Katherine Abolt Parks
Artist and Teacher
"If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him."
John F. Kennedy
The following examples are from my 2014-2015 Art 1 students
Perspective
Students studied One-Point, Two-Point and Three-Point perspective. They practiced creating three-dimensional geometric figures and other objects using the different kinds of perspective. The students then chose the perspective that they liked best to create a work of art.
Stippling
Students learned about the work of Georges Seurat and the style of Pointillism. They compared this with the technique of stippling and the work of several contemporary artists. The students were asked to choose a photograph of an animal and use their observation skills to translate the different values using the stippling technique.
Still Life
Students learned about hatching, cross-hatching and smooth shading. They practiced using different kinds of media for various effects. For their final project they spent several days using their favorite media and shading technique to complete a large still life drawing.
Creative Color Wheel
Students reviewed their knowledge of color. We discussed Primary, secondary, tertiary colors, tints and shades. Students were required to create a drawing that could incorporate a color wheel. They painted their drawings with acrylics and were required to have a tint and a shade of all 12 colors in the traditional color wheel.
Art Journals
Students were given complete creative control in creating a visual journal. They chose the type of paper that was used, the media and the content of entries they created. They were required to design the covers and think about the order in which the pages would be read or viewed.
Altered Book Poems
Students were given a page from a discarded book. They were asked to circle words on that page to create a poem. Once they were happy with the new arrangement of words, they were asked to turn it into a work of art. They could create abstract image or something more representational.
Mandalas
Students learned about radial symmetry and artwork from different cultures that use radial symmetry. They learned about the Tibetan monks that create mandalas out of colored sand. Students were given one section to start their design. They were asked to incorporate a symbol that is important to them. They used the original “pie piece” to copy their work 8 times onto a large paper.
Clay
Students learned about ceramics and all the techniques and vocabulary that go along with this subject. Students created a concept drawing that includes a pinch pot, an attachment, and a carved design of some kind. Students created a 3-dimentional clay sculpture of their drawing using the correct techniques for attaching.
Illuminated letters
Students learned about Illuminated manuscripts and illuminated letters. They created a pencil drawing of their own illuminated letter. Once their drawing were complete they transferred their work to a gold or silver scratch board.
Watercolor
Students learned about watercolor techniques and vocabulary. They created a drawing of fall leaves and then used their knowledge of watercolor techniques to paint their drawings.