Art Class: Applied Learning Programme

 

Hi! It's been busy times. I wish I have more work-in-progress photos to upload. My students have completed their projects and they are tidying up their scripts for the upcoming recorded video presentation. The ICT teacher went through the concept of the project while I gave them suggestions on attaching the microbits and presentation of the work. I didn't like the idea of pasting masking tape directly over the microbits so I had them cover it up with bits and pieces of paper first. It will be easier to separate the tape and the microbits when the project is over. Check out my teacher's work sample in the video. I'm happy to see that the foam brushes produce an even finish and are effective for painting larger surface area compared to paintbrushes. I'm always curious when students bring something from home as add-ons. The toys as furniture looks so adorable👶. For the final layer, permanent markers are used to speed up the process otherwise we will never resume our routine art classes!

Art Class: How to Transform Yourself into a Cyborg (Part I)

 

Hi! we are excited to participate in this year's SYF. The theme for 2021 is Artist & Technology. In class, we begin with some discussions first to grasp students' understanding about the theme. I've prepared some robot printouts in advance so the children can practise drawing in their sketchbooks. I encourage them to mix and match the robot parts so their drawings do not appear identical to another child's. 

This is one strategy to allow children to build confidence in artmaking. If I were to just say use your imagination to draw, I know there will be children who will be stumped in making their first mark. Besides, to fill up the sheer size of their A3-size sketchbook page with drawings is a challenge if you lack stamina in drawing. Because art classes are bounded by time, it is also no excuse for me to say my students took too long to think and therefore they cannot complete the work. Showing them some ideas and simple line work can help them to be more self-directed so that they don't have to keep approaching me to seek approval. 

In 2016, I visited the Big Bang Data in ArtScience Museum, Singapore. The show must have left a lasting impression because I saw a statue of Neil Harbisson and of course a lot of others. Neil is the world's first officially recognised cyborg and he had an antenna implanted in his skull 🤯😱. Watch his TEDtalk here.

Art Class: Fresh From the Oven Art Sketchbooks

Last week was the deadline for their sketchbook design. For the past few lessons, I've gather all the art materials on the trolley and bring them to class. In our first lesson, I introduced the usage of the materials. For materials that are more straight forward such as coloured markers and papers, I don't have to give them more air time. Two hot glue guns were placed on the teacher's desk so that I can monitor their usage from time to time while allowing them some autonomy. I have goggly eyes of various sizes, coloured pompoms and glitters. The students viewed some sketchbook design ideas online and I left the rest to them. Different art materials call for different types of glue. It's a good idea to go through the requirements and recommendations before letting them loose. 

Art Class: Patterns using lines, dots and shapes

Hi! For some years, our school's art sketchbook has a printed cover. My students used to cover the printed cover with coloured papers before starting their design. It was only last year that I found out that I could ask for thicker plain cover for the students to design their own! So, look at the beautiful blank canvas with children's mark making. Our first lesson of the year is learning about making patterns and writing their bubble letter names. Check back again!

 

Art Class: DIY Stickers

I've designed a set of motivational stickers inspired by the plushies found at home. Procreate drawing app is user friendly but looking for a suitable vendor to print the kiss-cut stickers is taking more time than I'd expected.

Art Class: Scissors Safety

Hi! I'm sharing about scissors safety to my students this week. If I've learnt anything about teaching, that is not to make assumptions. Using a pair of scissors might seem like a no brainer to adults but some children struggles with it because they lack practice prior to entering primary schools. Some children can be good at hiding this inability, they opt to tear the paper or say that they just want to limit the cutting needed intentionally. Since most scissors are made for right-handers, children who are left-handers would feel awkward using them (if you're a right-hander, try using your left hand to cut, that's how it feels to them) and thus it becomes a disadvantage when the art task demands cutting competency. 

I've made a pair of giant scissors so that the children can better remember my instructions for using scissors. Check out the video below to see the artmaking process.

My mum found this box!

Using scissors to cut scissors

Art Class: Comics Drawing

 

Hi Teachers! Here's a lesson for the last 2 weeks of school. It's simple to carry out and some children who might be absent during class due to the year end prize giving rehearsals can catch up easily through the video. The children can also choose between a 3-panel or 4-panel comic templates. 

Art Class: Colouring with Lines

 

The children are learning to colour with lines. We reviewed the different types of lines and watched a video on how to apply them in colouring. I like using A3-sized papers with the younger children as it allows them to draw sizable objects. My art tutor used to say coloured pencils are the hardest medium to master for young kids. It's quite unimaginable since it is such a common practice for children to own coloured pencils. I hardly use them in art class because first, the children would take too much effort to cover the entire drawing paper and many would complain that their wrists are tired. 

Another reason is the different brands of coloured pencils yield different amount of colour pigments. There are some types where no matter the amount of strength you exert to colour, the colours would always appear very faint. The visual impact is futile. Furthermore, they would appear almost invisible on digital images. Coloured markers were provided for the children to prevent the mentioned disparities. I want the children to feel proud of their achievements and more confident with each project.

Art Class: Online Gallery on SLS

Most of our events are taking place online this year. Our students have started preparing their work to be exhibited online on SLS. I've prepared folders for them to collate their work and encouraged them to provide positive feedback for each other. Just some tips on taking better photos of their work and they are good to go. 

 

Art Class: Land Art (2015)

Hi Teachers, today I'm visiting my old lesson and share why it was the first and my last time doing this. These photos were taken five years ago. 

When I first taught at my current school, the students had very strong preconceived notions of what Art is. I couldn't conduct any Art appreciation lessons because they would be more boisterous and make any teaching ineffective but I know that they like hands-on work. 

I decided to bring them out of the classroom for Art lessons and surprisingly they were much calmer and the space was more conducive. I tried to balance the lesson with sketching, some art appreciation on Land Art and hands-on which you can see in the photos below. I sort permission from my school to cut some leaves near the fence as the school garden was too clean to find any fallen leaves. I also took some plants from home as there weren't enough variety. 

The leaves were left on the fence (their canvas) after the class so that the students could build on what the other classes had done. They could also view their work during recess as it's a common area. Two weeks later, I returned to dispose the twine as the leaves were gone. So, I guessed the dried leaves had been blown into a drain which I did not realised if I weren't inform. Subsequently, I did not try this again as I didn't want people cleaning after me. How would you teach about Land Art if you were me?