Sculptionary Game in the Clay class

I've been working on this FOREVER!  I've been playing this game with my students for years but finally made it available to the public for purchase.  I love playing this game in between projects or as an ice breaker in the classroom. 
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sculptionary-Clay-Game-4956279

Pottery Ceramics Coloring Sheets

My daughter has become obsessed with coloring sheets lately!  I thought it might be fun to make some of my own.  I made 4 pottery themed coloring sheets and I love them!  I am excited to share them with you!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Pottery-Coloring-Sheet-Pack-of-4-4661206

- Kiln

- Glazes

- Pottery Wheel

- Clay Tools

The Clone Project - Computer Arts and Animation

I love completing the clone project every year.  It is our first project in class, introducing students to Photoshop. This fall students were able to create these in 3-4 class periods.

T.A.G. The best Critque Poster Around!

I found that teaching my beginner classes they often didn't know how to talk about art.  Giving them examples they sometimes still felt lost.  Students knew how to compliment but never critique.  A few years ago I started doing T.A.G. during our critique process.  It isn't the entirety of the critique, but I feel it is the most important part.  I keep the poster at the front of the room and reference it. The student called upon will pick another piece in the classroom to discuss and answer each section of the poster. 

Suggestions for T.A.G.
T- "I love the technique you picked, it works well with the subject." 
A- "What inspired you to create a piece with that subject?" "
G- "I think it would be nice to be a series."  "If you bumped up the contrast I think it would be more dramatic."  "I might suggest if you were to do a piece like this again to make it a bit bigger."

Rule #1: Never say they don't suggest anything.  
Rule #2: Do not ask someone how long it took them to create that piece.  

If you are interested in purchasing the downloadable poster you can find it on my Teachers Pay Teachers Site. 

I'm Back & Resources!

Life has hit me hard recently.  I'm sorry I've let things slip so. From a terrible divorce, custody, and a bad accident, and caring for my parents... I've felt overwhelmed these past couple years.  My plan hopefully is to stick to some schedule for the blog.

I've been prepping like crazy on my Teachers Pay Teachers page. 

• The first day of art class lesson
• Art table labels
• Name/organization/activity labels
• Get to know you Bingo
• Syllabus
• Art room Scavenger Hunt
• Pottery Tool Quiz
• Sub Lesson featuring "The Great Pottery Throw Down"
• Beginner Pottery Quiz 

You can say I've been a little busy on TPT.  

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Art-Creature

Illustration Fridays : The Sketch Assignment that rocks!

Like many art teachers I give a sketchbook homework assignment.  Early on at my time at Apex High Ian Sands told me about an old homework assignment he used to do, Illustration Fridays.  He no longer did them but I was excited to hear about it.  IllustrationFriday.com is a site that every Friday there is a word posted.  Throughout the next week art work is submitted to fit within that theme.  If the students don't like the word it is out of my control, but often they have some rocking words.  I included a question on the exam about Illustration Fridays and here are what they kids had to say: (All are Art 1 students)

Illustration Fridays have been completed almost every week this semester, do you feel this assignment helped you brainstorm for main project or helped you skill levels in any way? Why, or why not?

Yes, I believe that Illustration Friday was a helpful assignment in terms of getting our imagination rolling. The idea of having a set topic and branching off from one word lets our creative side come to life. Also, the various mediums we could have chosen to use helped as well. The word for the illustration Friday below was "people".

illustration Friday's helped me in multiple ways. It made me spend more time on this class at home and it made it easier for me to come up with ideas for pieces with one word or phrase. Because of illustration Friday's I got to use mediums that I didn't use in class such as colored pencils, pens, markers, and crayons.

I do believe that illustration Fridays have helped me over the past semester. Although I don't believe they have really helped my skill as most of the time I didn't put a lot of thought into them, I do think they helped with my brainstorming. I think IF helped me brainstorm because they gave me more opportunities to have to draw and come up with an idea with just one word to help guide me. This came into play when I had the whole art of apex portal website to look at for an idea for an art project. I took one simple how to draw a face video and turned it into a piece with meaning to it.

9) Yes i do believe that illustration fridays have helped me brainstorm for main projects. Having one for each week helped me think about better ideas for each project. When i saw the word for each week i wouldn't just think of the first thing that came to my head i would think outside the box to be able to accomplish a better understanding of the word. Once i am assigned a project its easier for me to be able to decide on what to do. For example one weeks word was villain and i drew a villain from a movie instead of just doing a famous one that most people know about. 

Plinrise Colored Drawing Pen Review

I recently bought a set of Plinrise Colored Drawing Pens to see if I wanted to purchase them for my classroom.

Things I LOVE:

• The case is wonderful!  I love how I can take it anywhere I need.  It would be great to use for students walking around the school to sit down and sketch.
• The colors are great!  I enjoy the range of colors that are available with this set. 
• No smudging

Things I don't love:

• The mark.  The mark itself isn't my favorite.  It is very similar to a Sharpie pen but in color.  Not for sketches but I wouldn't use it for a main piece.
• Layering.  The layers don't blend as nicely as I would have liked.  I'm looking for something more similar to the Prisma brand blending abilities. 

Overall:

4 stars for on the go sketching and packing.

Edible Architecture Year 2

Last week my Computer Arts class worked on their Edible Architecture projects.  I can't claim this project as completely my own, I did get inspiration from Worth 1000.  I found this project last year on Worth 1000 and thought I'd give it a try.  Both sets of students fully enjoyed the lesson and got pulled into the project.  What I like so much about it is that it uses most of the tools and textniques they have learned on previous projects.  This project was a good one to talk about the warp tool, burn, and smudge. 

Information given to the students:

Turn a building into food or a food into a building. Make it interesting and as realistic as possible.  Consider all the parts, building, windows and doors, shingles, background, location, landscaping, the tenet, ** the lighting for each object.  Where is the light coming from?

Tutorial: Color changing objects/Warping/Burning

Example Pictures:  Pinterest Link


Student Examples:

Rick's Blog 

Noah M's Blog

Ryan's Blog

Nory's Blog  (based hers off of a real building)

Emmaly's Blog

Going Back to School Feelings

As you probably know, last December I had my daughter Evie. Maternity leave was wonerful but I found myself missing teaching.  Though I loved being with my daughter I missed being in the classroom with my students. I found myself totally involved in teaching when I got back for the last 2 months of teaching with no "mommy guilt" to speak of.  The school year ended and summer time with Evie began.  In a a short 2 weeks I will be returning to school, but I find myself with different feeling than I expected. 

For the first time ever I am dreading going back. Maybe its the fact that Evie has developed her personality, maybe I've gotten comfortable at home, maybe I don't want the drama involved with other teachers.  But I beleive most of it is my definiton of myself has changed.  I am Kim Sudkamp, mom and art teacher.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE teaching.  I just found my priorities have slightly shifted.  I can't leave teaching, I enjoy it so much.  Moving forward I may not think of teaching 90% of the time, rather 70% of my free time.  

Exam Question Responses from Art 1

I felt like I lost most of this semester.  I was gone for the first half while on maternity leave.  I found myself stopping by, having a hard time staying away from school during that time.  In doing so I was able to see more of these students and got to know them better than I anticipated.  Each student was required to write a blog post as part of their final exam.  5 questions picked by the students, each one paired with a piece of their own work.  Here are a few examples:

What was the most difficult thing about this class? What could be done to resolve this issue? 

"The most difficult thing about this class was trying to become a better artist. I came into this class barely being able to draw a stickman. I was thinking that this class would just be a like a free class but it actually turned me into a better artist. This class taught me how to use delicate strokes and how to blend things together. Most important is that I came into this class rushing every project but I leave, looking at art as different pieces instead of as a whole and taking my time." - Jacob K. 

Has your definition of art clanged since from the beginning of this class?

"Over the semester I began to realize art isn't just painting and drawing, but its everywhere and shown in many forms. Art and inspiration can be found in everyday life. I also learned that most things are easiest to draw it you pay attention to the little shapes inside the big picture. While I have improved greatly, I know now that my work will always have room for improvement."  - Maddie M.

"My definition of art changed in the first day of class. Going into art I thought it would just be a cruise class and I could just give minimal effort. On the first day of art I sat down and was given a mint and Mr. Creech told me to draw it. The whole time I was drawing it, I hated it and looking at other students candy drawings didn't help me. When everyone finished we compared them and commented on eachothers pieces. Thats was when I realized that art isn't about being better than the next person. Its about expressing who you are on the inside through your work on the outside.  I loved art and plan to do sculpture as well." - Spencer M. 

"My definition of art has changed tremendously. I used to think art was either good or bad, but now I've realized that art is in the eye of the beholder. Art can be anything you want- it could be simple, complex, a common object, or beautifully hand crafted. It all depends on what you believe to be an expression of your creativity." - Lacey P.

Which project was your most successful? Describe the theme and or topic and the process you went through to complete the project. 
"In my opinion my charcoal piece of the hot glue gun was most successful. I had never used charcoal before nor had I ever tired shading with any medium. The topic that I chose for this project was a hot glue gun because I asked Mr. Creech what I should do and he handed me a glue gun. The [process I went through consisted of a rough sketch followed my a faint outline. Then for the next few days I shaded it more and more making the blacks darker and adding more highlights. I thought this  piece was successful because Mrs. Sudkamp entered it into the Hadley Show which boosted my confidence as an artist." - Spencer M.

Welcome to the world Evie!

As some of you might know I gave birth to my daughter Evie recently.  I know posting pictures every hour is a bit annoying so I've created a new place to view them on Instagram.  Check it out here: http://instagram.com/eviethestrong/

We decided to have some fun with the photos we share.  Each day I plan to create a new setting for Evie to model on.  Hopefully I don't run out of ideas anytime soon. More photos to come soon!

Far Out Isn't Far Enough - The Tomi Ungerer Story

I love a good art documentary! I find myself lost in them, inspired by them, and wanting to share them with the world and often times my students.  After so many documentaries I start getting confused, sometimes forgetting details I loved about them in the first place.

Far Out Isn't Far Enough - The Tomi Ungerer Story

http://www.faroutthemovie.com/

Rating: 

Artist: Tomi Ungerer

Focuses on: World War II, Reality in children's art, Cartoon work, political cartoons, venom war, Eroticisum, sex in art

Would I share it with my students?  Though I love how he interacts with his culture and environment and feel that is an important part of art to share with my students, I would not show this film to them.   Half way through I was leaning on showing it to them for historical placement and understanding inspiration.  There were a few risky moments, but with a little timing those could be skipped.  About two-thirds in the focused changed to drawing eroticism. He did an entire series on rear ends saying  "Its the kind of smile you can hold in you hands; two cheeks."

Tomi Ungerer is known for his work in children's books, political cartoons during the vietnam war, and erotic drawings. First known for his children's books he gained a lot of popularity.  Though when his erotic drawings were discussed he lost all popularity and his books banned in all libraries.  

Overall personally I enjoyed this film, but it isn't age appropriate even for my high school students.

His work:

 

Art Teacher Rating:

2 of 5 Paints  

Art ideals are spot on.  I LOVE how he works with his cultural interactions but a large portion of this film would definitely be rated R.  You'll probably agree with me that erotic drawings and talking about being stoned while drawing isn't the best for students.  Some films I would suggest an except from, this film in order to fully understand it you need to see more than a couple minutes. 

Good inspirations, bad for subject matter.

This film can be found on Netflix.com

“In the age of information, ignorance is a choice.”

-Donny Miller

Two In One - Art 1

I have completely rethought how I start teaching art 1.  Taking a look at how the kids approach the project I picked something that even I found interesting but didn't restrict the students to just a few items.  Students for this project were given 1 theme;"Two In One."  This concept could be taken from a transformation or morphing of an object into another, or even 2 time periods depicted, 2 emotions, and so on.  To start the project we looked at some professional inspirational art.  ---->  Inspiration Pinterest

1. Students planned - Throwing around ideas the students were able to plan by making a pinterest board themselves, a list, or thumbnail sketches.

2. 1 page sketch - of the idea that found most motivated or interested by

3. Started on their project

Students were required to post a blog 1/2 way through their pieces.  This encouraged them to reflect on their difficulties and successes so far.  

Here are some of the finished products:

These are wonderful first projects.  I am proud of how hard these students have worked (especially due to the crazy snow days).

WHOooooHooooooo!  YAY!

4. Class critique using TAG

   T- tell something you like about the piece

   A- ask a question

   G- give a positive suggestion

Observation Time!

Hand Turkey Challenge

Inspired by Ms. Purtee's = "Hand Turkey Challenge" for her class, Ms. Sudkamp's Art 1s tried it out.  What do you think?

#sassiest turkey

Bob Ross as a hand turkey

To boldly go where no turkey has gone before.

How & Why I Use Choice In My Classroom - Part 3

This is part three of a week long series on choice in the art room...

By Kim Sudkamp

Student work - Self portraits (5th grade)

How I was introduced to the idea/What I first thought:
I've never been a fan of the "recipe" projects.  Who made them? The teacher or the students?  I've always encouraged my students to take the projects further, or put their own spin on it.  Even when I was in the elementary classroom last year.  But until I came to Apex high I hadn't heard of an open art classroom.  Purtee and Sands introduced the idea.  It seemed intimidating at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it coincided with my beliefs on art education.





How I'm implementing choice in Sculpture:
The open art room is scary, there is no doubt about that.  But it doesn't mean you don't have order or an understanding of materials.
These two student examples are from the same project and look nothing alike.

"Relief Project" (Material Choice: Clay)

"Relief Project" (Material Choice: Altered Book)

I base each project around a theme.  These themes change between a style of work ("relief") to conceptual ideas ("pressure").  I aim for these themes to be more open-ended and not limiting to material choices.  My general template looks like this:

Based on this model I form my projects.  My first project with my sculpture class was on "Vessels." 

What about teaching techniques?
With each project theme and materials choice I provide a pinterest page to the students.  The idea behind this is that the students can find what they need to know for their specific project while I provide more guidance.
Digital learning doesn't give a full spectrum of understanding materials that the students might need for their project.  Seeing something and actually doing it are completely different.  Every couple days I do a warm-up or demo for the students in the beginning of class.  They can choose to use it this technique if it is appropriate for their project. For example, I did a throwing demo about a month ago with the project "pressure." 1 student chose the wheel. Currently the students are working on "Repetition," and 5 students have chosen the wheel.  These students have used the Pinterest page, helped each other, as well as asked me for guidance in their work.  These warm-ups are about learning the techniques that may later be used to achieve the conceptional idea within their work.

"Vessels Project" (Material Choice: Clay)

"Vessels Project" (Material Choice: Other - Pencils)

How I tackle project time:

Each material lends to specific a specific time range.  In the beginning I had a difficulties with time management.  As I watch students work on the assignment I see what material will probably take the longest. As the first student finishes, I introduce the next project.  This might seem overwhelming, but as the student who is working on a more time consuming material they can also be thinking about their concept of the next. Due dates are very flexible in my classroom. If a student is constantly working I do not mind adding more time for them, but if a student is consistently off task I will give those students a hard deadline.  This might seem unfair, but with each student I have a discussion about project timeline.  They know what I expect.  If a student rushes through a project I have them consider how they could improve it, and did they achieve the concept they were going for?  These students if not ready to move onto the next project can work on their sketchbook assignment for the week.  Using this model takes a lot of patience and student observation, but the students are self motivated becoming passionate about their own pieces.  No longer do I hear "Oh, I trashed that, its stupid." or "Ugh! I hate working with clay!"

"Pressure Project" (Material Choice: Other - Wire/Tape/Ribbon)

If you'd like to discuss this further you can reach me by:
- Commenting below
- Twitter
- email


PART 1 by Melissa Purtee
PART 2 by Ian Sands
PART 3 by Kim Sudkamp
PART 4
PART 5