Neal McDaniel - Visual Arts Education

Tesseract School 2004-2005 • Neal McDaniel, Educator

Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Weekly Updates

“BELIEVING TAKES PRACTICE.” - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Tesseract School 2004-2005

Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Weekly Updates for Grades K-8 Tesseract School’s weekly “Tessergram” updates are an effective means of documenting in-class activities and lessons, and communicating these student-centered experiences to the parent community. For the educators, they aid us in creating an archive narrative of our thematic, integrated curriculum, becoming the written voice of the educator teams. And being shared cross-departmentally, they form “tesseracts” to new pathways of instruction as we exchange themes, concepts and innovations, strengthening Tesseract’s educator culture.

As documented here, students learn the characteristics of the Visual Arts by using a wide range of subject matter, symbols, meaningful images, visual expressions to reflect their ideas, feelings and emotions, and to evaluate the merits of their efforts. They develop techniques, approaches, and habits for applying knowledge and skills in the Visual Arts to the world beyond school. To this end, students learn vocabularies and concepts associated with various types of work in the Visual Arts and exhibit their competence at various levels in visual, oral, and written form.

Visual Arts grades K-8 strikes a balance between projects directly related to the themes being covered in the regular classroom, experimenting with a wide variety of tools, techniques, and processes ranging from drawing, painting, sculpture, and design, to architecture, multi-media, and folk arts. An oral component is also implemented in order for students to develop skills of observation and grow their ability to describe, evaluate, and respond to their own work in the Visual Arts and that of other people, times and places.

It is my hope the documentation found on these pages will offer some insight in to the weekly experience of a Tesseract Visual Arts student, as they work with various tools, processes and media, learning to coordinate their hands and minds in explorations of the visual world.

NEAL MCDANIEL Visual Arts Educator, Tesseract School June, 2005

1

3 September 2004

WEEK 1 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten Back to School Balloons! Celebrating the return to school, each student received a paper plate to decorate as they wished.

Using paint, crayons, stickers, glitter, pencil crayons, markers, tissue paper and glue, and more, the children created their “balloons” We added lengths of yarn as balloon strings. When all was complete, we attached the paper plate balloons to the bulletin board and voila! This was great way to warm up our creative skills and decorate the room at the same time!

First Grade The first week of school often means learning new faces! Each student received a paper plate to draw, paint or glue a self portrait on. Using paint, crayons, stickers, glitter, pencil crayons, markers, tissue paper and glue, and more, the children created their own "self portraits" We added lengths of yarn and paper as hair. When all was complete, we attached the paper plate portraits to the bulletin board for a wonderful display! This was great way to warm up our creative skills.

Second Grade In keeping with their first theme of archeology, the second graders completed a project called “The Dig.” Archeologists can’t always see what they are digging up from the ground. Sometimes they have to see with their fingers! Without looking, each student reached into their dig bag and felt around. Next they would draw on grid paper what they thought they felt just like an archeologist!

Third Grade The third graders began a theme-related lesson called “Oceans in a Bag”. Using a large zip-lock bag as an aquarium, each student created a unique underwater scene depicting the diversity of undersea life on a backdrop of blue. Cut paper, glue, and glitter were used to create the colorful scenes. After the creations are complete we’ll slip them into the bags, add oatmeal to represent the ocean floor, then zip them up tight! We’ll finish this lesson next week with each student presenting their work to the class.

Fourth Grade The fourth graders began a them related lesson exploring the tribal masks of Native American cultures. We began by talking about the significance of animals in these people’s lives then began to make masks depicting creatures likes bears, foxes, eagles, snakes, wolves and more. The students created intricate designs using a variety of materials including colored paper and feathers. We’ll finish this lesson next week with each student presenting their work to the class. Great job!

Fifth Grade The fifth graders wasted no time in beginning a big project related to their first theme of Incan, Aztec, and Mayan cultures.

We began by discussing the use of symbols in language and how these glyphs function a form of communication. The students then chose a glyph to depict in the form of mosaics - in this lesson small pieces of colored paper glued to black poster board. The different colors will simulate turquoise, ebony, gold, and other materials used by these ancient cultures.

This lesson is expected to take 3 weeks to complete, requiring great diligence for a beautiful and complex finished piece!

They are off to a great start!

2

10 September 2004

“Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 2

Kindergarten This week the young ones completed a lesson called “Bears, Oh My!” The students created articulated bear heads of the type that they have been assigned in class. Polar Bears, Black Bears, Brown Bears, Koala Bears, and more provided the inspiration for the students creations that features a hinged jaw, big ears and eyes, and lots of teeth! Great job!

First Grade In keeping with their current them of “All About Me”, the first graders completed a special lesson celebrating how unique each person is. We read a poem called “I Like Me”, then used each letter in our name to describe just how special we are.

Another poem inspired us to trace our handprints and them decorate them with things that are special to us. Great work!

Second Grade The second graders completed a cross-curriculum lesson called “Create a World.” We combined our imaginative powers with known map-making techniques to create a whole new world. We first looked at maps of existing countries, then drew the outer shape of our new world, filled in details such as rivers, oceans, cities, mountain ranges, etc., named each country and everything in it, and finished with a key in the lower right corner of the paper. What strange, new worlds!

Third Grade The third graders completed a theme-related lesson called “Oceans in a Bag”. Using a large zip-lock bag as an aquarium, each student created a unique underwater scene depicting the diversity of undersea life on a backdrop of blue. Cut paper, glue, and glitter were used to create the colorful scenes. After the creations are complete we’ll slip them into the bags, add oatmeal to represent the ocean floor, then zip them up tight! We’ll finish this lesson next week with each student presenting their work to the class.

Fourth Grade This week's art lesson found inspiration their current theme of the unexplained. As a class we discussed the strange phenomenon of UFO’s and some of the strange descriptions heard about spacecraft and the beings said to pilot them!

This was a good starting point for our own designs that used paper plates to create the saucer shape, then pop-up aliens, metallic colors, glitter glue, and paper landing gear were added. Many students created their own cryptic aline writing system to label secret compartments around the craft! Look! Up in the sky..!

Fifth Grade The fifth graders continued working their first big project related to their theme of Incan, Aztec, and Mayan cultures. Last week we discussed the use of symbols in language and how these glyphs function a form of communication. The students were then assigned a glyph from the 18 month aztec calendar to depict in the form of mosaics - in this lesson small pieces of colored paper glued to black poster board. The different colors simulate turquoise, ebony, gold, and other materials used by these ancient cultures. Next week we'll finish up, then link our individual panels together to form a complete Aztec calendar. We can't wait!

3

17 September 2004

WEEK 3 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten The Kindergarten crafted beautiful butterflies this week! We used coffee filters to create the wings and colored them with markers. Then we wrapped them in the middle with a pipe cleaner to form their bodies. After this, we sprayed them lightly with water to form bright blends of color. While we waited for them to dry, we read "The Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle.

First Grade This week the young ones completed a fun lesson called “Draw Thumbthing.” Using our unique fingerprints as a starting point, a single thumbprint was decorated with simple details to create more complex character. Fish, people, frogs, pigs, puppies and more were rendered in a very playful and personalized way. The class had a fun time trying to anticipate what they were creating while at the same time being patient for guided direction. Thumbs Up! Second Grade This week the class got an introduction to cartooning. The second graders talked about the basic arrangements that cartoons have and how they follow a sequence of storytelling. We looked at examples of cartoons they brought in themselves.

Then they received step-by-step instructions on how to draw cartoons using basic shapes to create something more complex. Characters included a French chef, a bunny that loves carrots, a walrus, a superhero, and more. How Funny!

Third Grade The third graders had a great time with a fun lesson called “Baby Wipe Tie-Dye”. Using moistened baby wipes, each student folded their wipes tightly, twisting and tying off corners with rubber bands. Sections of the wipe were then colored using markers, covering the wipe with a variety of colors. Once colored, we opened them up to reveal some intense psychedelic patterns. Far out!

Fourth Grade This week the students explored color, shape, and texture in lesson called "A Monster's World." The class created unique monsters with a variety of features and appendages then decorated them with rubbings of textures found throughout the room. This added interesting surface textures to the drawings. Bumps, dots, ripples, and waves made for bizarre and interesting results!

Fifth Grade The fifth graders wasted no time in beginning a big project related to their first theme of Incan, Aztec, and Mayan cultures.

We began by discussing the use of symbols in language and how these glyphs function a form of communication. The students then chose a glyph to depict in the form of mosaics - in this lesson small pieces of colored paper glued to black poster board. The different colors will simulate turquoise, ebony, gold, and other materials used by these ancient cultures.

This lesson is expected to take 3 weeks to complete, requiring great diligence for a beautiful and complex finished piece!

They are off to a great start!

4

24 September 2004

“Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 4

Kindergarten As the young ones learn to draw the human figure, they often rely on 2-dimensional stick drawings to represent the body as best they can. In this week’s lesson, we turned the stick-person drawing into a 3-dimensional sculpture. Using craft sticks, fabrics, pom-poms, googly eyes, and more, the students created wonderfully detailed figures that were so much more than stick figures! Awesome!

First Grade The first grade sculpted a forest of apple trees this week in honor of Johnny Appleseed - one of the historical figures they are studying in this month’s themes! We started with a simple brown paper bag which we cut half-way into strips. We then twisted the base to for the trunk and top to form the branches. We used colored construction paper to cut out leaves and apples. Every tree was unique!

Second Grade This week the class completed a theme-related lesson constructing ancient Egyptian pop-up cards. Each student created a pharaoh in a temple scene, similar to a childrens' book. Thrones, servants, palm trees and more were rendered in great 3D pop-up detail! After the pop-ups were finished, the students had fun translating their name into real hieroglyphics!

Third Grade This week the students explored watercolor illustration techniques and painted specific sea creatures to accompany a written report in another subject.

Fourth Grade This week's art lesson found inspiration in the strange designs of crop circles and their ongoing theme of mysteries. As a class we looked at the beautiful complexities of this strange phenomenon - the geometric shapes, patterns, and cryptic meanings provided a great starting point for our own designs. Using black paper, colored pencils, straight edges, circle templates, compasses, and rulers, our drawings took on the same not-of-this-world quality with fantastic results. Great job!

Fifth Grade The fifth Graders began a lesson about Meso-American jewelry. As a class we discussed how the ancients adorned themselves with gems, stones, and precious metals as a way to communicate status. Next, we created beautiful jewelry of our own using a variety of colorful beads. The class had fun using their very fine motor skills to create patterns and sequences in the beadwork. Great job!

5

1 October 2004

WEEK 5 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten The Kindergarten crafted crawling caterpillars this week! We used egg cartons for the bug's body and colored them with markers. Then we added googly eyes and pipe cleaners for legs. Last week we made the butterflies, so Mr. McDaniel reminded the young ones that the caterpillars always should come first! Great job!

First Grade As the first graders finish studying Community, we took the opportunity to explore the many ways we travel. From cars, planes, buses, submarines and more, we discovered how we can use simple shapes together to build complex objects.

The students were surprised at how much detail they could create in their work and enjoyed watching their drawings come together! We bound the drawings into a book called "How We Travel."

Second Grade The second graders continued their Hohokam theme by creating Native American style "pottery". The class discussed how the ancients used their pots and how they were decorated with patterns and symbols. Using two paper bowls, they decorated the outsides with dramatic shapes and patterns, cut an opening, then attached them together to form the pots.

Fantastic!

Third Grade The third graders tried their hand at paper marbling. By mixing soap, water and colors of tempura paint we blew bubbles in the mixture and dabbed sheets of paper on the bubbles. The transfer of colors and patterns to the paper was very interesting (and a little messy)!

Fourth Grade The fourth grade class explored the magical artwork of Norval Morrisseau, an Ojibwa Indian from Canada who painted visions which were uniquely his own. He taught by painting and writing, and developed a style which has since evolved and been used by many Native artists. His style includes "Spirit Lines" extending from the hand or the body of a figure.

Sometimes they are connected ... sometimes they are alone or isolated. His X-Ray technique shows the interior as well as the exterior of a figure with various parts of a body expressed with different colors and lines. The students did a great job capturing the "spirit energy" of a variety of creatures!

Fifth Grade This week the fifth grade class began their Carlos Merida-style compositions. Carlos Merida was a Latin-American artist and contemporary of Diego Rivera. He combined Pro-Columbian themes with cubist style. The students first created a large background of brightly colored geometric shapes and will then cut a black overlay of curvilinear shapes to put over it. This will really bring the colors to life as we finish next week!

6

15 October 2004

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 6

Kindergarten Two Week Update: Esther Doeche was our guest instructor last week beginning the class with some stories about growing up. The class then created scenes of themselves as adults and what they might like to do when they grow up. Later, they shared their work with the class. Esther then shared some drawings showing different ways people can view the world.

This week the class learned about drawing the human figure. Using 1/6 scale, posable maquettes, we examined the basic shapes of cylinders, ovals, and boxes to render complex poses in accurate proportions. We avoided details such as faces, clothes, fingers, etc. that may have slowed us down but added highlights and shadows to show volume and dimension.

No more stick people!

First Grade Two Week Update: The first grade extended their study of Johnny Appleseed to include pioneer quilts! We discussed the tradition of quilting and the use of geometric patterns, then made our own from tissue paper. We placed our cut shapes on clear contact paper for a unique effect. Look for them in the windows of your child's classroom!

Second Grade Two Week Update: Last week the first graders recognized Christopher Columbus. Using the idea of a scroll as an important message carrier, the students drew a portrait of our explorer along with some of his ships. Portraits are always a challenge and the young ones did a great job capturing his likeness. This week we completed the project, adding additional details including a nautical border and calligraphy. A red ribbon finished the pieces as we talked about courage and risk taking!

Third Grade Two Week Update: Last week the third grade worked on a free-form drawing project that deals with the elements of design - color, line, shape, form and texture. We looked at the works of many great artists like Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee for inspiration. We called ours "Crazy Doodles." Every drawing was unique!

This week the third graders learned about one of America's greatest artists - Georgia O'Keefe. We viewed and discussed her giant, abstract flower paintings. We also discussed drawing, composition, the difference between realistic and abstract, and knowing warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows), cool colors (blues, greens, violets), and the moods that colors can create. We created our own abstract flower compositions working with our new understanding of the power of color. We covered a lot of ground! Well Done!

Fourth Grade Two Week Update: Last week the fourth graders recognized Christopher Columbus. Using just a few sheets of construction paper and some simple folding techniques we create a fantastic armada of 3D ships! Each student added so much detail to their paper models creating ships with real personality.

This week the class created what are called "Khamsa Hands." The khamsa is a symbol of good luck from Morocco, Africa.

This good luck hand has been used as an amulet in northern Africa for centuries - it is often made from precious metal, like silver. We made a simple version out of poster board and added lavish details in metallic paint, glitter, sequins. Khamsa means "five" in Arabic. We'll finish them next week as the students are looking to avoid "the evil eye!"

Fifth Grade No class due to Lower School field trips.

7

22 October 2004

WEEK 7 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten In preparation for Election Day, the K’s constructed patriotic windsocks. Using a cylinder of blue construction paper, we applied white stars in a variety of sizes and patterns. We then cut some red and white streamers and affixed them to one end. Strings were tied to the other end making it ready to be proudly displayed. Grand!

First Grade Get ready for baby! As Ms. Elizabeth's due date approaches(!) the class used their talents to create a special gift for her!

Each student drew a cute picture of what baby Scarlet may look like and completed "advice" cards that should prove to be quite useful for new parents. Did you know that a baby needs just 3 diapers a day and likes to eat hamburgers?! Special thanks to Mrs. Dougherty for coordinating this project and assembling the art into a special memory book!

Second Grade Not forgetting what you planted is just as important as how a garden grows! As the various grades prepare to plant the School Garden we used our art time to create fantastic garden markers. Using construction paper and crafts sticks each student made a variety of these mini signs that can identity where they plant seeds. The class did a great job of brainstorming a multitude of fruits and vegetables as inspiration for their creations!

Third Grade This week we continued our exploration of the color wheel by discussing the importance of color as it relates to fresh fruits and vegetables. We expect foods to be a particular color for freshness and nutrition. What if we changed the colors? Using the color wheel, we colored our drawings of our favorite foods the direct compliment of what is expected. Lemons turned purple! Pumpkins turned blue! Yellow eggplant?! The class had a great time using the color wheel and got a kick out using opposite and unusual colors for common foods. They'll keep an eye on the School Garden that all the colors are as they should be!

Fourth Grade This week we put the finishing details on our Khamsa hands and added string for hanging. They are ready keeping away the evil eye! We moved on to discuss how cartoonists create dynamic poses often seen in comic books and movies. Using 1/6 scale poseable maquettes the students drew simple human forms and then added muscles and costumes over the drawings.

The result were high-energy drawings similar to their favorite action hero. Pow!!!

Fifth Grade As the class winds down their study of Meso-America we used our art time to examine textiles from the Andes. Looking at examples of weavings and the colors and geometric patterns these ancients used, we began creating our own designs of incredible detail. We'll finish up next week and proudly display out work!

8

29 October 2004

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 8

Kindergarten This week we found our art inspiration in Harvest Day! The young one found that they can create complex scenes simply by tracing their hands and feet! Ghosts, spiders, bats, old trees and more were rendered in spooky detail after starting with these simple shapes! Great Job! First Grade Amphibians and reptiles populated the classroom as the first graders used paper chains to create creatures of all shapes and sizes in this theme-related lesson. Using this simple technique to build the main body, the chains were decorated with scales, spines, spots, and more to ad realistic details. Crawling creatures got legs, claws and tails while snakes were just plain slithery! Great job and great use of those finer skills for impressive results!

Second Grade Things that go bump in the night can now be found in our classroom! As Harvest Day looms before us (and the classroom parties, too!) we used our art time to create a scary sight. Using a large night-time scene as a background, we created lots of different creatures to populate our poster. Be sure to look for their awesome creation on display in the classroom. Boootiful!

Third Grade Things that go bump in the night can now be found in our classroom! As Harvest Day looms before us (and the classroom parties, too!) we used our art time to create a scary sight. Using a large night-time scene as a background, we created lots of different creatures to populate our poster. Be sure to look for their awesome creation on display in the classroom. Also, to share goodies with friends and family, the class decorated envelopes with spooky scenes and sayings that they will use to fill with a variety of treats (and tricks!).

Fourth Grade This week the fourth was introduced to Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic domes. We talked about the strength of his triangular construction technique then built our own structures using mini marshmallows and toothpicks! Great Job! Fifth Grade This week Mrs. McDaniel's class used their art time to complete their designs of textiles from the Andes. Looking at examples of weavings and the colors and geometric patterns these ancients used, we created our own designs of incredible detail. Look for their work proudly hanging the classroom!

Mr. Strickland's class took some time away from this project to sit in on a special presentation about diamond cutting and design sponsored by Molina Jewelers. The class got fantastic insight on this amazing art!

9

5 November 2004

WEEK 9 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten In preparation for their performance, the class created large letters for the presentation of their “Alphabet Soup” musical.

First Grade In the spirit of community, Miss Elizabeth's class created a box of crayons. We discussed how each one of us is unique (like a color of crayon) but when we all work together we can create beautiful things. Each student decorated a large crayon template and when they finished we placed them in a large crayon box titled, "Miss Elizabeth's Crayons." Miss Shannon's class completed this project last week. Great Job! Second Grade This week the second grade classes were introduced to Pablo Picasso and abstract painting. We talked about his unusual style of art and how he was a master of any medium or art form he chose to try his hand at. We then recreated a famous painting of Picasso called "Nature Morte au Gueridon." The students felt challenged at first but finished with amazing results!

Third Grade In keeping with their studies of the oceans, this week the third grade created a diverse population of undersea creatures! We started with two paper plates which we glued together to form a basic body. We then applied fins, arms, tentacles, claws, etc. to our shapes. We used markers and colored paper to add even more detail. Popsicle sticks were used to stand them up.

Every creation was unique!

Fourth Grade This week the fourth grade class finished their Carlos Merida-style compositions. Carlos Merida was a Latin-American artist and contemporary of Diego Rivera. He combined Pro-Columbian themes with cubist style. The students created a large background of brightly colored geometric shapes and then cut a black overlay of curvilinear shapes to put over it. The colors really came to life. Great Job! Fifth Grade In recognition of Election Day the class looked at the seals of our government and the many symbols the contain. Olive branches, arrows, pyramids, rays of light, and more are contained with the Seal of the President of the United States in particular. Using a paper plate as the base for the seal, we recreated our President's seal in striking detail. This gave us a chance to get to know this impressive symbol of our Nations's highest office. Be sure to look for your child's work as they change their own room at home into "The Oval Office!"

10

12 November 2004

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 10

Kindergarten No class due to parent-teacher conferences.

First Grade The first grade class created some interesting designs for the production of their musical "The Planet Gearth," a story of community and cooperation. As a class we talked about the unique characteristics of the four countries, Lupe, Seevid, Quimp, and Allador. The students then created costumes, landscapes, and characters specific to each. Ruling over all their drawings was King Elizar, shown in a portrait in the middle. Great Job! Second Grade Drawing the human form in complex poses is hard! But when we used poseable 1/6 scale mannequins as a guide we can do a great job! By avoiding such details as faces, clothes, etc. and just focus on drawing simple shapes such as ovals, boxes, circles, and tubes, the class found that dynamic forms could be made easy. Shading and highlights made the drawings complete. Great job!

Third Grade This week we looked at the U.S. flag and the many symbols it contains. The class was then challenged to create their own personal flag inspired by the many things that have meaning to them: colors, values, cultures, hobbies, pets and more gave us many different designs full of color and symbolism. Some students even created unique names, locations and pledges for their new country!

Fourth Grade As the fourth graders are studying Arizona and the 4 C's we used our art time to create some ancient Arizona inspired drawings of our own. We looked at a variety paintings and drawings found in local caves and found great ideas to render our own "cave paintings." Hunting figures, elk, eagles, sacred symbols, and more were draw or scratched onto brown paper which we then added cracks and other effects for a stony look. Students signed their work with a hand print outline - just like the Natives!

Fifth Grade This week the fifth graders got a new perspective on the world of drawing. Our work typically looks very flat and twodimensional, but using the system of 1 and 2 point perspective we can render the world much as we see it with depth and dimension. Mr McDaniel coached the students through a technique to yield a variety of 3D shapes within space, discussed terms like "horizon line," "vanishing points," "light source," "foreground/background," and more. The students had a great time seeing their own shapes emerge in this lesson which was on the Upper School level!

11

19 November 2004

WEEK 11 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten Continuing with their pet theme, the class completed a fun project called "Pet Rocks!" Using smooth, flat or round rocks we decorated them with paints, glue and glitter. Faces were created by using googly eyes, yarn for hair, markers, glitter, and any other tidbits they liked. The created "pets" where loaded with great details!

First Grade What do baby reptiles and amphibians look like inside the egg? This question was answered by kinetic art with a scaly and slimy theme. Using a template to draw the outside and inside of an egg, the students filled each egg with a variety of baby reptiles and amphibians. It was a challenge to draw them in a curled up shape and attach the outside of the egg that "cracks away." The class had a fun time with their drawings, opening and closing the outside shell to reveal their reptilian creations inside!

Second Grade The second grade completed a neat cross-curriculum lesson on weather and folk art. As useful tool turned decorative object, the earliest weathervanes were very simple carvings of animals such as fish and roosters. Eventually, more designs began to emerge as arrows, cows, pigs and angels started to appear on rooftops all across North America. We constructed our own from cardboard, popsicle sticks and foam. We don't have many weathervanes in Arizona, but the class sure came through and did an excellent job!

Third Grade As they continue to study government, the third graders had an interesting lesson on the design of money. We talked about the unique design features and symbolic meanings found on US currency. We also learned some neat trivia. Did you know that the fear of money is called "Chematophobia"? They then created intricate designs of our own for $1, $5, and $10 bills.

We resisted the urge to try them out in our school's vending machines! Cha-Ching!

Fourth Grade The fourth graders were introduced to sculpture created for public spaces. We looked at the works of Alexander Calder, discussing his art and use of bold, curvilinear shapes. We then created scale models (maquettes) of our own design. The students really captured the spirit of this famous artist and sculptor!

Fifth Grade The fifth graders have been busy creating beautiful holiday ornaments! With the Holidays approaching we realize that there are others less fortunate than us. The ornaments we are creating will be on display at Molina Jewelers this coming month and available for purchase. The proceeds from the sales will be used to help those less fortunate in our community. They are really enjoying this lesson as they decorate their ornaments with lavish detail! Beautiful work!

10

3 December 2004

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 12

Kindergarten The Kindergarten class continued with the theme of the human body in art class. Building upon our drawing lesson from a previous week, the students drew a large human body with the limbs detached! Then we cut out the parts and attached them at the joints and then on to a torso. The result was a complete figure that they can put in so many interesting poses!

Great Job! First Grade Pop up books are a great way to tell a story. The first graders used their lessons on fairy tales as inspiration for creating their own pop ups designs for great 3D effects. Knights, dragons, princesses, and more favorites were drawn, cut out, and placed in the scene of their own creation. There was a great variety in the work and the class had fun sharing their creations with others. Awesome job!

Second Grade The second graders made beautiful kites in keeping with their lessons about the weather. Using lollipop sticks, paper, and yarn, they created a variety of colorful designs that will look fantastic on display in the classroom. A healthy mix of skills were required to complete this project! Great Job! Third Grade The third graders completed a lesson called "grid system portrait drawing." Drawing an accurate portrait is one of the most difficult things to render and students are often intimidated by it. This lesson relived some of that tension and gave them the confidence that they need to believe in themselves that they can do it. Using a grid overlay on a small portrait of George Washington, the students transcribed what was visible in each square to a much larger grid. Completing one square at a time they could build a very accurate drawing with details they never thought they could capture - simply by studying each square and not being concerned about "the big picture." The class had a fun time with this lesson as they study the Presidents!

Fourth Grade The fourth graders began a lesson called "grid system portrait drawing." Drawing an accurate portrait is one of the most difficult things to render and students are often intimidated by it. This lesson relived some of that tension and gave them the confidence that they need to believe in themselves that they can do it. Using a grid overlay on a small portrait of a distinguished Navajo chief, the students transcribed what was visible in each square to a much larger grid. Completing one square at a time they could build a very accurate drawing with details they never thought they could capture - simply by studying each square and not being concerned about "the big picture." Our past experience with gray-scale drawing will help us finish this lesson next week!

Fifth Grade This week the fifth grade class explored watercolor illustration techniques. Working from photographs of nature, the class drew with a fine line waterproof pen. Into the drawing they added color with watercolor pencils allowing them to place color exactly where they liked. Using a wet brush, the colors where dramatically brought to life and were able to be blended together for fantastic results! We’ll use this technique next class to create a more finished piece.

11

10 December 2004

WEEK 13 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten In preparation for the class Holiday Party, we created paper chains. Using colored paper, glitter, and metallic pencils, each student made a variety of styled links which were then joined together for beautiful decoration. Be sure to look for their work on display during their class party!

First Grade In keeping with the students' studies of Fairy Tales, they created magic wands! Using air-dry clay, they added custom colors, gems, glitter, metallic pipe cleaners, ribbons and more for great results. These mini sculptures were very unique and the young wizards were anxious to take them home - perhaps to turn a sibling into a toad! Great job!

Second Grade This week Ms. Lynn's class got a jump on the Holidays and created personalized wreaths for hanging. Using their own hand as a guide, each student traced the shape many times on green paper. After cutting them out, the green hands were arranged on a paper plate with the center cut out. Red paper cut for berries and bows made their creations complete. Many students want to hang their work up at home as the welcome guests over break. Good job!

Third Grade The idea of creating 3D shapes from 2D shapes was explored this week, with holiday ornaments as the result. Students created complex stencil shapes cut from many pieces of paper. These flat sheets were folded and glued together to create a new shape "in-the-round". Trees, stars, snowflakes, and more were then decorated with glitter for added effect. This was a challenging lesson that required attention for direction and focus on the task at hand. Great job!

Fourth Grade This week we began looking at the geometric beauty of stained glass work by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright was one of great influence to this part of Arizona through his innovative designs in all the arts - especially architecture. We are off to a great start as the students are creating their own compositions inspired by Wright's designs. Well done!

Fifth Grade The fifth graders finished work on a Chinese-themed art project called "Enter The Dragon!" Each student had the challenge of creating an intricately detailed and stylized Chinese dragon, complete with body segments (head, abdomen sections, arms and legs, tail) that fit together. This required coordination and planning under a time constraint to yield the parts needed to make the dragon complete. The parts were joined together with brass fasteners to create the final result. We also discussed the significance of the dragon in Chinese culture - that the Chinese believe they are the symbolic descendants of the dragon. Awesome!

12

17 December 2004

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 14

Kindergarten Sharing our creations is one of the many joys of art. This week the students created adorable greeting cards in the shape of a gingerbread house. The basic shape was cut from brown construction paper then details such as windows, icicles, candy canes and more were added to personalize their designs. Special messages inside made the cards complete.

Happy Holidays!

First Grade This week's art time was shortened due to a field trip but we used our time to do a mini-lesson inspired by the holiday season. Using our hand and foot prints as stencils we created a cute reindeer craft. We traced our feet for the head and hands for the antler,s then assembled the pieces, added eyes, a nose, name collars and other details to make our works complete.

Great job!

Second Grade The second grade completed a neat cross-curriculum lesson on weather and folk art. As useful tool turned decorative object, the earliest weathervanes were very simple carvings of animals such as fish and roosters. Eventually, more designs began to emerge as arrows, cows, pigs and angels started to appear on rooftops all across North America. We constructed our own from cardboard, popsicle sticks and foam. We don't have many weathervanes in Arizona, but the class sure came through and did an excellent job!

Third Grade This week the third graders created fantastic paper snowflake cards. First we made simple snowflakes from paper. The cut designs were then pasted onto a piece of folded construction paper for a great winter card. Students used metallic pencils for special effects on the outside and personalized messages to loved ones on the inside. Nice job!

Fourth Grade Pop up holiday cards were made by the class this week. Using simple cut shapes to create dimension within a folded card, the class made very complex designs with this simple technique. Christmas trees, presents, menorahs, snowmen and more popped with great 3D effect. Personalized messages made their cards complete. Great job!

Fifth Grade This week the fifth graders continued the assignment of designing the movie production of the book, "A Wrinkle In Time."

We discussed the creative process for characters, props, and locations being inspired from their literature studies. We also discussed designs for popular movies. We then began concept drawing for characters such as Meg, Charles Wallace, Calvin, the Mrs. W's, and locations where the story takes place. We also began designing our movie posters, talking about how a single, strong image can grab attention and say so much. We'll complete this assignment at our next meeting.

13

14

“A SCHOOL IN WHICH NO TWO CLASSROOMS LOOK ALIKE, NO SCHOOL DAY REPEATS THE ONE BEFORE, AND NO CHILD MISSES AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, SHARE, AND GROW.”

15

7 January 2005

WEEK 15 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten As the young ones study simple machines, this week the students created wonderful collages of the ultimate machine the humanoid robot! The young ones were very inventive with the many features and functions their robots perform and decorated them with metallic crayons, gems, strings, foil, sequins and more. What great machine effects they created!

First Grade The legend "Coyote Brings Fire" was the inspiration for this week's art lesson. The class listened intently to this great Native American legend of the cunning coyote that steal fire from the fire demons to share with others during the harsh winter.

Then using chalk and black paper the students rendered their favorite scenes in wonderful colors. The chalk created a dream-like look great for this story. We'll bind the drawings together into a book for in-class reading. Great job!

Second Grade The second grade completed another neat cross-curriculum lesson on weather. As a class we discussed the many types of clouds and the weather associated with each. Using white paint, sky-blue paper, straws, and our own wind power we blew around the paint to create a scene of complicated, abstract cloud shapes. After the paint dried the students added extra details like rain, birds, airplanes, rainbows and more to make the compositions complete.

Third Grade This week the third graders got a new perspective on the world of drawing. Our work typically looks very flat and twodimensional, but using the system of 1 and 2 point perspective we can render the world much as we see it with depth and dimension. Mr. McDaniel coached the students through a technique to yield a variety of 3D shapes within space, discussed terms like "horizon line," "vanishing points," "light source," "foreground/background," and more. The students had a great time seeing their 3D shapes emerge. They can do it!

Fourth Grade As the class continues to study what makes Arizona so special, we used our art time to create a piece on fashion common to our state: the bola tie! Using colored foam, yarn, feathers, glue and glitter each student created a unique design that looked fantastic around their neck. Stylin'!

Fifth Grade This week the class had fun with a Chinese puzzle called a Tangram. Also know as "the seven pieces of cleverness" this project required students to arrange 7 geometric puzzle pieces into abstract yet recognizable designs. Swans, rabbits, turtles and other designs required problem solving and abstract imagination. Students recorded their work on a grid labeled with Chinese numerals we also learned to draw. Hao hao!

16

14 January 2005

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 16

Kindergarten In honor of Martin Luther King Day, the kindergarten class created a box of crayons. We discussed how each one of us is unique (like a color of crayon) but when we all work together we can create beautiful things. Each student decorated a large crayon template and when they finished we placed them in a large crayon box titled, "Ms. Kate's and Mr. Jared's Crayons."

Great Job! First Grade As the class finishes studying legends, myths, and fairy tales, we used our art time to create mysterious masks. Things aren't always as the seem in these stories and masks often hide one's true intent. The class was very inventive with their disguises and the materials they used to make their designs complete. Fantastical!

Second Grade In honor of Martin Luther King Day, the class completed realistic portraits of MLK using a technique called "grid system portrait drawing." Drawing an accurate portrait is one of the most difficult things to render and students are often intimidated by it. Using a grid overlay on a small portrait, the students transcribed what was visible in each square to a much larger grid. Completing one square at a time they could build a very accurate drawing with details they never thought they could capture - simply by studying each square and not being concerned about "the big picture." They added their own colors to their drawings for fantastic results!

Third Grade As the third graders refine their cursive skills, we used our art time to explore the beauty of calligraphy. Creating letterforms with added flair is a great way to combine communication and art. We learned to use a chisel point pen for great thicks and thins that made our letters have exceptional style!

Fourth Grade Arizona is blessed with beautiful sunsets. We used our art time this week to experiment and explore simple watercolor painting techniques to capture the spectacular shapes and colors we see in the desert Southwest. We also discussed terms such as foreground, background, horizon, cropping, and warm and cold color palettes. Nice work!

Fifth Grade This week the class explored the beautiful craft of Chinese paper cutting. Paper-cuttings are one of China's most popular forms of visual art. Paper cuttings have been a traditional art form that can be traced back to the 6th century and are mainly used as decorations and patterns for religious and ornamental purposes. We created our designs taking inspiration from a variety of Chinese symbols including honesty, truth, happiness, etc. Some students even used their own names translated into Chinese. Well done!

17

21 January 2005

WEEK 17 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten In keeping with their pet theme, the class completed a fun project called "Super Pets." The class talked about the many different animals that make excellent pets and those that are not so welcome as pets. We wondered aloud what would make for the ultimate pet. Using nature magazines as a source of animal photos, the class cut out heads, tails, patterns and more to create a hybrid pet of their own design. The collage animals were amazingly inventive!

First Grade The first graders completed a lesson called "advanced scribble drawing" which required planning and problem solving, much like a math problem or science experiment. They started by making a large scribble on a large piece of paper.

Choosing three colors, a specific set of rules was used for which colors may go in which spaces. No same colors could touch. If the students didn't adequately plan, they might color themselves into a corner where they can't use any of the three colors to fill a space. They did a great job of planning ahead and solving problems creatively when they occurred.

Coloring was never so challenging!

Second Grade This week the class learned to build very complex drawings using supersmall units. A single geometric or organic shape by itself is not so interesting. But when those shapes multiply like a virus the class learned to "grow" a drawing of incredible complexity. Their papers were filled with small units interacting with each other creating an impressive effect. Hints of color activated their units even more. Great job!

Third Grade As the third graders begin studying Pacific Island cultures we learned about the ancient art of Australian Aboriginal dot painting. The traditional paintings are their way of depicting reality through a short story, which has not changed for over 50,000 years. Our drawings consisted of hundreds of dots, requiring dedicated concentration. Great job!

Fourth Grade Arizona is blessed with beautiful sunsets. We used our art time this week to FINISH exploring simple watercolor painting techniques to capture the spectacular shapes and colors we see to the west. We also discussed terms such as foreground, background, horizon, cropping, and warm and cold color palettes. This week we finished our sky, added a foreground with vegetation, city lights and other details. The class couldn't help but stare at their great work. Beautiful!

Fifth Grade This week the fifth graders experienced the painting style of abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock (1912-1956). While his spatter-paint technique may look easy, the class found that a lot of control is required to drip the paint where they wanted it. The results were very impressive as they experimented with different moods of color, line qualities, and atmospheres.

They really impressed themselves with their "action paintings!"

18

28 January 2005

“Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 18

Kindergarten With the Chinese New Year coming up in early February, we used our art time to create fantastic paper dragons! The Chinese consider themselves the symbolic descendants of the dragon which plays a powerful role in their culture. We created our own with paper, craft sticks, glitter, and lots of bright colors. Yao! Yao! First Grade The first graders spent their art time exploring the fantastical work of Gustav Klimt. Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter (born in 1862, died in 1918) and painted in the Art Nouveau Style. Klimt painted in a style which was very decorative and quite symbolic. Many of the images in his work had hidden meaning. His most well-known work is "The Kiss". The class built their own Klimt style compositions using geometric and organic shapes together with strategic color placement. We found that the students liked comparing their final products with an actual work, seeing how they could build up to such a complicated work and how it was all made up of simple shapes. Great Job! Second Grade As the class begins studying the qualities of leadership, we began our time discussing the qualities of a good leader: Honesty, truthfulness, integrity, trustworthiness, and more. The students then created a personal campaign poster that communicated a positive message to others. Bold text, bright colors, simple messages, and other qualities of a good poster were used to get their ideas and qualities seen by others. Great job!

Third Grade Wednesday was Australia Day! The class has begun learning about Pacific cultures so it was great timing that we used native animals as inspiration for a lesson in scratchboard art. This form of art is popular among artists and creates beautiful results.

It also requires great diligence and technical precision. We are off to a great start on this lesson as the students render koalas, kiwi birds, and kangaroos. We'll finish next week!

Fourth Grade Following the fourth graders' current rainforest studies the classes created lavishly detailed rainsticks, using recycled and recyclable materials. The rainstick is a type of tubular rattle that throughout the ages, has been used by many cultures in various ways. The rainstick has an unusual structure that mimics the sound of rain falling on the leaves. Using paper towel tubes, coffee filters, rubber bands, beads, bird seed, feathers, and other materials, the decorated tubes were decorated in a variety of tribal and natural patterns to be used during this unit’s rainforest party. And it looks like rain is in this Saturday's forecast!

Fifth Grade As they continue to study China, the first grade students explored the art found in the tomb of Chin She Huang Di, the first Emperor of China. He conquered and united China to become its First Emperor, built the Great Wall, and amassed great works of art. The students completed the assignment of recreating a small fraction of the 6000 full-size figures buried with the Emperor to protect his tomb. The paper models took 1 period to complete, unlike the 26 years spent by the Emperor's 70,000 artisans! The results are on display in each classroom and look very impressive!

19

4 February 2005

WEEK 19 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten No class due to Kindergarten field trip.

First Grade The first grade class made paper sculptures related to their studies of spiders and insects. Using paper, markers, scissors, glue and other materials, the young ones created fantastic looking spiders. These complex creatures offer a lot of art inspiration with their many legs, eyes, mandibles, and color patterns. The students did a great job and every creation was unique!

Second Grade As we approach the Chinese New Year, the second graders were introduced to the ancient art of Chinese brush painting.

We learned the basics of this style including how to hold a brush and how to use simple strokes to create elegant images.

Bamboo, dragonflies, leaves, flowers, fruit, and more were painted with subtle sophistication. Great job!

Third Grade This week the third graders used their art time to complete a lesson in scratchboard art. This form of art is popular among artists and creates beautiful results. It also requires great diligence and technical precision. The class did a fantastic job rendering koalas, kiwi birds, and kangaroos. This week they couldn't wait to get started on their creations!

Fourth Grade In keeping with the fourth graders new theme of the machines of invention, we examined the diverse work of the ultimate inventor, Leonardo da Vinci. We looked at his writing style (backwards!), military invention drawings, and perhaps the world's most famous painting, "Mona Lisa." We talked about the painting's technique, subject matter, and composition, then tried our hand at copying this masterpiece. The results were fantastic and the interpretations diverse. Great job, young apprentices!

Fifth Grade The fifth graders began a lesson called "grid system portrait drawing." Drawing an accurate portrait is one of the most difficult things to render and students are often intimidated by it. This lesson relived some of that tension and gave them the confidence that they need to believe in themselves that they can do it. Using a grid overlay on images from Apollo Missions 11 and 12 to the Moon, the students transcribed what was visible in each square to a much larger grid.

Completing one square at a time they could build a very accurate drawing with details they never thought they could capture - simply by studying each square and not being concerned about "the big picture." Our past experience with grayscale drawing will help us finish this lesson beautifully!

20

11 February 2005

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 20

Kindergarten Two Session Update: Earlier in the week the class was introduced to the ancient art of Chinese brush painting. We learned the basics of this style including how to hold a brush and how to use simple strokes to create elegant images. Bamboo, dragonflies, leaves, flowers, fruit, and more were painted with great results. This week the class created beautiful paper lanterns. The Chinese use these lanterns in their celebrations and so provided us with an excellent project the kids loved.

A sheet of paper was decorated with Chinese characters for happiness, long life, etc., then cut in strips to open up the paper. We then wrapped the paper around and added a handle for the finishing touch. Great!

First Grade The first grade spent their art time working with our young guests from Taiwan. We had the privilege of having the champion youth yo-yo team visit our school to share their amazing talents in the IMC. After the performance we joined them outside to learn the basics of this fun and challenging sport. Great job!

Second Grade In observance of the Chinese New Year, the class used their recently learned Chinese brush techniques to explore calligraphy. We learned to render simple Chinese characters using a grid as a helpful guide. Then we moved on to more challenging characters as we painted and decorated small banners. Good work!

Third Grade In observance of the Chinese New Year, the third graders were introduced to the ancient art of Chinese brush painting.

We learned the basics of this style including how to hold a brush and how to use simple strokes to create elegant images.

Bamboo, dragonflies, leaves, flowers, fruit, and more were painted with subtle sophistication. We also learned to write some simple Chinese characters using this same brush technique and a helpful grid system. Great job!

Fourth Grade In observance of the Chinese New Year, the fourth graders used their recently learned Chinese painting techniques to compose a watercolor painting of their own design. Bamboo, fruit, flowers, trees, insects, and more were arranged with subtle sophistication, very much in the Chinese style. We also learned to write some simple Chinese characters using this same brush technique to add even more personal touches to their work. Excellent work!

Fifth Grade Grade 5 spent their art time exploring the fantastical work of Gustav Klimt - our featured Artist of the Week. Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter (born in 1862, died in 1918) and painted in the Art Nouveau Style. Klimt's early work was rather realistic in nature, but later in his life he began to paint in a much more innovative and imaginative way until eventually his creations were very decorative and quite symbolic - that many of the images in his work had hidden meaning. His most well-known work is "The Kiss". The class built their own Klimt style compositions using geometric and organic shapes together with strategic color placement. We found that the students liked comparing their final products with an actual work, seeing how they could build up to such a complicated work and how it was all made up of simple shapes. The fifth graders will complete their work next week and be adding final details in gold paint.

21

18 February 2005

WEEK 21 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten No class due to Holiday.

First Grade This week the first grade used their art time to do a bit of finishing work on their insect dioramas. These dioramas are a great way for the students to create mini environments using simple paper parts and sculpted insects for a great 3-D effect.

The class was very creative with the materials they used creating indoor and outdoor scenes with their spiders lurking where you'd least expect!

Second Grade This week Mrs. Springfield's class completed the Chinese calligraphy lesson exploring traditional brush techniques. We learned to render simple Chinese characters using a grid as a helpful guide. Ms. Beairsto's class explored the style of Pablo Picasso, looking at some of his more abstract paintings and creating a piece of our own. Great job!

Third Grade Continuing our exploration of Pacific art and culture, the third graders began construction beautiful paper flower leis. These garlands were worn by ancient Hawaiians to beautify themselves and distinguish themselves from others. With the advent of tourism in the islands, the lei quickly became the symbol of Hawaii to millions of visitors worldwide. Our own versions using folded tissue and yarn capture the brilliant colors of the genuine article! Great work!

Fourth Grade Grade 4 spent their art time exploring the fantastical work of Gustav Klimt - our Featured Artist. Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter (born in 1862, died in 1918) and painted in the Art Nouveau Style. Klimt's early work was rather realistic in nature, but later in his life he began to paint in a much more innovative and imaginative way until eventually his creations were very decorative and quite symbolic - that many of the images in his work had hidden meaning. His most well-known work is "The Kiss". The class built their own Klimt style compositions using geometric and organic shapes together with strategic color placement. We found that the students liked comparing their final products with an actual work, seeing how they could build up to such a complicated work and how it was all made up of simple shapes. The fourth graders will complete their work next week and be adding final details in gold paint.

Fifth Grade This week the fifth graders became familiar with some of the early US space missions as we constructed paper models of some of the more well known space capsules. Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space craft were built buy cutting, folding and rolling construction paper in to complex shapes. Intricate details such as retro rockets, vents, hatches, latches and more made each of the creations unique. We'll display or work near the moon journals and nebula paintings already in the classroom. Far out!

22

25 February 2005

“Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 22

Kindergarten As the class continues to learn about China and its culture, we used our art time to create beautiful copies of Chinese porcelain with the famous "Willow" pattern. This pattern, rendered in blue on cream colored earthenware, tells the love story of Koong-se, a beautiful women who falls in love with a man said to be unworthy of her. The complex design shows her entire story on the plate's surface filled with temples, doves, trees, bridges, and more. Great work!

First Grade This week the first grade class completed the Chinese calligraphy lesson exploring traditional brush techniques. We learned to render simple Chinese characters using a grid as a helpful guide. Then we went on to render characters on their own after learning the basic writing strokes. They became comfortable with the technique quickly! Great job!

Second Grade As the class prepares for their “Tall Tales” performance we used our art time to explore the geometric designs of pioneer quilts. This lesson required lots of planning for a good fit of our cut paper shapes and a good eye for color next to color.

We'll combine our individual squares in to a large composition for use in their on-stage performance. Well done!

Third Grade The third grade explored the ideas of symmetry, balance, and the push and pull of color by exploring the modern, Abstract Expressionist art of Paul Klee, our Artist of the Week. Klee used geometric shapes of color to create patterns and moods in his paintings. The class talked about his piece "Alter Klang", noting the technique and colors and the feelings they create.

We then created our own Klee style paintings using a stamping technique with moody colors. We compared our work to his with fantastic results.

Fourth Grade Grade 4 completed exploring the fantastical work of Gustav Klimt - our Featured Artist. Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter (born in 1862, died in 1918) and painted in the Art Nouveau Style. The class built their own Klimt style compositions using geometric and organic shapes together with strategic color placement. We found that the students liked comparing their final products with an actual work, seeing how they could build up to such a complicated work and how it was all made up of simple shapes. The fourth graders completed their work by adding final details in gold paint.

Fifth Grade Comic books and graphic novels are something that all the fifth graders are familiar with. This week we looked at the pop art style of Roy Lichtenstein who produced paintings showing characters from comic-strip frames. We created our own versions using his devices such as Ben-Day dots, lettering and speech balloons. We'll finish our large-scale drawings the next time we meet!

23

4 March 2005

WEEK 23 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten As the young begin learning about plants, seeds, and growing, we used our art time to learn about one of America's greatest artists - Georgia O'Keefe. We viewed and discussed her giant, abstract flower paintings. We also discussed drawing, composition, the difference between realistic and abstract, and knowing warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows), cool colors (blues, greens, violets), and the moods that colors can create. We created our own abstract flower compositions working with our new understanding of the power of color. We covered a lot of ground! Well Done!

First Grade This week the students learned about the color wheel by discussing the importance of color as it relates to fresh fruits and vegetables - nutrition being one of their current themes. We expect foods to be a particular color for freshness and health.

What if we changed the colors? Using the color wheel, we colored our drawings of our favorite foods the direct compliment of what is expected. Lemons turned purple! Pumpkins turned blue! Yellow eggplant?! The class had a great time using the color wheel and got a kick out of using opposite and unusual colors for common foods. They'll keep an eye on the School Garden that all the colors are as they should be!

Second Grade Mrs. Springfield's class completed last week's human figure drawing lesson. Using 1/6 scale, posable maquettes, we examined the basic shapes of cylinders, ovals, and boxes to render complex poses in accurate proportions. We avoided details such as faces, clothes, fingers, etc. that may have slowed us down, but added highlights and shadows to show volume and dimension. Miss Lynn and Miss Robin's class examined the storytelling nature of "I and the Village," a painting

by Marc Chagall. The class did an excellent job of reinterpreting this famous work's composition, coloring, and symbols.

They were very proud of their work!

Third Grade Continuing our exploration of Pacific art and culture, the third graders constructed fantastic paper models of the Kon Tiki sail boat. Using just a few sheets of construction paper and some simple folding techniques we created a fantastic fleet of 3D ships! Each student added so much detail to their paper models, creating ships with real personality. We arranged the fleet and it was very impressive as we talked about courage, risk taking, and Thor Heyerdahl's famous 1947 journey on the Pacific Ocean.

Fourth Grade This week the fourth grade class began creating the components for an Op Art self portrait. Optical illusions are often used in modern art for great effect. We are building 3 prism patterns for coloring and use within a silhouette profile. We'll place this shape on black paper for a striking look. Keep up the good work!

Fifth Grade This week we finished exploring the Pop Art style of Roy Lichtenstein who produced paintings showing characters from comic-strip frames. We created our own versions using his devices such as Ben-Day dots, lettering and speech balloons.

The class did a great job on this extended lesson requiring great diligence applying individual dots of cyan magenta and black to create the illusion of different colors when viewed from a distance!

24

11 March 2005

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 24

Kindergarten Lately, he young ones have been very interested in the art of cartoons. We used our art time to talk about the basic arrangements that cartoons have and how they follow a sequence of storytelling. Then they received step-by-step instructions on how to draw cartoons using basic shapes to create something more complex. Characters included a French chef, a bunny that loves carrots, a walrus, a superhero, and more. Many added "word balloons" for a humorous touch.

First Grade This week we took advantage of the beautiful weather and had our art lesson outside. Using the school garden as inspiration, we explored a drawing style used by naturalists. We learned to closely record the unique details of a variety of plants using pencil, then added accurate colors and shading for a very realistic look. The class really enjoyed this naturalist illustration technique!

Second Grade This week the second graders explored the modern "Dada" style. Dada was known for its playful, nonsensical look which defied intellectual analysis. We examined works in and not of this style, comparing and contrasting. We then created our own drawings with fantastic results. Great job!

Third Grade This week the class began work on an auction item to benefit our school. We decorated tiles which will be used as a frame for a bulletin board featuring each student's name translated into Chinese. We utilized a brush technique learned a few weeks ago to draw the characters and add colorful details to make each tile unique. Great job, class! Special thanks to Mrs. Peruch and Mrs. Sim for helping to organize this lesson!

Fourth Grade This week the fourth grade class assembled the components for an Op Art self portrait. Optical illusions are often used in modern art for great effect. We placed our prismatic designs and coloring within a silhouette profile. We then placed this shape on black paper for a striking look.

Fifth Grade Photographs of nebulae in outer space are some of the most beautiful images ever taken. We created clouds of glowing gases, star clusters, and fantastic colors can be created using special techniques of color mixing, metallic effects, and a little wind power for natural looking results. A sprinkling of white paint for stars near and far made the works complete as we extend their current science theme. The class was very impressed with their work that was truly out of this world!

25

18 March 2005

WEEK 25 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten This week we took advantage of the beautiful weather and had our art lesson outside. Using the school’s vegetable garden as inspiration, we explored a drawing style used by naturalists. We learned to closely record the unique details of a variety of plants using pencil, then added accurate colors and shading for a very realistic look. The class really enjoyed this naturalist illustration technique!

First Grade No class due to first grade field trip.

Second Grade The second grade class completed a lesson exploring a variety of paper folding techniques to create a diverse collection of puppets. Dogs, cat, mice, frogs, bats, lizards and more sprung into 3D with wings, tails, tongues, fins, etc. to make them complete. Once they got started they couldn't stop!

Third Grade The third graders began concept sketches for a sun safety poster-drawing contest. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Department of Health Services, and the SHADE Foundation are sponsoring a contest to increase awareness about sun safety.

The artwork that they create will be used for a state-wide skin cancer prevention program. This is a great chance for our students to show off their talents and learn about sun safety at the same time! We'll use our sketches to render the final, entry version next week.

Fourth Grade The fourth graders began concept sketches for a sun safety poster-drawing contest. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Department of Health Services, and the SHADE Foundation are sponsoring a contest to increase awareness about sun safety.

The artwork that they create will be used for a state-wide skin cancer prevention program. This is a great chance for our students to show off their talents and learn about sun safety at the same time! We'll use our sketches to render the final, entry version next week.

Fifth Grade The fifth graders began concept sketches for a sun safety poster-drawing contest. The Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Department of Health Services, and the SHADE Foundation are sponsoring a contest to increase awareness about sun safety.

The artwork that they create will be used for a state-wide skin cancer prevention program. This is a great chance for our students to show off their talents and learn about sun safety at the same time! We'll use our sketches to render the final, entry version next week.

26

1 April 2005

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 26

Kindergarten This week the class explored the Mexican art of Diego Rivera. We looked closely at his painting "Retrato de Ignacio Sanchez" and talked about simple shapes, colors, mood, and the subject of everyday living of the Mexican people.The class did a fantastic job of interpreting what they saw in to their own creations!

First Grade After completing their "Sun Wise" safety posters, the class completed their two week assignment of creating a fairy tale and nursery rhyme coloring book. The pages they created featured favorite tales which were bound together with beautiful covers. The books will be colored at their leisure or shared with a friend.

Second Grade This week the second graders completed a lesson we call "Name Aliens and Monsters." Combining their lessons in cursive handwriting and their coming theme of outer space, we created some bizarre are unique creatures. The drawings were made by writing our names large on a lengthwise folded piece of paper. A mirror image of the name was drawn beneath it - baseline to baseline. The resulting shapes gave us inspiration for many eyes, arms, scales and more. We finished our drawings with planets, stars, and other cosmic details.

Third Grade After completing their "Sun Wise" safety posters, the class explored the works of M.C. Escher, his graphic techniques and tessellations. The students created their own illusionistic works being aware of contrasts and positive and negative shapes.

Fourth Grade This week the fourth grade class was busy creating various backdrops from their production of the Dr. Seuss classic, "The Lorax." The students were divided into teams to create their wonderful and inventive scenery. Afterwards, many students had a craving for green eggs and ham...

Fifth Grade This week the class combined their lessons of outer space with design and engineering drawing. The class discussed the demands of space travel and what a crew and its mission may require. Each student designed a space craft full of mechanical and scientific details, rendered in white pencil on blue paper for a authentic blueprint look! We'll add the finishing touches next time we meet!

27

8 April 2005

WEEK 27 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten No class due to Holiday.

First Grade In keeping with the students' studies of Fairy Tales, they created magic wands! Using air-dry clay, they added custom colors, gems, glitter, metallic pipe cleaners, ribbons and more for great results. These mini sculptures were very unique and the Young wizards were anxious to take them home - perhaps to turn a sibling into a toad!

Second Grade The second graders completed a cross-curriculum lesson related to their study of tall tales. As a class we discussed the many stories behind the naming of constellations using star charts and the zodiac. Greek gods like Jupiter, Mars, and Venus were Also discussed. We then created star charts and constellations of our own using glitter paints, brushes, and toothpicks for drawing and lettering. Each student painted something unique in their stars. Out of this world!

Third Grade Frieda kalon (July 6, 1907-July 13, 1954) was a Mexican artist who painted many self portraits, depicting herself in Mexican dress, often accompanied by her pets and lush vegetation. kalon married the artist Diego Rivera in 1929. She was one Of Mexico’s best known artists and is best known for paintings which exalted the feminine quality of truth, reality, and Suffering. The class did an excellent job recreating one of her paintings called "Self Portrait with Monkey." Look for them In the IMC! Fourth Grade The fourth graders completed another rainforest-themed project by recreating the look of Mbyte pygmy textile designs.

We began by looking at examples of their work exploring a variety of themes. The Mbyte work rapidly, with "intensive Energy," improvising their abstract patterns and gestural shapes in a fluid, stream-of-consciousness style. We tried to copy This mindset as they students painted their own designs in the Mbyte style on hide-colored papers. Look for the works decorating the classrooms!

Fifth Grade This week the class explored the drawing that make up the Egyptian writing system called hieroglyphics. In ancient days these pictures were used to communicate their spoken language. Using a helpful chart, each student used a potion of the hieroglyphic alphabet that corresponds to the sounds of the English alphabet to write their name. These "cartouches" were then rendered on real sheets of papyrus for an authentic look! We'll finish up next week with added details added in colorful paints. The class decided they would much rather be a "scribe" than drag stones to build a pyramid!

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15 April 2005

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 28

Kindergarten The kindergarten class made paper sculptures related to their studies of the ocean. Using paper, markers, scissors, glue and glitter, the young ones created beautiful octopi. These complex creatures offer a lot of art inspiration with their many arms, eyes, ink, beaks, and tentacles. The students did a great job and every creation was unique!

First Grade Continuing of study of color, this week the first graders explored pointillism. Pointillism is a technique used to represent the shadows and highlights of a picture using dots. It creates a great look with impressive results. It is also very time consuming!

We built up our own images of nature using watercolor pencils. When the drawing was complete we misted them with water to bring out the colors and create some fantastic blends of color!

Second Grade In preparation for the upcoming Cinco de Mayo celebracion, the second graders created unique Mexican artwork. Papel picado (punched paper), refers to the traditional art of decorative cut paper banners. Papel picado are usually cut with sharp fierritos (small chisels) from as many as fifty layers of colored tissue paper at a time. Designs may use lattice-work, images of human and animal figures, flowers, and lettering. Many papel picado are strung together to create festive, colorful decorations for celebrations. We created our own versions using colorful tissue paper folded many times, then cutting out complex shapes much like a paper snowflake. Bueno!

Third Grade In preparation for the upcoming Cinco de Mayo celebration, the third graders created Mexican bean bracelets. Coffee cozies were decorated with a variety of colored beans, paper, paints, ribbons, and glitter for a fantastic look! We'll be sure to wear these at the upcoming fiesta. Bueno!

Fourth Grade What if reptiles ruled the earth? This is the question the fourth graders answered in this week's art lesson. The class has learned a lot about a variety of reptiles from Friday's visiting guests and they are using what they've learned by designing a variety of intelligent reptiles. Humans might wear alligator shoes - what about reptiles? Would the males be dominant?

Would they use tools? Would they have a writing system? A religion? Pets? Evolution continues to run amok!

Fifth Grade As the fifth graders study Egypt, the class explored the Egyptian drawing style on frontalism. Every example of Egyptian art from any time period strictly adheres to this style. In reliefs or paintings, frontalism means that the head of the character is Always drawn in profile, while the body is seen from the front. Although the face is to the side, the eye is drawn in full. The legs are turned to the same side as the head, with one foot placed in front of the other. The head is at right angles to the body. The stance of the body is severe, but the faces are calm and serene, and almost always tilted slightly towards the sky.

Looking at examples of stele, the students rendered brightly color compositions of their own design. We found it amazing that for thousands of years, this was the one and only style!

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22 April 2005

WEEK 29 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten As a class continues to explore the theme of growth and change, we took the opportunity to talk about the planting of seeds. We examined a variety of beans, seeds, seed pods, nuts and shells and had a fun time guessing what grows from within. We then created our own “seed pods” by cutting large sheets of construction paper in to different seed shapes and pods. A zig-zag cut down the middle “cracks” the seed open and is hinged with a brass fastener, allowing it to open and close. Plants, flowers, stems, sprouts, stalks were cut in to segments and hinged with brass fasteners, allowing then to articulate and “grow.” Combining all the elements gave us a piece of kinetic art - the seed opens and the plant grows up and out from within - step by step!

First Grade This week the two first grade classes created beautiful flowers for use in the Cinco de Mayo Celebration. Using a traditional Mexican technique of folding and cutting tissue paper, the students made bunches of these flowers that can be seen in the IMC. Beautiful work!

Second Grade The second graders completed a jewelry lesson in conjunction with their current theme of friendship. The students have really gotten to know each other well as we approach the end of the school year, and this was a chance for them to make something special to share. Using safety pins and a variety of beads large and small, the students experimented with colors, patterns, and themes. Necklaces, broaches, bracelets and pins took shape with dazzling effect. Each student worked diligently and their fine motor skills were pushed to the max! Nice work!

Third Grade This week the third graders got a new perspective on the world of drawing. Our work typically looks very flat and twodimensional, but using the system of 2 point perspective we can render the world much as we see it with depth and dimension. Mr. McDaniel coached the students through a technique to yield a variety of 3D shapes within space, discussed terms like “horizon line,” “vanishing points,” “light source,” “foreground/background” and more. The students had a great time seeing their own shapes emerge in this lesson.

Fourth Grade This week the fourth graders looked at the work of Gabriel Fernandez Ledesma and his painting "Industrial Landscape."

Ledesma (1900-1983) was a well-known Mexican painter known for depicting everyday life in Mexico. This slice-of-life painting showed Mexico as it was becoming an industrialized nation. Our students did an excellent job recreating his art for use in our school's Cinco de Mayo Celebration.

Fifth Grade The fifth grade class continued exploring Egyptian art as they completed transcribing their translations onto real papyrus from an earlier lesson. The young scribes created their individual cartouches with fine detail then moved on to carving an Egyptian scarab beetle from a bar of green aloe vera soap. The carvings looked very authentic as if carved from marble or jade. The students especially enjoyed using a variety of carving and sculpting tools. Great Job!

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29 April 2005

“Tessergram� Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 30

Kindergarten The class is currently working with our Resident Artist Mrs. Carrie Curran. She is a well known local artist known for her representational work in oil and watercolor paints. We are exploring the qualities of color mixing, composition, and fun painting techniques. We are enjoying her perspective and the new challenges she is presenting to us! Be sure to look for our works on display May 1st at the Spring Fling!

First Grade The class is currently working with our Resident Artist Mrs. Carrie Curran. She is a well known local artist known for her representational work in oil and watercolor paints. We are exploring the qualities of color mixing, composition, and fun painting techniques. We are enjoying her perspective and the new challenges she is presenting to us, especially in working our still life paintings! Be sure to look for our works on display May 1st at the Spring Fling!

Second Grade The class is currently working with our Resident Artist Mrs. Carrie Curran. She is a well known local artist known for her representational work in oil and watercolor paints. We are exploring the qualities of color mixing, composition, and fun painting techniques. We are enjoying her perspective and the new challenges she is presenting to us, especially in working on our portrait projects! Be sure to look for our works on display May 1st at the Spring Fling!

Third Grade The class is currently working with our Resident Artist Mrs. Carrie Curran. She is a well known local artist known for her representational work in oil and watercolor paints. We are exploring the qualities of color mixing, composition, and fun painting techniques. We are enjoying her perspective and the new challenges she is presenting to us, especially in working on our landscape projects! Be sure to look for our works on display May 1st at the Spring Fling!

Fourth Grade The class is currently working with our Resident Artist Mrs. Carrie Curran. She is a well known local artist known for her representational work in oil and watercolor paints. We are exploring the qualities of shading, composition, and fun drawing techniques. We are enjoying her perspective and the new challenges she is presenting to us, especially in working on our self portraits! Be sure to look for our works on display May 1st at the Spring Fling!

Fifth Grade The class is currently working with our Resident Artist Mrs. Carrie Curran. She is a well known local artist known for her representational work in oil and watercolor paints. We are exploring the qualities of color mixing, composition, and fun painting techniques. We are enjoying her perspective and the new challenges she is presenting to us, especially in working on our figure paintings rendered in watercolor! Be sure to look for our works on display May 1st at the Spring Fling!

Learn more about Carrie Curran Studio at: www.carriecurranart.com

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6 May 2005

WEEK 31 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten This week the class worked on a secret project for Mothers's Day! Moms will be very excited by the great artwork their little ones created in watercolors. The class is very excited to share on this Special Day! First Grade The human face is one of the most difficult things to draw. But when you start with basic shapes and a little bit of math, students learn that it can be a lot less intimidating and really fun! The first graders learned this simple technique to help them draw very basic face shapes and then add the details that make each of us unique. The class was very impressed with their work. Many thought it was their best face drawing ever! They can do it!

Second Grade This week the second grade created beautiful flowers for use in the School’s annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration. Using a traditional Mexican technique of folding and cutting tissue paper, the students made bunches of these flowers that can be seen in the IMC and decorating the tables for our school-wide, ethnic feast.

Third Grade This week Mrs. Krakow and Mrs. Ballard's class created beautiful Mothers Day cards. Using a naturalistic drawing technique, the students drew flowers using a fine pen then added great colors with watercolor pencils and a wet brush. Loving messages were written inside. The students really enjoyed using their artistic talents to create special art to share on this very special day.

Fourth Grade In support of this week's performance of THE WIZ, the class was inspired to create OZ-themed pop-up art. Using techniques found in pop-up books, the class created a variety of scenes inspired by this magical tale. The students did great job of inventing ways to cut and fold paper to solve the challenge of building 3D Emerald Cities, enchanted forests, floating WIZ heads, and more.

Fifth Grade The fifth graders put their earlier lesson in 2-point perspective to the test. Using our new drawing skills, we looked at photographs from a 1930’s issue of Scientific American depicting Sir Ernest Shackleton’s voyages to the South Pole. We converted the photos in to 2-point perspective drawings, sketching out various scenes. We will clean them up with inking and coloring, and combine the illustrations with literature-study book reports of “Sir Ernest Shackleton: By Endurance We Conquer.” Good show!

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12 May 2005

“Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update Visual Arts Program WEEK 32

Kindergarten This week the class had a great opportunity to draw directly from nature! We visited the IMC at our art time to see the fourth grade display of live reptiles in coordination with the Scottsdale Herpetological Society. We took our clipboards and drew snakes, lizards, turtles and other neat animals we saw. The students did a great job of capturing reptilian details, colors, and textures!

First Grade This week we explored how colors can communicate light and dark, temperature, and mood. Using a palette of a variety of colors, the students created abstract paintings showing these ideas. Some even used their paintings to discuss their own moods at times and to experiment with color mixing.

Second Grade This week the class had a great opportunity to draw directly from nature! We visited the IMC at our art time to see the fourth grade display of live reptiles in coordination with the Scottsdale Herpetological Society. We took our clipboards and drew snakes, lizards, turtles and other neat animals we saw. The students did a great job of capturing reptilian details, colors, and textures!

Third Grade This week the class had a great opportunity to draw directly from nature! We visited the IMC at our art time to see the fourth grade display of live reptiles in coordination with the Scottsdale Herpetological Society. We took our clipboards and drew snakes, lizards, turtles and other neat animals we saw. The students did a great job of capturing reptilian details, colors, and textures!

Fourth Grade This week the young art students explored monoprinting. Monoprinting is a process whereby only one print is pulled from a printing plate. Using a rubber block about the size of an index card, we applied an even coat of white paint to it. Into the wet paint they drew a variety of floral and geometric designs. The block was gently place onto colored construction paper then lifted to reveal their image. They did a great job working in pairs and had a great time making lots and lots of prints!

Fifth Grade The students’ current study of the human body was inspiration for exploring the ultra-realistic world of medical illustration.

We discussed how important accuracy is in this unique field of art, and how the medical profession relies on the talents of these artists for study and diagnosis. The class did a fantastic job of drawing the muscles of the back, internal organs and enlarged views of cellular structures - all working from photographic reference.

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19 May 2005

WEEK 33 Visual Arts Program “Tessergram” Lower School Weekly Update

Kindergarten This week the class worked on a secret project for Mothers's Day! Moms will be very excited by the great artwork their little ones created in watercolors. The class is very excited to share on this Special Day! First Grade This week the class created beautiful birds flying in to their dreams for summer break. Using their hands as stencils for bird bodies and wings, each student added intricate feather details to the assembled bird, created backgrounds, and clouds in the sky which contained their plans and hopes for adventure during their time off.

Second Grade Mr. McDaniel became interested in art in early grade school, drawing characters like liked from cartoons and science-fiction movies. The second graders have also been very interested in “Star Wars” and how they might draw their own droids, troopers, and wise wizards. By using simple shapes and a little coaching they created fantastic portraits of characters from the movie. "Keep practicing, they will!"

Third Grade This week the class thought about how they learned the alphabet, letter shapes, and sounds back when they were very young. They created their own ABC book using simple cut paper shapes and alot of imagination. We'll bind the pages together and share our work with the preschool so the little ones can practice the alphabet over summer break.

Fourth Grade The human face and body are some of the most difficult things to draw. But when you start with basic shapes and a little bit of math, students learn that it can be a lot less intimidating and really fun! The fourth graders learned techniques to help them draw dynamic poses and body shapes and then add the details that make each of us unique. We also experimented with a quick style of drawing of gesture and contour.

Fifth Grade This week the class explored the style of non-representational art. Shapes, colors, and patterns when used together can create strong impressions even though the work is abstract in form. They class began drawing their own work using simple shapes that when combined with others create a look of complexity. Carefully chosen colors added temperature and mood to their compositions. Great job!

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“I DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING; STILL, MANY THINGS I UNDERSTAND.” - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

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“WHAT IS A TESSERACT? A TESSERACT IS A CONCEPT. A CONCEPT THAT OFFERS SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON.” - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

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First Semester, 2004

“Arts Experiences” “Tessergram” Middle School Visual Arts Update

Art Elective #1 “Art Experiences” Course Description Art Elective #1, Grades 6-8 will offer a broad approach to the visual arts. Students will expand their ability to work in diverse media such as drawing, painting, sculpture, calligraphy, jewelry, folk arts, etc. They will develop techniques, approaches, and habits for applying knowledge and skills in the visual arts to the world beyond school. To this end, students will learn vocabularies and concepts associated with various types of work in the visual arts and exhibit their competence at various levels in visual, oral, and written form. A balance will be stuck between the exploration of tools, techniques and processes; considering examples of visual art works within historical contexts; and the discussion of the art of our culture as influenced by aesthetic ideas as well as by social, political, economic, and other factors.

In this course, emphasis is on art making, art criticism, art history, and aesthetics.

First Semester Update The students in Mr. McDaniel’s Art Experiences Class have been busy exploring a wide range of artists and styles during the first quarter. They continue to gain in their ability to apply the knowledge and skills in the visual arts to their widening personal worlds. Here are the projects we have been working on with fine results: EXPLORING AESTHETICS We began the semester with an introduction to aesthetics and how it relates to the experience of art. Establishing that it is not enough to simply evaluate art by like or dislike, our discussion turned to defining what is art and not art. What conditions must be present for something to be called art? What qualities and meanings does it convey? How do we distinguish between beauty and ugliness? What does it mean to be expressive, imaginative, or original? We learned that we can evaluate art by the work’s sensory, formal, technical, and expressive qualities.

PIET MONDRIAN AND ABSTRACT COMPOSITIONS Learning to see in a different way was to focus of this project - to look at a scene as a most basic construct of points, lines, and planes. Inspired by the geometric shapes and primary color compositions of this Dutch artist, the class learned to remove details of an image until they saw only basic shapes and colors - no real objects. The results were unique compositions rendered in either paint or paper in Mondrian’s style of rigid abstraction.

GEORGES SEURAT AND NEO-IMPRESSIONISTIC POINTILLISM Studying Seurat’s painting, “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” provided a reference for his style of detached strokes of pure color. These strokes are too small to distinguish when looking at the entire work but create an impression of shimmering brilliance. Working from color images of nature, students created Seurat-style images using conte-crayon upon chipboard. The depth of color was created by striking the crayon on the board leaving a hit of color.

Over 30,000 strikes were required to build up the image! If you’ve seen your child’s finished work, the renderings had a museum-like quality of simple beauty.

“NATURALIST JOURNAL” PEN AND WATERCOLOR ILLUSTRATIONS The goal of this project was to train the students in seeing the world around them - to involve the student directly in what he or she observes. This creative process is at the heart of natural history observation. Using waterproof pens to render plants and flowers, color was then added with watercolor pencils. A wet brush technique activated the color adding another level of realism to the drawing. The class displayed their ability to see the details of nature and capture them with realism on paper.

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BLIND CONTOUR DRAWING This mini-lesson had the goal of loosening up the students in order to train the eye to draw what it sees rather than what it thinks it sees. The eye does not watch what the hand is drawing on the paper as the eye begins a slow journey around the contour or edge of an object. The initial drawings look a bit strange, but with practice they found that they could accurately record an image without watching the paper. Practice, practice, practice!

ALEXANDER CALDER AND PUBLIC ARCHITECTURE FOR PUBLIC SPACES Alexander Calder was one of the first artists to make sculpture move. His works of wire and metal inspired a whole genre of art called the mobile and is considered one of the finest American artists of the 20th century. Apart from his mobiles, he is renowned for his large scale standing sculptures. After viewing his work, the students had the assignment of creating a maquette (small scale model) of a large scale sculpture as one may find in a public setting. Chipboard formed the base and had a simulated brick and tile pattern applied to it. Abstract shapes dominated by black were cut, bent, and folded to create the main structure. We considered the many points of view an observer may have as the sculpture is approached. A small human figure was added to show scale.

ARCHITTETURA RAZIONALE AND THE ILLUSTRATION STYLE OF ALDO ROSSI Building upon our lesson of art in the public realm, we explored the architectural designs of Aldo Rossi. To Rossi, the most important moment in the creation of architecture is the creation of an idea - that the finished building looks just like the initial sketch! Using small building blocks of diverse shapes and colors, the students were able to quickly and intuitively build structures. This technique removed the hurdle of trying to invent a building in the mind and draw it. The inspiration came from the task of physically building. Looking at their constructs, the students mimicked Rossi’s loose style of drawing. To the basic drawn shapes, architectural details were added, such as windows, columns, brickwork, trusses, loggia, foliage and more. Complex cityscapes in a Romantic Style emerge complete with distant airships and a sculpted hand to anchor the foreground. Subtle colors finished the drawings.

JAPANESE-STYLE BRUSHWORK AND HAIKUS This cross-curriculum lesson combined poetry and art in Zen-like harmony! Following the haiku form of 3 lines and 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively, themes such as happiness, beauty of nature, loneliness, change of season, victory and loss were the subjects of their thoughtful writing. Using their best penmanship, the haikus were written in a vertical format and punctuated by a red monogram block in a Japanese style. Natural forms of bamboo, trees, water, leaves, snow, mountains and more rendered with a calligraphic technique filled out the vertical format compositions. Matted in black, the paintings were complete.

ART NOUVEAU AND THE FANTASTICAL WORK OF GUSTAV KLIMT Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter (born in 1862, died in 1918) and painted in the Art Nouveau Style. Klimt’s early work was rather realistic in nature, but later in his life he began to paint in a much more innovative and imaginative way until eventually his creations were very decorative and quite symbolic - that many of the images in his work had hidden meaning. His most well-known work is "The Kiss". The class is currently building their own Klimt-style compositions using geometric and organic shapes together with strategic color placement. The students enjoyed seeing how they can build up to such a complicated piece composed entirely of simple shapes.

Be sure to ask your child to share their fantastic creations with you!

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Second Semester, 2005

“Arts Experiences” “Tessergram” Middle School Visual Arts Update

Second Semester Update ANDY WARHOL: “Everything is Beautiful. Pop is Everything.”

Perhaps the greatest Pop artist, whose innovations have affected so much subsequent art, was the American artist, Andy Warhol. The class explored the ideas of Pop Art in Warhol’s work as it applies to the material realities of everyday life, to popular culture (“pop”), in which ordinary people derived most of their visual pleasure from television, magazines, or comics. Using their own photographs as everyday imagery, the photos were hand colorized in a variety of vibrant colors to the extent that the students no longer saw them as images of themselves, but simply as another mass-produced item to be converted into an art element. The many squares were arranged side by side to create an array of colors and images.

3rd Quarter Happenings: Returning students are brushing up on their figure drawing skills and their ability to see and render by working with 1/6 scale, posable maquettes. These help us to remove concerns for extraneous detail and concentrate on the basic human form. We then took a look at daVinci’s anatomy drawings, exploring his style.

FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH The students were busy creating what is called a “Khamsa Hand.” The khamsa is a symbol of good luck from Morocco, Africa. This good luck hand has been used as an amulet in northern Africa for centuries - it is often made from precious metal, like silver. We made a simple version out of poster board and added lavish details in metallic paint, glitter, sequins.

Khamsa means “five” in Arabic.

ELEMENTS OF DESIGN Art Experiences students explored a free-form drawing project that deals with the elements of design - color, line, shape, form and texture. Very wonderful detailed works of art can be achieved by simply doodling. Looking at the works of many great artists like Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee for inspiration, we built playful works of our own which grew in a complex, abstract beauty.

ARIZONA SUNSETS - WATERCOLOR LANDSCAPE PAINTING Arizona is blessed with beautiful sunsets. We explored a simple watercolor painting techniques to capture the spectacular shapes and colors we see to the west. We also discussed terms such as foreground, background, horizon, cropping, and warm and cold color palettes. We completed the painting over two weeks, adding the sky, a foreground with vegetation, city lights and other details.

MASTERS OF MEXICAN ART Being inspired by our trip to the Masters of Mexican Art exhibition the class has been diligently sculpting the many components needed to build our own Tree of Life. This form of Mexican folk art usually consists of a clay tree with branches ending in colorful flowers, leaves, fruits, vegetables, and other symbols of life. Once completed, this team project went on display in the Lower School Spanish room in anticipation of Cinco de Mayo!

4th Quarter Happenings: The class completed their large format pastel drawings inspired by the work by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The class did a fantastic job in creating their own interpretations of his designs. Next, we supported the drama class by creating impressionistic backdrops for a performance entitled "Music and Mayhem." Jackson Pollock was our inspiration, as the class used his spatter technique for appropriate and great effect.

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“WE CAN’T TAKE ANY CREDIT FOR OUR TALENTS. IT’S HOW WE USE THEM THAT COUNTS.” - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

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First Semester, 2004

“Multi-Media” “Tessergram” Middle School Visual Arts Update

Art Elective #2 “Multi-Media” Course Description Art Elective #2 Grades 6-8 will explore the varied tools, techniques, and processes through which the visual world communicates. Students will expand their abilities for creative expression by working in diverse media usually associated with the professional arts: illustration techniques, graphic design, product and packaging design, photography, design for the fine arts, and design through the use of technology. A balance will be stuck between the process of design, presentation and critique.

Students will learn to combine skills in multimedia with verbal skills to become effective, rich communicators and develop an understanding of the meaning and import of the designed world in which they live.

First Semester Update What follows are some of the projects we worked on this semester with great results: THE POWER AND OMNIPRESENCE OF THE LOGO As an introduction to branding and design, the class was challenged to recreate from memory some of the most visible and most obscure corporate logos and logotypes. To their surprise, trademarks from McDonald’s, BMW, FedEx to Hyundai were drawn with incredible accuracy - right down to fonts, colors and proportions. We then took a closer look and noticed ourselves as walking billboards - sporting a myriad logos, images, and slogans.

POSTER DESIGNS FOR THE PHOENIX BREAST CANCER CHARITY RUN The class discussed the power of the poster and it’s ability to capture attention and communicate. Type size, placement, colors, and strong, simple images were our focus. We then created posters of our own encouraging fellow students to participate in the event. The attention-grabbing works were placed throughout the school as the school community prepares to raise money for and participate in this worthy event.

SPORTS HERO ILLUSTRATIONS FOR MAGAZINE FORMAT Building on the previous project, the students created illustrations featuring a prominent sports figure. These were done in a process similar to what a professional illustrator may use when being commissioned to have an illustration accompany a feature article as found in a publication like Sports Illustrated or ESPN Magazine. Point of view, pose, action, strength of color, positive and negative space, rough sketches, and cropping were among the issues considered. The results were a wide range of sport subjects and personalities depicted in a variety of approaches and styles.

DESIGNING A CITY FOR THE FUTURE The individual students imagined themselves to be the ultimate urban planners! Issues typically considered in city planning formed the basis for our initial discussions of what a city needs to function as almost a living entity. Commercial districts, residential areas, traffic flow, learning centers, waste management, public spaces, green areas, power generation, airports, recreation areas, public services and more were on our list. The students then drafted a master blueprint of their designed city complete with a key, grid systems, scale units, examples of major architectural styles, road systems and geographical features. Some students incorporated defense systems and future technologies such as matter transportation devices and mag-lev superhighways!

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ILLUSTRATIONS FOR AN ETHNIC FOODS CATALOG This mini-lesson will give the students their first real printed piece! The class was commissioned to provide the cover art for the first annual Tesseract Cookbook. Using a pen and watercolor pencil technique the students created small spot illustrations of their favorite foods. These will be used by a local artist and assembled into a collage for the book’s cover.

We are looking forward to seeing their fine work put to a great use!

CONCEPT CARS AND STUDIO RENDERING TECHNIQUES The class is fired up and currently working on an exciting automobile design project. Being inspired by last month’s Tokyo Auto Show, the class examined and discussed the latest trends in production and concept car design, looking at photos from the show. We discussed vehicles for a variety of uses and lifestyles and the styling cues associated with them. The class is very knowledgeable about automobiles for being years away from driving age! Professional rendering techniques using markers, pens, pastels and more were demonstrated to convey surface effects, forms and finishes. The students then illustrated their own dream cars in a wide variety of styles from sports cars and SUVs, to limo-like sedans and trucks. This week we’ll be building our designs in 3D, working with colorized PVC molding compound sculpted over HotWheels undercarriages. The baked creations are (nearly) indestructible. Some students even teamed up to create their own brand.

Watch out, Lexus!

VIDEO GAME DESIGN Mr. McDaniel’s Multi-Media Class has been busy exploring the subject of video game design. The class discussed the strategies used by studios to generate concepts, characters, environments, storylines, and more. We are currently sketching our main characters in a variety of subject matters. We’ll turn these sketches into a polished drawing then place them in a rendered environment with appropriate gameplay graphics. The final result will be digitized to create a computer-generated look then output on a high-resolution printer.

Be sure to ask your child to share their fantastic creations with you!

“SUDDENLY THERE WAS A GREAT BURST OF LIGHT THROUGH THE DARKNESS. THE LIGHT SPREAD OUT AND WHERE IT TOUCHED THE DARKNESS THE DARKNESS DISAPPEARED.” - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

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Second Semester, 2005

“Multi-Media” “Tessergram” Middle School Visual Arts Update

Second Semester Update VIDEO GAME CHARACTER AND ENVIRONMENT DESIGN Our first project of the semester gave the students the chance to explore one of their favorites pastimes: video games!

Taking a look at examples of characters created at real video game companies, we rendered our own designs from ninja monks to retro-style race car drivers. Background environments were created for the gameplay, complete with an array of scoring graphics and icons.

3rd Quarter Happenings: Returning students are currently exploring the process of illustration for book and publications.

Using their current literature studies for inspiration, the class is illustrating key scenes from the novels “The Hobbit”, “Animal Farm”, and “Ishmael”, all as if they’ve been commissioned by a major publisher. We’ll explore a variety of illustration techniques in this lesson including point of view, focus, and cropping.

JAPANESE MANGA Manga is a popular form of Japanese animation. The style is familiar to all ages - found in such titles as “Speed Racer”, “Kimba” and “Astro Boy”, to what our children are watching today in popular anime like “Pokemon”, “Sailor Moon”, and “Dragon Ball Z.” The students have finished sketching their own designs and have begun the process of doing their final inking on acetate. Next we'll begin our colorizations of the animation cells using acrylic paint.

SKATEBOARD GRAPHICS As a class we looked at a variety of contemporary graphic designs from many studios and artists. Boards by Tony Hawk, Alien Workshop, and others showed us differents styles and subjects for inspiration. The students followed the design process with thumbnails sketches, color swatches, full-size roughs, then rendered the final version on an actual size cardboard mockup. Some students have plans to by a real blank board and transfer their designs in acrylic paint!

4th Quarter Happenings: This mini-assignment will explore the design of guitars as we design our own, then sculpt them as miniatures in modelling clay.

HUMANOID ROBOTS Humanoid robots as (future) common household appliances was the subject of this design lesson. We discussed the influence of technology in our daily lives, the likelihood of domestic robots in our homes, and the roles they might serve.

Nanny, guard, cook, teacher, maid, butler, and other tasks will keep these automatons busy. The students explored a variety of designs then chose their favorite to render in the style of technical drawings. Captions, callouts, exploded views, multiple views, and detailed drawings made them complete.

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“LIFE, WITH ITS RULES, ITS OBLIGATIONS, AND ITS FREEDOMS, IS LIKE A SONNET: YOU’RE GIVEN THE FORM, BUT YOU HAVE TO WRITE THE SONNET YOURSELF.” - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

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About Tesseract School At Tesseract School we stimulate the “Love of Learning and Joy of Discovery� in every child. Our highly talented and committed educators connect with the children in small, nurturing, and interactive classes.

Our students master the fundamentals of reading, writing, social studies, science, and mathematical skills while experiencing a broad-based, integrated curriculum that includes music, drama, art, Spanish, and physical activity.

Tesseract School. Challenge Every Child.

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Shea Blvd.

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4800 East Doubletree Ranch Rd. Paradise Valley, AZ 85253 p: 480.991.1770 f: 480.991.1954 www.tesseractschool.org

Tatum Blvd.

E. Doubletree Ranch Rd.