Plantation Key Art Corner

Take some photgraphs of palm trees in the Florida Keys with an interesting background. Possibly with a water or sunset background. If you cannot take your own pictures you may use pictures from someone else or photographs from books, newspapers, postcards or magazines.

Using the how-to-draw palm tree packet provided by your teacher practice drawing palm trees. Go outside and sketch palm trees. Try to show movement in your drawings. How do the fronds look in the wind? You may add other personal images or ideas into your sketches.

On Tuesday April 23rd and 24th, 2013 guest artist Linda Salsbury from Purple Isle Guild will be coming to show her paintings and help students with techniques of acrylic paint on canvas. On Tuesday we will be painting the background. On Wednesday we will be painting the palm trees.

Please be prepared with an interesting sketch with well drawn palm trees. Please go beyond a simple blue sky background and one lonely palm tree. Artists communicate ideas. The background and palm tree is just the beginning of the composition. Please develop your ideas. Pay particular attention to variation of values of color or modeling with color. Remember light logic principles and show them using highlights, shadows, and effects of light on color.

Before the inventions of television and the internet, human histories have had an oral tradition of storytelling. Think about the stories that perhaps your grandparents or even great-grandparents may have told you.

Helen Cordero is a native American artist from New Mexico. She was inspired by her grandfather telling stories about her rich heritage through folklore and tall tales. As an artist, Helen Cordero, created her clay "storytellers" honoring her grandfather and the tradition of storytelling.

Click on Helen Cordero and clay storytellers links under resources for more indepth information about Helen Cordero and images of storytellers. Click on the Florida endangered animal link and find the animal that you would like use for your storytellers.

Using proper clay techniques, create a Florida endangered animal clay storyteller.  The "grandfather" (grandmother) animal will have it's mouth open as if speaking and possibly looking at the grandbabies who are listening intently.

Look at the Andy Warhol endangered animal link under "resources". Using the how -to-draw dolphin packet, provided by teacher, to practice drawing dolphins. Try to draw the dolphins moving in different directions possibly with differerent expressions.

Dolphins today face innumerable problems induced by man. Think about how man has effected their environment.  Using only images and not words - speak for the dolphins. What would they want to communicate to man about the problems in their world?

Create a drawing usning colored pencils and/or crayons on paper provided by teacher. Speak for the dolphins using the wild colors used by Andy Warhol.  Use the Florida and dolphin books for inspiration and background ideas.

Tempera painting - Florida endangered animals

Choose one or more of your Florida endangered animal images. Create an exciting composition using your images in a Florida background.  Sketch in sketchbook to plan your composition. Then sketch lightly on provided watercolor paper.  Use your in-class self-made color wheel to assist you in mixing the correct colors. 

Begin painting the background first.  This is usually the sky or whatever is at the top of the picture plane. Next, the middle ground, and finally the foreground. This sequence will avoid problems of overlapping. Keep in mind that different compositions can dictate the sequence of painting. Look at your composition and determine your plan before you start painting.

Please use a bare minimum of 3 values of color for everything to achieve a modeling effect or a 3D effect.  Keep in mind the size relationship of your images to each other. Be very careful with the black tempera paint- a little goes a long way. Good luck!

Welcome Middle School Students!

You will need to get a sketchbook. Try to find one with the metal spiral on top or side, not the adhesive kind because they tend to fall apart rather quickly. 8" X 10" is a good size, bigger is okay but please not smaller and NO squares. Either twist up colored crayons or twist up colored pencils.  Colored pencils are good for fine detail. Colored twist up crayons are good for coloring in large spaces. You only need to get one kind and can use the other from the Art room. You will have homework and will need your own supplies for completing it.

1 or more sharpened pencils of any hardness that YOU BRING  EVERYDAY TO CLASS.

 4-6 minimum printed out photographs that you have taken preferably. These may include seascapes, landscapes, or still lifes.  Or images from someone else photos, postcards, newspapers, or magazines. Must be in color. These will used for your paintings. Please choose something that you want to paint.

 4-6- minimum images of Florida endangered animals in color from a variety of sources. You will use these for your drawings, printmaking, and clay sculpture projects.

1.) Go to Florida Endangered Animal link. List at least 12 animals and draw each animal in your sketchbook using handouts provided or books/internet images. Choose your favorite(s) and sketch in sketchbook with added Florida native background. 

2.) On 12" X 18" drawing paper provided draw the sketch in full detail using the elements of art and principles of design (link to resource). Bare minimum requirements include: good composition, balanced, good drawing skills evidenced by using geometric shapes, minimum 3 values of color, light logic utilizing highlights and shadows from a particular direction.

Sketchbooks checklist

 -4-6 photographs that you have taken and printed out of a variety of images such as seascapes, landscapes or still lifes. 

-list some of the Florida endangered animals and some images of your favorites

-in class sketches of blocks demonstrating knowledge of geometrical shapes and forms evidenced by parallel lines, shadows, highlights, texture, and variation of values of color

 -in class still life sketches

-sketches of ALL project drawings, paintings, printmaking and clay sculpture projects

-homework sketches:  egg, fruit, veggies, pet(s) or favorite animal, strange life under the bed, self portrait, self portait as an animal, self portrait in the future with list of 10 goals for the future 

-notes in class of techniques of still life drawing, painting, printmaking and clay sculpture

-extra credit: sketches of whatever, poetry, lyrics, ideas