Reuse, Recycle.....Transform!

Happy New Year!
It's the end of semester- only one more week of class before exams and then my semester long classes  are done. I get a new crop of students the end of January. I always find myself wishing my classes were all year long because I find students really get into projects about this time. We've done a lot of observational drawing in my introductory classes and covered different mark-making techniques, using value, texture and color. This is the point in the semester when projects can become a little more creative and students (especially beginning students) are a little more confident in their abilities. In my introductory class I've been doing some kind of transformation project with my students for years. In this incarnation I've asked them to pick out something from the recycling bin at home (and, I have a cabinet of recycling in my room for those who just can't seem to remember to bring in something from home) and to bring it in.

I've seen a lot of Starbucks cup transformations over the years...

In six steps I have the students transform the object into either an animal, insect or person. I tell them they can be inspired by the designs on the packaging or it can be completely unrelated. The objective is to change both the object and its background gradually in six steps. A lot of students get caught up on "what does this can look like?!" but I always remind them that this doesn't actually happen in real life- they can turn it into anything!  Once they figure out the basic steps they will use in a rough draft they map it out on watercolor paper. The results are always really fun.

When I show this to students we talk about how it is lovely but would be even better if the color scheme was also trransformed. (Energy Drink/Bee by Ingancio)

Same for this one..though I really love that she included the recycling bin! (Egg crate/Butterfly by Siobhan)

Polar Selzter/ Fish by Lily

Sanpple/Hamster by Allison

I love that she did this in a vertical format! (Pellegrino/Jack Sparrow by Sam)

I love this one too! (Starbucks/Surfer by Aimee)

Though this time of the semester is so hectic, this is always one of my favorite projects!

Update - Mixed Media Self-Portraits

Just had to share..my student who did her self-portrait on a drum head- she finished today. She is so proud...she has brought approximately 50 people into my room to see it throughout the course of the day! It's nice to see a student so pleased with what they made!

It's currently in the window!

Mixed Media Self-Portraits- an investigation of materials

One of my favorite classes to teach is my Painting class. Students have to take the department's introductory art class beforehand, but that is the only prerequisite. That means I usually have a couple of kids who are really interested in art and trying to squeeze in as many classes in their schedules and also that I have a bunch of kids who need one more art class to fulfill a graduation requirement and either half-remember me always mentioning Painting when I was their Basics of Art teacher or heard the class was fun and decided to try it. However they got there, I always have a real mix of ability and ages- sophomores through seniors. It was hard at first to try and come up with projects that were accessible to all levels of students, but I have learned over the years that the more open ended they are the easier it is to engage students of all skill levels.
 One such project is a mixed-media self-portrait. After a few projects using watercolor and investigating color theory we switch over to acrylic paint. I show them this slide show of mixed media work for inspiration on materials and methods.

 

They ask a lot of questions about what material these paintings are on and if we have that kind of stuff lying around the art room. Often we do or we can get it quite easily. I've had students get really

excited about working on alternative materials- I have a student working on an old drum head right now! A few years ago a student brought in an old floor length mirror to work on:

Mixed Media Self- Portrait by Natalie

Because I have such a wide range of students with varying abilities some of them are very comfortable just painting themselves from observation:

 

 

Self-Portrait by Tim 

 

 

 

 

Others want to use photographs or themselves and the grid or sometimes photoshop to break down their image into values:

Mary Jane working on her mixed media portrait

When I first started teaching I made everyone draw themselves from observation- this is fine for some students, but not for all. The students with less experience were intimidated and dreaded the project. This obviously was not working so I have loosened up over the years and let students use whatever tools they need to create a likeness that they are happy with. In the end it is even more about the process than the result, so I'd like for it to be a positive experience.

Here are some examples of this project from over the years.

Grace

Shauna

Aimee

Sam

   

This is a close up of Aimee's..she made all the hair with thread woven through pins

Rachel wanted to use the funnies from the paper

Tom got so into his painting he decided to use the same image as a basis for a mosaic done in another class.

 We just started this semester's last week. I've had a bunch of kids borrow the camera to get photos of themselves they are happy with, and a bunch just grab mirrors and begin. Some are a little unsure exactly how they will proceed...so I've had them just work on building up a surface.

This student was very hesitant about this project! she compromised by agreeing to do her silhouette. She ended up happy with the results. This has really been one of my favorite projects to do with students over the years!

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