DesignsAbout three weeks ago, I put out books featuring different animals and insects. I asked for students to draw three, stylized (simplified) animals.

• Students picked one of their sketches and made an outline drawing on a 6"x6" white paper. I then showed them two techniques to transfer their image multiple times onto a 12"x18" paper. One was simply tracing, but as I don't have a light table, and couldn't have twenty kids in the five windows, I showed them how to put pencil on the back of their outline, then tracing the lines on the front, with pressure, on top of the larger paper, would push the lead and transfer the image. Like a carbon copy, but they had no idea what that was... 

• The next step was to have a geometric shape overlap the pencil outlined animals. Students were given a 6"x6" piece of poster board and after cutting out the shape, traced it in another "popcorn" pattern, making sure to overlap at least one animal each time.
   
• Students then went back to their outline and colored in some shapes black while leaving others white. This became their "positive" animal and would be used as a reference. At first they thought I was crazy since they felt this step unnecessary, but soon they saw my logic.
   
• Finally, using their "positive" animal as a guide, students used sharpie to color and outline their pencil drawn animals. But there was a catch: everything outside the geometric shape was "positive" while everything inside was "negative" or the opposite. 

 

this student used a circle as her geometric shape, to represent bubbles!

 

 I am super proud of the eagle design. Its pretty simplified for an 8th grader, but for this particular student, to have a neat, clean and complete work of art, that took time, effort and pride, is huge. Huge victory.