Radial Printmaking

Radial designs are created when elements are arranged around a clear central point. They are universal, and have been done by many cultures around the world for various cultural or aesthetic reasons. In this lesson, students learn about the artwork of the Native Americans. We discuss various traditional art forms and view the work of contemporary Native American artists as well. Students will create a radial design that focuses on pattern and rhythm and use printmaking techniques to create their masterpiece.

Japanese Style Silk Scroll Painting

Silk Scroll painting is just one of the many art forms that Japan is known for creating. Sculptures, pottery, and printmaking are just a few of the other types of art they have excelled in for thousands of years. In this lesson, students study and discuss the art of Japan. They will create a "silk scroll" painting that emphasizes the cherry blossoms that Japan is so well known for.

Coil Pot

Coiling is a handbuilding technique in ceramics that has been used for thousands of years and many cultures from around the world. The Jomon people are an ancient Japanese culture from the Neolithic period. The word "Jomon" means cord marked and were given the name by archaeologists who discovered their rope like coil pots. In this lesson, students learn the basics of coil construction and make a coil pot of their own.

Renaissance to Baroque (self portrait)

Students will create one of two self portrait options

Arcimboldo Style Self Portrait: Giusseppe Arcimboldo is known for painting portraits that have a bizarre twist to them. During the Renaissance, which is when Arcimboldo was painting, artists attempted to capture real life as closely as possible. Instead, Arcimboldo created portraits where features of the subjects face are composed of fish, fruit, trees, or other imagery. In this lesson, students learn about the human facial proportions, and draw a self portrait composed images or objects.

Baroque Style Self Portrait: The Baroque Era is a period in European history that occurred during the 1600's. Artists from this era focused on dramatic use of light and shadow, vivid emotions, and turbulent compositions. In this lesson, students learned about several Baroque artists and their techniques. They will draw a self portrait with an emphasis on light, shadow, and human facial proportions.

Linear Perspective

Linear Perspective is a math based drawing technique invented in the 1400's, at the peak of the Renaissance. It is arguably the most significant contribution to drawing throughout history. The goal is to create the illusion of depth (3-D) on a flat surface. Before its invention, artwork was often flat and lacked depth. In this lesson, learn how to use one point perspective and apply it to one of three drawings options.

Aspen Tape Paintings

The Hudson River School is a small art movement in American history that took place in the 1800's. It is widely thought of as the first American art movement (most start in Europe). Artists from this movement are known for reflecting the American sentiment of the time, and include 3 main themes in the work (settlement, discovery, and exploration). In this lesson, students learn about the Hudson River School and their founding artists. They will combine many methods of painting (tape resist, crayon resist, and salt painting) to create a realistic painting of an aspen stand.

Landscape Marker Prints

Landscapes have been a staple in the history of art for thousands of years. The "first" culture to create landscapes in their artwork is debatable, but the Greeks/Romans created landscape frescos and the Chinese created Shan Shui paintings very early on. In this lesson, the history of landscapes in art is discussed with an emphasis on the printmaking of Japanese artist Hokusai. Students will create a mini landscape template that will be printed multiple times using the marker technique.

2 Point Perspective

After learning about one point linear perspective in previous lessons, students will build upon their technique by learning 2 point perspective. Linear perspective is a mathematical drawing technique invented during the Renaissance that revolutionized the way artists depict space. The goal is to create the illusion of depth on a 2-D surface. 2 point perspective uses 2 vanishing points instead of one. In this lesson students will further develop their understanding of perspective by drawing a treehouse or structure that emphasizes their personality.