Art Class: Composition

Hi! I repeated a lesson from the previous year but our focus this term is mostly on composition during art class. The students are familiar with the term composition because it means story writing in English class. Activating students' prior knowledge is a given when teaching something new in any subject. In fact, writing composition means putting things together in an orderly manner. You can think of it as stringing sentences such that it seems coherent and logical to bring forth ideas and structure.

Composition in Art is a similar concept in which different elements in of an artwork is combined so that its whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In Photography, there are composition rules or formula that creates interesting viewpoints to the viewer. In posters designs, prints or books, the composition can work in tandem with the content to bring out the best.

A book that shows how composition can affect the viewers is Picture This: How Pictures Work by Molly Bang. The author uses the story of Little Red Riding Hood and illustrations of graphic artworks to tell a story that engages the affective domain.

It's because of how the focus changed this time that the students were more invested in the layout of their artbooks. Rather than just separating illustrations and text on each page, making their stories seem very predicable and mundane, the current students put more thoughts into planning and making full use of the limited space which in turn produces more visual elements.

Art Class: Air-dry Clay Monsters Pinch Pots

 

Hi Teachers! I'm working on a new lesson unit on monster pinch pots this term. I will love seeing the creative ideas as they bring flat drawing to form. When making these pinch pots, I created a few extras just in case the children had theirs broken in the process so they will not be too disappointed.

Children will learn with experience that not all 2D drawings will translate directly to a stable 3D piece. It's great to let the children learn as they do and allow them to realise what works best. The final artwork has to stand on its own and attachments definitely has to be firmly secured. Please check back to see our progress. 

Art Class: Road Safety Signs

Hi Teachers! My colleague handed over this project to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in the beginning of this year and walking out of the school one day, I noticed the students' drawings installed as road safety signs. This is such an innovative way to capture students' attention and ensuring their safety outside the school boundaries. 

Housekeeping: Paper Marche Letters

Hi Teachers! I really like the 3D cardboard letters to brighten things up. These letters are light enough to be adhered to by Blutac or simply prop them up against a plain background.

Housekeeping: Topping up White Glue

Hi Teachers! White glue is my go-to art material (after scissors) because they make crafts stay on for a long time. The longer drying time compensates for its function. I no longer use those commercial small bottles of white glue. At least not in school but I personally still do. The caps get clogged easily and it is also time consuming to top up many bottles with a narrow neck. I recycle these small containers which used to contain air-dry clay. As these containers are not air-tight, I just half-fill them with white glue. The last time these were used with glitters, it created quite a mess so I let the last bit of glue dry up over the school vacation and clean them up by tearing them off! You heard it right, watch the video to see how it's done.

Art Class: Let's Make Rainbow Book

Hi Teachers! I took the first lesson of this term to make something fun with the students. Once the basic steps are acquired, there are many variations that can be created! You can even add glitter or coloured beads on the cover. Only simple materials are needed. Give it a try!

Art Class: Virtual Art Exhibition (SYF 2021)

 

Hi Teachers! I've explored some platforms to create virtual art exhibition. It was really hard to navigate initially but I finally decided on Artsteps. It's a free app. Depending the interface, you can use the app on the iPad to view art exhibition but not to create one. I used my laptop and do note that it uses more memory than usual so if it runs slower on the laptop, the RAM on the laptop could be insufficient. My screen recording of students' work is above. The opening event is here and selected artworks for special mention is here.