8th Grade: Symbolic Prints

Symbolism in Renaissance Art:

What is a SYMBOL?  A person, place, or thing that figuratively stands for something else.  It is more abstract and representative.


Examples: 

-- The American Flag:  Stands for Freedom
-- A Wedding Band:  Stands for marriage and the commitment of 2 people


Symbols in Art help deepen the story of the painting.  When looking at artworks, you should be thinking about what each person, place, or thing could abstractly represent.


JAN VAN EYCK:

Printmaking History & Process:

-Printmaking originated in Japan in the early 11th century.
-The process was re-invented by Johanes Gutenburg with his printing press.
-Printmaking became popular because you could create multiple copies of the same image, making art more accessible and affordable.
-Albrect Durer was one of the most talented and famous printmakers of the Renaissance.

-Printmaking process is inking a surface and pressing it onto a piece of paper.  There are different kinds of surfaces, from wood to linoleum to metal.

YOUR PROJECT:  Self Portrait double reduction Print

Digi Art: Clothing for a Cause

Your Project:  Clothing for a Cause

For your project you are going to create clothing line for a Cause (a charity, a specific group of people, animals, area in the world, etc.).  You must meet the following criteria:

1)  Choose a Cause
2)  3 Designs:  Men, Women, and Child:  Come up with your own original designs that will interest the group of people that will support that Cause, 1 design for each a man, woman, and child.  They can be similar, but not exactly the same!  The size you are working on for your designs is 8.5 x 11 each!
3) POSTER:  Put your designs on a picture of a t-shirt and make a Poster to help sell your clothing.

         Include:

• The name of the Cause
• Cost of shirt
• How much goes towards your Cause
• Your brand logo
• Size is 8.5 x 11!

8th Grade: Independent Art Project Options

INDEPENDENT ART PROJECT

 

YOU ARE TO CHOOSE 1 OF THE FOLLOWING 3 ART PROJECTS TO CREATE ON YOUR OWN INDEPENDENT TIME.

THE PROJECT IS DUE MAY 30TH

THE PROJECT IS WORTH 50 POINTS

 

1)  GUISEPPI ARCIMBOLDO Self Portrait

 

2)  RUBE GOLDBERG Machine Drawing

3)  MODERNIZED Mona Lisa

DigiArt: Westville Fine Arts Extravaganza

Your extra assignment is to create a poster to promote the Spring Westville Fine Arts Extravaganza.  The information needed for the project is listed below:

File Size:  11x17", 300 dpi, flatten as a .jpg and send the file to jderolf@westville.k12.in.us when you are finished!

Required to put on the poster:

-Westville Westville Fine Arts Extravaganza
-Come and enjoy the wonderful art created by Westville High School students and music sung by the Westville Middle and High school Choirs.
-Monday May 19th
-Gallery opens at 5pm
-Choir Concert starts at 6pm

Ceramics: Sgraffito Coil Pot

SGRAFFITO COIL POT

For your next project you are going to construct a symmetrical coil pot using the traditional coil method.  You will need to smooth the surface inside and out, then apply the sgraffito technique on the outer surface.  Your sgraffito design must show Movement.

SKETCH:

You must sketch at least 2 different shapes to your coil pot, and choose your favorite one.  The shape must be visually pleasing AND be physically stable.

TEMPLATE:  You will make a template of the profile of your project to use while constructing.

You will also need to draw a different design on each one that evokes the feeling of movement.

 

CONSTRUCTION:

1)  Circular base:  roll a slab and cut a 5" or 6" diameter circle

2)  Roll your first coil to be thicker than the rest for sturdiness.  The placement of the coil on the base depends on the shape of your profile.  If it needs to get narrower, then you put it on the inside of the edge of the base.  If it needs to grow straight up, you place it right on the edge.  If you need it to angle outwards, you place it on the outside of the edge.

3)  Smooth coil to the inside of the vase using finger or clay tool.

4)  After adding 3 or 4 coils, smooth the outside of the coil pot.  Always support the inside or outside when smoothing.

5)  Cover well with your bag in between days, and use a paper towel over the weekends.  You want the bottom of the pot to get to leather hard so it can withstand the pressure of the layers on top of it.

Painting: Elizabeth Murray Inspired 'Everyday Object'

ELIZABETH MURRAY:  About the Artist

 

Born in Chicago, IL and attended the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.  Moved to NYC to pursue her dream in reinventing painting.  Painting was a dying art during her day, because modern artists were working with crazy materials like bulldozers, and sawing apart houses.  But Murray found a way to bring back 'expressionism', 'cubism', and 'minimalism' all in her own style.

Using odd shaped canvases, bright colors, and playing with negative shapes, Murray would paint imagery from her memories and every day life.

Elements of Art that are important to Murray's work:

 -  COLOR

 -  SHAPE

 -  SPACE

Principles of Art that are important to Murray's work:

 -  UNITY

 -  CONTRAST

 -  EMPHASIS

YOUR PROJECT:

You have two project options:

PROJECT A:

1)  You will cut your Cresent board into odd shapes and glue them together to make a weird shaped canvas with negative spaces.

2)  You will project your sketch of an everyday object onto your canvas.

3)  You will then paint your object using bright, contrasting colors and use them wisely to create an emphasis (or focal point).

4)  You must use the sgraffito technique on 1 spot in your painting.

Examples by Murray

PROJECT B:

1)  You are going to draw every detail/mechanism of an everyday object seperately on your Cresent board, then cut them apart and glue them together creating negative spaces.
2)  You will then paint your objects using bright, contrasting colors and use them wisely to create an emphasis (or focal point).
3)  You must use the sgraffito technique on 1 spot in your painting

Examples by Murray:

SGRAFFITO:
 
1) Paint a solid color & let dry
2) Paint a contrasting color on top
3) While paint is wet, draw a design/pattern through the wet paint

Digital Art: SHOES!

YOUR PROJECT:  SHOE DESIGN & ADVERTISEMENT

You are going to design a pair of shoes for your target audience.  They need to be creative and innovative, have at least 2 different textures and colors, and  have an element of surprise!  After designing your pair of shoes, you will create a poster to advertise your shoes.  The poster must appeal to your target audience, and you may hire 1 celebrity to endorse your product.


1)  Choose an image of 1 shoe as your 'base'

2)  Simplify it to a line drawing by:
          -  Creating a new layer
          -  Draw over the image with a thin paint brush
          -  Select around those lines with the Pentagon Lasso Tool
          -  Fill selection with black

3)  Draw additional creative and innovative features to your shoe that will make it stand out from the traditional crowd of shoes!  Then repeat the lasso tool!

4)  Gather textures, select the area you want to fill with a texture, then drop the textures in!

5)  Choose your colors wisely!


THEN, YOUR ADVERTISEMENT!

Design a poster that:
- 11" x 17"; 300 dpi
- visually shows off the shoe and it's 'element of surprise'
- 1 celebrity if you want
- a background that visually ties into the shoe

8th Grade: 3D Landscapes

HISTORY:  Renaissance Landscapes

Landscape is such a common subject in art that we take it for granted. Yet landscape as a category of European painting emerged only during the Renaissance.

The depiction of landscape in art has its roots in Greek and Roman times, with murals of landscapes painted on the walls of expensive villas. However, it was in the Renaissance when landscape gained in popularity. The ‘Classical’ vision of the land as a place for pleasure was reborn and people looked at the landscape with renewed interest.

Landscape painting was not produced in its own right at this time with early Renaissance painters presenting landscape as a backdrop to religious scenes and portraits.

As landscapes became more accurately portrayed, it became easier to integrate figures within them to be shown in proportion to the rest of the picture. Artists also started to use colours and forms in the background that mirrored the mood and the figures of the events depicted in their religious and mythological paintings.

Albrecht Altdorfer

Altdorfer was the pioneer painter of pure landscape, making them the subject of the painting, as well as compositions dominated by their landscape. He believed that the human figure shouldn't disrupt nature, but rather participate in it or imitate its natural processes.

His Landscape with Footbridge of 1518–1520 is claimed to be the first pure landscape in oil. In this painting, Altdorfer places a large tree that is cut off by the margins at the center of the landscape, making it the central axis and focus within the piece. He uses anthropomorphism to give the tree human qualities such as the drapery of its limbs. 

 

 

 

HISTORY:  Modern Landscapes




Fauvism - An early twentieth century art movement and style of painting in France. The name Fauves, French for "Wild Beasts," was given to artists adhering to this style because it was felt that they used intense colors in a violent, uncontrolled way. The leader of the Fauves was Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954).

 

 

WHAT IS DIFFERENT BETWEEN FAUVIST AND RENAISSANCE PAINTINGS?

.....COLOR
.....LESS FOCUS ON REALISM
.....BROAD, CRAZY BRUSH STROKES

WHAT IS THE SAME BETWEEN FAUVIST AND RENAISSANCE PAINTINGS?

.....OVERLAPPING OBJECTS TO SHOW SPACE
.....FOREGROUND, MIDDLE GROUND, BACKGROUND
.....CONTAINS IMAGERY FROM NATURE

YOUR PROJECT:

You are going to paint an "impossible" landscape in a Fauvist style.  You will be graded on your Use of Space (depth), Color, Experimental Brush Strokes, Neatness/Craft, and Complexity of Project.

1)  Draw 4 different landscapes!  Pick your 2 favorites and figure out how to 'melt' them together to create an "IMPOSSIBLE" landscape.

Example:  Arctic landscape + Egyptian Pyramids

  

  -When 'melting' them together, you must put something in the Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background

2)  Redraw large on your Final Draft

3)  Using a larger brush, fill in large areas with flat, bright colors.  Be sure to get ALL of the paper covered!  Check the edges, around objects, etc.  You may need to do 2 coats of paint to get everything evenly covered.

4)  Using smaller paintbrushes, using tints/shades or analagous colors, paint Experimental brush strokes on top to add the Fauvist technique.