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Pictures with Black Frames.

11/28/2014

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Picture
A picture created by one of the gentlmen
in my grade 5-8 class. He drew two birds lininig them with
a design. You can see the aboriginal influence in this work.
The project for the next two classes consisted of doing a drawing inside a drawn rectangle on a regular 8.5 X 11 sheet of paper. I had cut out all kinds of flowers and animals/birds for the students to use as inspiration for their drawing they would do inside the rectangle. I insisted it be a "close-up" drawing and that once finished the work wit a pencil, they were to color it in with at least two or three colors using pencil crayons. The purpose for that was to encourage color blending. 

Once that was done they were to use a black marker to outline the rectangle and create a design for a border to go around the rectangle. They could chose to leave the border design black and white or add color with the pencil crayons. Once done, I would provide a larger black sheet on which they would glue their drawing. This black sheet of card stock would then act as a frame for their creation.

For our "contour drawing" at the beginning of the class I brought in our sofa cushions. These were a hit. I set up two of them on music stands for them to draw. In no time these pillows were flying around the room. They seemed to be in constant motion. Even disappearing as students began using them as pillows to sleep on at the tables. But, we finally got everything settled down and the drawings began. Here are two examples.
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Picture
There are a few students like these two 
who's work is showing a lot of excellence.
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Picture
In this last picture the student 
used the image of a seal.
"Satisfaction lies in the effort, 
not in the attainment, 
full effort is full victory."

Mahatma Gandhi



Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mahatmagan121239.html#DXOGDuVKFuVbhPEM.99
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Christmas & Composition!

11/22/2014

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Picture
A Student's work in "composing" a Christmas scene.
The class began as usual with a session of the simple joy of drawing something. I grabbed my "home toolbox" from the house that morning, and threw it into my van. When I set up my class I selected several of these tools and placed them on the tables for them to draw. Here are two samples of the results.
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Picture
The next part of the class was about making a Christmas picture, but with a twist. My goal was to engage the class in the actual process of "composing" a picture. To decide not only on which objects to include in the picture but where they should be placed to make it balanced and pleasing to the eye of the beholder. 

I found some old Christmas cards from way back and cut out the front cover pages of each one. I also included some decorative Christmas wrap and laid these items all out on the tables letting them chose the things they wanted for their pictures. What a fun time the students had as they shuffled through the stuff, choosing and cutting out the items they wanted. Lot's of conversation and laughter discovering the options available. Even "negotiation" came into play. They then cut these items out and began to think about how they would arrange them and glue them into place. 

You can see that in the picture at the top some meaningful items were chosen and placed, but then there was the problem of the sky. The picture did not look complete as it was. After some discussion about options represented with the stuff on the table she decided to draw in the sky herself. This picture then had the balanced composition she was happy with. 

Here are two more examples, all of them are amazing?
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Picture
We are judged by what we finish, 
not by what we start.
 – Anonymous
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A Blizzard in the Classroom!

11/6/2014

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Picture
What a fun class, making snowflakes. I explained that I would be showing one folding style and they could do the rest. Everyone knows that no two snowflakes are the same. Well, everyone can follow the same pattern on paper but when you do the cutting, no one will do it exactly the same. The result is, you said it, no two flakes are the same. .

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you about the contour drawing of this chair. I placed the chair on a table, laying on it's side. Now the students had to really "look" because it was not standing like they were used to seeing a chair. This way they could not draw from memory, but had to really look as they drew it in this unusual position. To add to the challenge, this chair had a curved plastic seat so that was another unique issue. Here are two students that did an amazing job.

Back to the blizzard of snow. Once the students got a handle on the folds needed to make the snowflakes they could not make them fast enough. They could not wait to see what the result would be.... so they just went for it...folding and cutting, not only trying the patterns I'd put up, but also freewheeling, experimenting making up their own. Each time gently peeling open the folded paper in anticipation, wondering what kind of snowflake they were going to get. 

It was such fun to watch the passion and excitement. 

"Nature is full of genius, full of the divinity; 
so that not a snowflake escapes its fashioning hand." 
Henry David Thoerau
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    Picture

    Pastor Cliff Derksen
    Maplecrest Church Holiday Inn S. 1330 Pembina Hwy.
    http://www.maplecrestchurch.ca/​

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