Sixth graders began the year in Graphic Design by transforming images of themselves into silhouettes reminiscent of the iconic iPod ads. They took their pictures in creative action poses, and then carefully cut out the images in Photoshop using the Pen Tool. Next, they removed the color and contrast to create a silhoutte. They then decided whether they would be standing, flying, or upside down! They added shaddows using the Gradient Tool, then picked a funny or descriptive word to accompany their image. Finally, accessories such as ipods, boomboxes, and even a horse riding crop were added to complete the pictures.

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Mosaic art is an ancient method of illustration that dates back to 2000 B.C. Examples of geometric patterns have been found in the region of Mesopotamia, created from pieces of different materials like shells and colored stones. Today, mosaics are a unique art form that allows artists to express their creativity through materials and patterns. The eighth graders created their own mosaic tiles by starting with a clay design in relief. The image was flat on the back, but had three-dimensional attributes on the top. They painted and glazed their clay pieces, and then filled in the remaining sections of their tile with glass. The entire tile was then grouted and sanded down, resulting in the beautiful designs that will surely be treasured for years to come.

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Andy Warhol was one of the most famous artists of the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. He wanted to bring art to the masses, and rejected traditional painting styles which he considered to be “high art.” His studio was known as “The Factory” as he had many workers churning out copies of his iconic silk screened images rather than doing each by hand himself. The sixth graders studied Warhol’s screenprints and then created their own self-portraits in the same style from digital images. After converting the picture into high-contrast black and white, they copied their image, being careful to trace only the strange shapes that they saw and not what they thought an eye or a mouth should look like. Once the colors were painted in, they were astonished to see their portraits emerge…with incredible accuracy! This helped the students learn that it is the unique variation of features and the way that shadows play off of those features that make us individual and recognizable. In addition, this year they also created a digital version 4-up on a page (Warhol-style) in Graphic Design class!

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Typography is the art of arranging type, and it can be used to create designs and illustrations as well as for formating text. The eighth graders each chose a famous person and created a silhouette of their image by filling in the shadows with descriptive words relating to that person and their life. The students experimented with different fonts, sizes, and type orientations to create their portraits. They finished by coloring their images with watercolors to complete the effect. You can learn a lot about their subjects by reading these amazing illustrations!

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Roy Lichtenstein created some of the most famous works of the Pop Art movement. His recognizable and playful style was borne out of his love for early comic books and his desire to capture the feeling of popular advertising of the 60s. The seventh graders transformed images of themselves into Lichtenstein-style comic characters complete with a word or thought bubble. They then painted their portraits using only the primary colors and copied Lichtenstein’s characteristic use of “ben-day” dots to simulate half-tone colors. This exercise in digital photography and its application in hand-drawn media exposed the students to methods of reproduction through technology working in concert with traditional methods.

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The fourth and fifth graders created thematic windchimes for our clay unit. They started with a single theme, such as “under the sea” or “insects” and then created a large clay piece from which to hang their smaller, related pieces. They then crafted those tiny objects to support their overall theme. After glazing and firing, they strung the pieces together with colorful yarn. What a wonderful melody each produced by clinking together; they had different sounds depending on the thickness and size of the clay pieces.

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The fourth and fifth graders created fantastic textural weavings using ordinary corrugated cardboard. After painting with natural sponges for effect, they glued thin pieces of cardboard to their base and lined up the holes. This allowed them to create a loom from string, which they then wove with coordinating colorful yarn. Some students tried different orientations and weaving techniques, and others even overlapped their strings!

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These botanicals are not normally found in nature, but through the seventh graders clever imaginations they now exist in digital form. Using Photoshop and starting with a single photo of the lovely blooms in the front of the school, they copied, pasted, rotated, reflected, and masked their image to create a collage of color, shape, and symmetry. Can you tell what is real and what is imagined? Some are so seamless, it’s hard to tell.

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Have you ever heard an elephant whistle?

The sixth graders learned the delicate art of making instruments through their clay whistle project. Starting with a hollow sphere, they then attached a mouthpiece and carefully adjusted the placement to produce the whistling sound. As the air enters the mouthpiece it is split by a sloped wedge shape which forces some air into the hollow chamber and the other air out, resulting in the musical tone. If the elements are not properly aligned, the sound is not heard. Luckily, our talented sixth graders were all able to make their whistles sing! Some students even added holes to create multiple tones like an ocarina. After the whistles were constructed, the next step was to transform them into something unique. Elephants, pigs, aliens, and flies emerged from the students’ imaginations.

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The Seventh graders learned about the artisans of Ghana who decorate fabric with elaborate symbols that each have specific meaning. We looked at different symbols and saw how an image of a hair comb could symbolize beauty. Each student picked five symbols either from the Adinkra tradition, or they created their own symbols that they felt best represented them. Using soft blocks, they designed and carved their images and then printed them on dyed cotton cloth. Check out their fabric designs, and see how many symbols you can identify. Can you tell a story about the student who created it?

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