Eighth Grade
What students have done this year:
*Students have created Altered Books. The Joshua Hyde Library in Sturbridge was able to donate books to the DMS art room to use. Students choose their own book and re-make it into their own. Student spent the first few classes re-designing the cover and back of their book by painting and collage. Throughout the year, we will be putting sketches, notes, pictures, drawings, etc. into their altered book. If students finish an assigned project early, they can take out their book and continue designing within the pages. This allows students to be creative.
*Students turned their name into graffiti. Students could view different graffiti alphabet handouts or use a graffiti maker online to help them create their own name in Graffiti.
*Students then created an optical illusion by using curved lines and shading on flat paper to make objects look 3 dimensional.
*Students designed a drawing called a calligram. This is where you draw an object and use text that relates to it, to fill it in to create the picture. Students are choosing pictures from the computer to draw and are writing down adjectives and other words that go along with their picture. They are then using those words to fill in their picture and can either color in just the words, or the space around the words to create the image.
*Students created a night time silhouette of a house/castle with other elements such as porches, trees, cemeteries, fences, etc. Students are using their knowledge of simple shapes to create their houses (They do have house/castle handouts to look at for ideas and to spark creativity). Students will add other details such as balconies, porches, fences, a moon, tree, animals, etc. They will next use a light colored oil pastel to color their windows, outline their doors, color the eyes on animals, etc. and will use a black oil pastel to color everything else. Students will use watercolor paints to paint the sky. Students will use 2-3 analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel) to paint their sky. They will start with one and will blend into the next color. From that color, they can blend into another analogous color. They can use paper towel scraps to dab on their wet paint to create clouds.
*Students learned how to draw from real life objects, in this case using candy. Students chose at least 5 pieces of candy to draw from and enlarge on a piece of 12 by 18 inch paper. Students learned how to shade using complementary colors instead of black. They used oil pastels to color the candy and filled the background with a monochromatic painting.
*Students created colorful Pop Art Prints based on artwork by the artist Andy Warhol. Students learned a printmaking technique where they print squares in multiple colors on a piece of paper using styrofoam. Once they have filled their paper with colored squares, they draw their picture on the styrofoam square, roll different colored ink over it, and print it on top of the previously colored squares. The original color of the squares will show on the lines of their drawing to create a colorful print.
*The kiln was fired up for the first time in Dudley Middle School history this year! Students learned different building and molding techniques using clay. Students created 3 different pinch pots and molded them into a head, body, and hat to create a gnome. Students used other pieces of clay to make arms, facial features, and legs. Students used the clay tools to attach clay pieces and add details to their gnome. After they went into the kiln, students used acrylic paint to decorate their gnome.
*Students were introduced to 2 Point Perspective. Students learned how to draw a tree house using 2 points as a reference for the lines of their house, windows, doors, shingles, etc. Students could add other details such as a way in and out of their tree house, decks, porches, swings, multiple houses, etc. For every house or detail they added, they needed to be sure to use the original 2 points as a reference.
*Students viewed artwork by the American artist Keith Haring and replicated his style of art with their own figure drawings on aluminum foil. Students drew their figures on a piece of paper and transferred them onto the aluminum foil. Once on the foil, students used different colored sharpies to color in their images. To show motion, students used multiple colors to outline their figures over and over again until the entire piece of aluminum foil was filled with colorful lines.
*Students have created Altered Books. The Joshua Hyde Library in Sturbridge was able to donate books to the DMS art room to use. Students choose their own book and re-make it into their own. Student spent the first few classes re-designing the cover and back of their book by painting and collage. Throughout the year, we will be putting sketches, notes, pictures, drawings, etc. into their altered book. If students finish an assigned project early, they can take out their book and continue designing within the pages. This allows students to be creative.
*Students turned their name into graffiti. Students could view different graffiti alphabet handouts or use a graffiti maker online to help them create their own name in Graffiti.
*Students then created an optical illusion by using curved lines and shading on flat paper to make objects look 3 dimensional.
*Students designed a drawing called a calligram. This is where you draw an object and use text that relates to it, to fill it in to create the picture. Students are choosing pictures from the computer to draw and are writing down adjectives and other words that go along with their picture. They are then using those words to fill in their picture and can either color in just the words, or the space around the words to create the image.
*Students created a night time silhouette of a house/castle with other elements such as porches, trees, cemeteries, fences, etc. Students are using their knowledge of simple shapes to create their houses (They do have house/castle handouts to look at for ideas and to spark creativity). Students will add other details such as balconies, porches, fences, a moon, tree, animals, etc. They will next use a light colored oil pastel to color their windows, outline their doors, color the eyes on animals, etc. and will use a black oil pastel to color everything else. Students will use watercolor paints to paint the sky. Students will use 2-3 analogous colors (colors next to each other on the color wheel) to paint their sky. They will start with one and will blend into the next color. From that color, they can blend into another analogous color. They can use paper towel scraps to dab on their wet paint to create clouds.
*Students learned how to draw from real life objects, in this case using candy. Students chose at least 5 pieces of candy to draw from and enlarge on a piece of 12 by 18 inch paper. Students learned how to shade using complementary colors instead of black. They used oil pastels to color the candy and filled the background with a monochromatic painting.
*Students created colorful Pop Art Prints based on artwork by the artist Andy Warhol. Students learned a printmaking technique where they print squares in multiple colors on a piece of paper using styrofoam. Once they have filled their paper with colored squares, they draw their picture on the styrofoam square, roll different colored ink over it, and print it on top of the previously colored squares. The original color of the squares will show on the lines of their drawing to create a colorful print.
*The kiln was fired up for the first time in Dudley Middle School history this year! Students learned different building and molding techniques using clay. Students created 3 different pinch pots and molded them into a head, body, and hat to create a gnome. Students used other pieces of clay to make arms, facial features, and legs. Students used the clay tools to attach clay pieces and add details to their gnome. After they went into the kiln, students used acrylic paint to decorate their gnome.
*Students were introduced to 2 Point Perspective. Students learned how to draw a tree house using 2 points as a reference for the lines of their house, windows, doors, shingles, etc. Students could add other details such as a way in and out of their tree house, decks, porches, swings, multiple houses, etc. For every house or detail they added, they needed to be sure to use the original 2 points as a reference.
*Students viewed artwork by the American artist Keith Haring and replicated his style of art with their own figure drawings on aluminum foil. Students drew their figures on a piece of paper and transferred them onto the aluminum foil. Once on the foil, students used different colored sharpies to color in their images. To show motion, students used multiple colors to outline their figures over and over again until the entire piece of aluminum foil was filled with colorful lines.