POST IT portraits

With a car still half full of post it notes, we set about using them to create self portraits.  We took photographs of the pupils pulling faces.  This was to remove all the facial symbols that the children would usually rely on when drawing a face and create interest and asymmetry The students divided photographs of themselves and copied them on to the notes, using pens or pencils and using all the skills that the had gained in previous exercises.  

It's not a new lesson I have seen it done before.  But it really works so well and gives the children such confidence at a crucial time in their artistic and intellectual development .

It still amazes me to think that these children have achieved such a high standard of draftsmanship at such a young age. 

Some fun was had with some of the spare pieces too!

And some of the younger classes recreated another masterpiece, would Van Gogh have been proud too?

More POST IT drawings

We then started working with a number of post it notes with groups of curved lines like little rainbows or "nobows" as the children were calling them because of the lack of colour.   

Sometimes we added the post it notes to a larger piece of paper and extended the lines creating linear patterns and helping the children with their pen control and allowing them to express their own designs.

Some classes wanted to try and "join" their pieces together on the wall and of course some pupils got their "rainbow"!

Even the younger classes got something from this lesson, black felt tips.....you just can't beat them!  Sometimes I find it hard to use anything else.  

"POST IT" DRAWINGS

I spent far too much of my Summer holidays worrying about what angle my drawing programme should take in the new term.  8 schools, 21 classes, 575 pupils = a lot of equipment to resource and travel around with.  So my big idea need a small scale.  Post it notes, pencils and pens!  

  

The pupils were delighted to have small bits of paper to work on, and enthusiastically developed different textures, tones and patterns.

Some classes used pencils others biro pens. 

The idea was to display them in a block of 4 and I thought the slightly temporariness of the display would be quite appealing and a bit different.  Classroom environments are not always conducive to the sticky qualities of a post it.  Its always best to add glue!   I regularly came in to school to a snow storm of post it notes all around the room.  

      

ACCESS STAR

I am delighted to have received an Access Star for my contributions to the Access Art website. Its a wonderfully inspiring website for art educators, artists, teachers and creative thinkers.....check it out 

http://www.accessart.org.uk/ 

delighted to be part of it.....

NEWSPAPER SHOES

Less people are buying newspapers now, reading news online......thank goodness those that do, are willing to donate them to schools.   In the past they would be used for keeping table clean.   But by the end of the summer term they are sculptures,  technological  constituents and objects of great desire.   SHOES

 

Pixie boots, clown shoes, moccasins, flip flops, moon boots.   It seemed the list was endless ( unlike the cellotape)  

Teachers dreamed of elegant cocktail parties, and long summer weddings.

Pupils worked together in small groups.  The brief was simple - one shoe, to fit a member of the team, must come on and off. 

The challenges were endless.  

 Making newspaper as strong as leather without relying on the tape, folding, joining, crumpling,  making laces, buckles, football boot studs, heels, bows and bells.   And only using scissors for cutting the tape.

We had to stop the children wearing them home!