Radial Balance, Different Ways!

One of my favorite projects this year had my students creating 18x18 radial designs. They were BEAUTIFUL! 

I gave the challenge and then they could select from oil pastel, tempera paint or colored pencils to complete their image. They could also choose warm colors, cool colors, color wheel order or monochromatic color scheme. The variety and beauty was amazing. 

color wheel order with oil pastels

monochromatic "batik" with oil pastel

 

cool colors with tempera paint

complimentary colors with oil pastel

You can check out more at our Artsonia site.

A while later we had one of those 20 minute class periods that EVERY art teacher loves. 

We used it as an opportunity to review radial balance. Students used the app Amaziograph to create radially balance "coloring pages." We uploaded them to artsonia and students can print them off to color them. 

I also took this as an opportunity to try out a website I had heard about. Spoonflower is a fabric site but I heard they did a really neat job of printing fabric you design. I downloaded a few of my students designs and gave it a shot. I was really impressed. 

Ashytn's design on artsonia, 

printed out and colored and 

printed by Spoonflower on fabric!

Here is a colored version...

The color is pretty intense and I am going to see how it washes up but I am very impressed. 

Thank you Spoonflower for helping my students take their art work to another level. 

Our Dream Rocket

I signed my celebrating creativity afterschool kids up for The Dream Rocket project a long time ago as they were sponsoring a show in Nebraska. With the deadline quickly (it is tomorrow) approaching it was time to get on it.  We met last Monday to come up with our idea.  On Tuesday we used Phyl's toothpaste batik mix to cover our fabric.  We met this Monday to paint the image and Tuesday to clean them up.  We finished them up on Wednesday and Thursday.  

Image One:  A salute to Orville Carlisle of Norfolk Nebraska... he invented model rocketry  

Image Two:  Floating Along:  hot air balloons traveling over the beautiful plains.

They are beautiful and I am very proud of them!

 Because we have to send off the large pieces, each student was also able to create a small 6x6 inch square to keep.  They are awesome also!

Doodles

Before break we did a project based on the principles of art.  We started by looking at this sketchbook page from Keith Haring.

photo credit

We discussed how he used the elements of art but also how he used the principles of art.  

We agreed that this image was  a doodle before tackling our own doodles.  

The students then created their own doodle.  It had to tell me a little more about them.  They could use any medium and draw any subject as long as it was a doodle.  To finish the project they had to write an explanation of how they used each of the principles of art in their image using this worksheet.

Here are some of their finished images:

Radial Designs...

The 6th graders finished a doodle drawing (more on that later) and as part of the project had to explain their use of the principles of art.  Many of them claimed their image had radial balance because they had a circle somewhere in the image.  So obviously I needed to reinforce the differences.  We created these radial designs in two of my classes. 

They did a great job and definitely understood the what radial balance is...

Here are a few close ups:

can't go wrong with glitter...

Post Update: You have to check out the radial designs over at Art Rocks!  I wrote this post and then saw her's.  Great minds must work alike :)