Author Archives: Sharon
Shopkeeper Signs
Students learned about the crafts and trades during Colonial times, and they created “signs” that might have hung outside of places of business in the 1700s. They were asked to include a picture of their service or type of business … Continue reading
Imaginative Silhouettes
After students had become familiar with self-portrait and figure silhouettes–and to continue to develop their skills with contour drawing–they looked around the room to find objects that had interesting shapes. Pliers, tape dispensers, paint pump dispensers, bolts, and blenders were … Continue reading
Figure Silhouettes
Students did contour drawings of each other in a variety of “action” poses. Students modeled for approximately 1-2 minutes as their classmates drew them, and everyone wanted a turn to model! Each figure drawing was at least 3″ tall, and … Continue reading
Self-Portrait Silhouettes
Digital photos were taken of each student in profile. The pictures were sized to 4″ x 5″ and printed. Students drew a 1/2 inch grid directly on the picture. They drew a 1-inch grid on a separate piece of paper, … Continue reading
Plaster Gauze Masks
Plaster gauze mask-making was a project I offered every couple of years for many, many years as an art teacher. These were always SO much fun, and every time I was delighted with my students’ creativity, humor, problem-solving ability, insights, … Continue reading
Wire and Hose Creations
These free-form sculptures were made from wire, pantyhose, and acrylic or latex paint. I got this lesson plan from a newsgroup for art teachers, and I was amazed at how easy and yet how dramatic these sculptures can be! Materials:Wire … Continue reading
Sculpey and Water Bottle Caricatures
Many art projects involve the use of recycled materials. Students collected and used discarded plastic water bottles to create these fun figure sculptures. These examples were created by middle school students, but this project is appropriate for high school students, … Continue reading
Wire and Sculpey Figure Sculptures
Students started this project by analyzing full-body images showing human proportions. They also tested the 7-8 “heads” tall theory, and when they measured each other from the top of their head to their chin–and then measured their total height, and did the … Continue reading
Sculpey over Wire and Foil
Students used a thin layer of original white Sculpey synthetic “clay” over an armature of wire and aluminum foil to create a variety of sculpture pieces. When planning their sculptures, it was suggested that they think of the wire as … Continue reading