Worm's-Eye View

As we continue to practice using value and perspective in our artwork, I want you to think about point of view.  When we draw something, we usually think of it as being something right in front of us.  What if it was something far above us?  What if we were looking down at something on the ground?  As artists, you can decide where you want your audience to look.  This week, we are going to have them look up.

Sample Project by M. Ammons

Imagine you are so small that you are looking at the world from the same angle as a bug or a worm.  In art, a worm's-eye view is a view of an object from below, as though the observer were a worm; the opposite of a bird's-eye view.

It can be used to look up to something to make an object look tall, strong, and mighty while the viewer feels childlike or powerless.

Scene From A Bug's Life: Notice we see the clovers below!

It makes me think of the movie A Bug's Life or Honey I Shrunk the Kids.  Can you think of other movies where you are seeing the point of view of someone or something tiny?  

Look at these instructions.  What do you notice?  What do you wonder? What could the person be looking at besides plants?  What would those things look like from beneath them?

Follow along in this video to draw a person in worm's-eye view!  Use your imagination to make your picture unique, but try to follow the instructions carefully to draw using perspective.  Don't forget the goals!

Project Goals:  4=A, 3=B, 2=C, 1=D

1. Perspective:  Have you made the picture come together at a vanishing point?
2. Value:  Did you make colors lighter towards the top to show they are farther away?  Did you think about light and shadow on the objects close to us?
3. Coloring:  Did you color evenly, blend colors and fill the space?
4. Creativity:  Did you think creatively about what you could put in the front of your picture and add creative details to the scene?

Don't forget to upload your work to Artsonia!  

www.artsonia.com/class  Code:  WCCP-WSTF

Puffins

Sample Project by Ms. Ammons

For our second week learning about ICELAND, we will read and watch a video about one of the really cool creatures that lives there:  Puffins!  Begin by reading some fun facts, and then watch the "Are We There Yet?" Kids as they visit a volcano in Iceland and meet some puffins.

Read Here:  Puffin Facts
Watch Here: Are We There Yet?

Now, follow along to make some art inspired by puffins!

Don't forget to upload your work to Artsonia!  

www.artsonia.com/class  Code:  WCCP-WSTF

Hot Air Balloon Value and Perspective Study

This week you will use value and perspective to make a scene with a hot air balloon.  You will use what you know about value to shade the picture so that the sky shows perspective and the balloon looks like a rounded form.  You will add collaged pictures to the bottom of your page to show us where your balloon is!  Watch the video to follow along, and I have added a second video from youtube that shows something similar.  It may be helpful.  Have fun!

Sample Project by Ms. Ammons

Project Goals:  4=A, 3=B, 2=C, 1=D

• Value:  Did you use a variety of values in each value scale?
• Perspective:  Did you consider value as a way to add depth to your picture?
• Collage:  Did you add collage elements in a way that makes your work look unique?
• Technical Skill:  Did you color, cut and glue in a way that makes your work neat and complete?

Link to a separate online tutorial:  Sketching Video

Below is a video with Ms. Ammons:

Don't forget to upload your work to Artsonia!  

www.artsonia.com/class  Code:  WCCP-WSTF

Ed Ruscha's Word Power

There is so much going on in the world right now, and each one of you matters.  One of my favorite things about art is that it gives us the chance to express ourselves.  It gives us a voice.  This week, I want to challenge you to speak your mind.  

What is important to you right now?  Just think of one word.  Is it love, hope, or joy?  Is it justice, health, safety or peace?  Is it simply summer and fun? Can you think of other words?  CHOOSE ONE WORD for this week's art project!

News, by Ed Ruscha, 1970

Ed Ruscha is a Los Angelas artist who is originally from Oklahoma.  He uses images of words as the theme for much of his art.  Begin by reading and watching a short video about him and looking at some of these drawings he did:

Gunpowder on Paper

MOCA Video

Your challenge this week is to CHOOSE ONE of these projects to complete using the word you chose.

PROJECT 1:  Use what you have learned about VALUE and PERSPECTIVE to make an observational drawing in the style of Ed Ruscha.  You will use strips of paper to spell out your word, and you will draw the paper strips using value and perspective.

                                       Sample Student Work from:  A Faithful Attempt

PROJECT 2:  Use value and perspective to draw a picture of Chicago, and make a stencil of your word over the background.  Follow along with this video, but make your background show our city, and use your best drawing skills.   Video from The Broad Museum

Don't forget to upload your work to Artsonia!  

www.artsonia.com/class  Code:  WCCP-WSTF

Goals for this week's projects: (4=A, 3=B, 2=C, 1=D)

• Did you think about filling your page and working with details to make your work neat and complete?
• Did you consider perspective and keep it consistent?  One-Point, 2-Point or Aerial?
• Did you color evenly and with a variety of smooth value transitions?
• Did you choose a word carefully and explain how it works in your picture and shows how you feel?

I hope this is fun, but I also hope it gives you a chance to tell us how you are doing.  I miss you, and I am thinking of you as we all get through this time together!

Iceland and Vikings

This week, you will learn about and make art about ICELAND!  Vikings and their history are a big part of Icelandic culture.  When we think of vikings, we sometimes think of fighting and war, but in Iceland they were mainly farmers and fishermen.  Begin by reading about Iceland and by watching the video about vikings!

Read here!  Read about Iceland

Watch here!  Viking Video

Look at this sculpture called The Sun Voyager by Jon Gunnar Arnason, an artist from Iceland.  It is a landmark in Iceland's capital city, Reykjavik.  What do you notice about the sculpture?  What do you think it is?

Now, let's use our art skills to make a picture of a viking ship!  Follow along with this video:

Don't forget to upload your work to Artsonia!  

www.artsonia.com/class  Code:  WCCP-WSTF

If you have time, try one of these other crafts!
Make a Viking Brooch
Viking Shields