Inktober!

This year I challenged students and faculty at MHS to do 31 ink drawings in 31 days.  The response was fantastic!

Art One Still Life Drawings

Check out the amazing still life drawings by our Art One students - a study of composition and value.

Photography Makes Nature Prints

We spent a lot of time first quarter learning about the history and discovery of photography.  We built our own pinhole cameras, made our own photo-sensitive cyanotypes, and even made photographs using no camera at all.

Art One

Today Art One students used their viewfinders to draw from life outdoors!

Here we go again!

Well, it is officially the start of an entirely new school year.  I, for one, am so excited to be back and to be in a brand  new classroom (pictures coming soon). In fact, there are many new things happening in the art department this year.

• A new classroom - I know I already mentioned this, but you SHOULD SEE MY CLASSROOM.  It is amazing, and I haven't even really done anything to it yet.  By the time it is all said and done, it will be complete with a darkroom, ceramics lab, computer lab, and 2-D studio.  I feel so lucky. :)
• New classes!  This is the first year we are offering Art One and Art Two.  These brand new classes are very similar to what used to be 2-D Art and 3-D Art, except that those classes are now more advanced.  Art One and Art Two will introduce the fundamentals of art while giving students a taste of many different art mediums. 
• A new schedule!  This year I am full time at the high school which means two things.  1. It means I don't have to spend one of my prep hours moving from one building to another. and 2. Students love art!  So many students signed up for Art One and Art Two that we have 10 full sections of art at the high school this year.  I hope this continues to grow and we continue to see a support for the program.

Students came yesterday for just a half day and I met all of my classes for the first time.  I can't wait to get to know them better! 

Until next time....go make art!!

Drawing outside and practicing value! 

8th Grade Students Study Sculpture and the Human Form

Last week we took photographs of ourselves in motion, and this week we're turning those pictures into three dimensional paper mâché sculptures.

Putting the finishing touches on our Figures in Motion!

8th Grade Walking Fieldtrip to Jefferson Street Gallery

8th Grade Students make silhouette collages

Our Talented Artists!!!!

Drawing Class Presents Monsters to Kindergartners

The Drawing class collaborated with Kindergartners to invent some really awesome monsters a few weeks ago!

Mid-Illini Art Show!

I was so excited to help honor the students' hard work this year at the annual Mid-Illini Art Show held at the Prairie Center for the Arts.  

Every school in the Mid-Illini could take a maximum of 26 pieces, and Morton took 26 amazing student pieces of work!

Two student pieces won Honorable Mention – Jeremiah Meritt’s welding metal piece called Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em, Robots, and Michael Monroe’s ink drawing of Maxine’s. 

Be sure to congratulate them on their hard work and high achievements in the field of art!

Art One Students Do Color Theory

Last week the Art One students started exploring the lovely world of color and oil pastels!

Drawing Students Collaborate with Kindergartners

Yesterday the High School Drawing students walked to Jefferson Elementary School to collaborate on a monster drawing project with Kindergarten students in Ms. Ropp's class.

 We began by reading them the book, The Monster Who Lost His Mean.  I think they kind of loved it.

 Next, the young students drew out their own scary or helpful monster onto the paper and told the high school students all about the details of their monsters.   They were incredibly creative!

 And they asked lots of really great questions!

 As they were drawing, the high school students asked them many questions about their monsters - like where they live, how they move around, what they eat, etc.  The creative juices were FLOWING!

What's up next?  The high school students borrowed the drawings and will be creating full-color, detailed illustrations of the monsters in their environments for the Kindergartners to enjoy!  Stay tuned for more pictures of the creative process!