8th Grade Pop Art!!!

Popart is an art movement that began in the 1950’s.  It was a reaction to Abstract Expressionism (like splatter paintings of Jackson Pollock) that required the viewer to understand art and art history to appreciate the art, and a reaction to pop-culture and advertising. Artists looked to pop-culture (movie stars, music icons, comic books, etc.) and advertisements as inspiration.  They appropriated (or borrowed without permission) images from photographers, artists, and advertisers and made them their own by using original coloring (often primary colors), compositions, and changing the context. 8^th grade art students selected an image from modern day pop-culture and “Pop art-ed” it using similar techniques to Roy Lichtenstein, including Benday dots. Benday dots are dots that printers used prior to pixels. Roy Lichtenstein, a famous Pop artist, used them in his paintings to contrast artist made vs. machine made.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here is a bit of Rube Goldberg fun for your holiday viewing pleasure.  Rube Goldberg is a comic artist who is a legend for his "Rube Goldberg Machines." His machines involve a variety of silly, complicated cause-effect steps to reach an ultimate goal.  For our last pre-Thanksgiving warm-up assignment students are creating their own "Rube Goldberg Machine" style instructions/comic to invent their own original way to catch, carve, or cook their Thanksgiving dinner. http://rubegoldberg.com/

Wrapping up the first quarter...

Greetings!!

We are wrapping up the first quarter! It is hard to believe how time flies.  I enjoyed my first rotation of 7th grade students and I will miss them as they begin their new rotations on 11/5.  On this penultimate day of 7th grade art, students packed up their art projects and took them home.  Students brought home several projects: Color Wheels, Figure Value Paintings, Perspective Paintings, Clay Fantasy Animals, and Paper-cut Mola Designs.  If your child didn't have a project returned to him/her, I will send it home on Monday along with the sketchbook.  Please ask your child about their art experience!!  Here are a few of the beautiful clay projects that went home today

 

KGMS Art on display at SBO!!!

King George Middle School artwork is on display at the School Board Office during the month of October!  Check out our artists' work.

Seventh grade artwork on display at the SBO.

8th grade students made self-portraits using a grid method.  They made a patterned background to show rhythm and movement.  Inspired by the artwork of Kehinde Wiley.

7th graders made color wheels by mixing their own paint colors from just red, yellow, and blue paint and cutting shapes from the colors.  They also selected each color's complement for the detail.

Seventh graders drew a pose-able art "dummy" in three different positions that suggested movement.  They drew concentric lines around each dummy to further the idea of movement.  Then they mixed of tints (added white) to one pure hue for each rectangle of their paper. 

8th Graders who have finished their silhouettes 9/18, this is your assignment during class.

http://thevirtualinstructor.com/facialproportions.html

• Take photos of yourself/have a partner who is finished take photos of you.  
• You should have an empty wall behind you.  The photo should be an up close photo where your head and shoulders fill the picture frame.
• Read the information on this page and try to draw a human face following the steps on the webpage and in the video.

This year is off to an exciting start! 7th grade students have been painting and learning color theory; and their color wheel projects are due tomorrow. The picture is a colorful display of some of the 7th grade completed color wheels.  Students cut a shape out that could be a personal symbol or something they liked, and repeated it to create a color wheel. Students then selected the color's complement (the opposite color on the wheel) and added a detail with it.

8th grade students started the year off with clay, and are making Tiki inspired clay sculptures.  Students made a sketch of their plan for their project including an exaggerated face, different lines, and textures; and created a theme for their projects.  This student's theme was underwater, and she planned in her sketchbook.  This project is still under construction.  Students will be finishing up with the sculpting tomorrow.  The second photo is of finished projects by my first period students.

Our next project for both grade levels, will be a Square1Art project.  Square1 is a company that provides students, friends, and family the opportunity to buy products with each individual student's original artwork featured on it.  I am thrilled this rotation will have their products back before the winter holidays.  Square1 makes excellent personalized gifts!

Welcome Back!!!

Preparations are in full swing in the art room!! I am so thrilled to be back.  I enjoyed my maternity leave and the summer with my new baby boy. We had lots of fun firsts with him. It is hard to leave him, but I am excited to be back in the art room.  I am looking forward to starting the new school year and am receiving new art supplies almost daily! I am planning engaging lessons for my seventh and eighth grade students.  I anticipate seeing some familiar faces among the eighth graders, and am eager to meet my new seventh graders.  Please check out the supplies you should bring with you to the art room; you can find the information in the tabs at the top of the page.

Art Room News--I will be out on maternity leave soon!

Dear Parents and Students,

I wanted to let you all know that I will be out on maternity leave soon.  Baby boy Fallon is due on 4/2/2014!  I plan on teaching until he decides it is his birthday.  I found an excellent certified art teacher (Ms. Sarah Carney) who will be my long term substitute.  Ms. Carney will finish out the school year with my fourth rotation students and my 8th graders.  She has many exciting art projects planned for your children; they will still receive the high quality art education you have been accustomed to.  While I am out, she can be reached by e-mail at scarney@kgcs.k12.va.us .  I have absolutely enjoyed my first year teaching at KGMS! The students, staff, and administration are awesome!  I look forward to returning in the fall.

Artistically yours,

Hannah Fallon

New Semester!!!

The second semester began today 2/3/2014!!  I can't believe the year is half way over!  It was a pleasure to meet my second semester 8th graders and 3rd rotation 7th graders.  I look forward to learning all of your names.  I can't wait to see you discover new materials, new techniques, and learn new concepts! 

Hope you enjoyed your week off!! Art Room Updates.

I hope you are all feeling rested and relaxed.  I am still waiting to hear if there will be any changes to the rotation schedule (for the beginning of 2nd semester, and the end of 2nd 9 week rotation).  If there are no changes, students will be able to pick up their artwork (and also personal art supplies and sketchbooks) from the art room next week before or after school or before or after their lunch. I am also available to students after school or during lunches if they would like to finish any incomplete projects.  Please e-mail, call, or send a note with your student about dates/times to set up any after school artwork time. Seventh grade students clay grotesques/fantasy animals will be ready for pick up the week of 2/3/2014.  Those projects will need to be loaded into the kiln (clay oven), fired (cooked to 1800+ degrees F), cooled down the next day, then unloaded.  As you can imagine, it is a lengthy process.  Second 9 week rotation seventh graders--the Square 1 order deadline has been extended once more because of the weather to 1/27/2014.  I must mail out paper order forms on 1/27/2014 which is the teacher work day.  If you still would like to make an order online or over the phone, you may.  If you would like to drop an order by the school before 2pm or so 1/27/2014 that will be the last chance for paper orders.