Allison Currie
  • Life
  • Visit on Saatchi
  • CV
  • Teaching

Pattern vs Rhythm vs Repetition

1/26/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture

Supply List (affiliate links are fundraising my classroom.)

Crayola Broad Point Washable Markers - Pack of 2 (58-7808-2Pack)
Strathmore STR-025-809 100 Sheet No.32 Rough Newsprint Pad, 9 by 12"

Here's an easy one day project. This can be pasted into their sketchbooks after it's completed to give them an easy reference for the difference between Pattern, Rhythm, and Repetition. This also provides an opportunity to teach how to build a more intricate pattern instead of just basic shapes.​

​I started by getting them to fold a piece of 9x12" newsprint into 1 quarters, then into quarters again. This created a sort of rectangular grid to help them size their patterns. Students gathered 2-3 markers of their choice to follow along as I worked. They came up with their own designs after watching me. I explained how to use the cross folds as a loose grid to scale their basic shapes and track placement of additional elements.


They sectioned this into 3 areas. The first is the full left half, this is for Pattern. They labeled it Pattern. The top right is for Rhythm and they labeled it Rhythm, and the bottom right is for Repetition, and they labeled it Repetition.
Picture

I walked them through the building blocks of pattern using simple shapes and requiring that they add 4 additional decorative elements that alternate in some way. They needed to see that this was something that repeats with a set order.

Picture

Next I explained how Rhythm has elements that repeat but are not necessarily identical and how they tend to have a bit of movement to them.

Picture

Lastly they did a simple repeating element to understand Repetition clearly. I encouraged them to try to keep spacing even as they can even though it's freehand. The definition still comes across visually.

This project used one of our 45 minute class periods. I explained it before we started, passed out materials, and designated 15 minutes for Pattern, 10 for Rhythm, and 5 for Repetition. Folding correctly took maybe 5 minutes. This left time for a warm-up before class and time to tidy up.

0 Comments

Mixed Media Animals

1/26/2018

0 Comments

 
SUPPLY LIST (Contains affiliate links to help support my program!)
Crayola Bulk Crayons, 800 Count Classpack, 16 Assorted Colors (50 Each)
​Prang Washable Watercolor Set, 8 Metallic Colors with Brush, Assorted Colors (80516)
Prang Oval Pan Watercolor Set, 16 Classic Colors with No. 9 Brush (16000)
School Smart 1439240 Non-Toxic Washable Tempera Paint Set, 1-Pint Plastic Bottle, Assorted Fluorescent Color (Pack of 6)
Boardwalk B2440900 Butcher Paper, 24" x 900 ft, White Roll
SunWorks Construction Paper, 12"X18", Smart-Stack Assortment, 150 Sheets
Speedball 404696 3378 Super Black India Ink, 16 oz. Bottle, 7.6" Height, 2.1" Width, 2.4" Length
Elmer's Liquid School Glue, Washable, 1 Gallon, 1 Count - Great For Making Slime
Picture






​This is one I did see on Pinterest, and the original post is here. My experience with it went a little differently than the original teacher's, and I have older kids (12-14 years old). I guess this makes this almost like a review? I give it 5 stars, it was a great project that kept them engaged and learning how to layer different media.






Stage 1 was very collaborative. We rolled long sheets of white butcher paper along the tables and the kids went at it with crayons, then we added a layer of water color or thinned India ink. On top of that we added tempera elements to most of them. This took the last few days before Christmas break so they could come back in January and do the assembly. We used stamping with water bottles, brushed marks, and drawn elements with oil pastels as well as a bright top layer. My favorite water colors were the metallic ones, it was like unicorn paper! When they came back from winter break we tore it all into long strips across the roll.
Next the kids used large construction paper sheets as a base layer and arranged strips of the butcher paper in a clockwise radial burst. They glued them as they went around.
Last came the animal faces. I made cutouts then someone that was helping by cleaning up threw them out, so most of my kids freehanded an eye then traced the second one from it, and freehanded their noses or beaks or what have you. They cut these from smaller pieces of construction paper. The color didn't matter since it was painted over. I instructed them to paint another radial burst with wet on wet acrylic to do the iris of the eyes, then use black and white to outline and give highlights. Lastly they were asked to give more features to their work using black tempera paint like feathers, hair, ears, etc. I even had someone make a fish (though he could have used a thinner brush!).
Now that I've done this once, I have notes for next time. I would like to have MORE mixed media paper because we went through it quickly and so some students started tearing old magazines to complete the job. I have rows of three 5 foot long tables end to end and had about 15 sheets of butcher paper cut that long. 20 would be better. I would also have them try individual papers before doing collaborative papers, it looks like the original teacher had good results with that.

It takes a lot of convincing to get them to add layers of feathers or other features. They tended to hold back on this. I might need to do a demo just on that next time. More is more here.

The original teacher of this lesson used a coat of resin over the eyes to make them shiny. I have no resin so I skipped that stage. I have no budget so I thought it ok to skip.

I had the most engagement in the process of making the mixed media paper. Might have been because they just wanted Christmas to come in a few days, maybe they were being good for Santa? I think it just got more challenging for them to think of how to layer things, but it was a great intro project for mixed media. They now understand how different paints look over each other, how to use crayons under watercolor or oil pastels on top of it all for different effects, and I hope it got them to start thinking beyond pencil, paper, and a single paint medium. I think a lot of kids see art as only being A B and C methods and don't realize there's also D-Z.
0 Comments

Welcome!

1/26/2018

0 Comments

 
I'm Allison and I'm the lone art teacher at an intermediate school in Texas. To document my teaching year I want to start a blog to share projects, what I used for them, some photos of final results, and more. If I am doing something I found on Pinterest (let's face it, we all use it for backup ideas!) I will post the original link if I can!
0 Comments

    Author

    Allison is a 5th year art teacher teaching Art 7, Art 8, and AP Art at an intermediate school near Houston, TX. 

    Archives

    January 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • Life
  • Visit on Saatchi
  • CV
  • Teaching