Apologies for not posting much -- we've been busy in the studio!
Third through sixth graders finished glazing their ceramic pieces and they are almost all fired and ready to be sent home. Was proud and impressed by the self-guided projects and the final results this year. Good work, kids!
After glazing, we cut straight to the chase and tackled Partner Books. This year, in order to encourage good work in a short amount of time, I talked to the students about commission artwork and tips to being a successful maker. I took my tips straight from Neil Gaiman's commencement speech to the University of Art in 2012. In this speech Gaiman states that the three things to do in order to be a successful artist is:
1. Be a good person.
2. Make good work.
3. Meet deadlines.
(The secret is you really only need two out of the three!)
Giving the students this mindset, they really took the deadline seriously. Almost all of the students have finished three full-page, full-color illustrations in 4 class sessions. I encouraged illustrations to be made from pencil/ink/watercolor; collage; or oil pastels -- but supported and worked with any medium they ended up choosing, so long as they kept putting forth their best work. Bravo!
Next week, we will talk about sculpture and hopefully play with some plaster. As a reminder DO NOT WEAR ANYTHING OF VALUE TO ART CLASS. :)
Third through sixth graders finished glazing their ceramic pieces and they are almost all fired and ready to be sent home. Was proud and impressed by the self-guided projects and the final results this year. Good work, kids!
After glazing, we cut straight to the chase and tackled Partner Books. This year, in order to encourage good work in a short amount of time, I talked to the students about commission artwork and tips to being a successful maker. I took my tips straight from Neil Gaiman's commencement speech to the University of Art in 2012. In this speech Gaiman states that the three things to do in order to be a successful artist is:
1. Be a good person.
2. Make good work.
3. Meet deadlines.
(The secret is you really only need two out of the three!)
Giving the students this mindset, they really took the deadline seriously. Almost all of the students have finished three full-page, full-color illustrations in 4 class sessions. I encouraged illustrations to be made from pencil/ink/watercolor; collage; or oil pastels -- but supported and worked with any medium they ended up choosing, so long as they kept putting forth their best work. Bravo!
Next week, we will talk about sculpture and hopefully play with some plaster. As a reminder DO NOT WEAR ANYTHING OF VALUE TO ART CLASS. :)