In my attempt to bring travel into my life, I created this 8th grade art lesson. Students selected famous buildings – the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, the White House…. Places all over the world.
This was a materials-driven lesson. Colored pencil on black Strathmore drawing paper with the addition of Sharpie metallic markers in silver, gold and/or bronze.
The strength in these works comes from the students’ commitment to creating their own styles and in addition, to utilizing consistency in that style. I was looking for rhythm and texture here, as well as detail and composition.
I am always inventing my own projects and the only problem-o in sharing them is that another local or otherwise art teacher might stumble across them here and decide to use the lessons with their students. That’s flattering, not really a problem. It only becomes so if the projects compete against one another at Scholastic Art Awards. Judges are always looking for the unique. Seeing a “lesson” is basically the kiss of death. Then the judges don’t see originality and I have to go back to the drawing board (ha, ha – because I am using it figuratively and literally) and come up with a new inventive project.
But let’s face it – that is my strength. I have ideas flying out of my butt. Are you liking that pun? Flying, get it? The jet-setters do.
love the student art … you created a great lesson for the kids !
Thank you, Mindy!