Paper-Maché Animal Sculptures - based on Chinese Zodiac and Native American Zodiac animals
What is a Dreamcatcher? An art of the Native American people traditionally made of branches, beads, feathers and string. It was made by the grandfathers and grandmothers of a newborn child and hung above their cradleboard bed like many people hang a mobile above a baby’s crib today. Many tribes believed that the night air was filled with dreams. The good dreams would pass through the Dreamcatcher web to the sleeping person. The bad dreams would be caught in the web of the dreamcatcher.
The 8th Grade Art Classes used Dreamcatchers as their mixed media theme and each included 6 or more symbols that represented them and their lives. Materials used were watercolor paint, crayons, craypas, colored pencils, markers, string, beads and some used repurposed CDs to color, carve and/or paint onto.
Paper Spheres with Op Art and Zentangle Designs
Cardboard Signs
Realistic Pencil Drawings from B/W Photos: Students print a photo in black/white, then draw a 1/2" grid on it and transfer the sketch to a 1" grid on drawing paper and draw the object 2x bigger with all shading/value matching the photo so they are super realistic.
POP ART SELFIES
Studying 1960's POP Art and specifically Andy Warhol and his style of portraits is another focus in the 8th grade art classes. Students learn 6 art techniques and then choose which ones to use on their own self-portraits that we generate with photos of each student. Intense colors and repeating images (a series) are part of the requirement for a successful end project. Click on any of the photos below and they will enlarge and show the whole work!!!
CLAY SCULPTURE
"Ancient" Egyptian Clay Sculptures - 8th graders also study about the Ancient Egyptian culture and the animals that lived along the Nile 5,000 years ago. They can choose option #1 - a Nile animal sculpted out of clay and turned into a Pharaoh OR option #2 - a Sarcophagus shaped container. They include some hieroglyphics on their projects and add details not made out of clay like jewels, fabric, wire, beads.... They glaze parts of the sculpures and the metallic gold surface is acrylic paint but we like to think of it as real gold like the Egyptians used and loved.