Students keep busy at Clive School in rural Alberta.
and study guides cover both basic and advanced art concepts. One of my favourites is a book called “Bridging the Curriculum Through Art: Lessons in Interdisciplinary Connections” by Pamela Stephens and Nancy Walkup. It sounds dry, but it’s revolutionary. Every subject is linked to art projects. Imagine math concepts in geometry enhanced by Escher’s tessellations, or understanding oriental cultures through block printing. Language arts projects require illustrating a scene from a story or creating a visual poem. Challenge your students’ observation skill by asking them to include a botanical illustration for a science project, or create a visual presentation of animal habitats as part of their biology report. Encourage your students to work from real objects, landscapes, and figures as often as possible.
Working from nature gets you researching and thinking about your environment. Creating a piece of art requires observation skills to see details and recognize patterns. Da Vinci optimized the combination of art and science during the renaissance era. I also highly recommend the book “How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci” by Michael J. Gelb. The other hurdle for teachers is that there is often little or no money set aside for visual arts in schools. There are many ways to economize. Careful paint distribution, and teaching proper colour mixing techniques will greatly reduce your paint budget. A solid art program is not expensive, but don’t be fooled into purchasing the cheapest materials either. Quality products will last longer and provide
Fine Art Materials & Advice
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