El Colegio - Thomas Ramirez - 7.5 hrs

We began the week with focusing on value. I talked in depth with the students about the importance of value in drawings and paintings and how to continue to investigate value. We did several assignments focusing on value as well. I had the students create a value strip with paint going from white to black and showed them how to get all the grays in between. This assignment was very successful and every student participated.

We also incorporated drawing into our value investigations by drawing a series of spheres that would have an obvious light source and therefore create shadow. I showed the students how to shade with crosshatching as well as how to loosen the grip on their pencils to create lighter strokes.

We spent the class period doing two minute sketches with different materials focusing on value.  The rapid time enforced the need for changed strokes and expressive marks that could enhanced value. The two minute sketches allowed the students to see their marks as morphable and important. This also allowed them to work on editing their compositions. The two minute sketches consisted of portrait sketches with their neighbors and perspective sketches of any corner of the art room.   

My main question for this week is how to deal with students that sign up for art class as an elective but then do not participate in class? I will try to keep the class interesting.