Art 1

• To emphasize making art as an ongoing process that involves the student in informed and critical decision making to develop ideation.

• To develop technical versatility and skills while using the visual elements and principles in compositional forms.

• To encourage students to become independent thinkers who will contribute inventively and critically to their culture through the making of art.

Course Blog and Progress:  

First Week:  Students will learn to use the different tools to create a variety of options in creating Value Changes.   Students will use and learn the difference in pencil options from 4-H to 6-B, create a 7 tone value scale and learn to shade and blend a shape to create form and dimension.  

Week Two:  Students will learn to use viewfinders as a tool to help create good composition while keeping in mind the elements of art and principles of design.  Students will draw from Direct Observation of the objects set up in the middle of the room.  We will work on Contour drawings for the majority of the week and move to shading those contour drawings next week.  

Week 4

This week students will begin adding shading to their 9 contour drawings.  They should reference their shading practice sheets to establish accurate and consistent values.  They may use their device to take a digital photo in black and white to help them recognize the correct values.  

Week 5 Feb. 13

Students will finish their still life drawings this week and evaluate them with their peers using the rubric provided.

Feb. 18

This week students have completed their Value Scale Painting Exercises and will begin painting their portraits by working on 3"x3" tiles to complete the painting in small segments.  

Students this week prior to conferences should be focusing on Creating accurate values according to their reference.  Students have worked on creating their value scale through step by step gradation and through using a smooth blend gradient.  They should have approximately 10 squares completed by the end of the week.  

End of Quarter 1- Students should be 1/2 completed on their painting by the end of this week.  24 squares done.  Students have focused mostly on VALUE and how value creates form.  Next quarter we will begin to explore some color.  

Students this week will put finishing touches on their paintings.  A rubric will be presented to them today so that they may work to finish at the level they would like.  

Students should be finishing up their Value Scale paintings this week.  This is the rubric that will be provided.  If students are not finished, they will be able to take these home and finish them up.  No late grade will be deducted as long as the students studio habits are consistently solid.  

This week students will explore and practice techniques using Charcoal.  They will use three types of charcoal to create value changes, texture and areas of flat value.  

This week students are beginning to grid, sketch and apply charcoal to their Lansdcape/Cityscape.  They will begin light to dark and back to front.  Students will need to apply the same technique as practiced by pulling mediums over.  

Students this week will continue to work Back to Front and Light to Dark on their landscapes.  Small circles and pulling medium will test patience.  

Students are nearing the end of the Charcoal Landscape.  This week we will check for understanding of the application of the medium.  We will be looking for smooth, even application using a pulling of the medium to create a look that transitions from light to dark.  Streaks, dots, smudging and linear patterns will be indicators that students are not applying the charcoal in the correct way.  

This week we will begin to introduce watercolor.  Students will learn and apply basic washes.  Flat, Tonal and Graded washes will be the focus.  This will lead to their final project that will be due during final exam week.