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CONTENTS V O L U ME 1 6 4 , No . 2

OCTOBER 2018

PAPER, CARDBOARD AND COLLAGE 14 ALIVE AND KICKING: COLLAGING COMPOSITIONS Don Masse 16 CREATIVE COLLABORATION: CELEBRATING POETRY AND ERIC CARLE

Kathleen Petka

Julia Healy

23 POWERED BY STEAM: MAKE A ROBOT AND LEARN ABOUT MATH 26 RECYCLING RENAISSANCE: SAILBOAT COLLAGES Chrissy Leishear

YEARLONG SECONDARY CURRICULUM SERIES 12 3D INTRO ART, ARTICLE 2 OF 10: CARDBOARD RELIEF SCULPTURES Debi West

SPECIAL FEATURES AND COLUMNS 8 STEPPING STONES: WORKING WITH PAPER-MADE PROJECTS Heidi O’Hanley 10 ART IS AT THE CORE: ANTONIO LIGABUE, SELF-PORTRAIT WITH DOG

Amanda Koonlaba

28 NICHOS: THE ART OF REMEMBERING Jeremie Lappe 38 TRIED & TRUE TIPS FOR ART TEACHERS: CREATIVE CURIOSITY Glenda Lubiner

READY-TO-USE CLASSROOM RESOURCES 19 ARTS & ACTIVITIES ART PRINT: HENDRIKJE KÜHNE AND BEAT KLEIN,

PAINTING A POND Tara Cady Sartorius 37 ARTS & ACTIVITIES STUDY PRINT: THE ECLIPSE Alma Thomas

A&A AT YOUR SERVICE 31 CLAY CORNER 36 ADVERTISER INDEX

DEPARTMENTS 6 EDITOR’S NOTE 32 MEDIA REVIEWS 34 SHOP TALK ON THE COVER

LOVE IS A WELL-TUNED CHOIR (detail) Collage. By Mary Kate, student at Walton High School, Marietta, Georgia. See “Creative Collaboration: Celebrating Poetry and Eric Carle,” page 16.

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Arts & Activities® (ISSN 0004-3931) is published monthly, except July and August, by Publishers’ Development Corp., 12345 World Trade Dr., San Diego, CA 92128. Subscriptions: one year, $24.95; two years, $39.95; three years, $49.95. Foreign subscriptions, add $35 per year for postage. Single copy, $4. Title to this magazine passes to subscriber only on delivery to his or her address. Change of address requires at least four weeks’ notice. Send old address and new address. Periodical postage paid at San Diego, Calif., and at additional mailing offices. Printing by Democrat Printing, Little Rock, Ark. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Arts & Activities®, 12345 World Trade Drive, San Diego, CA 92128.

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editor’s note

Do you hear it? It sounds like the rustle of falling leaves. Wait, that’s not what it is … it’s coming from the art room! That can only mean one thing: It’s time for an adventure with paper, cardboard

president

Thomas von Rosen

e d i t o r a n d p u b l i s h e r Maryellen Bridge

and collage!

a r t d i r e c t o r Niki Ackermann EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Do you have a passion for paper? Don Masse does. He shares how he feels in his “Alive and Kicking: Collage Compositions”: “I’m not going to lie: collage is one of my favorite artistic techniques. … I really enjoy the freedom that collage can offer … You can explore so much by moving

Cris E. Guenter Professor of Arts Education/Curriculum and Instruction California State University, Chico

Jerome J. Hausman Lecturer, Consultant and Visiting Professor, at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Barbara Herberholz Art Education Consultant, Sacramento, California George Székely Senior Professor of Art Education, University of Kentucky, Lexington

pieces around, switching what goes on top of what, rotating parts, trimming shapes, and so forth. … I love it and I could explore its creative possibilities with my students many times throughout the year.” Turn to page 14 to read more.

In Debi West’s second article in her Yearlong

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Geri Greenman Art Department Head (Retired), Willowbrook High School, Villa Park, Illinois Paula Guhin Art Teacher (Retired), Central HighSchool, Aberdeen, South Dakota Nan E. Hathaway Art Teacher, Crossett Brook Middle School, Duxbury, Vermont

Secondary Curriculum Series, “3D Intro Art,” she proclaims, “There’s just

Amanda Koonlaba Art Teacher and Arts Integration Resource, Lawhon Elementary School, Tupelo, Mississippi

something really awesome about cardboard! I remember early in my career

Glenda Lubiner Middle-School Art Teacher, Franklin Academy Charter School, Pembroke Pines, Florida

how excited I got when all of the new art supplies arrived in boxes of all

Don Masse Heidi O’Hanley

sizes. After the supplies were organized and put into their proper locations … I began to cut up the cardboard and started stocking it in a back area in the art room” Read how she put some of her stash to use in “Cardboard

Art Teacher, Zamorano Fine Arts Academy, San Diego, California Art Teacher, Brodnicki Elementary School Justice, Illinois

Irv Osterer Department Head – Fine Arts and Technology, Merivale High School, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Relief Sculptures” (page 12).

Debi West Art Teacher, Art Education Consultant, Hilton Head, South Carolina

In “Creative Collaboration: Celebrating Poetry

a d v e r t i s i n g m a n a g e r Amy Tanguay

and Eric Carle” (page 16), Kathleen Petka reveals how her students read and analyzed poems written by their peers, then used Eric Carle’s collage and layered tissue paper techniques to visually interpret them. The student work is outstanding, so much so that a detail of one is featured on our cover. The

A D V E R T I S I N G D E PA R T M E N T amy.tanguay @ artsandactivities.com 800.826.2216 or 888.651.7567 p r o d u c t i o n d i r e c t o r Kevin Lewis p r o d u c t i o n m a n a g e r Tong Ros production @ artsandactivities.com

poetry-collage partnerships ultimately came together in a book and exhibition where, as Kathleen writes, “It was so special to see our students communicating and sharing their work with each other and the community.”

HOW TO REACH ARTS & ACTIVITIES Subscription Services To subscribe, renew, change an address or buy single copies,

visit artsandactivities.com, contact subs@artsandactivities.com or call (866) 278-7678.

Letters to the Editor Letters pertaining to magazine content and art education in

Join Don, Debi, Kathleen and others in this month’s issue—develop a passion for paper, cardboard and collage. Artistic adventures will ensue in your classroom—and, who doesn’t love an adventure?

general are welcomed. Arts & Activities reserves the right to edit all letters for space and clarity. Send to ed@artsandactivities.com

Manuscripts Subjects dealing with art-education practice at the elementary and secondary levels, teacher education and uses of community resources, are invited. Materials are handled with care; however, publisher assumes no responsibility for loss or damage. Unsolicited material must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For Writer’s Guidelines, visit artsandactivities.com/submit/writers-guidelines/ Address all materials to the attention of the Editor. Simultaneous submissions will not be considered or accepted. Indexes Articles are indexed in January and June issues. Issues of Arts & Activities are available on microfilm and photocopies from: ProQuest Information and Learning, P.O. Box 1346, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. (Issues beginning with January 1977 are available in microfiche.) The full text of Arts & Activities is also available in the electronic versions of the Education Index. Copyright Permissions Reproduction of any portion of this magazine without written

permission is prohibited. Contact the Editor at the address shown below or the email address to the left or contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, copyright.com.

The opinions and recommendations expressed by individual authors within this magazine are not necessarily those of Publishers’ Development Corp.

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Stepping Stones is a monthly column that breaks down seemingly daunting tasks into simple, manageable “steps” that any art educator can take and apply directly to their classroom. Stepping Stones will explore a variety of topics and share advice for art-on-a-cart teachers and those with art rooms.

WORKING WITH PAPER-MADE PROJECTS

BY HEIDI O'HANLEY

aper is a staple material used by art educators of all age levels, and with it comes a multitude of ideas for projects, planning and exploration. Depending on the grade levels you teach, there are plenty of ways to use your imagination when creating paper-based projects and collage. When purchasing paper for your class projects, you have many size options, the most common being 9" x 12" or 12" x 18". Many art teachers trim down their paper for project sizes or templates, which creates extra paper trimmings. These trimmings are the best to use for collage paper projects. When I was teaching from a cart, I saved box lids from the copy machine paper and created bins for each color of scrap paper. In using this method, I was able to use every last bit of paper down to the last scrap.

PAPER STORAGE: If you save multiple colors of paper for projects, brainstorm a way to store them. You can create boxes for each color (or color combinations), stacked shelves, or bins. When I traveled, I created a separate cart to hold all the different colored scrap boxes. Now that I’m in a classroom, I used book holders for my paper scraps that fit nicely into a shelf.

COLLAGE: Project ideas are infinite, and in knowing

your students, you can develop a project that sparks their interests while teaching important concepts. One type of paper project is a collage. A collage is an artwork made by attaching various materials, such as photographs, paper or fabric onto a backing. You can create a collage in a landscape, still life, portrait, abstract art, or various images unified together. One of the concepts I love to teach with collage projects is perspective, enhancing foreground, middle ground, and background details. One example I teach is a pumpkin patch with third grade. In using colored paper and scraps, students learn how to place background details first before adding the middle ground and foreground details.

PAINTED PAPER: Another way to encourage creativity

with collage projects is by making painted paper. One method is using gel printing plates, where students can create monoprints of texture and pattern on paper to use for collage projects. Gel plates create a monoprint by rolling paint (either tempera or acrylic) onto the plate and removing paint to create an image prior to placing paper on top for the print. Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for links to resources related to this article. 8

Once you pull the paper off the plate, you have a print you can use for collage projects! You can also use other methods to paint paper, such as marbling, or stamping.

MOSAICS: You can create a project that encourages

PAPER SCULPTURES AND ORIGAMI: You can encour-

pattern, repetition and patience by making a paper mosaic. A mosaic is a picture or pattern produced by arranging together small colored pieces, which could be stone, tile, glass or, in this case, paper! Paper mosaic projects can be created by ripping or cutting small pieces of paper and arranging them to create an image. One artist we like to visit with mosaic projects is Alma Woodsey Thomas (1891–1978), an African-American abstract painter. Two of her paintings, The Eclipse (1970) and Starry Night and the Astronauts (1972) are popular images with our elementary students because they enjoy the colors, patterns and ideas behind the creation of the paintings. (See The Eclipse on page 37.) When creating a mosaic project with your students, make sure the size is appropriate for their age level. In reflection from prior lessons, I notice that younger students can lose interest quickly when they don’t see their progress coming along in a timely fashion.

age creating 3D artworks using paper too! Threedimensional art can be achieved using paper and a few folding and gluing techniques. When imagining paper sculptures, many people think about origami, which is the Japanese art of folding paper into decorative shapes and figures. You can also create paper sculpture projects, like spheres with strips of paper, or relief projects with folded or textured paper. Three-dimensional paper projects can be started as early as kindergarten. After my students learn how to create 3D out of paper, they love to make pop-up projects on their own!

HANDMADE PAPER: Let’s say you used your paper scraps to the point where they need to be tossed or recycled. If you have the materials to make handmade paper, consider recycling your scraps by teaching students how to create hand-made paper! Just by using a blender, strainer and water bins, you can re-use certain papers to create something new! In the past, I’ve done handmade paper with after-school art classes because the process can get messy. If you run short of paper project ideas for the grade level you teach, don’t hesitate to visit art teacher groups on social media, blogs, Pinterest and this issue of Arts & Activities! n

Arts & Activities Contributing Editor, Heidi O’Hanley (NBCT), teaches art at Brodnicki Elementary School in Justice, Illinois. Visit her blog at www.talesfromthetravelling artteacher.blogspot.com. o c t o b e r 2 0 1 8 • 86 Y E A R S

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Art is at the Core offers tips on integrating for visual art teachers and teachers of other subjects. Arts-integrated lessons offer students the opportunity to meet objectives in art disciplines and other subjects. Arts integration strengthens traditional core classes, but does not replace art-specific courses.

ANTONIO LIGABUE “SELF-PORTRAIT WITH DOG”

BY AMANDA KOONLABA Antonio Ligabue (1899–1965) was an Italian painter who began his work around 1920 after a tumultuous move to Reggio Emilia, Italy, where he lived as a beggar. He spent many years of his life in mental institutions and did not have his first solo exhibition until 1961. Following are ideas for integrating Antonio Ligabue’s “SelfPortrait with Dog” (1957) with other subjects.

PARTNER LOOKING. Have students silently view the

work for two minutes and write down words that come to mind. The goal is for students to have at least 20 words written at the end of the two minutes. Then, have students work with a partner to compare lists of words. They should cross off any words on their lists that are the same. For example, if both students have the word “dog” on their lists, they would each remove that word. Repeat this with two more partners until students have crossed common words off of their lists. Students should have around five or six unique words remaining on their lists that are not found on any of their partners’ papers.

WRITING ABOUT ART. Have the students use the list of words generated in the Partner Looking activity to write a descriptive paragraph about the work. They should use the crossed out words minimally and only where necessary. For instance, it might be necessary to use the word “dog” to describe the image since it contains an actual dog. The goal of these exercises is to help students think of their own more interesting, vivid words. Once they see that others are using the same words as them, they can begin to think outside the box and use more vivid language in their writing.

ART-MAKING. Students will be eager to create their own self-portrait after studying Ligabue’s. They can select something significant to their lives to accompany them in their portrait the way the dog accompanies Ligabue. Have them draw themselves on a sheet of paper and add color with crayons, markers and/or paint. Then, have Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources and links related to this article.

them draw their significant object on a separate sheet of paper and add color. Have them draw their background on a third sheet of paper. If their background is a landscape, remind them to use a horizon line. They should add color to the background as well. Finally, have them cut out the drawings of themselves and their significant object. They can arrange these and glue on top of the background that they created.

ARTIST STATEMENTS. Self-portraits are great for com-

posing artist statements. Here, the initial writing activity based on Ligabue’s work is a very natural opening activity for them to write their own strong artist statements. Have them generate another list of words for their own work. Then, have them view a partner’s work and generate a list of words for each other. Each student will then have two lists of words (one he or she generated, one a partner generated) to use as they write. These words serve as prompts and help them remember to use vivid language. Post questions for students to respond to if they need further guidance for their writing. They can respond to the questions and Antonio Ligabue (Italian; 1899– 1965). Self-Portrait with Dog, use their word lists in those 1957. Oil; 66" x 51". responses. Some great questions include: What is your significant object and why did you choose it? Why did you choose the colors in your work? What do you hope people feel when they view your work?

PRESENTING. Have students share their self-portraits and their artist statements by each creating a small presentation board (half sheet of poster board) with both items attached. They can get creative and decorate the boards or leave them plain. Give them two minutes to share with the class in an oral presentation. Then, have students add these to a hallway display for viewers. n

Arts & Activities Contributing Editor Amanda Koonlaba, NBCT, teaches at Lawhon Elementary in Tupelo, Miss. Before teaching art, she was a classroom teacher, and used arts integration as the cornerstone for instruction.

The activities described in “Art is at the Core” may encompass Common Core State Standards for Math, the English Language Arts Anchor Standards of Writing, Speaking and Listening, and the Next Generation Science Standards Performance Based Expectations of Science and Engineering Practices for Analyzing and Interpreting Data. They also encompass the National Arts Standards processes of Creating and Responding. Please refer to particular grade-level standards for specifics.—A.K. 10

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Yearlong Secondary Curriculum Series | 3D INTRO ART

ARTICLE 2 OF 10

Cardboard Relief Sculptures by Debi West

here’s just something really awesome about cardboard! I remember early in my career how excited I got when all of the new art supplies arrived in boxes of all sizes. After the supplies were organized and put into their proper locations, being an environmentalist (and perhaps a bit of a pack rat), I began to cut up the cardboard and started stocking it in a back area in the art room. And thank goodness I did, because I actually ran out of supply funds and found out pretty quickly that I had to be creative with what little materials I had left. As I looked around my stark art room, I realized I had actually collected quite a bit of cardboard, so my painting surface was literally, right in front of me. Cardboard was a material that my advanced students began using quite a bit, but my intro 3D students were required to create relief sculptures and cardboard was the perfect medium for my students to use.

like that, a lesson emerged. STUDENTS BEGAN BY DRAWING out their large shapes on cut cardboard. Once their initial shape was selected and cut out, they began to create mediumand small-sized shapes and alternated between geometric and organic. I reminded them that a variety of shapes and sizes would make for a more exciting final relief. I encouraged them to play with their cut pieces, rearranging them into new and exciting compositions. Once they found one they were

happy with, they began to glue the pieces down. We found that Elmer’s glue worked best, but for some of the larger pieces, students went to the glue gun center so their pieces could be adhered quicker. Once the reliefs were completed painting began! I had my students select an initial color scheme and most went with a cool/warm theme. Then they began experimenting with tints and shades, mixing white with their colors and then adding gray tones and darker shades and wow, magic was made!

I DESIGNED THIS LESSON to

teach the elements in a 3D course. So, as we reviewed lines and shapes, we began discussing geometric and organic shapes in design. I was also anxious to reiterate painting techniques using tints and shades, using acr ylics. About this same time, I had taken a weekend trip to my favorite city, NYC, and was intrigued by the large relief sculptures by Elizabeth Murray, which I found at the MoMA. So, just 12

Students played with their cut pieces, rearranging them into various compositions. Once they found one that pleased them, they glued the pieces down. Then, in the final step, they painted their relief sculptures.

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ARTICLE 2 OF 10

3D INTRO ART CURRICULUM SERIES

Cardboard Relief Sculptures LEARNING OBJECTIVES

MATERIALS

High school students will ... • learn to take recycled cardboard and construct it into non-objective art works. • learn about organic and geometric shapes. • learn about adding tints to their paint to create color harmonies onto their newly created relief sculptures.

• Cardboard • Scissors, craft knives, glue • Pencils • Paint, brushes, water cups • References, images and art historical inspirations, such as Elizabeth Murray and Frank Stella

PROCEDURES 1. Students sketch several thumbnail drawings of non-objective designs in their sketchbooks. 2. Students will learn about the art of Elizabeth Murray and Frank Stella for inspiration. 3. Students then select their cardboard pieces and sketch out their organic and geometric shapes to create an interesting relief composition. 4. Students cut shapes out of their cardboard and begin to size them from largest to smallest.

5. Students experiment with textures in their cardboard such as corrugated and/or ripped. 6. Students glue the shapes together using small cardboard squares to construct reliefs through height. 7. Students then select their color palettes and begin to paint their constructions. 8. Students will learn to use white in their paints to create tints of each selected color. 9. Final pieces will be hung in a student exhibit, reminding the viewers that these beautiful art works also helped keep our landfills less cluttered.

ASSESSMENT I use a project evaluation form for each lesson I teach. This allows my students to appropriately reflect on the learning at hand and leaves room for them to comment on the process and how they feel the final piece turned out. It also allows me to comment and give them a grade based on their learning and their final work. We also do in-process critiques using my “2 Glows and a Grow” model.

Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources related to this article.

When students have the time to experiment with color mixing and playing with gradation, it takes their final works to the next level. I also recommend giving students a variety of brush sizes since the goal is to completely cover ever y area of the cardboard. Watching students experiment with color, paint, shape and cardboard textures, helped me to realize that this would become one of my most successful 3D intro art

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lessons. I think they get better and better each year! Next up … Who Am I Relief Sculptures! n A&A Contributing Editor Debi West recently retired from her job as department chair and art educator at North Gwinnett High School in Suwaunee, Georgia. She owns and operates WESTpectations Educational Consulting and resides in Hilton Head, South Carolina. 13

ALIVE

and kicking

Collaging

by Don Masse

’m not going to lie: collage is one of my favorite artistic techniques. I love it and I could explore its creative possibilities with my students many times throughout the year. We all need balance to our curriculums, however, so I limit myself to one collage unit for each grade level that entails two collage experiments. Seriously though, I really enjoy the freedom that collage can offer when it comes to layering elements and composing images—before gluing things down. You can explore so much by moving pieces around, switching what goes on top of what, rotating parts, trimming shapes, and so forth. This year, I am trying to encourage the element of play in art projects across grade levels. I believe when kids are engrossed in play, they are more engaged and less fearful of failure. With my third graders, I turned to the work of English artist, Tom Abbiss Smith, to offer them an opportunity to experiment and play with collage and shape to create a wide variety of original compositions. WE STARTED OFF BY LOOKING at a few of Tom’s works

and noticed how he included both geometric and naturallooking shapes in his arrangements. Students picked up on plant forms and other shapes that had torn-looking edges that gave them a more natural feel. We also discovered that he used both shapes that were cut out and the leftover paper from the cutting-out process in some of his images. Personally, I love this aspect of Tom’s work. The idea of using the waste or leftover scraps speaks to being more earth friendly and conscious of supply usage. Students also noticed that, while Tom’s work is built with mainly flat shapes, he does still create some depth through overlapping shapes on top of others. AFTER OUR SHORT INTRODUCTION to Tom’s

work and our discussion, students were ready to experiment. I offered them a variety of background colors to choose from, and everyone also 14

This activity provided a wealth of variety in composition and color.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Elementary students will ... • identify both natural and geometric shapes in the work of the focus artist and apply those shapes to designs of their own. • successfully use both cut and torn paper techniques to create an original collage.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

•

CREATING: Elaborate on an imaginative idea. Create personally satisfying artwork using a variety of artistic processes and materials.

• • • •

12" x 16" colored construction paper in various colors Smaller pieces of same construction paper Scissors, pencils, glue sticks Examples of artist Tom Abbiss Smith’s work

MATERIALS

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had a sheet of both black and white paper to begin. I modeled starting with a couple natural shapes—drawing, cutting out, placing, and using leftover pieces. I also left a couple of Tom’s compositions up on my smart board, to support those students struggling to come up with their own shapes to start. As students began to work, I went around and provided them other sheets of colored paper that worked with the background color they chose to build on. Students could share with each other if they wanted other colors. This element of sharing also encouraged the use of leftover paper. I didn’t pass out any glue for about 25 minutes. I emphasized over and over again, like a broken record, the idea of playing with their shapes as they added to their compositions. I really wanted them to feel free to explore the shapes they were creating in a variety of ways. This was rather fascinating, because there were those students that wanted to immediately glue things in place, while there were others who waited until almost the end of the activity to commit to locking their shapes in place. The final visual design was up to each student, as long as they included both natural and geometric shapes, had at least an edge that was created by tearing, and had some shapes overlap others. THIS ACTIVITY PROVIDED A WEALTH of variety in composi-

tion and color. There was a very high level of student success and engagement with the process. I meet with my thirdgrade classes for 60 minutes and very few students finished in that timeframe, so I brought each class back for another 30-minute session over the next couple weeks, so they could complete their collages and not feel rushed for time. When students completed their designs, they reflected on the prowww.ar tsandactivities.com

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As students worked, I emphasized the idea of playing with their shapes as they added to their compositions.

cess by comparing this activity with the previous collage project in a written exit slip. Once all of the classes completed the project, I shared some of the process and results with Tom. He was kind enough to write me back and he mentioned that when he was in school, he was never allowed to draw or color how he (and his classmates) wanted. He really appreciated the amount of choice present in this activity. He also asked if I was going to encourage my students to add more pattern and texture elements to their designs. This was something that I originally planned on doing, but pulled back on due to time constraints. That said, if you consider doing this activity or something like it with your students, Tom’s work totally lends itself to an exploration of pattern and texture as well as shape. So, what are you waiting for?! Get cutting and composing! Go play! n Arts & Activities Contributing Editor, Don Masse, is a K–5 visual arts teacher at Zamorano Fine Arts Academy in San Diego, California. 15

creative COLLABORATION

Celebrating poetry and Eric Carle by Kathleen Petka

“Chain-linked Fence.” Art by Cassidy; poem by Ava.

“Thoughts of a Commuting Daydreamer.” Art by Sari; poem by Garrett.

“Love is a well tuned choir.” Art by Mary Kate; poem by Annie.

Cover of the book (left) and two inside pages. 16

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES HIgh school students will ... • interpret poetry written by their peers in English classes and illustrate the poetry in the style of Eric Carle. • understand the layering, tissue paper collage technique Eric Carle uses in his children’s book.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

•

CREATING: Conceiving and developing artistic ideas and work. • PRESENTING: Interpreting and sharing artistic work. • RESPONDING: Understanding and evaluating how the arts convey meaning. • CONNECTING: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

MATERIALS

“Behind the Scenes.” Art by Katherine; poem by Sarah.

• • • • •

LCD projector, computer Books by Eric Carle Newsprint, tissue paper, illustration board Paint, paintbrushes, crayons, watercolor, water containers, glue, scissors Natural sponges, carpet swatches (anything to create texture)

Go to artsandactivities.com and click on this button for resources related to this article.

“A Writers Agony.” Art by Brooke; poem by Maggie.

“Flooded.” Art by Eris; poem by Jordan.

y art students enjoyed this collaborative lesson between the AP English literature classes and my AP studio art and drawing and painting classes. One of the goals of this unit was to teach the students (or have them become more aware of) nature, compassion, respect, and to take care of and appreciate the earth, so that is why we asked the literature students to create poetr y within those categories. www.ar tsandactivities.com

THE FIRST STEP OF THIS PROJECT was

to have the AP literature students select poem forms, meters and rhyme schemes, and write original poems that focused on nature, respect, compassion and life. Their English teacher read all 143 and narrowed them down to 75, since I had 75 artists who were going to illustrate the poems. The poetry was then divided into different levels; the more challenging and abstract poems would be given

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to my AP studio art class, and the less complex poems to my intermediate classes. Before the art work began, however, my students viewed a PowerPoint presentation that featured Eric Carle’s biography and techniques, and observed his books as reference. I also demonstrated the layering collage and sgraffito techniques used by Eric Carle, and reviewed with them art vocabulary that was expected in the final product. 17

It was so special to see our students communicating and sharing their work with each other and the community.

Untitled. Art by Carly; poem by Ted.

AN EXHIBIT WAS ORGANIZED where all of the poems and illustrations would be on display, and copies of the book would be available for purchase. The entire community was invited to attend. Our Principal’s Leadership Committee helped spread the word about our exhibit, and managed the sale of the books online and at school. Our “Celebration of the Nature and Respect of Life Art and Poetry Exhibit” was held at our school; it was the most successful art show we ever had in all my years of teaching! It was so special to see our students communicating and sharing their work with each other and the community. The book was available for purchase at the event, and all money raised from the sales was donated to Relay for Life in memory of a wonderful student who passed away last year.

“Cobweb Sheep.” Art by Jenny; poem by Alice.

“Impending Nostalgia.” Art by Mia; poem by Madeline.

MY STUDENTS THEN READ and ana-

lyzed the poems, and planned how they would visually interpret them using Eric Carle’s collage and layered tissue paper techniques. At the time of this project, Carle’s work was on exhibit at The High Museum of Art in nearby Atlanta, so students were able to go 18

and view his work firsthand. When the collages were finished, we read the poetry and shared our work with each other in class. Our graphic arts department also got involved by photographing the art and laying out a soon-to-be printed and published book titled, The Nature and Respect of Life.

THIS PROJECT ENCOURAGES learning and reflection in a variety of learning styles, and is differentiated to meet the needs of students with varied levels of experience and skill sets. It also encourages arts integration with literacy, English language arts or reading, and can easily be combined with history, humanities, social studies, and even science. I know you and your students will enjoy it as much as we did. n

Recently named the GAEA’s 2018 secondary art educator of the year, Kathleen Petka teaches visual art at Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia.

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A&A Art Print: Respond and Connect Hendrikje Kühne and Beat Klein. Painting a Pond, 2008.

“I love that works of art are printed so that anyone can buy them. The variety of what they put on little postcards astounds me.” Leonard Lauder, Businessman and Art Collector

MAIN VISUAL ART CONCEPTS: Color • Space • Texture • Harmony • Unity

COLLABORATION: It is unusual that two people collaborate on single works of art. These two Swiss artists attended the College of Art and Design in Basel, Switzerland, and have been working collaboratively for 20 years: since 1998.

•

• •

•

Vincent van Gogh (Dutch; 1853–1890). Wheatfield with Crows, 1890.

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CONTOURS: Each piece in this collage is painstakingly cut out along observed contours. The artists are careful to use only the relevant pieces, and do not include parts of the landscape surrounding the objects. In this way they are constructing a brand new environment from historic works of art.

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This watercolor by Hermann Hesse (German; 1877–1962) graces the cover of a book first published in 1977, titled Hermann Hesse as a Painter: Forty-Four Watercolors. Bruno Hesse and Sandor Kuthy selected the pieces. Although he may be better known for his Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946 and for his philosophical and spiritual writings (Siddhartha, The Glass Bead Game, and Steppenwolf), Hesse also created thousands of paintings.

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Marc Chagall (FrenchRussian;1887–1985). Lovers Among Lilacs, 1930.

PERSPECTIVE: This piece, while complex in its construction and individual components, is very simple in its composition. The pond in the foreground and the rolling meadow behind it, disappear on the horizon in a single vanishing point. It is a great example of one-point perspective.

ARTISTIC APPROPRIATION: Because their works are composed of reproductions of art made by other artists, it could be said that Kühne and Klein appropriate art by others. They take ownership of postcard reproductions, cut them up and place them in new contexts.

WORKING IN SERIES: Titles. Kühne and Klein often begin the titles of their two-dimensional works with the words, “Painting a.” There is some irony in their titles since the works are not paintings; they are collages. The artists also collaborate on three-dimensional constructions.

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METEOROLOGY: The sky contains many artistic interpretations of cloud formations. Some are more scientifically accurate than others. What is appealing about the construction of the sky overall is the way the artists use the cut-out negative spaces, leaving jagged edges where trees may have been already cut out for other places in this or a different work.

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OBSERVATION: Look carefully and you will see tiny figures dotted throughout the landscape. At the far end of the water, in the center of the collage, it appears one small figure is literally painting the pond.

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Piet Mondrian (Dutch;1872–1944). The Gray Tree, 1912.

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Karl Schmidt-Rotluff (German; 1884–1996). Fisherman’s Bay, 1937.

BOTANY: Trees. There are many, many different types of trees in this landscape. Can you identify any specific ones?

SEASONAL CHANGES: The overall impression is that the right side of the collage depicts summertime. The colors shift to gold and brown on the left, giving the feeling of autumn.

This symbol means to take a closer look to find bits of recognizable art from known artists. Can you add others to those listed above? 19

OCTOBER 2018

Hendrikje Kühne (Swiss; b. 1962) and Beat Klein (Swiss; b. 1956). Painting a Pond, 2008. Collage of art postcards; 27.5" x 39". / Public domain. ©

In the Studio: Create and Present Annotations and lesson connections on these pages by Tara Cady Sartorius, Program Director, Alabama Arts Alliance

GRADES K–6

GRADES 7–12

KOOL KINDERGARTEN KONSTRUCTIONS. Teacher Esther Hilsenrad helped her kindergarten students learn about color, and through a series of lessons they all ended up with some delightful abstract landscapes. The warm skies in the images below indicate that students were given plenty of freedom of expression.

MAGNIFICENT MAGAZINE MOSAICS. The inspiration for these 12" x 12" detailed torn paper collages came from three different contemporary artists who use collage in their work: Vik Muniz, Karla Schuster, and Deborah Shapiro. Teacher Deanna Vanwoudenberg says, “We aimed to use pieces as small as our index finger’s nail to create an image of a favorite person, place or thing. Each student worked hard on creating an original and personally meaningful piece of collage art. Each student also gave a brief presentation to their classmates describing their choice of subject, the creative challenges they faced, and things they might change or adjust if they did this piece again.”

Abstract landscape collages by kindergarten students of Esther Hilsenrad from Oakland Hebrew Day School in Oakland, California.

To begin the unit, students experimented with mixing analogous colors, differentiating between warm and cool “families” of hues. Hilsenrad encouraged students to add texture (through the use of combs and rollers) when applying their paints. Students then cut and tore their papers to assemble collaged landscapes out of numerous overlapping smaller pieces. Hilsenrad says, “I love how layered the project was. The students love learning about color and I really tried to diversify the ways we practice using and mixing colors. I find students love learning about art vocabulary and for this lesson they learned the term ‘horizon line,’ which I think they understood.” NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: Kindergarten CREATE: Engage in exploration and imaginative play with materials. • Through experimentation, build skills in various media and approaches to art making. • Create art that represents natural and constructed environments. How to use the A&A Monthly Art Print: Carefully unbend the staples at the center of the magazine, pull the print up and out of the magazine. Rebend staples to keep magazine intact. Laminate the pulled-out section and use it as a resource in your art room. — Editor 22

Art by students in 8th-, 9th, and 11th-grades of Deanna Vanwoudenberg from RCOA Regent Christian Online Academy in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Before assembling their collages, students gathered their source photos and tore color sections from magazines that would be needed in their artwork. They stored their color swatches in zip-lock bags. Students first planned their compositions on paper, reviewed and adjusted their designs with their teacher, and collected additional tonal variations of color to add depth and interest to their pieces before starting construction. To increase the stability of the finished product, students applied their collages to 0.25-inch MDF (medium density fiberboard) board. Vanwoudenberg suggests she might reduce the size of the overall pieces to 10" x 10" next time, but loved the MDF substrate for both construction and display purposes. We agree; these landscapes make quite the impression! NATIONAL ART STANDARDS: High School CREATE: Choose from a range of materials and methods of traditional and contemporary artistic practices to plan works of art and design. • Engage in constructive critique with peers, then reflect on, re-engage, revise, and refine works of art and design in response to personal artistic vision. RESPOND: Identify types of contextual information useful in the process of constructing interpretations of an artwork or collection of works.

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Finished “netbots.” Photos on this page by Chris Williams.

Make a robot and learn about math by Julia Healy

teacher Ayanna McCullough, developing this unit, which engages fifth-grade students by combining art with math. This lesson is a streamlined version from a unit that contains seven art periods and seven math periods, taught at P.S. 359x in the Bronx. Ayanna introduced students to “nets”: flat, foldable shapes that form cubes and prisms. The fifth-graders learned that a cube or prism must have six sides to make a solid, and how to compute the surface area and, eventually the volume, of a solid. In the ar t room, Chris showed students examples of geometric, figurative sculptures by such ar tists as Joel Shapiro and Nam June Paik. Obser ving concepts such as balance and

on’t look for the word “netbots” in your dictionary, it won’t be there. We made up the word to describe our sculptures, which are made of folded paper nets to form our robots. Integrating art with academic subjects can sometimes feel like a burden to art teachers. Shouldn’t art be a stand-alone subject, after all? Maybe not all the time. A case can be made for experiences in cross-curricular learning where students connect their learning much the way they might in their future workplaces. Through a federal grant (Arts in Education–Model Development and Dissemination, administered under the Assistance for Arts Education Program) to Studio Institute in New York City, I have been working with teaching artist Chris Williams and classroom www.ar tsandactivities.com

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“...it was fun, but at the same time we were learning math about volume and we were also making a robot out of shapes.”—Student, grade 5

positive and negative space reinforced vocabular y and encouraged deep looking. Students were then challenged to think about, and design, their robots. What function did they want their robots to have? Helping with chores? Something that improves the world? Something a bit silly? More than one function? THE STUDENTS WERE SET LOOSE to brainstorm and sketch

ideas for their robots with the understanding that they would eventually be folding cubes and prisms to construct them. (Cylinders and spheres would not be foldable from nets!) Using the free downloaded nets copied on bright card stock, students chose their colors and practiced accurate cutting and folding techniques. Most students folded their nets with the grid lines on the inside, but a few liked the look of the grids on the exteriors. Tabs were folded back and carefully glued with white glue to make clean-looking edges. Referring to their final sketches, students spent two periods constructing the nets they needed to build their robots. Gluing the nets together on a base to form their figures, students investigated concepts of balance, proportion and scale. Meanwhile in math, the students worked on word problems that related to their individual sculptures. Once completely built, the students had the option

to draw or collage details on their robots. We used some metallic paper and also pre-printed images depicting controls and gears (Gizmos by Roylco), which we reduced in size on a copier. THE END OF EACH LESSON often had a peer-to-peer formative assessment or reflection component using individual iPads. At the end of the unit, students displayed their work and learned about aspects of mounting an exhibition for others to view and share. One fifth-grader worked with a partner and made a robot that, “was a dragon, but had style. His purpose was to teach basketball.” Did he enjoy the unit? “Honestly, I did enjoy it because it was fun, but at the same time we were learning math about volume and we were also making a robot out of shapes. Whatever was in your creative mind, you could make.” As a group, the final robots made an amazing display, but the real joy was in the humor, creativity and shear brilliance students brought to the making of their sculptures. n

Julia Healy taught public school art for 25 years in New York before becoming project manager of Expanding the Frame at the Studio Institute. Visit studioinstitute.org/expandingtheframe to learn more about this project, the various units, and download complete unit and associated classroom materials.

Finished sculptures from P.S. 359x. Photos on this page by Chris Williams. 24

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Student working out some math on the smart board.

Folded net with related math work.

Student assembling his robot.

> > LEARNING OBJECTIVES

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

Elementary students will ... • find creative solutions while working with restrictions. • understand the difference between positive and negative space in a sculpture. • understand that artists often need to use math in order to make their work. • be able to sketch their ideas and transfer their sketches into three dimensional sculptures made of folded nets.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

•

What is a sculpture and how does a sculpture differ from a painting or drawing? • What are some ways we can use paper to make it three-dimensional? • How can parts be put together to form a sculpture? • How do individual artworks come together in an exhibition to make a powerful statement?

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• • •

CREATING: Combine ideas to generate an innovative idea for art-making. • Identify and demonstrate diverse methods of artistic investigation to choose an approach for beginning a work of art. • Experiment and develop skills in multiple art-making techniques and approaches through practice. • Demonstrate quality craftsmanship through care for and use of materials, tools, and equipment. PRESENTING: Cite evidence about how an exhibition in a museum or other venue presents ideas and provides information about a specific concept or topic. RESPONDING: Compare one’s own interpretation of a work of art with the interpretation of others. • Interpret art by analyzing characteristics of form and structure, contextual information, subject matter, visual elements, and use of media to identify ideas and mood conveyed.

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Student with detailed sketch for his robot.

Sketch with sculpture. All photos on this page by Mindy Best.

MATERIALS

• • • • • •

Sketch paper, pencils Card stock (for printing nets), printer Scissors, white glue Chipboard (for bases) Metallic paper Pictures of tech-inspired gadgets (we used Roylco’s Gizmo Paper, reduced on a copier)

VOCABULARY

• Cube • Grid • Negative shape • Nets • Prism

• Scale • Solid • Surface • Three-dimensional • Two-dimensional

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RECYCLING

renaissance

Claire Maria Nnamdi

> >

Sailboat Collages by Chrissy Leishear 26

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES Elementary students will … • understand and apply elements and principles of design effectively, and develop and apply skills using a variety of media, tools, and processes to create work. • reflect on, revise and refine work using problem-solving and critical thinking skills. • create a collage with several types of paper. • differentiate between warm colors and cool colors.

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

• • •

CREATING: Conceiving and developing artistic ideas and work. PRESENTING: Interpreting and sharing artistic work. CONNECTING: Relating artistic ideas and work with personal meaning and external context.

• •

9" x 12" white paper Blue tissue paper squares (various shades), brown construction paper, assorted paper scraps (wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, etc.)

MATERIALS

• • • •

Tempera cakes, paintbrushes Mod Podge Scissors, glue sticks Permanent black markers, white chalk

FOR THE FIRST STEP, students drew a horizon line across

their papers to separate the sky from the water. We looked at a color wheel and reviewed our warm and cool colors. They could choose either color scheme to paint their sky with. I did a quick demonstration, showing them how to blend colors by overlapping the paints, creating a gradual change in color. I emphasized that they should paint with horizontal strokes, from one side of their paper to the other. As the paint dried, we moved on to creating the water. Each child grabbed a handful of various shades of blue tissue paper squares. Using a paintbrush, they applied enough Mod Podge® to the space for the water. I showed them how to neatly layer tissue paper squares onto the area, without just carelessly throwing a pile onto their paper. They observed all the shades of blue that were created by overlapping the squares. Once they filled up all the white space with blue squares, they painted one more coat of Mod Podge over the ocean water to smooth it out.

Stef

h, what to do with all the paper that piles up in my scrap box!? I hate for it to go to waste so I designed a project for my second-grade students to explore the technique of collage. Look what can be created with leftover wrapping paper, scrapbook paper, tissue paper and some paint! The results are beautiful and each one unique. I began the lesson with an introduction to collage, showing visuals of many different types. Once students understood that collages were pieces of art that could be created with many different materials, we shared examples of items that could be used in this type of artwork (buttons, beads, magazine clippings, yarn, fabric, photographs, ribbon, etc.). We would primarily be using paper for our sailboat collages, so I pulled out boxes of scrapbook and wrapping paper, and tissue paper squares. The colors and patterns instantly created excitement in my bright-eyed young artists!

sails, the children chose from my huge selection of scrapbook and wrapping paper. Our school had fundraiser catalogs left over with wrapping paper samples in them, which made their way to the art room. They were the perfect size for sails! The students cut one large triangle, then sliced it in half to create two smaller sails. They had fun mixing and matching the designs they chose, then glued their boats to their paper. The students used glue sticks to attach their boats and drew a line with a Sharpie for the pole between the sails and a few birds flying by if they wanted to. Adding clouds in the sky with white chalk was the final step to completing these beautiful seascape collages. THIS COLORFUL SAILBOAT COLLAGE LESSON exposes stu-

dents to a variety of materials, and makes use of leftover paper scraps, which most art classrooms are bound to have. Try it with your students. These frame-worthy masterpieces are sure to have them sailing back for more! n

THE NEXT ART CLASS, students created their sailboats and

added details to the sky. First, they cut trapezoids from brown construction paper for the hull of their boats. For the www.ar tsandactivities.com

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Chrissy Leishear teaches K–8 Art at St. John the Baptist School in Silver Spring, Maryland. 27

he 2017 release of the animated film, Coco, thrust the Day of the Dead—or Dia de los Muertos—even more into the zeitgeist of popular culture. While this holiday may be new to many Americans, it has always been a favorite in art rooms across the country. Dia de los Muertos is traditionally celebrated Nov. 1–2, but I always begin the school year by teaching my seventhgrade students about this festival. By the time November rolls around, they have completed beautiful artifacts to display throughout our halls. THIS YEAR, I REALLY WANTED TO UP THE ANTE and give

students the opportunity to create a culminating assignment that was personal to them. Additionally, I had so many odds and ends taking up space in my storage closet. I wanted a lesson that would put all those bulky materials to use. The solution dawned on me during a recent trip to the artisan town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. I was inspired by all the beautiful crafts I found there, but my personal favorites were the “Nichos.” These miniature shadow boxes touched on every possible theme, from religion to popular culture. While browsing a gift shop you might see a Nicho depicting Jesus right next to another one of a mariachi band or even Lucha Libre wrestlers. As I headed home to Chicago, I lugged an extremely heavy carry-on, packed with no less than a dozen of these treasures.

Neithen, “Nacho Libre.”

NICHOS WERE PERFECT for our Dia

Christino, “My grandfather Lucio.”

David, “My first pet Beta fish.”

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de los Muertos unit. For this assignment, students had to decide to whom their Nicho would pay homage. Some chose a serious theme, and honored family or pets who had passed away. Others took a more playful approach and created Nichos inspired by pop culture. After examining the Nichos I brought back from Mexico, and researching ideas online, students designed their Nichos in their sketchbooks. I provided students a list of all

Nichos The Art of Remembering

by Jeremie Lappe

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES

NATIONAL ART STANDARDS

Middle school students will … • learn about Dia de los Muertos. • experiment with mixed media. • design an original shadowbox inspired by Mexican Nichos.

•

CREATING: Generalize and conceptualize artistic ideas and work. • Organize and develop artistic ideas and work. • RESPONDING: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work. • CONNECTING: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context, to deepen understanding.

MATERIALS

• Cardboard • Scissors (or Canary knives) • Tape, hot glue, tacky glue • Air-dry clay (we used Model Magic)

• •

Tempera Paint Glitter, foil, assorted embellishment materials (yarn, feathers, beads, buttons, ribbon sequins, etc.)

THE NEXT STEP WAS TO BUILD THE BASE of the shadow boxes.

Students received a piece of cardboard and a template to create an 8" x 5" open-faced box. Because the sides of the box would be covered by the frame, students simply used masking tape to hold it together. After the box was assembled, it was time to design a frame. I had created several templates, but many students chose to design their own. They received a second sheet of cardboard and were instructed to trace their box on this piece. They then designed a frame several inches wider than the perimeter of the box. After a safety demonstration of the proper use of serrated Canary knives, students used them to carefully cut out the frame and then headed to a supervised hot-glue station to attach the frame to the front of their shadowboxes. My favorite element in my Mexican Nichos is the glittered background. Although most art teachers dread the mess that glitter leaves behind, I knew that it was an essential ingredient. I set up a station in the back of my room with several aluminum pans filled with different colors of glitter. Alongside this, I placed bowls of glue and paintbrushes. Students came to the back in small groups and brushed the inside of their shadowboxes with glue. Next, they selected one color of glitter and filled their Nicho with it over the pans, dumping any extra back into the pan. Because the system was organized, it was relatively mess free. IT WAS TIME TO CRAFT THE ELEMENTS that would go inside our Nichos. For this, students used Crayola Model Magic. Some also chose to add some metallic elements using tool-

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Is Dia de los Muertos a religious or cultural holiday? What role does art play in Dia de los Muertos? How is the depiction of death in Mexico different than in the United States?

available materials so they knew exactly what details could be included in their sketch. Sketching was an essential part of this open-ended assignment. Some students were not quite sure how to go about designing their piece. By beginning with a detailed sketch, students knew the direction they were heading. If we had started with just materials, students would have simply been lost.

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ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

october 2018

Jocelyn, “My Grandma Lulu.”

ing foil. We spent two 75-minute lessons creating all these decorations. Between classes, students stored all their clay pieces in their Nichos, which were then stacked up after class. Once all clay elements were sculpted, it was time to paint. Students used tempera to paint their clay elements as well as the frame of their Nichos. The final step was to assemble and decorate the Nicho. Students affixed all clay and foil elements with tacky glue, and they chose from a wide variety of ribbon, sequins and beads for embellishments. Because there were so many materials, I had to come up with a way to stay organized. Once again, I set up my aluminum pans on a table in the back of the room. Each pan had a different embellishment item—about 10 in all. In small groups, I invited students to come to the back of the room and go “shopping.” Students selected materials from up to five pans, and I was there to supervise and ensure that students took only as much as they needed. This was likely the students’ favorite part of the lesson. They went to town on their designs and created the ornate appearance that Mexican Nichos are known for. THIS LESSON WAS COMPLETED with my largest class—35

students. Because my art room is so cramped, it can be hard to maneuver around the tables, so it was important to have a good system for managing all the supplies. That said, the lesson could not have been more successful. Every single student completed an inspired Nicho. All of my students were engaged and motivated, including my diverse learners. I have no doubt that I will continue to do this yearly, as it has become a student favorite. n Jeremie Lappe is a K–8 visual art teacher at Bernhard Moos Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois. 29

Explore, Imagine, Create ... Art teachers from all over the country have assembled on the pages of Arts & Activities with a single purpose: To share with you their best classroom-tested, art-teaching experiences and creative ideas. Add Arts & Activities magazine to your classroom, library or media center today.

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media reviews

has an adhesive for all of your collage and craft projects!

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Quality products, reliable service since 1974.

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Draw Like an Artist: POP ART, by Patricia Geis. Princeton Architectural Press, $14.99. We’ve praised the quality of this press before, and now we expect a certain standard to be met. We weren’t disappointed, and readers won’t be, either. Geis is also the author of Draw Like an Artist: A Self-Portrait Sketchbook, previously reviewed in this space. This book, too, is a sketch/workbook and so much more. First up in the book is a brief history of Pop Art, so relevant to today’s consumerism, celebrity culture, and omnipresent advertising. Of the 18 major artists, most are extremely recognizable names (how pertinent!). Perhaps less familiar to some are Mimmo Rotella and Domenico Gnoli. Each artist’s page is paired with either a blank page or one printed with a reproduction of elements that particular artist used. Those facing pages ser ve as surfaces for the related activities, with ar tist’s information and exhilarating prompts to fur ther stimulate ar tistr y. The oversized paperback is aimed at kids 10 to 14 years of age, although precocious, advanced ar tists of 7 or 8 also will find it beneficial. We predict that the décollage project will be one of the most popular with young users. Geis provides probing questions and tips such as giving the new creation a title or using broad brushstrokes. The Extra Materials section at book’s end consists of four pages of imagery related to Tilson, Indiana, Hockney, and Oldenburg (none of the latter’s matchsticks but rather pencils), and eight pages of solid-colored papers. As we said in another book’s review, a clever art teacher might keep a copy of Pop Art for him- or herself. Assignments inspired by this book also can be completed with scrap paper, old magazines and more.–P.G.

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CONGRATULATIONS

BOOKS • DVDs • PRINTS • RESOURCES Jerome J. Hausman • Paula Guhin

PENCIL ART WORKSHOP: Techniques, Ideas, and Inspiration for Drawing and Designing with Pencil, by Matt Rota. Rockport Publishers, $22.99. Matt Rota, with this notable edition, turns his able attention to “the humble pencil…the world’s most flexible and forgiving drawing material.” (An accomplished illustrator and educator, he also wrote The Ar t of Ballpoint.) Here Rota truly delves into the full extent of the pencil’s potential. He even provides historical information on its evolution. Did you know that Monsieur Conté got his start because of blockades during the Napoleonic Wars? Each chapter includes effective exercises and ends with a good-looking galler y of works. The large quantity of drawings are, of course, chiefly

to the winners of the 2018 Art Teacher Mystery Box Contest! black and white, but a chapter on added color is favored with snazzy watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil and ink. Another chapter is allocated to line qualities, and yet another covers light and shadow. Two other sections couldn’t be more dissimilar: One is about quick drawing and the other’s on photorealism. Fourteen contributors add a multiplicity of style and subject matter. The art is eye-catching, strong, intriguing, even humorous at times (see Ryan Peltier’s series of transients). Pencil Art Workshop is a paperback for high school students on up. Best of all, it’s distinctive without being expensive.–P.G. n

1st Place Imagine Dragon Sculpture by Breanne Rothwell @paintpaperscissors

2nd Place 3D Under the Sea Painting by Amanda Fleischbein @mrs.fleischbein

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