The lessons below are from the 2010-2011 school year, as I do not have any 8th graders this year.
Introduction to.... Sculpture
Could you make a sculpture out of just 1 piece of paper? Students in 8th grade were challenged to do just that!
Students were introduced to some main points about sculpture, namely SCALE, SHAPE/SPACE, BALANCE, LINE & TEXTURE. We explored sculptures online, and many students were surprised to see the variety of sculpture that exists in the world.
Students were guided to explore how to create a 3D piece out of a flat piece of paper. How do you begin? We folded, bent, twisted, cut, rolled, crumbled and created slits to fit pieces together.
Project Outline:
· Create a piece of sculpture out of 1 piece of paper. It should reflect what you learned about line, shape/space, texture, scale, and balance.
· The paper must remain intact – no pieces cut away.
· No glue or adhesive is allowed.
· Make the sculpture interesting, and varied from all angles.
Current Project:
EXPLORING INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
Students are learning what industrial design is, and how important it is to our lives. Industrial designers design everyday products, most for mass production, such as furniture, car interiors, electronics, tools, kitchen appliances, sunglasses, and many, many other things.
A good designer understands what people need, what people want, and how the product physically works with the consumer.
For this project students had to design a watch for a particular customer type. Students researched watches and watch features and considered what their 'customer' would most likely want.
Math skills are an integral part of the project, as students need to use a ruler, compass, and protractor to determine the degrees between the hours on the watch face, and how to make the band straight in relation to the face.
Customer feedback is essential in creating a successful design, so students created an interview sheet to get input on their watch designs from a variety of people. Students tried to capture the attention of who they interviewed by writing a quick "elevator pitch" to sell their ideas.
The information will help them create a final design which they believe meets the aesthetic and functional needs of their target consumers.
A good designer understands what people need, what people want, and how the product physically works with the consumer.
For this project students had to design a watch for a particular customer type. Students researched watches and watch features and considered what their 'customer' would most likely want.
Math skills are an integral part of the project, as students need to use a ruler, compass, and protractor to determine the degrees between the hours on the watch face, and how to make the band straight in relation to the face.
Customer feedback is essential in creating a successful design, so students created an interview sheet to get input on their watch designs from a variety of people. Students tried to capture the attention of who they interviewed by writing a quick "elevator pitch" to sell their ideas.
The information will help them create a final design which they believe meets the aesthetic and functional needs of their target consumers.
Creating an Original Piece of Artwork
Artwork by Arianna P.
Where do artists get their ideas? What would you create if you weren't given a specific assignment for your artwork? These are the questions that 8th graders were asked for this project. Some students knew exactly what they wanted to draw/paint for their pictures, and others weren't even sure what type of art they liked. A few days of thinking, talking, and looking at artwork helped each student to better understand what they wanted to create for an original piece of artwork.
The amount of 'prep-work' that goes into the creative process was surprising for many students. This project gave 8th graders a look into how much work happens BEFORE the final piece is created.
It was a real-life opportunity for them to see how much research, trial and error, and hard work designers, architects, and artists of all types go through to create something worth doing.
More examples below.
The amount of 'prep-work' that goes into the creative process was surprising for many students. This project gave 8th graders a look into how much work happens BEFORE the final piece is created.
It was a real-life opportunity for them to see how much research, trial and error, and hard work designers, architects, and artists of all types go through to create something worth doing.
More examples below.
In the Style of... Artist Study
Artwork by Vaughn Z., in
the style of M.C. Escher.
Students in 8th grade studied the work of artists they admired. Then they created original pieces of artwork in the style of the artist.
Students were graded on how well the pictures represent the style and subject matter of the artist they chose. The artwork could also be a collage format, showing the most important images from the artist's work.
Well designed layouts, accurate details, similar colors and materials, and overall appearance were also considered in the grading process.
Enjoy the examples below.
Artwork by Vaughn Z., in
the style of M.C. Escher.
Students in 8th grade studied the work of artists they admired. Then they created original pieces of artwork in the style of the artist.
Students were graded on how well the pictures represent the style and subject matter of the artist they chose. The artwork could also be a collage format, showing the most important images from the artist's work.
Well designed layouts, accurate details, similar colors and materials, and overall appearance were also considered in the grading process.
Enjoy the examples below.
Past Projects:
Gradation Shading Images
Left: Artwork by Maximilian Calise
The "shattered images" combine contour line drawing with gradation shading.
Shading light to dark smoothly will help students be able to create realistic shadows and highlights in their artwork.
Left: Artwork by Maximilian Calise
The "shattered images" combine contour line drawing with gradation shading.
Shading light to dark smoothly will help students be able to create realistic shadows and highlights in their artwork.
First Major Project:
My Life as a Movie - Graphic Arts Lesson
Students are learning about the graphic arts, with a focus on poster design & layout. We looked at several movie posters to learn why some are so visually appealing and make you want to learn more.
Students will use these graphic design techniques to design a poster based on their lives.
The four areas of focus for the lesson:
Visual Information: draw several images which provide the viewer with
information about you
Layout: students viewed many posters to learn a variety of layouts to learn
how to create a dynamic image, how to create a focus area, and how to best
utilize the entire page
Title: We discussed symbolic meanings of titles, and also how the title can
communicate information about the movie itself. The font of the title also
provides "personality" for the poster.
Color: Objects on the poster need to be viewed easily from a distance, so color
became an important consideration in not only showing their personalities, but
making the images stand out.
Students are learning about the graphic arts, with a focus on poster design & layout. We looked at several movie posters to learn why some are so visually appealing and make you want to learn more.
Students will use these graphic design techniques to design a poster based on their lives.
The four areas of focus for the lesson:
Visual Information: draw several images which provide the viewer with
information about you
Layout: students viewed many posters to learn a variety of layouts to learn
how to create a dynamic image, how to create a focus area, and how to best
utilize the entire page
Title: We discussed symbolic meanings of titles, and also how the title can
communicate information about the movie itself. The font of the title also
provides "personality" for the poster.
Color: Objects on the poster need to be viewed easily from a distance, so color
became an important consideration in not only showing their personalities, but
making the images stand out.
Sketch layouts & ideas_______________________________
*** Grading Rubric for this project *** My Life as a Movie Poster Design Project _____________________________________________________ Definitely Somewhat Not Yet 5 4 3 2 1 ______________________________________________ Title & Lettering · Interesting title · Easy to read · Adds to the poster Images · Shows several aspects of your life · Easy to see pictures Use of Materials · Well drawn & colored · Variety of materials to enhance work Layout Design · Visually appealing · Good use of entire paper Effort/Work Habits · On task during class time · Respectful & responsible behavior |
Completed posters |