Art 7: Sculpture Unit: Wire Gesture Sculptures

My next unit for my Art 7 classes is a sculpture unit.  In trying to keep the whining at bay, I tried to come up with simple projects that anyone could excel at or go above and beyond if they chose to do so.  I have two projects up my sleeve and one group research project planned for this unit.

The first portion of this unit was to create gesture sculptures out of wire.  After taking notes about the different sculpting techniques (carving, assembling, modeling, and casting), I had students practice gesture drawings using my art mannequins.  I had students work in groups of 3 with one mannequin, positioning it into a posture with movement.  Students then had to do one final drawing in their sketchbook of a figure doing something that shows movement.  Students were then told to bring in a base for homework to put their sculpture on.

The sculpture part itself took two days.  I gave each student a long piece of aluminum wire, probably about 10 feet of wire, and told them they had to create a figure with that piece without cutting it.  A few really struggled in the beginning, but I felt this was simple enough that they should be able to problem-solve how to do this.  In the end, even one student who fought me about wanting to cut the wire managed to complete his sculpture and was extremely proud of himself. 

After the students created their sculpture, they had to attach it to their base.  Many painted their base to go along with their sculptures, which earned them more points on the creativity aspect of the rubric.

This one is one of my favorites!  I think the pose and lean in the figure really makes it feel like its running!

Another one of my favorites...this person was probably the most creative with their base!

This one is supposed to be a diver...just wish the person would have painted the base to look like a pool!

Love the headphones and arm bands on this runner!

This sculpture was the most creative in pose and in what it was doing...love it!

Again, another one of my favorites!  Very creative with the pose!

These two are serving a volleyball...

Absolutely love the hair on this one!

This one doesn't show very much movement...but I had to include it because it was very well built.  This was the student who wanted to cut the wire apart to build it.  We had a rough day the first day and he was asked to leave the classroom because he refused to work, but he came back strong on the second day and created this awesome sculpture!

Art 7: Initial Tags and Progress of Sketchbook Tags

Woohoo!  Check out what I finally got for my classroom!  My computers!  Just in time too because we're starting our next unit in my elective class, which is based on Ben Heine's Pencil vs. Camera series.

Here are the Art 7 student's initial tag designs and the rubric I used to grade them.  I saw a really great display on the Art Teacher Facebook page a while back where the teacher created a fake brick wall to attach the tags too.  Originally I thought I would have them tag their portfolio and their sketchbook, but after I saw that post on Facebook, I changed my mind.  I made a similar brick wall and had the students do their tag first on paper, cut it out and place it on the wall.  Students used markers, colored pencils and the Crayola Marker Airbrush pumps I purchased last year from Nasco with grant money.  (Unfortunately, between the constant use and students not taking care of them very well during this project, I think I am down two out of six air brush pumps...not sure if it's really because the students were rough on them or if it's the quality of the pumps themselves...)

I passed back the graded rubrics and asked students to reflect on their tags.  Their last homework assignment was to finalize and redraw their tags using my feedback from their rubric.  For example, some students used their first name and didn't brainstorm an actual tag nickname...others only used letter text and did not have any flourishes, symbols or arrows.  Here are the final sketchbook tags in progress (these are aiming to be more of a "piece" than just a tag) as well as the rubric I will be using to grade them...students have spent two days so far and as of today, I have four that are finished...they will all get one more day and then the unit test for graffiti.  Then we'll FINALLY be able to move onto the next unit, which will be perspective!

Just wanted to share my bulletin board display of fall artwork...I decided to display the fall birch trees and pastel pumpkin patch drawings together!

Art 7 Graffiti Sketch Assignment...and a little R&R!

Not wanting to chance our luck, hubby and I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weekend we had this past weekend and take the pooches out for a walk at one of the local state parks.  Probably one of the last "mini" hikes I'll be able to do in the next month and a half...I was exhausted by the time we were done (and so were the dogs, which was good!).

Since I spent a majority of my weekend being lazy, I'm spending this rainy Columbus Day getting all of this week's schoolwork done.  Tomorrow I have my first observation, which I anticipate should be no big deal.  Even though I received tenure last year, I happen to have a formal observation this year again because my number happens to fall in this APPR year to have it done...my other two observations will end up be unannounced walk-throughs.

I wanted to also touch on my Art 7 graffiti unit in this post.  In typical fashion with this particular group, it is taking them FOREVER to complete projects!  In my opinion, it should have taken them two days to get their practice tag completed, but some of them are onto day 4!!!  I really don't know what to do to push these guys along...I had been hoping to be onto our next unit by now, but we haven't even started their sketchbook cover tag yet!  This group is probably the toughest group I am encountering this year.  I'm not sure if it's because their comfortable with me (from having me as an elementary art teacher the last three years) or if it's because they still treat art class like it's a special, but we have spent many a class periods being lectured about behavior, showing up on time, being prepared with notes, sketchbook and folders, being respectful to each other, etc. etc. etc.

I ended up giving them a pop quiz one class period about graffiti because I just couldn't deal with trying to make them work!  For some it was an eye opener because I took their quiz grade and put it in for their 5 week grades and I think they finally started to take my class seriously.

The only good thing I can say about them taking this long is that they have absorbed all of the historic information about graffiti like a sponge!  We talked in depth about Scape Martinez, Bansky, Keith Haring and Taki183, comparing each person's individual start in graffiti, and I'd say about 85% of the students have it down!

One of the homework sketch assignments I gave students was to design a shoe with graffiti influence.  This was an extremely successful sketch assignment, for the most part.  I had the highest number of students take it seriously and spend a decent amount of time on the sketch, which made me extremely happy!  I took this sketch assignment straight out of the Graff Workbook I had bought by Scape Martinez.  I photocopied the sneaker from the book and handed it out.  Students were allowed to trace the shoe in their sketchbook or draw a different kind of shoe.  I had hoped more people would draw a different shoe, but I'm at least happy with amount of effort that was put into these, despite the tracing.  Quite a few used their tag designs in their sneakers, but others really got creative...

By Wednesday this week, they need to have their practice tag finished (which is going up on a fake brick wall in the hallway) and they also need to gesso their sketchbook cover.  So, hopefully by Wednesday, I'll be able to share our graffiti brick wall!  Their homework assignment this week will be to take the feedback they receive from their graded rubric on the practice tag and draw their finalized tag on their sketchbook cover. I'm really going to push that they only take two days to finish their sketchbook cover tag so we can move on.  Our next unit will be about perspective, which connects with 7th grade Common Core math (more specifically when talking about proportion).

Graffiti anyone?

Before school was over, I polled my 6th grade students about what they wanted to do next year in 7th art.  One of the first things many of them suggested was graffiti art.  I have decided that my first project with them will be to create a tag to design the cover of their art journal.  Does anyone have a really great power point they'd be willing to share with me about the history of graffiti...or a site that has good handouts/information about graffiti?

 I purchased the class pack of 30 6"x9" journals from Dick Blick.  The covers are cardboard and they are spiral bound.  I plan on having the students design the front cover with a tag of their name.  They'll be able to use tissue paper, paint and I'm thinking the Crayola Airbrush Marker Kits I have (which would make it even more authentic...closest thing to spray paint!).

I have a very vague knowledge about the history of graffiti.  I know that prehistoric art can be considered graffiti, and that graffiti dates way back in history to the Egyptians and Greeks.  I also know of the political reasons behind graffiti in the 60's and 70's and that Keith Haring was a subway graffiti artist during a point in his life, but I need some good vocabulary and some reading information about the topic to make a good, solid unit.  I'd even be willing to purchase a book about graffiti if someone highly recommends one!  I currently have a $50 gift card to Blick that I could spend and there is free shipping on orders of $45 or more that expires at midnight tonight, so any feedback would be great, especially if Blick has a book that would be good to order!  Thanks in advance!