Digital Photography: Mythological Creatures

A few students have finished their mythological creature projects while others are in the final stages of combining images, adding shadows, and refining edges. Each creature should be made up of 3 different animals. Some things that students could do to make the different parts go together were using the clone stamp to copy textures and/or colors (as shown on the 2 animals below), smudging areas together, painting transparent areas of color above the images, and erasing parts with a soft brush to make the edges transparent for a more gradual transition. Each project needed an environment that was made up of 5 different images as well as 2 mythological creatures. The creatures could be similar or completely different but needed to be created individually (not copy and pasted).

Mixed Media: Collages (Part 2: Chalk Pastel)

Students have gotten started on the 2nd portion of their collage projects. They were asked to choose one object within their collage to draw using chalk pastels. When comfortable with the materials, they could move on to select a 6 x 6 inch square section of the collage to enlarge and sketch out. The final step that students are working on is adding value using chalk pastels and trying to make the drawing match the original collage.

Digital Photography: Mythological Creatures

With our Mythological Creature project, the focus is switching from creating creatures to developing backgrounds. The environment in which each student will be placing their creatures must be made up of at least 5 images. This could combine different landscapes by adding mountains and rivers into photographs, or could be created by placing rocks, trees, buildings, or other objects into the scene. They will work on adding realistic shadows and blending the colors together before finishing the assignment towards the end of the week.  

Mixed Media: Collage Project (Part 1)

Many students finished gathering images and gluing down their collages. They were asked to make sure their project incorporates both balance and movement through the arrangement of their objects. Tomorrow they will begin the 2nd portion of the project which is selecting one area of the collage and "zooming in" to focus on it. They will create a chalk pastel drawing that focuses on the different colors and values present. 

Animals in Art: Oil Pastel Drawings

Many of the 8th graders have completed their oil pastel drawings. We studied the work of Franz Marc and German Expressionism and then incorporated the idea of colors and abstraction into their projects. They worked on skills such including blending and were asked to create an abstract background that uses a minimum of 4 colors. Students will be painting over their projects with a clear coat to prevent smudging before taking them home. 

Digital Photography: Mythological Creatures

Below are some of our mythological creature projects in progress. Students will each create 2 creatures and develop an environment for their creatures to live in. They will add realistic shadows and refine the edges to make everything fit together nicely. 

Mixed Media: Collage Project (Part 1)

Mixed Media students have started the first stages of their last project before Winter Break. They are creating collages made up of images they have found and cut out of magazines. Students were asked to think about balance when putting the images together as well as trying to create a sense of movement throughout the entire composition.

Animals in Art: Oil Pastel Drawings

Along with the blending skills the 8th graders have been practicing, they are also working on the differences between realistic artwork and abstract artwork. They each drew a picture of the way they realistically picture a tree - this could be any type of tree, any size, any season.  We then discussed different ways we could make that abstract - some ideas were changing the color of the bark or leaves as well as changing the shape of the leaves. Below are some of the projects in progress along with abstract background practices.

 

Mixed Media: Clay Portrait

Mixed Media students are just wrapping up their ceramic tile portraits. They used watercolor pencils on the clay to add and blend different colors to their projects.

Digital Photography: Mythological Creatures

Here are some of the Digital Photography students' "Mythological Creatures" in progress. Some students are working on creating their creatures by combining 3 animals while others decided to begin by creating an environment for their animals. When finished each project will have 2 mythological creatures and a background that was created by combining a minimum of 5 images.