Art Teacher Diaries - Diary of an Art Teacher

Examples of Web Graphics & Elements

9/6/2023

I created this graphic .gif to show my high school graphic design & digital art II students some examples of different web graphics and elements they could add to their digital portfolios to personalize them. Students were required to create 3 original elements/graphics for their digital portfolios. Elements include buttons, icons, dividers, headers, and then gifs/illustrations. It's a good chance to review file types and basic design skills at the beginning of the semester.

Feel free to use this graphic with your own students when talking about web design and graphic design!

Mandala Coloring Pages

7/31/2023

Check out these amazing mandala coloring pages in my Teachers pay Teachers store!
This is a set of 25 unique mandalas you won't find anywhere else. Perfect for teaching about shape, radial symmetry, coloring techniques, geometry, and more! I have personally found these mandala coloring pages to be great for students needing a bit of stress relief. There is something very therapeutic about coloring in the different shapes. My classroom gets very quiet when all of my students are working on these! These pages would work with colored pencils or markers. I will always recommend Prismacolor colored pencils, but any kind will work!

Purchase the whole set for only $3.50 in my store.

Download the free mandala coloring sheet as a preview:

preview_for_mandala_coloring_pages.pdf
File Size:	437 kb
File Type:	pdf

Logo Design for high school students

7/31/2023

I have FINALLY put together my logo design unit into one cohesive package on my Teachers pay Teachers site! This listing includes everything you need to teach a logo design unit for your graphic design, marketing, or business students. Students will learn what it feels like to be a real-life graphic designer by receiving an assigned client, using the brief, research, and brainstorming to design a logo, create a pitch, create a final logo design using Illustrator CC, and then a mock-up to showcase their logo on a business card. Want to teach your students how to design an original logo? This listing includes everything you need to teach a logo design unit with step by step lessons and topics covered including:

What is a logo? Examples of real life logos & student work examples
The design process: brief, research, planning, the pitch, and the design process as a whole
Color schemes, hex codes, color psychology
Typefaces: different types, sans vs. sans serif
Vector vs. Raster
Introduction to using Adobe Illustrator -- basic tools
What is a mock-up? How to make a mock-up using Photoshop

If you are interested in using this logo design unit, please visit the listing page & purchase!

What is included?

75 slide google slides organized with download links for resources, table of contents, videos created by me, student work examples, and lessons organized by number. It even includes a game for identifying typefaces! You are able to edit the google slides according to your needs. Please note that links to all files listed below are included in the Google slides.
4 page packet organized by design process (.pdf)
List of 72 fake clients you can print & share with students. I cut these up and let students draw 2 fake clients from a bucket. Then they choose the client they like most. (.pdf)
Rubric in google docs (make a copy and edit!)
Mock-up file of a business card (.psd)
Design process flowchart/diagram (.jpg)

Watercolor Mosaics - An Introduction to Watercolor Techniques

3/29/2023

Thanks to Make a Mark Studios for the idea, I decided to teach watercolor techniques to my Art 1 students via this assignment! I've included photos and videos showing my process and how you might teach this to your students. Feel free to vary it up according to ages and skill levels and supplies on hand. For my students, they used the following supplies:

Royal Langnickel - 24 pack of watercolor tubes (2 sets for each of my 6 large tables)
Round brushes - Fenorkey brand - these brushes are THE best! I tell my students they only need to use one brush for all of their work. They don't shed. And they can hold a lot of water & pigment.
Table salt
Rubbing alcohol 50-70%
Watercolor pencils (Crayola)
Canson watercolor paper, 9"x12"- this is an excellent heavyweight paper that handles watercolor paint very well
Water in water cups
Glue sticks
Black railroad tag board 4-ply
Scissors
#2 pencils
Stencils & rulers for cutting out shapes

Watch the video above or show it to your class to teach them the 7 techniques outlined below! I do not currently have a video for the tracing, cutting, and gluing parts, but I've included the steps below.

Students started with their 9"x12" watercolor paper. I told students they can use whatever colors they wish, but they should have at least 3 to 4 colors. Students do the following techniques to fill up their paper. Students can keep it non-objective, abstract, or more realistic, but I tell them to keep in mind that we will be cutting up this paper!

Watercolor techniques:

Wet on Wet
Wet on dry
Dry brush
Watercolor pencil
Salt
Rubbing alcohol
Splatter

Once all techniques have been practiced, we let the paintings dry. Next, I have students choose a shape. I told them their goal is to try and get AT LEAST 50 shapes out of their one paper. So their shapes should be approx. the size of a quarter or so. In my case, I chose a circle and used a circle stencil to trace approx. 50 circles on the BACK of my 9"x12" watercolor artwork.
Then, I used scissors to cut out all of my circles! This part was a bit painstaking, so I took a break every 15 shapes or so. I don't like hand cramps from scissors! While cutting out the shapes, I thought about what kind of final shape I wanted my mosaic to be. A square? A rectangle? A heart? A circle? A hexagon? In the end, I decided upon a circular shape.

Then I signed it using my favorite uniball gel pen in white and called it done!

What do you think of this project for teaching watercolor techniques? Leave a comment below!

Next, I mixed up all of my circles to create more variety and then arranged them on my sheet of 11"x14" black tagboard BEFORE gluing them down. I used UHU glue stick to glue my pieces down once I was satisfied.

Pattern Design in Adobe Illustrator

2/17/2023

"The Piercing Eye" by Gabe. Pattern inspired by Art Deco.

This project was an excellent introduction to pattern and history in graphic design. It was also a great way to refresh my students memories in terms of using Adobe Illustrator. Since some of my graphic design 2 students had never done anything in Adobe Illustrator due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this was a great first lesson for them too.

Below is an explanation of the assignment, along with lots of examples of their work! I also included the PDF about the different art movements with links to examples for student inspiration.

You may download the PDF below to see how I let students look through the different art movements related to graphic design along with key characteristics and examples.

Graphic Design History Art Movements.pdf
File Size:	136 kb
File Type:	pdf

Learning goals:

Students will learn about different art movements related to graphic design
Students will learn how to use effects such as distort & transform to create custom shapes in Adobe Illustrator CC
Students will learn how to download and use custom brushes in Photoshop
Students will learn how to create custom patterns for use in their future designs

Project goal: Create a wallpaper or fabric pattern inspired by an art movement related to graphic design using Illustrator or Photoshop tools such as shape, pen, brush, and text tools, and the use of effects such as Distort & Transform → Zig Zag and Distort & Transform → Pucker & Bloat. Your pattern must be inspired by an art movement related to graphic design from the document below!

"Neon Tropics" by Hayden. Inspired by Pop Art

"Grandmas Pattern" by Josh. Inspired by Bauhaus

Requirements:

Your pattern must be inspired by your chosen art movement from the attached document below.
Your illustrated pattern must be 100% illustrated by you. Tracing is allowed, but all of the work must be created with the pen tool, shape, text, and/or brush tool.
Pattern must be created in a 300 pt x 300 pt Illustrator artboard or 2000 px x 2000 px with 300 DPI photoshop canvas.
Add a color background using a square shape filled with the color of your choice! Otherwise default is transparent.
The pattern must include at least 7 different shapes or illustrations. This does not include the background.
When creating your pattern, make sure you select all objects first, then go to "object" --> "pattern" --> "Make". Choose tile type and select "size tile to art". Edit the H and V spacing to adjust for overlap. If you choose "brick" for tile type, play around with the "brick offset" setting. Spend time on this to make your pattern look more even and professional.
The pattern should look like it blends well when repeated together-- consider overlapping and adjustments in the editing pattern.
Save your pattern swatch with a recognizable name by clicking on the library icon and choosing “save swatches”.
Create a new artboard sized at 2000 pt x 2000 pt. In the new artboard, create a shape such as a square or circle in the space. Set the fill to your new pattern (you may have to go to your library --> user defined --> and find your saved pattern name).
If the pattern looks good, go ahead and export this shape as a .png! If it doesn't look good, go back to your pattern tab and make adjustments. Save this by going to file → export → export as and choose “.png” as file type. Upload this shape to your digital portfolio AND this google classroom assignment. This will be like a pattern "swatch" you might see in an interior design store.
FINALLY, as a private comment, give me a unique name for your pattern and tell me which art movement inspired your creation!

Did you know? You can actually order your custom pattern on different things such as fabric and wallpaper using a website like www.spoonflower.com. You can also sell your work using this platform and others like it. Lots of designers make their living just by making patterns!

"Easter Egg Hunt" pattern by my student Golden. This pattern was inspired by Cubism.

"Vibing in the 90s" by Zach. Pattern inspired by Futurism.

"Moons & Stars" by Madeline. Pattern inspired by Mid Century Modern Design.

"Half of a Miracle or Misery" by Caleb. Pattern inspired by Pop art & Surrealism.

"RetroGloss" By Antonio. Pattern inspired by Futurism.

HELPFUL TUTORIALS:
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/create-edit-patterns.html
https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/how-to/create-pattern.html

Color Psychology & Fun Color Facts

11/1/2022

I created the above graphic to help my art and graphic design students understand color psychology. We talk about how colors can have both positive and negative associations and that meanings will vary across cultures and age groups. Feel free to use the above resource as a guide in teaching your students about meanings and feelings behind colors. Here are also some fun color facts!

#1 Blue is identified as the worlds most favorite color.
#2 The colors yellow and red can have an excitable effect on people and often can make people eat faster or eat more than they normally would.
#3 The color wheel was invented by Sir Isaac Newton.
#4 Red is understood to be the first color that a new baby can see. As their color vision develops, the number of colors they are able to see continues to grow until they see the full spectrum of colors by the age of about five months.
#5 Pink has a sedative effect on people. It's for this reason that many sports teams paint the visiting team's locker room pink. (Anything to get an advantage over the competition!)
#6 If you a drive a white car, you are less likely to get into a car crash. If you drive a black car, you are MORE likely to get into a car crash.
#7 Mosquitos are attracted to dark colors and especially the color blue. It is in your best interest to wear lighter colors in other hues to ward off mosquitos if you're in a crowd!
#8 The color "orange" in English used to be "geoluhread" which means "yellow-red". While as far back as the 13th century, the citrus fruit was called "orange." It wasn't until the 16th century that Europeans adopted the same word for both the fruit and the color.

Logo Design Presentations using Adobe Spark Videos

3/25/2020

Below are examples of student's original logo designs (completely illustrated!). Students drew logo companies and their briefs from a bucket. All companies are fake. Students then created their logo design ideas/brainstorm based on the brief, offered and received feedback, settled on a final design, created the design on Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, and created a mock-up business card utilizing the logo design. THEN, to put it all together, students created a quick Spark Video presentation to show off their work. The Spark video really tied everything together and made grading much easier since there were so many components to this assignment. From start to finish, most students needed about 2 weeks in class. Check them out below!

6 Classroom Games that Relate to Art and Graphic Design

3/10/2020

I've recently been trying to incorporate more fun into my art classrooms. My goal is to get students excited to come to art and graphic design class. One thing I've found that brings joy-- and even some social and collaboration opportunities-- is using games. I don't typically play an art-related game for an entire hour, but the following are art-related games I've researched and many that I've tried out in my own high school classrooms. Many of these games could be modified for younger students too.

#1 Exquisite Corpse

Don't let the morbid name scare you. It started as a Surrealist game in the 1920s and is similar to a Victorian-era parlor game called Consequences. Exquisite corpse is a great get-to-know-you activity for middle and high school students. It lets kids practice drawing skills too-- even if they feel like they aren't good at art. This one even gets my high school kids laughing like crazy.

Skills & Key concepts: Drawing, collaboration, imagination, character design, anatomy.
Time Required: About 10-15 minutes.

How to Play:

Each student gets a paper. Have students write their name at the top right or left.
The paper can be portrait or landscape. Each student folds their papers into thirds of fourths horizontally across the paper. Then they open up their papers.
Have students sit in random groups.
Start by instructing students to start at the top part of the fold and draw a "head". I give students about 3 minutes to draw each body part. They can add color too.
When time is up, I instruct students to fold their section towards the back so the next student can't see it. I do instruct students to continue some of the lines down slightly into the next section to help the next student out.
Next, have students pass their papers to the right.
The second section is the "abdomen". This could include the chest, stomach, and arms. After time is up, students pass their paper to the right.
The third section is the "lower half" or just "waist and legs". I usually have to tell high school students to be school appropriate here-- no naked butts :) After time is up, students pass their paper to the right.
If doing four sections, the last section I call "Feet and ground". Students can add feet and a surface for the character to stand on.
When finished, students pass their papers back to the original owner and open them up! Be ready for roars of laughter!

#2 Pareidolia Scavenger Hunt

I have used this in graphic design classes when introducing our photography unit, but you could do this in any class.

How to Play:
After showing the short video below, I give students 10 minutes to pair up and find as many "faces" as they can made of inanimate objects. I tell them they may have to rotate their camera, zoom in, or crop areas to get the best effect. I let students roam the classroom, go outside if the weather is nice, and even the hallways, cafeteria, and gym if allowed. Students record their finds with a smartphone, classroom camera, or iPad. Students can upload photos to a google classroom post. After time is up, the team with the most (or funniest) pareidolia photos wins!

Check out this article for more info:
https://futurism.com/pareidolia-why-we-see-what-isnt-there

Skills & Key concepts: Photography, composition, creativity, teamwork

Time Required: About 10-15 minutes to take photos and 15-20 minutes to look at everybody's photos afterwards

#3 Sculpey Pictionary

Have I told you how much I love sculpey? It doesn't dry out in the air, I can leave it in a box for ages, far more forgiving than genuine clay, and it's awesome for kids who just need to fidget!

How to Play:
Sculpey Pictionary is fairly easy to understand. I give each group of kids a 2-minute timer (like the ones to the right) and a ball of Sculpey about the size of a small apple. I cut up strips of paper with different words and put them in a bucket for each group of kids. Students take turns drawing a word and they have to sculpt it using the Sculpey in under two minutes. If one of their group members guesses correctly, the sculptor (and the student that guessed it right) gets a point! We play several rounds and then the player with the most points from each group wins (usually some candy or pencils from my "prize" box).

Skills & Key concepts: Sculpting, clay, 3-D design, vocabulary

Time Required: I typically do this for a full 50 minute class hour but you could probably do it in 20-30 minutes with smaller groups.

These inexpensive 2-minute timers are a great resource to have in the classroom! They aren't noisy too!

A 1 lb box of Sculpey is enough for about 6-8 groups. Divide the Sculpey up-- you may need to warm it up with your hands-- and let kids get creative!

Need a list of pictionary words? Here are 138 different words at different difficulty levels I created for my classes. Download them free by clicking here!

pictionary_words.pdf
File Size:	31 kb
File Type:	pdf

#4 Ink Blowing

Skills & Key concepts: Creativity, line quality, imagination, collaboration

Time Required: I give students about 15-25 minutes to do this activity.

Super simple. Super fun. All you need are some straws, heavier paper, India ink, newspapers, possibly markers, and some brushes/calligraphy pens.

How to Play:
1. Give students a few drops of India ink (or even watered down paint) on a thicker paper such as mixed media, watercolor, or tagboard paper. 90# or more works best. Put newspaper or scrap paper underneath to catch any ink drips.
2. Next, give students a plastic straw. I cut the straw in half to save on over-using the plastic. You could also use paper straws instead!
3. Now let students blow the drops of ink all over their paper by blowing through the straw. Students are not allowed to use their hands or brushes-- only their straw! I give students about 5 minutes to do this.
4. When students are done, instruct them to think about what they could make out of these ink blowings. OR to make it more challenging, I pair students up randomly to exchange their papers. Then they have to think about what they could make out of someone else's ink blowing.
5. Students then proceed to use India ink with brushes, markers and/or calligraphy pens to turn their ink blowing into something more recognizable or interesting. I often allow abstract patterns and shapes too.
6. When all students are done, we hang them up in the hallway for a quick gallery walk/critique.

This is a great way for kids to take a brain break and develop some creativity!

#5 Street Art Online Game

This game is online based, but it's kind of addicting so I had to include it.
This game was created by Tate and is available along with other art-related games on their website.
Visit here: https://www.tate.org.uk/kids/games-quizzes/street-art to check it out! I like that they provide examples of work that kids around the world have created on their website. You can see some examples to the right!

Skills & Key concepts: Street art, digital art, expressionism, computer literacy

Time Required: This ranges from a 5-minute activity to even longer for more complex works.

#6 Dice Drawing Game

Skills & Key concepts: Drawing, line quality, observational drawing, Cubism

Time Required: This usually takes about a full 50 minute class hour-- especially if I have students add color with markers, colored pencils, or paint!

Unfortunately I have not found the original source for this game since there are so many versions out there!

However, this game is super fun and not difficult to do with a variety of ages and abilities. I have created a blank PDF table (download it at the left or use the link below!) with the dice and different facial features. I have students draw ideas for head shape, left eye shape, eyebrows, etc. They can also write the ideas in words too.

Next, we roll the dice! I like the big foam dice found at the Dollar Tree in packs of two. They are quiet! However, you can also use an online-based dice roller such as https://freeonlinedice.com/.

There are lots of teachers out there who have created different versions of these games. A quick search on Teachers Pay Teachers will reveal many options! However, I find that letting kids choose the "parts" makes it even more fun! You could even let kids work together to create all of the parts and collaborate. Feel free to download the dice drawing template I created below. It is free!

dice_drawing_game.pdf
File Size:	284 kb
File Type:	pdf

Color Schemes in graphic design class for logo design project

2/28/2020

I recently discovered the awesome online app coolors.co and just had to make a quick post about how to use this amazing program to help students understand and choose color schemes for various projects. Students can even use this program on their phones or an ipad.

So how does it work?

Simply go to https://coolors.co/ and click on the blue button to start. For my graphic design classes, each student was provided with one specific hex code (the 6 digit number after the hashtag under each color). Students had to enter that hex code as one of their necessary colors. The rest of the colors were decided by each student. I had students lock their required color and then press the spacebar on their computers to generate random colors. If a student saw a color they wanted to keep, I had students lock that color and continue pressing the spacebar. For students that wanted more control, I allowed them to find and adjust the colors using the adjust feature (see below). Students can adjust hue, saturation, and brightness.

Once students chose their final color schemes, I had them record the hex codes in their logo design packet. Interested in seeing my logo design packet? Click the link or image below to view and download. This .pdf is currently free for all teachers personal and classroom use.

2020_logo_design_packet1.pdf
File Size:	930 kb
File Type:	pdf

I have found using this packet to be very beneficial for students to slow down and think like a real graphic designer. In case you are curious, I give each student an assigned "company". This makes it more real-world too-- sometimes students get a company that really strikes a cord with them and others get something they think is boring. All of the companies I provide to students are made up and each student does a different design (no one has the same company assigned to them). But this emulates how it is to be a real graphic designer! Students are also put into small groups for the "pitch" stage. The other students in the group act like the "client" and give feedback on the 3 drawings eventually helping the designer decide which logo is strongest and what their final logo design will look like.

Interested to see some of my graphic design 1 students logo designs utilizing their color schemes? Check out my gallery below.

Artist Habits of Mind Set of 8 posters

1/26/2020

I just recently created a set of 8 artist habits of mind posters for my art and graphic design classrooms. These posters were developed by Harvard's Project Zero to create a set of habits they found to be best practices in the studio. These make excellent classroom decoration pieces as they are the colors of the rainbow and provide a definition and visual example. The posters come in two sizes: 11x17" and 8.5x11". They can be printed in color of black & white. See some of the posters below.

If you are interested in grabbing a set of these posters for your classroom, simply head to my TPT store to purchase! I offer a bundled discount if you find other decorations or lessons in my shop that inspire you. I hope you and your students enjoy them as much and mine do!

DIY Magnetic Spice Jars

3/27/2019

It is nice to make something crafty for yourself on occasion. I made these DIY magnetic spice jars for my fridge after struggling to find more cupboard space. I bought the 2 oz mason jars, heavy du5y magnets, and round white labels on Amazon all for under $30. Hint: Use a little super glue on each magnet on the lid side of the jar. Keep in mind that not all spices come in small containers. Since the jars I bought were 2 oz, I had to make do. In the end, I am so happy with them! They stay in place and add color to the kitchen!

Selfie Triptych Photography Project for Graphic Design 1

2/26/2019

Art History Doodle Notes and Powerpoint

1/21/2019

Just listed in my Teachers Pay Teachers store-- a set of 18 fully editable doodle notes about different art history movements. Each handout of doodle notes includes places to color in, short activities or fill in the blanks, space for writing or drawing characteristics, sketches, definitions, and time periods. Video links are also included that pertain to each art movement! This makes learning about art history far more enjoyable for middle and high school grade levels. Use these handouts and the included 209-slide powerpoint in multiple ways that work for your teaching style! Click the images above or go to this link to preview or purchase this awesome bundle to teach art history!

Five Painting hacks for high school art class!

10/4/2018

I love painting with acrylics-- but painting with 36+ kids can be extremely stressful. After lots of trial and error, I have come upon a few hacks I would like to share with ya'll today!

Hack #1: Use condiment bottles to hold acrylic paints! You can label the bottles with the name of the color to make refilling a breeze. The mouth of the condiment bottle is large enough to pour from a half gallon and the little cap fits neat and clean on the end to prevent clogging. Kids are less likely to take too much paint because it doesn't pour as fast too! I bought my condiment bottles on Amazon here. You can also find them at the Dollar Tree!

Hack #2: Use foam plates and gallon zip loc bags to store paint in. If your students are like my students, they like to save paint colors. The foam plates won't absorb the water from the paint like a paper plate would and the zip loc keeps it all from drying out! I have kids keep these in their drawers with their assigned paintbrushes.

Hack #3: Speaking of paintbrushes....I have kids pick 2-3 general use paintbrushes to keep in their drawer for the entire painting unit. I repeatedly tell them that if they don't take care of their brushes, they are stuck with a gross, dried up brush for painting. Or they have they buy their own. They don't get replacement brushes! I can't tell you how much this has saved me from having to pick up brushes from the bottom of the sink! Make them take ownership of the supplies!

Hack #4: And for those brushes that do meet an ugly fate....THIS STUFF is great! The Winsor Newton Brush restorer can save a lot of brushes. Not all, but a lot! Simply use a small amount in a glass jar and leave brushes hair side down soaking in it overnight. In the morning, rinse! You may have some paint to peel off, but this has restored a lot of brushes for me. I NEVER TELL KIDS ABOUT THIS STUFF, simply for the fact that I don't want them relying on it and thinking they don't need to wash brushes. This stuff works on acrylic and oil painted brushes! The only downside of this stuff is the cost. $14.99 for a 16 oz bottle. Less expensive than new paintbrushes though!

Hack#5: This may seem obvious to some art teachers, but labeling your jugs of paint with the season & year will take the headache out of figuring out which bottle to use first! We tend to have leftover paint from the previous year. This helps kids know which jug to open next...I tell them to look for the oldest bottle and use that first! Saves money and paint.

I will be adding more painting hacks in the future! I hope you found some of this tips and tricks useful or that you will try them in your own classes! Let me know how it goes by leaving a comment below!

Get 10% off all of my products in my TPT store!

8/14/2018

My teachers pay teachers store has a mini back-to-school sale on right now from 8/14/18 to 8/16/18! Get 10% off ALL products-- no limit! This is a great way to gear up for back-to-school and stock up on some great lessons! Several of my listings are great for sub lesson plans and can be modified and adapted to suit your needs. Click the image below or follow this link to go shopping for art education and graphic design lessons!

ALSO-- if you haven't seen my Elements of Art and Principles of Design block poster sets, I highly recommend you check them out here! See examples below. The entire set of 14 posters is only $16.20! Give me a positive rating and receive 16 TPT credits to use for future purchases.

Mandala Color Wheel Lesson

7/2/2018

I have just added a new lesson with a template made by yours truly! Introducing the mandala color wheel lesson! I have seen this done on a larger scale with students measuring, but I wanted to take some of the headache out of the lesson to make it run a little smoother for my Art 1 students. Hence, the printable template! The template is intended for acrylic paint, but you could also use watercolor, colored pencils, chalk pastel, etc. This is an excellent project to introduce students to the concept of color & the kiddos love making an intricate and original design!

Included in the Teachers Pay Teachers product listing is also a 19-minute demo video showing me create a mandala from start to finish using the template below.

Screenshot of video included with the mandala color wheel lesson

You can purchase the mandala color wheel template, video & powerpoint at my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

2018 High School Art Show!

5/25/2018

Our high school art show is held at the end of every May to showcase all student artwork that has been created throughout the school year. My other teacher friend teaches Ceramics and she includes her students sculptures & vessels. Students of all abilities and styles are represented in our show. I think it is extra important that students with special needs and students who are learning English feel included in the show.

We only do our art show during the school day hours 1-8 and it feels like every student visits the show at some point!

We have a People's choice vote where students get to vote for their top 3 favorite artworks. They put their votes in a bucket and my teacher friend and I count up the votes to see who wins. Every year I put together prize baskets (1st, 2nd, 3rd) for the art show winners. 4th, 5th, and 6th places get honorable mention ribbons. Each basket has art supplies like a sketchbook, Micron pens, Faber Castell colored pencils, etc. The 1st prize winner gets a gift card to Hobby Lobby. The kids get so into this!

Gift baskets for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners of the art show!

Even though this time of year is crazy busy, showing off my students hard work is so worth it! The kids exhibiting show such pride in their work and their friends are left in awe! I look forward to seeing what my future students make next year!

Keep scrolling to see examples from this year's art show . . .

Music box piece called "Dreamwalker". For medium, this artist listed "Magic". That's just the type of student she is! This piece is really a cardboard box decorated with Sculpey legs/feet and a music box mechanism inside. She punched her own music box papers to insert and the paper comes out the back. SUPER cool and just about every kid wanted to hear this work sing!

This piece was completed using an old TV screen, UV paint, and a blacklight. The student who created this piece spent MONTHS planning & completing it.

This student wanted to paint a series of different mosques in Pakistan shown in silhouette. She built each canvas herself!

This piece by student Adison is a fish made out of recycled plastic bottles & acrylic paint. Quite the statement!

Illustrator Selfie Project for Graphic Design 2

4/9/2018

I started my graphic design 1 students on Adobe Photoshop CS6 standard version first. Eventually we started to move into Adobe Illustrator and this is a fun lesson to teach students the basics of Illustrator. Since Photoshop and Illustrator are very different programs, I informed my students ahead of time that this would be a another learning curve-- that some students might catch on quickly, while others might need more practice.

Last year, I won a $4000 grant to purchase tech for our graphic design program from the Centurylink Grant award program. I purchased 36 small Wacom drawing tablets for students to use and I instructed my graphic design 2 students to use them for this illustrator sefie project.

First, students took a selfie using their phone or one of my classroom cameras. I instructed students that their face had to be showing, but the artistic style, color, line quality, was up to them. I also told students they could change their selfie to an "alter-ego" which made for some very interesting changes to their actual look.

This tutorial below by RiceGum on Youtube is both entertaining and informative & we watched the video as a class and then I posted it to the graphic design 2 google classroom for students to reference.

When I first taught this lesson, I was worried that it would be too "tracey" and boring for my more advanced students, but it ended up being really okay! Since I allowed students much creative freedom, they were able to really have fun with it. I even had a girl turn herself into a werewolf! After everyone was finished, I created a simple google slides slideshow of each student's selfie to share with the class and I plan on sharing them with future graphic design classes. It was fun having the students guess who each person was! Check out additional examples of graphic design 2 students illustrator selfies below:

Commercial Product Photography Lesson for Visual Art, Graphic Design, or STEM students

3/2/2018

This product photography lesson includes everything you need for students to learn how to create their own product photography! This lesson works well for multiple discipline areas such as visual arts, graphic design, business, STEM (or STEAM!), or computer education. Students learn how to make a lightbox, set up lighting for their photography, edit their images in Photoshop or Pixlr, and analyze and reflect on their product photography and design choices. You don't need to know anything about product photography to teach this lesson. This photography lesson is most suitable for older grade levels including 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students.

The lesson includes a 33-slide powerpoint, practice file, and 2 video files to help your students learn how to create their own product photography!

The Ultimate Guide to Creating Animations in Photoshop for Middle School and High School Students

2/11/2018

This lesson bundle includes everything you need to teach a successful animation project using Photoshop to your graphic design & visual art students. Students will learn the fundamentals of animation including history, key vocabulary, and frames per second. Students will then get to practice animating in Photoshop with a monster image (image included as monster_practice_file). Next, watch Part 1 Video to learn how to create an original animation using the move, brush, fill bucket, color palette, zoom, and shape tools in Photoshop. Students learn how to create their own frames & designs using these basic tools. Students also learn how to save their animations to turn them into animated. gifs! Finally, Part 2 Video expands on Part 1 by showing students some new tools such as magic eraser, eraser, and the text tool. Students will see how to add more movement to their frames. Students also learn how to use Free Transform and Transform to add interest and variety to their animations. The final product is an original animated .gif created by the student!

What's Included?
-20 slide Powerpoint presentation with links, examples, & video links (.pptx)
-3 video files (.mp4) total time 31 minutes and 36 seconds
-2 pages with lesson plans, prep, materials/resources required (.docx)
-1 rubric (.docx)
-2 .psd Photoshop files for reference
-2 animated .gif examples
-1 .png practice file for students to use

This guide is for sale for $6 in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!