Pencil Drawings with a Twist!

Pencil Drawings.  Pencil--aka Graphite.  Graphite, a soft carbon used in making pencils.  Special drawing pencils of soft and hard leads. I have a set of these special pencils that go from Hs to Bs.  But my favorite drawing pencil of all (for contour drawing) is a Sanford Design Ebony Jet Black Extra Smooth 14420.  Why?  Just like the name says, it provides a soft and fluid line.  It makes the line as dark as you want--just by pressure.  Here is a photo of a drawing I did with it.  Can you guess what it is? 

Graphite Copyright Lydia Gates 2012

Our Bluestem Art Guild has a new assignment for our April meeting:  Pencil Drawing.  Well, we just completed a pencil drawing to do a self-portrait. (I heard some slight grumbles in our group as the project slip was drawn randomly from the jar.)  However, a pencil drawing can be anything!!!  There are no parameters.  The possibilities are endless:  Contour, blind contour, landscape, plant, food, whatever tickles your fancy.  Just draw!  

  **An interesting drawing to try is using line to create negative and positive spaces.

  Choose a chair, ladder, a small table with legs and rungs, windchime, etc. with open spaces

1. Use a pencil to create vertical* lines around the shape.  But don't draw the shape, but draw the spaces around the shape-those you see inside and around.  Don't worry about making it perfect, imperfections, simply add character to this piece. 
2. Experiment with different lengths of the line, short, medium, long, close together, dark, light, etc. to add three-dimensionality.  Dark close lines can be used to indicate shadows. As you add the lines, you will see the chair appear on the page as a white negative object, as the lines become the dark positive spaces.  
3. *try using diagonal, or horizontal lines or try cross-hatching. 

This project teaches you hand-eye coordination.  It  may be a little hard at first, but try it several times.  I did one of a pair of salt and pepper shakers, and it was amazing!  I have also done other objects. 

Good luck!

Hint:  If you have trouble seeing the object as a negative space, you can draw a very light contour of the object and then add the lines, but honestly, this is kind of cheating.  Try to draw the lines without it.


**Credit:  A Survival Kit for the Secondary School Art Teacher by Helen D. Hume, pg 64. 



Post and artwork copyright  Lydia Gates  2013

Three Cheers for Art!

When I taught in Wichita, our very wonderful visual arts coach/mentor gave each of us elementary art teachers a sheet of  **Ten Lessons the Arts Teach by Elliot Eisner.   Below is the adapted list of what Eisner states are what the arts teach and how it shows. In parentheses, my comments.  Eisner has also written a book, The Arts and The Creation of Mind, Yale University Press, 2002. It is available from NAEA Publications.  This book may be next on my reading list.

The arts teach:

1)  how to make good art judgments. In the arts, its opinions rather than the correct answers that matters. (Your opinion counts.)
2) there is more than one solution to the problem. (Think creatively and abstractly.)
3) when solving problems, it requires a willingness to allow unanticipated possibilities as you create.(Be vulnerable in order to find joy).
4) There is no limit to what we can know.  There are no limits to art.  (The sky is the limit.)
5) Art can have a large impact-,. Small differences can have large effects. (Be prepared to be surprised.)
6) Thinking through and within art images. (It's more than just color, there is much more to discuss.)
7) to say what cannot be said.  (Non-linguistic representations speak volumes.)
8) to experience and discover a range and variety of feelings--what we cannot experience from any other source. (Self-Expression, emotions from creating or viewing art.)
9) to celebrate art through multiple perspectives--there are many ways to see the world. (Seek and find the joy of art through many facets.)
10) art in the public and private school sector is very important! (Keep it in the schools! It's teaches art, writing, and reading too, and math!!!)

 Even though it has been 11 years since this list was made, the ten things arts teach is more important now than ever!  Three cheers for art teachers that inspire, educate and give their best to teaching students of any age.  

With my master's degree in Teaching, and my Bachelors in Art Education, I can't wait to start teaching again!!! So there is no doubt, I do teach the 10 on the list above.   It's the only way to effectively teach art.  Now to just get that teaching job.

**Information provided by National Art Education Association

Self-Portraits

This is the first post I have done since the end of December 2012.  I quit the blog because I had other things to do, and lost interest in posting.  I also have my master's to complete--yeah! I'll be done at the end of March!   But to the point of this post, Self-Portraits.
  
Recently a member of our art guild died, and now in the last week another one has left us.  These two ladies were founding members of our guild.  I never saw a self-portrait of either of these ladies.  I do know that our most recent guild project for the month of March is to create a self-portrait.  The last lady to pass on worked on hers days before she died. Did she work on it live or how?  I wonder what she felt like when she was drawing it?  What emotions went through her mind?  

What are self-portraits?  A drawing, painting, pencil or other art media created by the artist of themselves.  Yes, a camera can be used to take a self-portrait.  However, doing a self-portrait LIVE in front of the mirror is a TRUE self-portrait!  Drawing a portrait from a photograph to make the self-portrait does not allow you to have feelings like doing it live. If you do it from a photograph you are cheating yourself out of an experience!  I challenge my group to do a live portrait in front of the mirror.  

I have done about 5-6 self-portraits over the years.  Sadly, it was the year 2000 before I made my first real self-portrait.  I opened my portfolio of them the other day.  I have changed so much over the years.  It's like opening a history book of my face!   

To fulfill our group project, I began first with a pencil sketch, an oil pastel, 2 tempera paintings, and a graphite drawing.  All were done in front of a mirror.  Each is different.  Each expression is different.  My mood and thoughts were different each time.  

*Picasso said, "There is nothing more interesting than people. One paints and one draws to learn to see people, to see oneself."   

*Philip Guston said, "What measure is there, other than the fact that at 'one' point in your life you trusted a feeling. You have to trust that feeling and then continue trusting yourself."
  
Doing a self-portrait is not easy, because you want to try to make it perfect.  Guess what, people we are not perfect.  Let the true you come through!

Please note:
No portion of this post may be copied and pasted into another blog, email, or through any time of electronic means without permission of me, the author.  I may be contacted at lydiagates90@yahoo.com. 

*Quotes:  from Artist to Artist; Inspiration & Advice from Artists Past & Present  by Clint Brown

New Year Art Ideas

NOTE:   This was originally published earlier, but I'm updating it 12/29/15.

Soon it will be time to head back to the classroom. I'll miss it! I'm not teaching due to health reasons, but  I always felt like, okay, Christmas is over, what now?  Here are a few lesson ideas I tried over the years you might want to try for January.  Remember, give credit where it is due. (These are my ideas. Thanks.)  Happy New Year! 

K-1st grade:  Read "What will Little Bear Wear?" short story (Page 11) from the book, Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik; pictures by Maurice Sendak copyright 1957.  Discuss story and proper attire to wear when it's cold outside. (You probably have kids that come with thin jackets, or some without.)  Using the document camera or white board, guide the students in drawing a bear.  First draw a rounded tipped triangle for the head. Next draw half-moon ears.  Draw black circles for eyes; a upside down round tip triangle for a nose, and then extend from there with one forward J and a backward J together for a mouth.  Draw two lines extending from the head to create the shoulders, down on each side for arms, and end in rounded paws.  Go back up to create inside of arms, then down for body and legs.  End in rounded feet.  Give students pencils to draw clothes on their bear, and crayons to color.  See my Completed Example below.

 

2nd-3rd grade:  Goodnight Snowman:  Show the DVD or VHS tape of The Snowman by Raymond Briggs. (I recently found this online as a beautiful movie FREE with music). Then discuss how the snowman might be dressed during the day versus for the night time.  Pass out 12 x 18 white drawing paper, and one 9 x 12 black construction paper, crayons, glue  for each student.  Have students glue the black paper on the RIGHT side of the white drawing paper. (This will represent night.)  You can use the whiteboard, but using masking tape, tape up the papers so students can see. Or, if Using the document camera, use a BLACK crayon, demonstrate on the LEFT side of the white paper, begin drawing a snowman, and behind him/her, hills or a horizon line.  Add details like a tree, sun, clouds, etc.  Add details to the snowman.   On the RIGHT black paper side, use a white crayon to draw the snowman.  Add warmer looking clothes.  Make the snowman look like he/she is sleeping; Add zzzzs in a comment cloud.  The environment and snowman should be drawn in white.  Make a moon, if you want.  See my Completed Example.  Put your example away.  Let students experiment on their own. 

 4th-5th grade:  This is a fun one-time activity. (I did this with this grade level, but even older students like it.)  The students really let this become a competition between them.  Show a slide or poster of VanGogh's Bedroom.   Share and discuss a little bit about VanGogh's life and his paintings.

*Give each table a colored copy/repo of the bedroom. (Be sure and put these in protective sleeves.)
*Hand out a prepared sheet of a description of the bedroom from Van Gogh's letter, dated October 17, 1888 (Letter #554) written to his brother, Theo. READ IT TO THE CLASS FIRST.  Here is the text:

"This time it is just simply my bedroom, only here color is to do everything and giving by it simplification (simple) a grander style to things, is to be suggestive here of rest or of sleep in general.  In a word, looking at the picture ought to rest the brain, or rather the imagination. The walls are pale violet.  The floor is red tiles.  The wood of the bed and chairs is the yellow of fresh butter, the sheets and pillows are very light-greenish citron.  The coverlet scarlet. The windows green. The toilet tablet orange, the basin blue. The doors lilac.  And that is all--there is nothing in this room with its closed shutters. The broad (wide) lines of the furniture again express inviolable (unbreakable) rest. Portraits on the wall, and a mirror and towels and some clothes. The frame--as there is no white in this picture--will be white."

*Then hand out also a prepared fill in sheet with the following:

Your Name___________________________  Grade___________

 Directions:
1)  Read the letter that describes the painting. Pay attention to the "clues".
2) Hunt for an object in the painting that starts with a letter of the alphabet.  Write the object by the letters below.  For example, beside the A, you could write, art.
3)  Write a sentence that describes how you feel about the painting at the bottom of the page.

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

Have each letter of the alphabet written on the whiteboard.  Ask each student or team to give you one object for each letter. Write their answers.  Keep track of their answers on your own sheet.  And yes, there has been something for each letter; some were a stretch, but it is always amazing to see how many students actually used the words from VanGogh's letter on their sheets.  Have fun. 

Abstract Colors

The following is an adaptation from the book, Using Colors in Your Art, by Sandi Henry, copyright 2005, pg 50-51.

Just for fun:  why not paint the sky a different color than it really is?  Pink, Green, Red? The grass red, purple, yellow, or orange? Abstraction is simply taking something from nature, or from the original object and changing it.  Play around and see what you can do. Art is after all based on what you are feeling, when you create it.

Go ahead and draw your landscape in simple form. Try to do it outside.  Using a photograph is fine, but to really capture the colors and get a feel of the landscape, try outdoors.  Now, if you live where it is cold, try to find your view from looking out the window, so you can stay warm.   Contour drawing will help you capture the perspectives, if you pay close attention to the elements. If you want to do a still life, this exercise will really made you think opposite of what you see!

The author suggests thinking about the realistic colors of the objects/landscape, then using unrealistic or surprising colors instead to paint with, or even create a collage.  This is not new, as Abstract Expressionist have done it for years:  Picasso, Braque, Marc, Chagall, etc.  but it can be new to you. 

Making a Difference

Sometimes we don't feel like we make a difference; sometimes we do. Having a pity party for myself lately.  My health conditions causing me pain, got to watch what I eat, how I eat, etc., etc., etc., Then, I realize: Despite what I am going through, I can make a difference. Not everyday is a bad day. There are good days. Am I, or could I or have I  made  a difference to someone? Yes!  

Making a quick  mental list, I thought:  The neighbor girls who happily shriek my name as I walk by their house; the neighbor's dog, who though, barks roughly, contently wags her tail, lets me pet her, and then happily walks away when I'm done.  The students I have taught art to, and  inspired through the years; Lending a listening ear to a friend who is going through a painful and hurtful divorce.  Helping my husband in one of his wacky and not-so-good thinking days to find something, or to make a simple sandwich for his lunch.  Sharing a bowl of soup, bread and butter with a hungry child. Sending a card, or calling a friend just to say hi and how you doing, and them saying thanks for caring.  Sharing on my blog.  The list is infinite. 

My little thought calendar says for December 13, "Being what you want to do now...We have only this moment, sparking like a star in our hand--and melting like a snowflake."  Marie Beynon Ray. Being kind and doing things for others has no season. Need is everywhere. Being blessed, I want to share. I want to make a difference. Do you?

The lesson part of this is:  Take an empty jar, can, or even a large envelope, and decorate it. How you do it, is up to you. Paint, collage, etc. Make a label for it, that says:  HOW I MADE A DIFFERENCE.   Take colored slips of paper, or plain paper will work. Draw a picture or write what you did in a few sentences to make a difference. Put the strips in the container. DO NOT READ THEM AGAIN until the end of the month. You will be surprised to find that you have made a difference in someone's life.  Anyone can do this.  You don't have to wait until a new month to start. Start now. Like the quote above says,  we only have this moment....get started now.

The Best Christmas Gift of All

Last Sunday in church, there was a Children's Christmas program. A young boy read a selection about The Best Christmas Gift....Jesus.  All good gifts come from above. This got me thinking of previous Christmas and holiday lessons I have taught over the years. I think this one was an all time favorite of the kids because they could be creative! It's fun!

Attention: I would strongly suggest trying this out yourself BEFORE you use with  students/children.  Also, if you use or share this, please give me credit. Remember, give credit where it is due. This is digital responsibility and proper etiquette. Thank you!

For each student/child:

• 8" x 10"  white or manila card stock
• 2" x 6" red construction paper or card stock
• Bottle Glue
• Scissors
• Pencils
• Assortment of holiday, winter or other stick-on embellishments
• Glitter, Buttons, or other items that can be glued on
• Newspapers/Magazines 

Begin the lesson by asking students to name the best Christmas gift they ever received.  Then ask what they would like for this Christmas.  Do they think they could draw or spell it?  

Show your completed example and explain.

Instruct students/children to turn their paper horizontally (sideways) and with a  pencil make a dot  about 1 inch or so from the top of their card stock. They can do this easily by placing their thumb at the top of the paper.  Where their thumb ends (the bottom part attached to their hand) is where to make the dot.  OR you can "guesstimate"by eyeing a inch.

Next have students/children fold the red paper in half. Demonstrate all steps.  First draw a diagonal line toward the center (fold part) of the paper, leaving some space for a "hill" about 1/2 inch wide. Draw the hill toward the fold, and stopping at the fold. From the top of the paper, still folded, with scissors, cut from the" hill" around and then down and follow the diagonal line. Unfold. You will have a bow.  With a five dots of glue , make a line of glue the length of the bow, and paste down the bow on the dot and the paper.

Then, ask students/children to draw a large rectangle under the bow to create a box (gift) on their papers. Be sure to draw the rectangle so it is on the page with a slight border.  

Students/children may wish to draw their favorite gift ever received inside the rectangle  or if you are doing this as a Christian Christmas lesson, have students cut out the letters, to spell Jesus from magazines and or newspapers.  The more varied the font (lower and upper case) are used, the more festive it looks. Plus, they get to choose the letters.  

Option:  If you choose, have the students spell out the name of their gift as above, instead of drawing it.

To complete the gift, add embellishments listed above as you wish. 

This project was completed last December with about 12 students. Above are some photos of their work.