Sign Name Designs

Students practice contour line drawings by using sign language symbols for the letters in their name.  Balance and unity are achieved by adding color to the background in a conscious manner.

I demonstrate how to draw hands simply by drawing a circle for the palm and cylinders for the digits. Once the shapes are placed according to the hand position, a contour line can be drawn over the initial sketch.  It is very important for students to use their free hand as a model, creating a realistic and 3D interpretation of the hand by adding fingernails and wrinkles.

Pollock Drip Paintings

 I took a class at the Danforth Museum in Framingham, MA on Abstract Painting and learned great techniques and methods for constructing abstract paintings a la the masters.  For this Pollock inspired paintings, students mixed paint with a dab of water in zip lock bags and snipped the corner of the bag so that they could "drip" the paint onto the paper.  Students were able to control the line quality by squeezing the bag to produce thicker lines and moving the bag faster to create thinner lines.  Note on drip paintings: the goal is to use contrasting values and lots of layered lines to create a sense of depth.  As always, color and shape of lines evoke certain moods.  Try to get students to capitalize of these techniques to create an authentic painting.

Celebrity Portraits

This project is amongst the favorites of my eighth graders, even those who don't think Pollock drip paintings are "cool."  I print a black and white photo of a celebrity (students choice) and the students transfer the line drawing onto canvas board by rubbing the back with a charcoal pencil.  Students use tints and shades of gray to match the value of the photo.  The objective of this project is not drawing a portrait, which every student learns to do in the seventh grade), but about mixing and blending values.  I display all the portraits in the cafeteria for the school to ogle. 

                                             (Be prepared for a lot of Justin Bieber paintings)