Art and Design e-portfolio

By Amber Boydell

Contents

Drawing and Design

- Set Up - Still life portrait - Self portrait - Drawing as a

thinking tool - Drawing a story - Clean Up

2D Media - Set Up - Finger Painting - Acrylic Painting - Watercolour

Painting - Oil and Chalk

Pastels - Clean Up

3D Media - Set Up - Clay - Wire - Found Materials - Clean Up

Drawing and Design – Set

Up Setting up for drawing exercises are very minimal. The images show that all is required is a black pen and a art book. Pelo (2007) states that when setting up a space for a still life portrait the table should be empty, except for the subject that is going to be drawn. Pelo (2007) also states that for a self portrait each student should be seated at a mirror so that just their face is seen. For all other drawing exercise the table needs to be clean so that creativity and thought can be developed as the student enters into the exercise.

Drawing and Design – Still life

portrait Drawing with a black pen as the first exercise allowed for a detailed look into the structure of the lemon. This allowed for the drawer to build a relationship with the lemon.

Adding colour to the lemon allows for the drawer to build on the relationship looking at the texture of the object. Kolbe (2007) p.48 states that this kind of drawing invites children to look closely at things and encourages them to make more detailed drawings than they do when drawing from memory.

Drawing and Design - Self

portraitExploring your own image can be daunting but is an exciting exercise that allows you to look at the finer features of your face. The marks on the paper may not look anything like what the person does but it is how they have described themselves. For example their eyes may stand out on their face so in their drawing they are much bigger then the other features. Pelo (2007) p.95 states that when we look at her self-portrait, we see a child as she sees herself.

Drawing and Design - Drawing as a thinking tool

Drawing as a thinking tool can provide children with the opportunity to express their ideas and what they believe in through pictures, when they may not be able to explain what they are feeling and how they interpret what they are thinking about. The feelings when completing this task were very challenging as it allowed for the use of not only black pen of what I believed each season was about but also the colours that depict each season.

Drawing and Design - Drawing a

storyDrawing a story or drawing what you have gained from reading a story is very rewarding. This experience was very rewarding being able to relive the childhood stories that we loved and also to remember what each stage of this story was the most important parts. Reconnecting with the stories provided a sense of connection and understanding of what is the underlying message in the story

Drawing and Design – Clean Up

Clean up is minimal during the drawing exercises. The lid to the black pen is tightly capped and both the art pad and pen are placed in the cupboard for use later on. Pelo (2007) p.90 states that during the clean up of the still life portrait you may place the objects around the room so they can still be examined for another explorations, to continue to build the relationship with the object. Pelo (2007) p.95) also states that the mirrors are packed away safely and the educator is to encourage the children to look at their reflections while they play in other sources such as windows.

2D Media - Set Up

The tissues are used during all 2D media exercises for cleaning of equipment and hands before moving to a sink to wash the equipment and hands. Pelo (2007) p.27 states that the table is to be covered in a plastic cloth or plain white butchers paper; the intention is not only to make cleanup easy, but to provide a simple background for the children’s exploration of colour, rather than something visually “takes over” the work space. There was also lots of room around the work area for large movements of the arms during the experiences. Pelo (2007) p.46 also states that during the watercolour painting session students will need to be able to refresh their water either in a tub on the table or at a sink.

2D Media - Finger painting

Two colours were chosen to create the artwork. The cold wet paint can be felt on your hands. Using your fingers to create different patterns and stocks, along with your whole hand to create and feel the texture of the paint. Pelo (2007) p.28 states that during the exploration, we can emphasise the unfolding discoveries and the sensory experiences with colour and texture, rather than emphasising paintings as finished products.

2D Media - Acrylic painting

During this exercise working with acrylic paint allows for you to feel a connection with the paint as they are strong vibrant colours and each brush stroke leaves a definite line. The paints consistency was easily changed by adding water on your brush this allowed for different textures and depths to be created. Pelo (2007) p.32 states that for an extension you could revisit the piece of art a few days later and add more to the artwork as acrylic paint allows for you to paint over old paint.

2D Media - Watercolour painting

The interaction and satisfaction that is experienced during the watercolour painting experience was very rewarding. The different shades of colour which are created when more water is added to the paint allows for beautiful depth and softness to a picture. The free flowing brush strokes when using the watercolour paint allows for the paint to flow and for the artist to use a flowing motion. This then allowed for colours to be blended to create beautiful new vibrant colours. Pelo (2007) p.48 states that a child immersed in the sensuousness of colour, texture, and movement may fill her paper with paint until it threatens to dissolve or tear. This is evident in the paint as it was a medium that made you want to continue.

2D Media - Oil and chalk pastels

Oil pastels and chalk allow for the different textures of the paper and pavement to be discovered. The oil pastels created a ruff effect as they were pulled along the ruff art paper. The chalk on the smooth pavement created a smooth line. The oil pastels also allowed for different shades of colours to be discovered as the harder you pushed the darker the colour and less ruff the texture became. Both mediums allowed for you to be able to smudge and blend different colours together as you rub your finger through the pastel, creating depth to the pictures. Pelo (2007) p.54 suggests that oil and chalk pastels are a great way for students to explore and become immersed in the visual and tactile experience.

2D Media – Clean Up

The chalk exercise was left on the pavement for the children to enjoy and this can be washed down with water. The oil pastels were placed back into their container and the tissues were used to wipe my hands before I moved to the sink to wash them. Pelo (2007) p.54) states that gathering the pastels onto a tray and the teacher should clean down the chalk dust. Pelo also states that students should wash their hands in a sink thoroughly to remove all of the greasy oil that the pastels have left.

3D Media - Set Up

A bucket of water, cloth, old towel, toothbrush and knife are placed on a table covered with newspaper and plastic with the clay in the middle. Pelo (2007) p.59 states that in an introductory lesson placing a tarp on the floor with the block of clay in the middle. She also suggests having a bucket of water for washing hands and wetting hands during the exercise before moving to the sink to wash hands. Paper towel is also a suggestion that Pelo suggests for wiping hands before moving to the sink. There was little set up for the found materials as this experience took place outside while on a walk. The wire set up was also very minimal as the table is smooth and all that is required to create a wire object was the wire and scissors to cut the wire. Pelo (2007) p. 80 suggests that you might lay a white cloth on the table with the wire, wire cutters, pliers and tape on it. This creates a clear environment for the exercise to take place. The tape is used to wrap the ends of the wire so that the sharp ends do not scratch the students while they work.

3D Media - Clay

The clay was first softened by wetting my hands and rubbing the clay between my hands. Image 1 shows a cross hatching technique which was used to join the two balls of clay together to create the body of the cat. Image 2 is the second piece of work that was created to include the rubbing of a toothbrush on the coils to not only create texture but also to help join the two coils. The coils are being joined together to create a bowl using a bowl as a guide to hold its structure. Pelo (2007) p.64 suggests that the use of a sponge will allow for the students to keep their hands wet without putting to much water on their hands.

Image 1

Image 2

3D Media - Wire

The wire used to create the 3D sculpture was thin florist wire. It was easy to move bend cut and position. Different techniques were used such as twisting, folding and bending to create the different angles of the person. Pelo (2007) p. 81 also suggests using different strength wire can provide a different challenge when trying to bend, fold or twist the wire. Pelo (2007) p. 81 also suggests putting tape over the end of the wire so that it does not poke the children while they are working with the wire.

3D Media - Found materials

Found materials provide a chance for you to explore the environment which is around you. Living in a remote bush land with aboriginal heritage developing a small bonfire out of sticks which I found on an afternoon walk was very satisfying. At times the sticks did not want to stay together as it was a bit windy which became frustrating. This however is a great exercise for the children to become involved in their environment and the opportunity to discuss ways in which we can look after the environment around us.

3D Media – Clean Up

Clean up for the clay exploration required the excess clay to be packed in a plastic bag so that the clay did not dry out the tools need to be washed, the newspaper to be thrown away and the bench to be wiped down. The wire needs to be packed away in a safe spot and the sticks in the found materials exploration were left in their natural environment.