This compensatory school's 9th - 12th grade course began with a reading and writing exercise, then some drawing, including an autobiographical comic strip. Differentiated follow up comic assignments could have included 2 or 3-point perspective and large text boxes with modified tracing.
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| Line with pen |
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| 1-point perspective + shading 1 - 3 objects |
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| Colored pencil |
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| Pencil and watercolor |
In timed intervals Drawing/Painting classes practiced rendering flowers with ink and water after counting tones of grey in a Richard Diebenkorn still life. Some students tried brushwork with opposite hands. Classes read excerpts from Interaction of Color by Josef Albers and they acrylic painted on paper, mixing 1 - 4 greys through near equal ratios of primary colors and white. Separately they toned a single primary or secondary color, some additionally mixed complementary and tertiary colors. Students each made still life paintings composing 1 - 4 fruits and vegetables. They were allowed to use white and black to tone light and shadow.
Classes were assigned to read an article on realist painting. In the school's art studio, they chose stretchers from 8 to 24-inches, stretched and gessoed canvases for acrylic paintings based on their own digitally printed photographs. More experienced students were asked to use detailed photographs. A few students worked directly from observation of their photo printouts. Some preferred a method to draw graph coordinates and match areas of information on their canvas to their equally gridded photographs. A few used a makeshift projector–a 6B pencil to trace a horizontally reversed photo then rubbed onto the canvas.
Photo realism painting on canvas modifications included following instruction and some exploration with Photoshop before contact printing digital negatives with cyanotype.
Another landscape painting assignment could focus on watercolors, nighttime photographs, double exposures, or more Photoshop. My photo club were given various film/camera instruction.
After introduction to 19th and 20th century paintings in relation to music and writing, students made two paintings using open-ended color to interpret independent selections of music/sound or literature/text. They presented their music/literature sources while classmates tried to identify the corresponding visuals.
Modified assignments for students struggling with executive functioning allowed them to improvisionally paint without planning and explaining, plus stamp and monotype –after discussing a preselected jazz music video. These students video recorded painting on glass, then I edited.
Next, classes discussed the 1920's Surrealist movement. They first explored various media.
Pencil with collage
Charcoal on butcher paper
Inks on paper
Students painted surrealist portraiture with acrylic on paper and small wood panels and wrote about their work. Modifications included: collage, mod-podge ink transfer, silkscreen-stencil print, drawing, dictated writing.
Classes collaborated–transitioning end frames of an individual animated sequence into the first frame of a partners to create a surreal video. Students registered their drawings using animation bond paper, peg bars, and makeshift light tables. They organized frames before scanning and were introduced to Adobe After Effects software used to create this video. Follow up assignments could further explore After Effects. Modifications included animating torn paper collage and photocopied images.
After reading 1984 by George Orwell, classes looked at a sculpture using video surveillance and a video advertisement for Apple computers based on the 1949 novel. Students were assigned to depict something they consider evil, and selected materials to best express their idea.
Classes were encouraged to consider the AP Art exam by either creating an artwork about a self-selected artist or their own independent study plan/artwork with option to write 150-words.
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| 9th grader |
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| 10th grader |
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| 11th grader |
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| 12th grader |
Drawing/Painting explored some printmaking:
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| Solar plate etching |
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| Stencil and spray paint |
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| X-acto cut rubber |
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| Print display |
New courses at this school could include: prerequisite foundational studio art, drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, video, sculpture, advanced studio art, art history.