Welcome 2013-2014 Art Students!

I am still trying to wipe off the summer cobwebs, how about you? It's going to be a fantastic year here at the Art Alley and I am getting so excited I can hardly stand it. That's what art does, makes me kind of giddy.

I will be posting blog information weekly on what's going on. Here is what's been happening the last five days:

6th Grade: Learning all about the color wheel, how to make secondary and tertiary colors from those three, much reliable primary colors: red, blue and yellow! Did you know these pigments come from minerals and plants?

7th Grade: Learning how to draw. Yep, ANYONE can learn how to draw, it is true, and there are 70 7th graders becoming believers (it is so rewarding!).

8th Grade: Reviewing the color wheel, tints, shades and monochromatic colors in preparation for our coveted mural project in the ART YARD. It's indeed a privilege, and it takes lots of discipline and team work to be able to paint outside so we are practicing our painting skills before this project begins.

LEGOS!! In preparation for our Trimester II mural project, we are asking those in the community to donate legos. Yep, any size, color, or shape, we aren't picky! If you have Lego's to donate, please drop them off at the MMS office. Thank you in advance!!

Sculpture Garden: We will be continuing our Sculpture Garden fund raising again this year. We are asking for donations of cake mixes and canned frosting. Again, we aren't picky, and will GLADLY accept anything you can send our way. Brownies work great too!

Here's to a great year everyone! I would LOVE to have you subscribe to this website. I will be posting photos of student work and lots of cool links and artsy stuff too.

ART NEWS: Mona Lisa's bones found. . . http://www.nbcnews.com/science/mona-lisa-skeleton-her-kins-remains-are-due-dna-testing-6C10874613

Food for Thought: The Majestic Plastic Bag

MMS FaceOff: 8th Grade Students Work with Latex

If you have ever had the opportunity to watch FaceOff you will understand a little what my 8th grade students have been up to this past trimester.

We started the unit playing around with special effects, creating realistic scars. You can read this earlier post here. We segued to making nose prosthetics so the students could understand the latex process without being intimidated. Working small really helped and the students seemed to enjoy the process and the humorous outcomes. I realize these are far from perfect but doesn't it look like we had FUN!

MAKING THE LATEX MASK: The students worked in partners to create their mask. They started with a clay positive, this was then plastered and the clay inside was removed. Latex was poured into the mold, left to dry for 24 hours and then pulled and finally, painted.  I will post specific photos of this process in the near future. 

A few of our students really took ownership of creating their final reveal.

Student creates "barnacles" using tissue paper and liquid latex

Students are helping apply fish scale texture with netting fabric and paint.

I have a large mirror in the art room (was once a home-ec room) so this came in handy when this student was applying his paint.

 This gruesome affect above was made with tissue paper (Kleenex) and liquid latex. It is amazing how realistic it looks!

Below are a few masks the students completed. 

 This unit was possible by the donations made to Food for Art. We are hoping to have a successful Food for Art campaign again this summer. Watch my FaceBook feed for more information.

Trimester II Art Show

Trimester II has come and gone. The weather is getting warmer (thank goodness) and we are off to a great Trimester III. I didn't want too much time getting away without posting a few of our Trimester II Art Show photos. Enjoy!

8th Grade Surreal Drawings

Some students chose to draw cartoons for this project



7th Grade Self Portraits 

Sample of one-point perspective rooms

8th Grade Art Students Create Special Effects

You might wonder what special effects has to do with art? Our MMS 8th grade art students are experiencing a different type of artistic application: special effects makeup.

In prelude to our latex mask series I thought it would be helpful for the students to understand form, specifically how light and shadow affect the illusion of depth. With a purchase of scar wax, fake blood, and a bag of makeup artillery, the students were able to experience making realistic facial scars.

Here are a few photos of their spectacular work. Viewer discretion is advised.