Coco Oil Pastel scratch-board project

Recently my class had a great time making their own scratch-board using oil pastels. We used the "Land of the Dead" from the movie Coco as inspiration for a colourful, geometric, fantasy landscape.

Step 1: use warm coloured crayons to colour a white sheet of paper
Step 2: cover the crayon completely with black oil pastel
Step 3: use a toothpick to draw (scratch away) a geometric landscape to reveal the colour beneath

This is great way to use a new technique with different materials and practice using the principle of design: contrast and the elements of design: colour, shape and form.

Here are some examples of student work:

Patrick

GUILLERMO DEL TORO: AT HOME WITH MONSTERS - A.G.O.

I went to see the Guillermo Del Toro exhibit at the A.G.O. last weekend and it was so good! I highly recommend it.

What makes it so enjoyable is how interdisciplinary it is. Unlike many exhibits, and galleries in general, that tend to show work separated traditionally by type: paintings hanging on the wall, the occasional sculpture, photography or print- which tend to produce the same kind of gallery behaviour by the visitors: quietly walking from one piece to the next, hands behind their back, leaning in now and then to read the didactics. This exhibit broke away from this gallery model and created what many galleries are aiming for: it was dynamic, interactive and got visitors taking and moving around experiencing the show in different ways- based on what intrigued them.

Another element that makes this show successful and refreshing is how it combines the fine arts with applied arts: painting and prints, next to costume design and story boards, next to comics and book illustration, movie props and plans for medieval stained glass windows.

I like the way it was set up: collections + influences. I think that every show would be more interesting with a section dedicated to showing what inspired and influenced the artist.

Here are a few images from the show:

- Patrick

A.G.O. Field Trip Planner

Earlier in the school year, I created this A.G.O. Field Trip Planner for teachers, highlighting some of connections that can can made to various Ontario secondary curriculum- not just for Visual Arts classes!

Several of the teachers that I work with used this to plan fun and rewarding field trips. The A.G.O. changes/updates their programming so be sure to check their site for more info: A.G.O.

- Patrick

The Mural Project 2016

This term, I worked with the Grade 11 Media Arts class to paint another mural at the campus. The project involved covering up an older mural that was painted years ago in what is now the guidance office. The colours as well as the subject matter of the old mural were interesting but a bit unnerving for the calm atmosphere I try to create in the guidance space. 

Some Grade 9 and 10 students volunteered to sand down the old mural, a senior student did two coats of primer to cover up the black and primary colours of the old mural. Then, the Media Arts students took over covering the wall with a cool blue and green layer, using sponges to blend the two areas. They used variations of a sketch of mine to cover the wall with the line work for the paint. 

Many students who weren't in the Media Arts class wanted to help out and paint part of the mural, it was great to see the project bring so many people together!

We used eggshell house paint and finished the mural in two main stages: the mid-tone blue trees and the highlights of brighter colours in between the patterns in the branches. It was a fun project and it gave the students a chance to be creative and to work in an environment other than the typical classroom setting, listening to music and chatting as they worked. Looking forward to another mural next year!

- Patrick

A fun intro to photography project

A fun intro to photography project for a grade 10 arts class:

1. Introduce some tips for taking good photographs
This video worked well with my class.

2. As a group, try to identify each of the tips in the work of a few professional photographers.

3. Individually choose a theme or place to take 9 photographs- each one demonstrating the application of one of the tips.

4. Individually, each student saves their best 9 photographs to a folder for submission and evaluation.

5. Group critique (2 or 3 students examples per tip).

Here are some examples of Steve McCurry's wonderful work (as well as the one above):

- Patrick

Fibonacci Trees

The Fibonacci sequence is a fun way to show students how math and pattern can be found in art and nature. I've used this subject in the Grade 10-12 Visual Arts classes, in the aesthetics unit of the Grade 12 Philosophy course - and I've seen it used in Science, Math and Computer Science classes as well. This is a great example of a rich interdisciplinary topic for students to explore.

The basics about the Fibonacci numbers can be found here.

In the image above, I used the Fibonacci sequence to space the trees and the levels of the branches. This would be a good Visual Arts project, have students research the numbers, develop various templates and grids based on the sequence and use the spatial relationships to create an image.

- Patrick