Author Archives: Sharon
Oaxacan Mixed-Media Animal Drawings
Students designed imaginative animals, based on images they viewed of Oaxacan sculptures. They used Sharpies, colored pencils, markers, and/or oil pastels to create these colorful, pattern-filled drawings.
Oaxacan Animal Drawings
After looking at examples of colorful Oaxacan-style animal sculptures, middle school students created whimsical drawings of animals. They drew their animals on white paper, and colored them with brightly-colored crayons. When they were finished, they cut them out and mounted … Continue reading
Mexican Inspired Watercolors
After looking at colorful examples of Mexican art, students created playful watercolor paintings that reflect the bright colors of this country.
Japan: Kite Designs
To introduce this traditional Japanese art, students read this beautifully written and illustrated book, “Shibumi and the Kitemaker” by Mercer Mayer: While they were not able to make real kites (this time), they enjoyed working on designs:
Italy: Sports Cars
Ferrari….Lamborghini….Alfa Romeo….Fiat…. Italy is known for its luxury sports automobiles, and as part of our study of the art of this country, middle school students were challenged to either replicate or design a sports car. Using Sculpey clay as the … Continue reading
Italy: Frescos
Students studied the work of Michelangelo and marveled at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel while learning about frescos, which are paintings on wet plaster. To help them understand the process, plaster was mixed according to directions, and then approximately … Continue reading
Fiber Coiled Baskets
Basket-making is something that many, many cultures in the world do! We linked our baskets to a study of the art of Africa. While working on their projects, students listened to African folktales on CD. Their favorite stories were those … Continue reading
Quilted Pillow Tops
As part of a unit on Colonial Arts and Crafts, middle school students learned about quilting. They had the opportunity to see a variety of quilt patterns, and they learned many of the pattern names. They designed their own geometric … Continue reading
Colonial Printmaking
Printmaking–in terms of printing for newspapers and flyers–was introduced as another Colonial activity, and students had the opportunity to look at old print type–the kind that was originally set by hand in large plates to create advertisements and newspapers. They … Continue reading
Crochet and Cross-Stitch
In keeping with the Colonial Arts theme, students had the opportunity to learn how to crochet, while others chose to design and make a small counted cross stitch project.