Creative color wheels

Grade 5 celebrated the completion of their very creative color wheels last week at ASB.  The students wrapped up the year reviewing and learning color theory. They learned about the 12 color color wheel that includes primary, secondary and tertiary colors and learned their order and the organization of the traditional wheel. Color groupings such as analogous and complementary colors were reviewed as well. Students were then challenged to put their knowledge and creativity to the test to complete a uniquely designed color wheel showcasing all 12 colors using a variety of materials. Some students worked independently while other paired up or worked in small groups. They used materials ranging from oil pastels and watercolor paints to wood, fabric, clay and even water to create interesting 2D and 3D color wheels. The pieces were on display in the lobby during the past week and are headed home as we wrap up our year in art this week. Way to go grade 5! 

3D printing

Grade 3 students and 3D art studio ASA kids have had a blast exploring 3D printing the last few classes in art. They got to see the 3D printer in action and we're able to take turns sharing the 3D drawing pens in class. Some created necklace charms, their initials or names, flowers, cubes and more while some simply enjoyed exploring the feeling of drawing an actual sculptural piece of art with a pen!

A huge thanks to Karishma, John and Gilbert in the R&D office for their help and support using these cool tools! Stop by the final maker Saturday of the school year this weekend for a chance to try the pens out yourself! 

Art Exhibition Video

Here's a highlight video from the Art Exhibition in April:

3D Printing

Grade 4 has recently developed their understanding of the differences between 2D shapes & 3D forms:

Shapes to Forms: How-to Drawing Video

They have learned how to properly draw and shade forms according to the position of a light source and even include a shadow to make their forms look realistic and appear 3D.  You probably noticed some of their excellent optical illusions in the exhibition:

Seo Hyun created an excellent page in her sketchbook at home practicing the techniques and capturing the key elements of shading forms:

While drawing 3D forms with pencil and paper is quite the challenge and task in and of itself, grade 4 students tried out some digital tools as well.  Using Sumopaint (a free, online program similar to photoshop), students learned how to apply the gradient tool to create an instant "shaded" effect and how to use shape tools and layers to create digital images and illusions. Though it takes some time to get familiar with the digital tools and techniques, often technology can help speed up some art processes.

3D printing is a breakthrough development that can really transform the art making process. With 3D printing machines, you can now actually (literally) draw in 3D! 3D pens make it possible to draw sculptures- how amazing is that?! Though is it not the speediest when compared to normal printers (a 3D figure can take hours to print), the results formed are often efficient, reliable and quick (relative to the task).  3D printing has been around for about a decade but the friendliness and purpose in society is still being developed.  ASB has several 3D printers (primarily located in the maker spaces on each campus) as well as a 3D pen in the research and development department- exploring possibilities.  Here are a few videos to introduce you to 3D printing and it's various uses...

How Does 3D Printing Work?



Giant 3D Printer builds 10 houses in 1 Day! 

LIX-The smallest 3D Pen in the world (a current kickstarter project though many models exist)

What would you make with a 3D printer? What would you draw with a 3D pen? These technologies could solve global issues in shelter and housing or even food distribution.  Possibilities are endless, dream on ASB artists :) 

Plaster = Popular

Young artists love making a mess, and love using their hands to make their art. It's no surprise that plaster is always a huge hit!  This week Grade 3 got to explore the powdery gooey-ness of plaster in creating masks using plastic molds. Ironically, two of our students are currently wearing arm casts- make the realistic applicability and usefulness of plaster all the more relevant!  

We learned that When Marcos got his first cast, they used 7-9 layers of plaster bandage. His second cast received 4 layers. We used 2-3 layers to create our masks and will begin painting and designing them in the coming art classes. 

Extended exhibition celebration!

This year's elementary art exhibition was a great success (as always).  The artwork on display was full of imagination, creativity and a broad range of skills.  Thanks to all who joined us for the opening, the exhibition kicked off with a large and joyful celebration including families and friends admiring the exhibition and even creating some artwork of their own!  Creating and responding are two essential elements to understanding the visual arts. Throughout the week our young artists had many opportunities to respond to the wide variety of artwork on display.

They were able to share with family and friends at the opening, take notes and reflect on pieces that stood out to them during their art classes during the week, and include their creations of artefacts of their learning at student-led conferences.  They sketched and shared artwork that stood out to them with their peers and many were inspired to create pieces based on the ideas, techniques, and artwork they saw on display from other grades.

The exhibition was such a wonderful celebration of the ideas and talents of our students.  Each artist should be extremely proud! This year, to further extend the celebration in combination with the ASB Arts Festival, the displays were redistributed to new locations around the elementary school to continue the public display for a second week.

Finally, after two weeks of admiring our elementary artists' artwork, a selection of the artwork was transferred to the BKC campus for all to enjoy and see.  In exchange, a selection of middle school and high school pieces arrived on the ES campus for the younger students to respond to the types of artwork and skills they will be investigating in the higher grades. This is such a great opportunity for our community to exchange and celebrate the creativity across all grades, two campuses, and one school community! 

Art Exhibition is Coming!

Link to Photo Slideshow running during the exhibition (13 min of photos!):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2guXxnkj28

Background Music :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPf1W5LfsEk