7th Grade

Art I is a foundational course that will instruct students in new modes and mediums of art-making. Students will study the elements and principles, they will learn to use this vocabulary when thinking and talking about their own artwork, and the artwork of famous artists and their peers. Students will learn new techniques that will enhance their skills in drawing and observation. Color theory, will be discussed and implemented in a painting assignment. Students will learn the basics of printmaking to practice planning and the use of positive and negative space in their art.

Project #1: Value Still Life

Students will closely observe a group of objects and create a still life drawing that shows form, value, and overlapping. Students will practice measuring and drawing objects that are accurate, proportionate, and fill the composition in an interesting way. Students will closely observe how light hits an object and show the full range of values in their work, shadows, highlights, and mid-tones. Students will learn several shading and hatching techniques to create value.

Project #2: Mandala Painting

Students will learn about color theory and how to properly mix colors, tints, and shades. They will begin by learning about the color wheel, then they will choose symbols or patterns that represent themselves to create a Mandala-inspired color wheel.

Project #3: Cubist Self-Portraits

Students will learn about Picasso and the Cubist art movement. They work from a photographic self-portrait to find geometric shapes and create a bold, cubist-inspired self-portrait. Students first draw their cubist self-portrait, then they transfer it to a linoleum block. Students learn the basics of creating a relief print, and proper and safe carving techniques to create a linoleum block print. Students then creates prints from their carving and display their best 4 prints.