Crazy Hair 7th Grade

Students made line drawing portraits, divided the drawing into sections and filled each section with a different pattern. Students were encourages to use different kinds of lines and line widths.

Da Vinci Machines

I think has to be the project that demanded the most of my students higher order thinking skills. Students used view finders to locate graphic images in magazines. The purpose and scale of the images were distorted and used to design an original machine of unique purpose.

In the following image the student didn't follow all the lesson requirements. Still, his invention showed an extraordinary talent and imagination.

Art and Science

This summer I went to the Ann Arbor Art Fair and saw so many extraordinary science related artworks. A young lady from Ohio made enameled copper plates of magnified cells. My friend, who loves biology, was able to identify many of the cells. There were blood cells, muscle cells, double helix, and many more. Seeing this amazing art put an idea in my head which all came together on a visit to the Scrap Box in Ann Arbor. At the Scrap Box I found round white cardboard disks. One day I had fourth graders look through microscopes at magnified objects and then they drew what they saw onto the cardboard disks. When the disks were finished I glued them onto a paper to make one large art piece of smaller art works.
I love the results.

Movable Designs

The DK, Kindergarten, and first grade students made movable designs. First students traced circles, then they colored patterns/designs in each circle with markers. When the circles were colored they cut the circles out. Using a push pin the students poked holes in the circles and attached them together using brads. The resulting art is eye-catching. The project required a lot of fine motor strength, and all the students rose to the challenge.

Pattern Cat

Another inexpensive and charming project is "Pattern Cats."
Students draw a cat onto white paper. They then divide the cat into sections. In each section a different pattern is drawn. The pencil lines are then traced over using black permanent marker. The cat is then cut out.
Wall paper is glued to yet another piece of white paper to provide stability.
The pattern cat is pasted to the wallpaper creating a folk art feel.