High School Art
Week 1:
Day 1: Introductions. Goals for the year.
Day 2: What Is Art?
How does art involve problem-solving?
What is a critique?
Pre-tests: Pencil drawings.
Day 3: Drawing Skills.
Week 2: Still Life Drawing.
Observational Skills - Drawing what you see.
Compositional Skills - Placing objects accurately onto your paper.
Technical Skills - Using pencils, eraser, and blending tool to create a variety of values.
Glue Bottle Drawing.
How well are you observing and drawing the size and shape of the bottle and cap? How well are you getting the proportions correct for each part of the bottle? How well are you seeing and drawing the curves of the bottle and the angles of the shoulders? How well are you drawing an ellipse for the top of the white part of the bottle cap?
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Clear Glass Container Drawing.
How well are you seeing and drawing the shape of the containers, including its proportions and curves? How well are you seeing and drawing the reflected lights? How well are you seeing and drawing the variety of values that can be found on the container? How well does your drawn image look like clear glass?
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Small Group Drawing.
How well are you seeing and drawing the sizes, shapes, and proportions of each object in the still life group? How well did you draw the objects in relation to each other in terms of size? How well did you overlap objects and place them on the paper to capture a sense of space? How well did you see and draw values on each object or on the table top?
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Week 3: Gesture Drawing and the Color Wheel.
Gesture Drawing.
How well did you capture posture and proportions as you drew the pose of a real life model with colored pencil in approximately one minute? Does your drawn figure look believable? Does the posture look realistic?
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Art History: The Renaissance.
Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait (1434)
Andrea Mantegna, Lamentation of Christ (c. 1480)
Raphael, The School of Athens (1509-10)
Sofonisba Anguissola, The Chess Game or Lucia, Minerva, and Europa Anguissola Playing Chess (1555)
Watercolor Color Wheel.
What does a color wheel look like? What are the primary and secondary colors? What are complementary colors?
Using watercolors, accurately recreate a color wheel with curved lines and circles for lighter and darker values of each color. In the space around the wheel, paint each color's complement, allow it to dry, and then add a circle of the original color. Watercolor, being transparent, allows for colors to blend visually as you see both the top color and the color underneath it simultaneously. Complementary colors, when painted evenly, will make a brown color.
Week 4: Watercolors.
What is copyright? Fair use?
What is Creative Commons? Open Source? Copyleft?
How can we as artists avoid infringing on copyright?
Watercolor Painting.
For this painting, we will work from photographs that do not infringe on copyright because they are our photographs or because we have proper permission to use them. We will talk about composition, creating images that are eye-catching and visually appealing (aesthetically pleasing). We will also talk about a variety of techniques (wet-on-wet, wet-on-dry, dry-on-wet, dry brush, etc.) to work with watercolors and watercolor tools (different brushes, paper towels, sponges, etc.)
Art Test #1.
Week 5: Watercolors.
Watercolor Painting (continued).
Art History: The Baroque.
Caravaggio, Supper at Emmaus (1601)
Rembrandt, The Night Watch or Officers and Men of the Company of Captain Frans Banning Cocq and Lieutenant Wilhelm van Ruytenburgh (1642)
Diego Velazquez, Las Meninas (1656)
Jan Vermeer, The Art of Painting (1668)
Week 6: Linear Perspective.
2-point Perspective House.
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Week 7: Linear Perspective.
Art Test #2.
Larger 2-point Perspective Building.
FA 12.2.1.a Analyze multiple ideas and materials (glossary) to demonstrate planning and refining.
FA 12.2.1.b Create and communicate a personal voice, with intention, through a body of work.
FA 12.2.1.d Demonstrate and communicate understanding of relationships between elements of art and principles of design (glossary) by developing multiple solutions to a visual problem.
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Sketchbook: Animals
Week 8: Oil Pastels.
Art History: Rococo, Neoclassicism, and Romanticism.
Jean-Honore Fragonard, The Swing (c. 1767-68)
Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, Marie Antoinette and Her Children (c. 1787)
Jacques Louis David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1801-05)
Francisco Goya, The Second of May, 1808 (1814)
Oil Pastel Fruit Using Complementary Colors.
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Week 9: Printmaking
Monoprinting with Matboard and Color Ink.
FA 12.2.1.a Analyze multiple ideas and materials (glossary) to demonstrate planning and refining.
FA 12.2.1.b Create and communicate a personal voice, with intention, through a body of work.
FA 12.2.1.c Engage in making art to communicate and connect aesthetic theories (glossary) to self-expression (e.g., imitationalism (glossary), expressionism (glossary), institutionalism (glossary), instrumentalism (glossary), formalism (glossary), contextualism (glossary)).
FA 12.2.1.d Demonstrate and communicate understanding of relationships between elements of art and principles of design (glossary) by developing multiple solutions to a visual problem.
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
End of Quarter 1.
Week 10: Printmaking
Art Mid-Term Exam.
Monoprinting.
Sketchbook: Optical Illusion
Week 11:
Critique Monoprints.
FA 12.2.3.d Critique and defend how aesthetic (glossary) choices impact the visual image and/or intended message.
Art History Vocabulary.
Art History: Romanticism and Realism.
Theodore Gericault, Raft of the Medusa
Gustave Courbet, A Burial at Ornans
Rosa Bonheur, The Horse Fair
Edouard Manet, A Bar at the Folies-Bergere.
Calligraphy.
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Week 12:
Calligraphy.
FA 12.2.1.a Analyze multiple ideas and materials (glossary) to demonstrate planning and refining.
FA 12.2.1.b Create and communicate a personal voice, with intention, through a body of work.
FA 12.2.1.c Engage in making art to communicate and connect aesthetic theories (glossary) to self-expression (e.g., imitationalism (glossary), expressionism (glossary), institutionalism (glossary), instrumentalism (glossary), formalism (glossary), contextualism (glossary)).
FA 12.2.1.d Demonstrate and communicate understanding of relationships between elements of art and principles of design (glossary) by developing multiple solutions to a visual problem.
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Week 13:
Illuminated manuscripts: Practice ruling and writing calligraphy. Sketch ideas for composition. Work with different media to develop ideas (pencil, colored pencil, pen, charcoal, oil pastel, soft pastel, silver/gold foil, etc.)
Art Test #4.
Week 14:
Art History: Impressionism, The Aesthetic Movement, and Portraiture.
Edgar Degas
Mary Cassatt
James McNeill Whistler
John Singer Sargent
Illuminated Manuscripts: Work on final manuscript page.
Week 15:
Illuminated Manuscripts: Work on final manuscript page.
Colored Pencil Leaves (extra credit): Carefully observe real leaves with various Fall colors. Work with colored pencils to draw those leaves as believably as you can.
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Week 16:
Colored Pencil Leaves.
Monograms.
Develop an image while working with your initials.
For this piece, we will sketch at least 15 thumbnails while developing our designs. We should think about balance and an overall visual appeal as we sketch these relatively small ideas. Then we will choose the three best to redraw cleanly inside 4" x 4" boxes. Finally, we will choose the best to redraw cleanly inside a 6" x 6" box.
FA 12.2.1.a Analyze multiple ideas and materials (glossary) to demonstrate planning and refining.
FA 12.2.1.b Create and communicate a personal voice, with intention, through a body of work.
FA 12.2.1.c Engage in making art to communicate and connect aesthetic theories (glossary) to self-expression (e.g., imitationalism (glossary), expressionism (glossary), institutionalism (glossary), instrumentalism (glossary), formalism (glossary), contextualism (glossary)).
FA 12.2.1.d Demonstrate and communicate understanding of relationships between elements of art and principles of design (glossary) by developing multiple solutions to a visual problem.
FA 12.2.1.e Synthesize knowledge of relationships between advanced technique, skill, and craftsmanship.
FA 12.2.1.f Demonstrate respect for accepted procedures regarding responsible care of equipment and materials.
Final Art Exam
Sketchbook: Eyes
Week 17:
Monograms: Draw the three best thumbnails and a final monogram on a larger scale.
Self-Portrait Drawing
For this piece, we will look at six examples of self-portraits from the past and talk about the idea of a self-portrait. Then we will use the grid technique to draw our self-portraits from black and white photos.
The grid allows an artist to compose an image realistically by breaking down the image into smaller squares or rectangles. By separating both the reference photo and the surface on which you as the artist are recreating the photo image into a grid, you can examine each square or rectangle one at a time and then draw only what you see within that square or rectangle.
Sketchbook: Eyes
Week 18:
Self-Portrait Drawing
We will continue drawing our self-portraits on paper and then we will brainstorm images or designs to place around our self-portraits which say something about us as individuals.
Women in Art: A Conversation with Antje Anderson
Week 19:
Self-Portrait Drawing
Copyright Review: How can we create artwork without worrying about infringing on copyright?
AI and Art.
Venues for Displaying Artwork: Galleries, museums, stores, art fairs, online, social media.
End of Semester 1.
Week 1:
Tool Drawings
We will use pencil to draw at least three different tools using our observational and technical skills. We can see this as an example of a still life but we will also see this as practice for the Graphic Design Drawing that we will do next.
Sketchbook: Ceramic Forms
Graphic Design Tool Drawing
Using pencils, a ruler, a compass, and other tools, we will draw the tool that we want to emphasize in a form of advertisement. We will work with objects associated with that tool (a nail with a hammer, for example), with lines, and with text connected to that tool. We can use lines to create a focal point, to fill in empty space in order to make out composition nicer, and to emphasize the movement of the tool.
Week 2:
Graphic Design Tool Drawing
We will finish our drawing while focusing on composition and craftsmanship. Is our composition eye-catching (with a focal point)? Is our composition nice to look at? Does our drawing communicate what our tool is and how it works? Is our text well placed and easy to read?
Week 3:
Graphic Design Tool Drawing
We will finish our drawing while focusing on composition and craftsmanship. Is our composition eye-catching (with a focal point)? Is our composition nice to look at? Does our drawing communicate what our tool is and how it works? Is our text well placed and easy to read?
Henri Matisse, The Green Stripe or The Green Line. Portrait of Madame Matisse.
Copyright Review: How can we create artwork without worrying about infringing on copyright?
AI and Art.
Venues for Displaying Artwork: Galleries, museums, stores, art fairs, online, social media.
Week 4:
Working with Clay
We will learn how to wedge clay in order to remove air pockets and prepare the clay to be worked. We will learn basic ceramics vocabulary as we work. We will work with red earthenware clay for throwing and white earthenware clay for hand-building.
Throwing on the Wheel
For this activity, we will learn basic steps for throwing and footing a pottery piece on a potter's wheel. If we have time, we will add designs and/or handles to our thrown pottery forms.
Ceramic Slab Form
For this piece, we will work with the slab technique for creating a hand-built ceramic form. We will use rolling pins and thin strips of wood to roll out thin pieces (slabs) of clay. We will use rulers to measure and cut our walls (and possibly other details) for our slab forms. We will use scoring and slip to attach our slab walls together when they are leather-hard. We will add designs to our slab forms using carving and/or piercing.
Week 5:
Throwing on the Wheel
Ceramic Slab Form
Art Test #1
Week 6
Throwing on the Wheel
Ceramic Slab Form
Week 7:
Throwing on the Wheel
Ceramic Slab Form
Week 8:
A Dynamic Cityscape
For this drawing, we will use 3-point perspective to create a cityscape. We will use two vanishing points to create sidewalks, and then we will talk about how all three vanishing points will work. We will then develop our own cityscape with skyscrapers of various sizes and details.
Collaborative Pencil Drawing
Collaborative artwork involves the effort of multiple people. For this particular collaborative drawing, we will develop a grid with a variety of designs that we will visually tie together. We will grid off a 12" x 12" piece of paper into nine 4" x 4" squares. In one square we will spend between 6 and 8 minutes drawing a design while using lines, shapes, and simple images. We will intentionally draw some of our lines so that they lead into the neighboring spaces. We will then pass our drawings to a neighbor who will choose another square and add lines, shapes, and simple objects during the next 6 to 8 minutes. If the next artist works on a square next to one already designed, the new artist will work with any lines that lead into the new space. We will repeat this second step two or three more times before returning the drawings to the original artists.
To finish these pieces, the original artists will spend 30 to 40 minutes filling in the empty squares with lines, shapes, and simple objects while making the linear connections between the squares as seamless and visually pleasing as possible.
Week 9:
Collaborative Pencil Drawing
Art Test #2
Week 10:
Art History: Modern Art
Rene Magritte
Salvador Dali
Kay Sage
Frida Kahlo
Printmaking: Linocuts (Linoleum Prints) or Rubber Block Prints
For this piece, we will gauge a design into a piece of linoleum. We will use black printing ink to create an edition of at least five good quality prints, signing and numbering them as printmakers typically do.
Art History: Architecture
Classical, Romanesque, and Gothic Structures
Week 11:
Printmaking: Linocuts (Linoleum Prints) or Rubber Block Prints
Week 12:
Printmaking: Linocuts (Linoleum Prints) or Rubber Block Prints
Art Mid-Term Exam
Week 13:
Printmaking: Linocuts (Linoleum Prints) or Rubber Block Prints
Art History: Modern Art
Grant Wood
Edward Hopper
Andrew Wyeth
Jackson Pollock
Barnett Newman
Bridget Riley
Andy Warhol
Art History: Architecture
Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical; Romanesque and Gothic Revival
Week 14:
Art History: Architecture
Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical; Romanesque and Gothic Revival
Gesture and Figure Drawing
Week 15:
Gesture and Figure Drawing
Art Test #5
Art History: Modern to Contemporary Art
Chuck Close
Audrey Flack
Judy Chicago
Marina Abramovic
Cindy Sherman
Week 16:
Environmental Art
For this piece, we will participate in a contest sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy. The theme of the contest is "Nebraska: Don't Waste It." These pieces can be made with a variety of media and they can address any issue surrounding waste and the environment including pollution, litter, recycling, and clean air, water, and land.
Art History: Architecture
Art Nouveau and Art Deco
Week 17:
Environmental Art
Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)
For these pieces, we will develop compositions on small surfaces measuring 3 1/2" x 2 1/2" using a variety of media. We will return to the idea of a focal point as we work with images, lines, shapes, and colors.
Week 18:
Artist Trading Cards (ATCs)
Writing an Artist Statement
Week 19:
Final Art Exam
A Personal Still Life
For this piece, we will return to still life drawing by studying an object that is personal to us.
Art History: Architecture
Modern and Contemporary
Budgeting as an Artist
Art History from around the World
Week 20:
Glazing Ceramic Forms
Papermaking