Wednesday, November 9, 2011

adapting art curriculum to accommodate art vocations

A copy of the brochure I designed at sixteen for
my school musical, "The Pirates of Penzance." 
    Many years ago, when I was a high school student, I had a marvelous high school art teacher, Nancy Jones. Of course, all of my art teachers were absolutely wonderful but I will share a bit of Mrs. Jones' wisdom here. She believed that it was entirely prudent to focus some of my studies upon those activities frequently assigned to artists in the "real" world. What I learned from Mrs. Jones, I have used time and time again throughout my entire career.
    For this very reason, I highly recommend to my colleagues the adaptation of some of their lesson plans to the realistic, technical applications used within the context of their own culture. What I mean by context is, those necessary applications most frequently used by contemporary employers. Graphic illustrators today must understand computer programing on a variety of levels. When I was young, these programs did not even exist, but an art teacher today would need to have the ability to teach some of these necessary applications. The realistic promotions of your young, budding artist may very well depend upon your abilities to integrate their traditional art studies with contemporary technology.
    Whenever there was to be a high school theater performance in which some form of advertisement was needed for the event, Mrs. Jones would often assign to her art students the responsibility of fulfilling one the following image requirements concerning the promotion of the event. Her assigned objectives would include the developmental skills needed to complete:
  • the brochure image for the actual performance
  • posters images to advertise the performance
  • ticket image designs 
  • newsletter images to promote the event
The "Ode" cover for Liberty High School,
was published in May 1984 by
students and priced $1.50.
    In addition to the traditional graphic design requirements, I would also include tee shirt image designs for a contemporary version of this type of project. My youngest child, who is a drama student, frequently purchases tee shirts advertising her high school plays, clubs, and musicals that are most usually designed by senior, art students from her district.
    Mrs Jones also assigned to graduating art and literature students an additional soft bound book created to profile their poems and paintings. We were expected to publish our finest work and to write something about it as well. This kind of assignment taught us about the challenges and realistic problem solving measures that are dictated by the publishing media. In addition to this learning exercise, students also had unique materials to submit for review in those portfolios submitted to colleges or art academies
     There are many considerations involved in the development of this form of publication. These considerations may be included within the objectives of a lesson plan designed to inform students about the publishing industry. To update this project even further, art teachers may choose to make this publication an actual electronic newsletter or blog. All of the following elements that I was taught are still necessary to both hard copy and internet publishing scenarios:
  • the overall design
  • the specific page layouts
  • cost requirements
  • the artists and poets selected for the publication
  • fonts used in the design
  • editing of the additional written materials
All the pages were published in black in white
in order to cut costs.
    As a senior I included the following text about my personal page along with a black and white photograph of a painting:
    "I chose to paint this scene of a German village because my brother stayed there when he was traveling in Europe. My brother does a lot of photography, but this isn't copied from any of his photographs. I usually work from photographs because the lighting never changes, and there isn't any chance of accidental perspective mistakes.
    This village has some very tricky architecture because it is built on slanted terrain. I used a graph to help transfer sketches to a larger scale and then applied paint.
    The town in Rothenburg is very old, it is the only one like it in Germany, and it is still kept as it was during the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries.
    The technique I used for this piece is realism, and the paint is tempera. It took approximately forty-two hours to complete. I prefer scenery to any other subject, but I practice portraits just as much.
    Sometime, within the next three years, I plan to visit Rothenburg myself, while I am studying in England."

The caption reads, Liberty High School seniors Kathleen
Rice and Rob Jones surveyed the school's art scene
this week in preparation for the May 6-12 art
show there. Seniors like these will have
"shows within shows" in the special event that starts
Sunday from 2-4 p. m.
    Even at the age of seventeen, I was more concerned with describing the whats and hows of my choices than I was in describing my personal reasons for creating the artwork. Wow, I guess was destined to be a studio art instructor?
    Mrs Jones also promoted student exhibits in school and local newspaper publications. She would set up interviews with the students during our class time in order to ensure that these activities were "properly" engaged in. I've included here a photograph of my senior artworks. I no longer have the actual article, but I do remember that my teacher graded my participation in the interview. In her own way, she was committed to integrated studies before the concept had a specific name or requirement by the state. Nancy Jones understood that the adaptation of our curriculum to 'real life' situations would teach us the practical information necessary to our own survival as artists.

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Monday, October 31, 2011

resources for basketry

Basket made from reeds and sweetgrass.
      Basket weaving (also basketry, basket making, or basketmaking) is the process of weaving unspun vegetable fibres into a basket or other similar form. People and artists who weave baskets are called basketmakers and basket weavers.
      Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials•anything that will bend and form a shape. Examples include pine straw, stems, animal hair, hide, grasses, thread, and wood.

Basketry Comes in Four Types:
  • "Coiled" basketry - using grasses and rushes
  • "Plaiting" basketry - using materials that are wide and ribbon-like, such as palms, yucca or New Zealand flax
  • "Twining" basketry - using materials from roots and tree bark. Twining actually refers to a weaving technique where two or more flexible weaving elements ("weavers") cross each other as they weave through the stiffer radial spokes.
  • "Wicker" and "Splint" basketry - using reed, cane, willow, oak, and ash
More About Basketry:
Video About Basketry:
Basketry Lesson Plans: 
  1. Basket making by Sue Stewart
  2. Weaving with plastic cups by Susan Holland
  3. Basket Weaving from Craft Revival
  4. Fiber Arts Curriculum from Basketweaving.com
  5. Reeds and Rainwater Make Baskets
  6. Lesson on basket coiling
  7. Choctaw Baskets: Weaving the Past and Present
  8. Telephone wire basket
  9. Fiber Coiled Baskets
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resources for rug hooking

"Four Sisters" designed by Christian
Corbet (2008), hooked by Joan Foster.
      Rug hooking is both an art and a craft where rugs are made by pulling loops of yarn or fabric through a stiff woven base such as burlap, linen, or rug warp. The loops are pulled through the backing material by using a crochet-type hook mounted in a handle (usually wood) for leverage. In contrast latch-hooking uses a hinged hook to form a knotted pile from short, pre-cut pieces of yarn.
      Wool strips ranging in size from 3/32 to 10/32 of an inch (2 to 8 mm) in width are often used to create hooked rugs or wall hangings. These precision strips are usually cut using a mechanical cloth slitter; however, the strips can also be hand-cut or torn. When using the hand-torn technique the rugs are usually done in a primitive motif.
      Designs for the rugs are often commercially produced and can be as complex as flowers or animals to as simple as geometrics. Rug-hooking has been popular in North America for at least the past 200 years.
      The author William Winthrop Kent believed that the earliest forebears of hooked rugs were the floor mats made in Yorkshire, England during the early part of the 19th century. Workers in weaving mills were allowed to collect thrums, pieces of yarn that ran 9 inches (23 cm) long. These by-products were useless to the mill, and the weavers took them home and pulled the thrums through a backing. The origins of the word thrum are ancient, as Mr. Kent pointed out a reference in Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor. However in the publication "Rag Rug Making" by Jenni Stuart-Anderson, Stuart-Anderson states that the most recent research indicates "...the technique of hooking woolen loops through a base fabric was used by the Vikings, whose families probably brought it to Scotland." To add to this there are sound examples at the Folk Museum in Guernsey, Channel Islands that early rag rugs made in the same manner where produced here off the coast of France as well.
      Rug hooking as we know it today may have developed in North America, specifically along the Eastern Seaboard in New England in the United States, the Canadian Maritimes, and Newfoundland and Labrador. In its earliest years, rug hooking was a craft of poverty. The vogue for floor coverings in the United States came about after 1830 when factories produced machine-made carpets for the rich. Poor women began looking through their scrap bags for materials to employ in creating their own home-made floor coverings. Women employed whatever materials they had available. Girls from wealthy families were sent to school to learn embroidery and quilting; fashioning floor rugs and mats was never part of the curriculum. Another sign that hooking was the pastime of the poor is the fact that popular ladies magazines in the 19th century never wrote about rug hooking. It was considered a country craft in the days when the word country, used in this context, was derogatory. Today rug hooking or mat making as it is sometimes referred to has been labeled in Canada as a fine art.
      Since hooking was a craft of poverty, rug makers put to use whatever materials were available. Antique hooked rugs were created on burlap after 1850 because burlap was free as long as one used old grain and feed bags. Every and any scrap of fiber that was no longer usable as clothing was put into rugs. In the United States, yarn was not a fiber of choice if one did not have access to thrums. Yarn was too precious, and had to be saved for knitting and weaving. Instead the tradition of using scraps of fabric evolved. Yarns and other creatively used materials have always been used for hooked rugs in the Canadian Maritimes. The well-known Cheticamp hooked rugs used finely spun yarns and the highly collectible Grenfell mats were meticulously hooked with recycled jerseys. Everything from cotton t-shirts to nylon stockings were cut and used.
      The modern preference for using only cut wool strips in hooked rugs originated with Pearl McGown in the 1930s, and may have saved the craft from disappearing in the United States. Mrs. McGown popularized strict guidelines for rug hooking and formalized its study. However the Grenfell Mission had previously and as early as 1916 established the same strict guidelines as structured by Lady Anne Grenfell wife of Sir Wilfred Grenfell as indicated in Paula Laverty's book "Silk Stocking Mats."
      In more recent decades hookers have followed quilters in exploring new materials and new techniques. This experimentation, combined with knowledge and respect for the past, will allow rug hooking to evolve and grow in the 21st century. Rug hooking today has evolved into two genres, which primarily fall into groups based upon the width of the wool strip employed to create a rug: fine hooking and primitive hooking. Fine hooking, in general, uses strips of wool measuring 1/32 to 5/32 of an inch wide. Designs of the fine-cut hooking genre use more fine shading accomplished by overdyeing wool in gradated color swatches. Primitive (or wide-cut) hooking uses wool strips measuring 6/32 up to 1/2-inch wide. The wide-cut hooking accomplishes shading and highlights using textures in wool, such as plaids, checks, herringbones, etc. Wide-cut designs are generally less detailed and mimic the naivety of rug hookers of the past (pre-McGown designs.) There are many well-known designers of commercial rug patterns and each exhibit their own distinct style and techniques. Some designers specialize in animals or whimsical subjects, others use specific and identifiable dyeing techniques, while others adapt antique rugs for today's rug hookers or employ various tools to achieve their chosen subject matter within their designs. You can find examples of each: Animals and Whimsy Bev Conway; Overdyeing techniques to achieve a signature look Karen Kahle; Special tools and techniques to create fine landscapes in wool Anne-Marie Littenberg; Adaptations of antique hooked rugs Sally Van Nuys; Interpreting Fraktur designs Susan Feller; Specializing in people in her rugs Rachelle LeBlanc. You can learn basic rug hooking techniques at Cindi Gay Rug Hooking. Other well-known rug hookers of today are Davey DeGraff, and Christian Corbet. In addition to the many commercially available patterns, many rug hookers are creating their own design patterns. (Wikipedia)
 
Associations and Guilds for rug hookers.
Schools for rug hookers
Magazines for rug hookers
Designs, Kits and Hand-Dyed Wool
Museums
Canadian & American Rug Hooking Fiber Artists
Directories connected with rug hooking.
Rug Hookers Talk Shop:
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resources for needlework

My favorite needlework,
sewing basket is from Mexico.
      Needlework is a broad term for the handicrafts of decorative sewing and textile arts. Anything that uses a needle for construction can be called needlework. The definition may expand to include related textile crafts such as a crochet hook or tatting shuttles.
      Similar abilities often transfer well between different varieties of needlework, such as fine motor skill and a knowledge of textile fibers. Some of the same tools may be used in several different varieties of needlework. For instance, a needle threader is useful in nearly all needlecrafts.

1. Needle lace (also known as needlelace or needle-made lace) is a type of lace created using a needle and thread to stitch up hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself.
      In its purest form the only equipment and materials used are a needle, thread and scissors. This form of lace making originated in Armenia where there is evidence of a lace making tradition dating back to the pre-Christian era. Turkish needlelace is also very popular around the world. This form however arose separately from what is usually termed needlelace and is generally referred to as knotted lace. Such lace is very durable and will not unravel if one or more loops are broken.
      Beginning in the 17th century in Italy, a variety of styles developed where the work is started by securing heavier guiding threads onto a stiff background (such as thick paper) with stitches that can later be removed. The work is then built up using a variety of stitches - the most basic being a variety of buttonhole or blanket stitch. When the entire area is covered with the stitching, the stay-stitches are released and the lace comes away from the paper. See reticella.
      Needle lace is also used to create the fillings or insertions in cutwork.
2. Quilting is a sewing method done to join two or more layers of material together to make a thicker padded material. A quilter is the name given to someone who works at quilting. Quilting can be done by hand, by sewing machine, or by a specialist longarm quilting system.
      The process of quilting uses a needle and thread to join two or more layers of material to make a quilt. Typical quilting is done with three layers: the top fabric or quilt top, batting or insulating material and backing material. The quilter's hand or sewing machine passes the needle and thread through all layers and then brings the needle back up. The process is repeated across the entire piece where quilting is wanted. A rocking, straight or running stitch is commonly used and these stitches can be purely functional or decorative and elaborate. Quilting is done to create bed spreads, art quilt wall hangings, clothing, and a variety of textile products. Quilting can make a project thick, or with dense quilting, can raise one area so that another stands out.
      Quilt stores often sell fabric, thread, patterns and other goods that are used for quilting. They often have group sewing and quilting classes, where one can learn how to sew or quilt and work with others to exchange skills. Quilt stores often have quilting machines that can be rented out for use, or customers can drop off their quilts and have them professionally quilted.
3. In its broadest sense, an appliqué is a smaller ornament or device applied to another surface. In the context of ceramics, for example, an appliqué is a separate piece of clay added to the primary work, generally for the purpose of decoration. The term is borrowed from French and, in this context, means "applied" or "thing that has been applied."
      Appliqué was first discovered when clothes ripped and needed fixing so they used to sew over the top of the rip patches of different material otherwise known as patch work.
      In the context of sewing, appliqué refers to a needlework technique in which pieces of fabric, embroidery, or other materials are sewn onto another piece of fabric to create designs, patterns or pictures. It is particularly suitable for work which is to be seen from a distance, such as in banner-making. A famous example of appliqué is the Hastings Embroidery.
      Appliquéd cloth is an important art form in Benin, West Africa, particularly in the area around Abomey, where it has been a tradition since the 18th century and the kingdom of Danhomè.
      Appliqué is used extensively in quilting. "Dresden Plate" and "Sunbonnet Sue" are two examples of traditional American quilt blocks that are constructed with both patchwork and appliqué. Baltimore album quilts, Broderie perse, Hawaiian quilts, Amish quilts and the ralli quilts of India and Pakistan also use appliqué.
4. Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins.
      A characteristic of embroidery is that the basic techniques or stitches of the earliest work—chain stitch, buttonhole or blanket stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, cross stitch—remain the fundamental techniques of hand embroidery today.
      Machine embroidery, arising in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, mimics hand embroidery, especially in the use of chain stitches, but the "satin stitch" and hemming stitches of machine work rely on the use of multiple threads and resemble hand work in their appearance, not their construction.
5. Crochet is a process of creating fabric from yarn, thread, or other material strands using a crochet hook. The word is derived from the French word "crochet", meaning hook. Hooks can be made of materials such as metals, woods or plastic and are commercially manufactured as well as produced by artisans. Crocheting, like knitting, consists of pulling loops through other loops, but additionally incorporates wrapping the working material around the hook one or more times. Crochet differs from knitting in that only one stitch is active at one time (exceptions being Tunisian crochet and Broomstick lace), stitches made with the same diameter of yarn are comparably taller, and a single crochet hook is used instead of two knitting needles. Additionally, crochet has its own system of symbols to represent stitch types.
6. Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can be passed through them. This process eventually results in a final product, often a garment.
      Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. There exist numerous styles and methods of hand knitting.
      Different yarns and knitting needles may be used to achieve different end products by giving the final piece a different color, texture, weight, and/or integrity. Using needles of varying sharpness and thickness as well as different varieties of yarn can also change the effect.
7. Tatting is a technique for handcrafting a particularly durable lace constructed by a series of knots and loops. Tatting can be used to make lace edging as well as doilies, collars, and other decorative pieces. The lace is formed by a pattern of rings and chains formed from a series of cow hitch, or half-hitch knots, called double stitches (ds), over a core thread. Gaps can be left between the stitches to form picots, which are used for practical construction as well as decorative effect.
      Tatting dates to the early 19th century. The term for tatting in most European languages is derived from French frivolité, which refers to the purely decorative nature of the textiles produced by this technique. The technique was developed to imitate point lace.
8. A lucet is a tool used in cordmaking or braiding which is believed to date back to the Viking and Medieval periods, when it was utilized to create cords that were used on clothing, or to hang useful items from the belt. Lucet cord is square, strong, and slightly springy. It closely resembles knitted I-cord or the cord produced on a knitting spool. Lucet cord is formed by a series of loops, and will therefore unravel if cut. Unlike other braiding techniques such as kumihimo, finger-loop braiding or plaiting, where the threads are of a finite length, lucetted braids can be created without pre-measuring threads and so it is a technique suited for very long cords.
      Archaeological finds and a literary description of lucets strongly suggest that its use declined after the 12th century, but was revived in the 17th century. Its use waned again in the early 19th century.
      A modern lucet fork, like that pictured, is normally made of wood, with two prongs at one end and a handle on the other. It may also have a hole through which the cord can be pulled. Medieval lucets, in contrast, appear to be double-pronged, straight-sided implements, often made of bone. Some were shaped from hollowed bones, left tubular, presumably so that the cord could be drawn through the centre hole.
9. A braid (also called plait) is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibres, wire, or human hair. Compared to the process of weaving a wide sheet of cloth from two separate, perpendicular groups of strands (warp and weft), a braid is usually long and narrow, with each component strand functionally equivalent in zigzagging forward through the overlapping mass of the others.
      The simplest possible braid is a flat, solid, three-strand structure in some countries/cases called a plait. More complex braids can be constructed from an arbitrary (but usually odd) number of strands to create a wider range of structures: wider ribbon-like bands, hollow or solid cylindrical cords, or broad mats which resemble a rudimentary perpendicular weave.
      Braids are commonly used to make rope, decorative objects, and hairstyles (also see pigtails, French braid). Complex braids have been used to create hanging fibre artworks.
      Braiding is also used to prepare horses' manes and tails for showing, polo and polocrosse.
10. A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe.
11. Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length (called the warp) and those parallel to the width (called the weft); the warp threads are set up under tension on a loom, and the weft thread is passed back and forth across part or all of the warps. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike cloth weaving where both the warp and the weft threads may be visible. In tapestry weaving, weft yarns are typically discontinuous; the artisan interlaces each colored weft back and forth in its own small pattern area. It is a plain weft-faced weave having weft threads of different colors worked over portions of the warp to form the design.
      Most weavers use a naturally based warp thread such as linen or cotton. The weft threads are usually wool or cotton, but may include silk, gold, silver, or other alternatives. (Wikipedia)

Needlework Artists:
Needlework Articles, Exhibits, Tutorials, and Instructions:
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teaching textiles and sewing to young people

      Preschool and Kindergarten sewing activities that will improve eye-hand motor skills are a must. Below, I have listed the most common supplies that even a homeroom teacher may adapt for quiet time use with her small charges. Teachers should only supply large, plastic, round-tipped needles to children this young!
  • Lacing Cards
  • Stringing Giant Beads
  • Sew'n Sew (wooden sewing block)
  • Stringing cereal
Sewing activities for first through third graders may be similar to the above suggestions only slightly more complicated in nature.
  • Two-sided felt animals with pre-cut holes. Teachers can also craft projects like these using paper.
  • Stringing small beads
  • Stringing dried fruit or candy as a gift for a parent
  • Sewing decorative threads to pre-printed holiday cards
Sewing for fourth graders and up! Although there are many children younger than nine or ten who can sew, we suggest that teachers wait until fourth or fifth grade to introduce kids to sewing projects in the classroom. This is because sewing with sharp needles requires some mature accountability on the part of a student. Teachers need to be in charge of any artistic activities that involve this kind of risk taking. A sewing needle can seem harmless enough, but, there are many health risks involved when open wounds are probable, even when the wound is the size of a pin prick. So proceed with caution and write a note home or send an e-mail to your student's parents explaining that their child will be expected to conduct themselves appropriately with sewing materials in your classroom.

What should be included in a young student's first sewing kit?
  • A needle threader - Small fingers and inexperienced eyes can not always keep a needle threaded properly so, keeping a needle threader on hand is a very good idea.
  • A pincushion is sometimes included in a fancy little sewing basket. But, no matter what type of kit your student chooses, he or she should have a small pincushion included in it. Many teachers choose to assign a pincushion first before all other projects are considered. This is a traditional introductory lesson for any person learning to sew.
  • I prefer tiny scissors to a seam riper for children. A seam riper in a beginning sewing class or workshop for young children, is an accident waiting to happen!
  • A small variety of threads - Threads come in very small quantities at sewing shops. It is easy to find tiny spools of thread even in the grocery store. Black, white, navy, red, yellow, pink and pale blue cotton thread are all quite common in these small packs.
  • Sampling of buttons - Students will use odd buttons for decorative purposes or for practice in a beginning sewing class.
  • Her own needles - Students should never share their needles with each other under any conditions what-so-ever! Make this a class rule. The teacher may keep extra needles at her own desk for those students who forget their own. Students should not return the needle to the teacher after using it. In order to prevent the transfer of illness this rule must be reinforced in the classroom.
  • A white piece of chalk is needed for marking fabric. There are also fancy marking pens that older students may wish to purchase.
  • A small tape measure - This is a must even for little kids because it incorporates basic math skills into their sewing projects. Teachers may wish to print and cut these out to help save money on the kit supplies.
  • Band-aids are a must for a kit.
  • Antiseptic spray or an anti-biotic cream is also very important as well inside of any sewing kit. Those needle pricks will occur and they heal up fast with medicine on the spot.
  • A thimble
A simple plastic container with a lid may
be used by students learning to sew.
What should a sewing kit look like? A student's first sewing kit could be a simple basket, preferably with a lid or a small plastic container. Sometimes teachers prefer to purchase plastic containers all at once for a discount. This also guarantees that the kits will be of uniform size and appearance. Teachers may choose to stack kits neatly on a shelf during the school day. Some students are too forgetful to be trusted with bringing a sewing kit to class when it is needed. Boys can also be a bit self-conscious about packing a sewing kit into their backpacks as well. Personally, I prefer to give the task to the student of "scouting out" their own sewing kit. I believe that individuality and personal choice should be rewarded to a child's artistic pursuits whenever possible. Encourage the girl who wishes to purchase a small attractive basket or an unusual box for her first sewing kit. Have examples of many small kits on hand to show your students the possibilities. Make sure that several of these samples are not too feminine in appearance or very expensive to collect.
      Here is a linking list to several versions of sewing kits that parents may acquire for their children to use. These kits make wonderful birthday gifts for a young girls. I've also included a few links to historical versions of sewing kits as well.
      If you are a parent homeschooling your children and wish to teach sewing skills, you may consider gifting a child with a kit designed for sewing fishing lures. A bait and tackle box is an excellent alternative for a child who prefers this form of entertainment. Sewing skills need not be about clothing. This would also be an excellent winterum course for middle school students after Christmas break in a private school. These brief courses are usually taught for fun and faculty members are always on the look out for new ideas. Girls frequently gravitate to small needlework or quilting classes. However, for those students less inclined to sewing garments or fancy work, bait and tackle boxes have fun possibilities. These make great gifts for a dad if sons or daughters don't fish. If you intend to teach this type of course make sure that you acquire a good quantity of feathers and specialty products along with a basic manual before starting. There are actually films available that give instructions for crafting lures as well. Make sure that you have some "fish stories" and other fun activities to mix in with the threading or your student(s) may take a nap, well, it is fishing.

"Prickly Pins" is my new textile teaching blog

Popular Fiber Magazines:
Who publishes quality fiber resources:
Textile Suppliers for artists:
Textile Suppliers for teachers:
Great Pattern Resources Online:
Great Blogs for Sewing Ideas:
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teaching elements and principles with worksheets

For many years teachers taught the elements and principles of design with
worksheets. These were collected inside folders that students were
encouraged to decorate. Sometimes, I think worksheets can
be helpful, but I believe that these should be used only if they do
not replace "human contact." Students really do prefer to be given one-
on-one attention in the art classroom. Worksheets can be very helpful
for substitute teachers and I do like them if students use these for
organizational purposes, but, worksheets should never replace slide shows,
demonstrations, lectures and private conferences. Above is a student example
of a decorated folder. I found this former student work tucked into an old
file cabinet where I did some of my student teaching along with the
following worksheets. These worksheets were assigned to ninth graders.
I can tell this student was a bit bored with this exercise.
I will need to come up with something much more
entertaining than this. Teens are not at all like college
students when it comes to art projects. They must be
tempted in order to see more positive results. It is never
enough for them to simply want to improve their own
abilities. They must be motivated with a challenge that
at least appears to be fun on the surface.
The ever present color wheel exercise. Actually, I don't
mean to be picky but, of course, I am. The blue on this worksheet
is a cerulean blue; it should be a cobalt blue in order for the
colors to be mixed properly for a color wheel exercise.
I've never met an art teacher who didn't begin a two dimentional
art project by assigning a two point perspective worksheet like
this one.
This line worksheet is a bit young for ninth graders.
Students in this age group can easily be made to feel as though
they are being patronized. Don't dumb down agenda too much.
Students in this ninth grade design course were
encouraged to draw thumbnails of their own ideas
for a larger project. This is an excellent way to promote
mapping and planning of a design concept.
These were the preliminary thumbnail sketches for the
black and white ink drawing below.

This shading exercise is relatively standard and sometimes
a worksheet with three dimensional objects is assigned
as well. Below is an example of the 3-D object examples.

I needed a one point perspective worksheet like this one
for a fifth grade art project during my student teaching
at an elementary school once. Next
time I will try to remember that I have it on file!
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