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!

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

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

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
   

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

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.

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.

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.

Periodic Table Final

All 1st Elements should be completed, cropped and ready for mounting. If you are still working on your 1st image, remember that the art room is open during lunch times for you to be able to complete your work. We are compiling the first section of the Periodic Table to display at the Science Fair this coming Friday, December 7.

Grade 7 Studio Work
1. Choose second Element from Periodic Table.
2. Report your choice to me, so that I can record it.
3. Complete a Sketch in your Dev. Sketchbk.
4. Complete a Sketch Painting.
5. Paint Final on 15 x 15 paper.

If You Have Completed Your 2nd Element
1. Start working on your Life Map (see me for details).

Periodic Table 3

This past week the Grade 7 finalized a graphic design for their element and made a colour map as well as completed a sketch painting of their Element.

Most of you have started working on the final copies of your Element for the Periodic Table. This week is dedicated towards getting all the colour problems worked out and completing that final copy.

Grade 7 Studio Work
1. Figure out any adjustments for colour choices that did not work in Sketch Painting.
2. Complete a final painting.
4. Document everything in Development Sketchbooks

If You Have Completed Your 1st Element
1. Choose second Element from Periodic Table.
2. Report your choice to me, so that I can record it.
3. Complete a Sketch in your Dev. Sketchbk.

Periodic Table 2

After completing 3 designs using only the Symbol + Atomic Number the students started to play with images and ways of using them to represent their Element.

In their Development Sketchbooks they each researched the following about their assigned element: What is it? Where is it found? What is it used for? Once they understood more about the element they started to gather facts which they put into list form. Beside each fact they then brainstormed images/ideas that were provoked by those facts. From this list they chose one main idea to play with and then together on the computer we researched for appropriate images for them to work with.

This coming week the Grade 7 will (1) finalize a graphic design for their element in a 15 x 15 cm format. They will then (2) make a colour map (like paint by numbers) where each student will decide what colours to put where. The colour map is a sketch of the final drawing where areas are marked in pencil stating which colour to use and which value level to use. The students are restricted to two complementary colours + their tints and shades. Once the mapping is complete the students will make a (3) sketch painting. The sketch painting is a first draft of the design in colour form, this way the students can see if their colour mapping works and make adjustments before embarking on the final piece.

Grade 7 Studio Work
1. Finalize design for element.
2. Make a colour map using only two complementary colours.
3. Complete a sketch painting to test colour choices.
4. Document everything in Development Sketchbooks

Periodic Table 1

Inspired by some art work by Kris Shanks (above) that I found on Flickr pertaining to the Periodic Table; the Periodic Table Print Making Project the Grade 7 is going to design their own Periodic Table. They will emulate the challenge that the printmaking artists on Flickr have taken and create their own images for the elements. Each student has been assigned to research an element for Science class. The end goal is to create a complete table that is a unique art piece and to get the students thinking about Science in a creative and dynamic way.

The students have been asked to research their element and to start sketching ideas of how to represent it in visual form. As a start in the design process they are creating three designs that are based on the Symbol and Atomic Number only. They are looking at font options and how to arrange the fonts within a square that is 15cm x 15cm in size. They will then colour their designs using only complementary colours.

7th Grade Homework (see Calendar for due dates)
In your Development Sketchbooks:
1. Explore different fonts for your Element's Symbol and Atomic Number using a word-processing program, choose 3 that you like, print them and put them in your sketchbooks.
2. Create 3 designs using your font research. Your designs will be square (15cm x 15cm), coloured in complementary colours and made using just the Symbol + Atomic Number.

Complementary Colours

As a continuation to learning about Colour we talked about Complementary Colours this week. Complementary colours are the colours that are found directly opposite each other on the Colour Wheel.


So, for example, Yellow and Violet are a complementary pair, as are Red and Green, Blue and Orange. The students learned that the complement of a Primary colour is always a Secondary colour. They also discovered that all 3 primary colours (yellow, red, blue) are present in any 2 complementary colours. Let's take Yellow and Violet again, Yellow is a primary, Violet is made up of Red and Blue, thus all 3 primary colours are present. Using this idea the students were then able to deduce what a complement of a colour would be without looking at the colour wheel. If I asked them what the complement of Orange is they know that Red and Yellow make Orange, therefore Blue is its complement as it is the only remaining primary not named yet.

Colour Charts

Grade 6 and Grade 7 have completed colour charts to use as a reference for future painting assignments. Each student was asked to make a chart using only their Primary colours (Yellow, Red, Blue) + Black and White. These five colours are all they will be working with for their next painting project and so they were asked to create a chart representing the following Hues: Yellow, Orange, Red, Violet, Blue, Green, their Shades and Tints, as well as a Greyscale.

The aim of the exercise was to teach the students how to mix their own colours successfully while they got to know the properties of their particular brand of acrylics. It also showed them in a practical manner how to determine Value (the lightness or darkenss) and Intensity (the brightness or dullness) of a Hue.

Supply List

Middle School Art Supply List:

1 set of Water-Color brushes
1 set of Acrylic paints
1 set of Water-color paints
1 Sketchbook 33 x 47 cm or larger
1 Development Workbook, blank, bound, approximately 30 x 22 cm
1 set of Water-Color pencils
2 each of 2H, HB and 4B pencils
1 box to hold all the supplies in