Tetra Blink 2 (2008-2009)

If you are looking for Tetra Blink it has moved and become Tetra Blink 2 (2008-2009). We will still be using some of the links and references on Tetra Blink 1 (this site) but you should get used to checking the news address:

www.tetrablink2.blogspot.com

See you in class!

Happy Summer

Have a great summer. I will see you on the first of September.

Super Hero 1

The Incredibles by Pixar

Grade 8 in conjunction with your Physics class you are going to be creating a Super Hero and Side-Kick comic. This assignment will act as your Physics exam review as well as your culminating task in Art. You will be working in pairs where each member of the team will choose a role either as the Super Hero Consultant or as the Side-Kick Consultant which you will then create and present in the form of a Comic Strip or a Flip Book. You will be challenged to create costumes using a wave from the electromagnetic spectrum as well as justify your character's super power using the Laws of Physics (all on your Physics moodle).

Ms. Pak and I will be giving you a comprehensive package to work with, but you will also need to refer to this site as well as Ms. Pak's website. Meanwhile here are some links that you might find interesting and useful:

1. Writing about Superheroes - this site gives you a good list of things to think about when considering/creating your superhero, especially the bullet points under the heading: Creating a Superhero Character.
2. UGO's Heromachine - get some ideas as to how to draw your superhero.

And then just for fun:

1. Marvel Comics
   
2. The Incredibles
3. Ageing Superheroes
   

String Art 2 Links

Hey there Grade 6, here are the links that we looked at in class today:

1. String Art Basics
2. The Parabola
3. Isometric Cube
4. Repeating Triangles Make a Circle
   
5. Gallery

And don't forget your homework:
The square within the square within the square within the square (like the image in the this posting). That is four squares nested into each other for one big challenge. Good luck.

Kapadokya 2 Birdhouse

Dorothy Bell Birdhouse

Your Cappadocia inspired birdhouses have been designed, drawn, modeled and re-drawn. You now have a working set of blueprints from which to build your actual house, as well as a set of prints for your bird.

We will be starting the clay work after we have COMPLETED the Periodic Table, hopefully mid next week.

Meanwhile you can look at these two websites and be inspired for when you start building:

Birdhouses 101
Modern Birdhouses

String Art 1

Get ready for it, we are starting String Art this week. Please bring your Development Sketchbooks, a regular pencil, coloured pencils, and a ruler to class. This week you are going to learn how to create various designs/shapes using the String Art technique and next week you will start designing a pattern that you will then create as an art piece.

Ephesus 2 - Tiles

It has been a few weeks since we got back from Ephesus, during that time you have been assigned a number of sketches to do related to the architecture of the Celsus Library. Your next assignment in Grade 8 is to create a façade of the library in clay tiles. Each of you will be assigned a section of the library to draw and then re-create in clay as a tile. When all the tiles are completed we will assemble them into one large piece. The above photo leads to a link on Flickr where you will find a photo set called Ephesus Tiles. In that set are all the pieces (tiles) individually numbered. You will need to use the picture corresponding with your assigned tile to complete your section of the finished library.

Grade 8 Studio Work

1. Choose your tile for the library
2. Using the photocopy (I have these in a folder) sketch the essential elements for your tile
3. Check the photograph on the Flickr set - Ephesus Tiles for detail and nuance
4. Finalize sketch to size

When everybody has completed their tile drawings we will talk about how to transfer the idea to clay.

Student Led Conferences

Student Led Conferences are this Friday, April 18th. As I have explained in class, your art work is still being displayed for the art show. You will need to either start or end your conference by going for walk up to the third floor and pointing out your art pieces to the person who will be here for your conference. This will probably take about ten minutes, so plan accordingly (either come early for your conference or count on taking that time at the end).

I encourage Grade 6 and Grade 7 to share their Development Sketchbooks during the conference as well.

Grade 6
Your mobiles will be delivered to your homerooms in time for Friday.

Field Trip Work (Cappadocia & Ephesus)

Grade 7 and Grade 8 you are expected to bring your art assignments with you to class this week. I will be checking each of you for the following things:

Grade 7 Kapadokya Check List

1. Architectural sketches of interiors (x2)
2. Note the colours of the frescoes and find out about pigment
3. Sketch a detail of one of the frescoes
   
4. Find and record (x3) symbols
5. Find the chicken, draw it and find out its story

Grade 8 Ephesus Sketches

1. An Ionic Column
2. A Doric Column
3. A Corinthian Column
4. A Statue from Curetes Street

Ephesus 1

While in Ephesus you are going to be spending a fair amount of time paying close attention to the detail to be found in the architecture there. Our aim when we come back is to create a facade of either the Library or of the Temple of Hadrian in clay. Each of you will be responsible for a tile (section) of the facade that when it is put together is a recreation of the building in question.

Because we are going to be in Ephesus together discovering all that there is to see I am not going to write lots here about it, but I am going to let you know what I will be expecting to see in your Development Sketchbooks when you get back.

Grade 8 Ephesus Sketches

1. An Ionic Column
2. A Doric Column
3. A Corinthian Column
4. A Statue from Curetes Street

When looking at the various columns, think about how you will depict the using only line drawing. I will have a reference sheet for you to use when identifying your columns.


Grade 8 Ephesus Photographs (we will do these in groups)
These photographs are going to be used as a reference for our sculptural work back in the classroom. The detailed sections of the facades will be put together in a photo montage so that we have a complete and detailed reference to work from.

1. A detailed composite photograph of Ephesus Library
2. A detailed composite photograph of the Temple of Hadrain

I recommend that you check out the sites that I have provided in the links column under the heading Ephesus - there is lots of relevant information there.

Kapadokya 1

Hey there, we talked about a lot of different things relating to Cappadocia for you to think about while you are on your trip there. This blog is to remind you of our conversation and also to remind you what to look for and record while you are there. As you know, when you come back you are going to be designing birdhouses that are inspired by the landscape and architecture that you encounter in Capadoccia, as well as by the stories that you hear there.

One of the first things that I want you to pay attention to is the interior architecture of the churches and dwellings that you will see. You should make some sketches of details that you find important to the structure. Remember to think about shape. Also, pigeons played a large roll in the monks life in Cappadocia, they provided food, fertilizer and possibly acted as messengers. You will see pigeon houses all over the place, take note of these too and how they are built.


We also looked at and talked about the interiors of the churches that are painted. You are supposed to make a detailed sketch that shows part of an interior. It does not have to be the whole church, but a section of it that is interesting to you. The questions you want to answer are: Where did the monks get the pigment for their paints? And how did they make the paint?


I have asked you to find three symbols to record in your sketchbooks. When you come back we are going too share these symbols in the class and try to interpret what they stand for. Look for symbols that are carved as well as painted and try to look for one that nobody else is noticing. And don't forget about the chicken. In one of the churches there are paintings of chickens. No, they are not large pigeons! I want you to draw the chicken and to try and find out what it symbolizes. Your clue: It has something to do with Egypt.


Have a great time, I look forward to seeing all the information that you will bring back to the classroom.

Grade 7 Kapadokya Check List

1. Architectural sketches of interiors (x2)
2. Note the colours of the frescoes and find out about pigment
3. Sketch a detail of one of the frescoes
   
4. Find and record (x3) symbols
5. Find the chicken, draw it and find out its story
6. Have fun
   

Calder Mobile

Hey, while I am gone to Ephesus for the week you are going to be exploring the world of kinetic energy and making your own Calder-like mobile. Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976) was an American sculptor and artist who is credited with inventing the mobile. He discovered a way to create a sculpture that was in constant movement and therefore always changing, making it a dynamic and exciting art form.

Your job this week is to complete your own mobile. A mobile is a type of sculpture that is made up of carefully balanced parts that move. They move, are kinetic, because they respond to the energy in air currents. When your mobiles are completed you will be able to watch them shift from one form to another.

Materials Needed:

1. Cardboard
2. Template
   
3. Stapler
4. Oil Pastel Crayon
   
5. Ball Point Pen
   
6. Scissors
   
7. Acrylic Paint
8. Needle
9. Thread
   

Grade 6 Studio Work

1. Trace your template on the backside of the paper using an oil pastel, you can use the window for this;
   
2. Carefully staple your template to your cardboard;
3. Trace your template using a ballpoint pen
   
4. Cut out the six pieces of your mobile;
5. Keep all of your pieces together using the blue construction paper that the teacher has given you;
   
6. Paint the pieces with acrylic paint. You can use any colours that you like. Be sure to paint one side at a time and allow the side to dry completely before you turn it over to paint the other side;
7. Find the centre of balance for each piece by balancing it on your finger. Lay it flat on your finger until is does not fall off, it will balance perfectly like a see-saw. Mark that point with a pencil;
8. Make two holes in each of your mobile mobile pieces using a needle. One hole just below the top edge of the piece at the balance point and and one hole at the "tail" end of the piece (see the demo board behind my desk);
9. Using thread string all the pieces together;
   
10. Check to see that your mobile is balanced and make any adjustments needed;
    
11. Hang it up in the classroom above our work table.
    

If You Finish Early
Work on your Sock Monkey Portrait

BUPS/BIS Annual Art Show

It is that time of year. The art show is next Wednesday, March 26th at 18:30 (06:30 pm). Come and join us for an evening to celebrate your work as artists.

Grade 6
Your Sock Monkeys are the last thing that you need to finish up before Wednesday. Please make sure that I have your monkey by Monday, March 24th.
Grade 7
Poetry Books need to be in my hands also on Monday, March 24th.
Grade 8
Your Miniatures are due on Monday, March 24th.

Poetry Book Making 2

Now that you are at the point where your books are being sewn (bound) you need to start really thinking about what your covers are going to look like. I recommended in class that you have a look at some of the links that I have provided for you to get some ideas.

Some things for you to think about in regards to your Poetry Book covers:

1. You can use a beautiful paper that you have made or bought;
2. You can make a collage for your cover;
3. You can illustrate/paint/stitch/embroider/print etc. on your cover;
4. Your cover needs to be pliable (able to bend easily without damage) and durable because it will get handled quite a lot.
   

These are just a few things to think about. Starting on Wednesday, March 19th you should have gathered everything that you might need for your cover. The cover should be ready (that means completed if you are printing, painting, sewing etc.) by then because you will be attaching it to your book and therefore completing the binding of your Poetry Book.

Meanwhile here are some links to inspire ideas:
Paperbirds
Galleria Mia
Owen's Books

Miniature 1

a Demon from the "Conqueror's Albums"

Mehmed Siyah-Kalem was an artist to the Ottoman court whose work is preserved at the Topkapi Sarayı (the Imperial Ottoman Palace Library). Miniature painting comes from the tradition of illustrating manuscripts. The works of Siyah-Kalem are collected in what are known as the "Conquerors Albums", the albums are a selection of miniatures taken from various manuscripts in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. What is fascinating about Siyah-Kalem's work (whose name in English means Black Pen) is just how dark they are in their portrayals of monstrous-like figures, usually miniature paintings are quite pastoral and show scenes of noble life or great battles being fought.

For your next assignment you are going to reproduce one of Mehmed Siyah-Kalem miniatures using fine-art paper and chalk pastel.

Sock Monkey 1

by Marisa @ www.creativethursday.com

We are starting our Sock Monkeys this week or as some of you are already calling them, our Shock Monkeys. You will need to have 1 pair (2 socks), a needle and some thread in order to make your monkeys. The first thing that you are going to do is lean how to sew, so come prepared to do some stitching in your Development Sketchbooks. That is right, you will learn to sew on paper, then we will move on to a cloth sample AND then you will start creating that monkey.

In Your Development Sketchbook
You should have written an exploration of who your Monkey is going to be and how you think it is possible to create a Monkey from two socks. I asked you to think about the following things:

1. What kind of character do you think your Sock Monkey will be?
2. How do you know what kind of personality traits s/he will have?
3. Do you think that the colour and pattern of your sock helps determine who your Sock Monkey will be?
4. Draw a diagram of how you think the socks will become the various parts of your Monkey.
   

Target Final

The Target Project is almost complete. The Grade 6 is putting the final touches on their Target pieces, all that is left are some touch ups in paint and last minute details to be added to some Bows and Arrows.

Here is a picture of the Target that we took in class today. It has turned out really well. 6_03 especially like how each individual piece is a stand-alone work, but also how well the 12 canvases fit together to make one larger work. Very cool!

Poetry Book Making 1

The Grade 7 rounded off their Poetry unit in English last week with a Poetry Slam and now they are bringing their work into the Art class to make a bound book of their own writing. We have spent the lasts few weeks making a mock book/template to work from.

Grade 7 you have at this point; figured out how many sheets (1 sheet = 4 pages) you need in your book, what colour they will be and what will be on each of them. Over the next three weeks you will be spending every lesson steadily creating the contents for each page by writing out your poems and illustrating the pages. The week before Spring Break we will spend the time in class actually sewing the pages, making the covers and binding your Poetry Books.

Check out this link to see the basic process of what we will be doing...

Found Poetry

Artist:Pam Yee

The Grade 7 is doing a Poetry unit in their English class. In collaboration with English we are exploring visual forms of poetry in Art class and are going to culminate with bringing together the poems from both classes into a bound book that the students make.

A Found Poem in literature is like a collage in art. The writer takes text from another source (essay, newspaper article, letter, or a novel to name a few) that is not their own and reorders the words to create a poem. A Found Poem in art is slightly different, and not necessarily a collage. The picture above shows an example by an artist who works with Altered Books as an art form. In art you can create a Found Poem by also borrowing somebody else's text. The difference here is that you do not cut the words away and rearrange them on a fresh piece of paper but rather that you paint straight onto the text and highlight the words that you want to use to create your poem. The underlying text becomes part of the layering in the picture. The image created can illustrate the poem directly by referring to the text or it can become an abstract juxtaposition that has seemingly nothing to do with the wording. It is a very evocative form of visual poetry.

Grade 7 Studio Work
1. Your original text should be chosen;
2. You have found your poem;
3. Start sketching and then painting your image.

Grade 8 you are also doing Found Poems and will be referring to this post for your information as well.

Targets 2

Belmont School Hassocks

As a collective group the Grade 6 has come up with the following design idea for their Target project:
6_01 are creating Arrows
6_02 are making Bows
6_03 are designing the Target

The classes are creating three main elements for the final installation. Each item will be an individual sculpture that adds to the final collective work but can also stand alone as an art piece. The Target is a Bull's Eye with twelve different Endangered Animal species floating in front of it. The students want to bring attention to things that we are close to losing because they have been targeted by us in some way. The Arrows will carry wishes towards the Target, wishes such as freedom, peace & safe habitat. The Bows will represent how that wish is sent forth, for example a wish could be launched with good will, freedom of choice, peace or integrity. The overall aim of the Target project for the Grade 6 is to bring an awareness to their audience.

Grade 6, you are doing a great job with your Target project, most of you brought in materials to use on your Bows and Arrows and all of you have made good mock-ups of your concept designs for them. Remember to keep collecting materials that you can use to enhance your design.

For those of you who are working on the Animals, your research has proven to be excellent and it shows in your clay models. While you are painting your models, remember to look at the small details and colour nuances.

Life Map 2

The Life Map book that you are making is an independent project. Please remember to bring your Life Maps with you to class, as you are being graded on being able to work independently. I am not setting a deadline for your books yet, but I do want to see progress being made. I will be checking at the beginning of each class to see that you are working on your books and you will be given a grade for the work that you have done.

Reproduction Final

Paintings are overdue. Your completed Reproduction Painting needs to be handed in and assessed. If you still have not completed this project your only option is to be spending every free moment that you have in the Art Room making miracles happen.

Life Map 1

As an introduction to bookmaking you are creating a Life Map in the (originally Chinese) style of an accordion book. The idea behind a Life Map is create a chronological chart of your life using both abstract and concrete images to represent a significant event for each year.

In class we have talked about the different ways that you can illustrate your memories using a variety of techniques (painting, illustration, photo, words, abstract impressions, as well as using cut-paper techniques, stamping, collage, stitching etc.) Based on that discussion you have been asked to do the following:

In Your Development Sketchbook
1. List the years of your life
2. Write a memory/significant event for each year
3. Beside your memory/event sketch an idea of how it can be represented.

Once you have sketched your ideas you should begin to transfer them into the pages of your book using a variety of techniques to really make your Life Map personal and special to you.

Targets 1

Target, Jasper Johns (1974)

Since you have just finished your Archery unit in P.E. we have decided as a group to complete a project in art related to Targets. The three art classes in 6th grade (601, 602 and 603) have each come up with a different approach to this assignment. This project is going to be a mixed-media project and so far we are in the brainstorming phase trying to figure out what message you want to get across in your art pieces and how you are going to accomplish that.

Things that we have decided as a class are:

1. Your targets are not about destroying something. They are about bringing attention to an idea that you each find important.
2. You have also decided to create a larger group piece that each of you make a distinct part of.

Next we are going to start sketching out your ideas and clearly defining how the project needs to be planned and executed in your Development Sketchbooks.