Grade 7 Projects

  • Grade 7

    Marking Period 1 & 2

    The 1st MP students will do a daily warm-up of one detailed sketch in their sketchbook of a photo that they had chosen during the second week of school.  10-12 drawings in all will be created during the marking period.  We first discuss what kinds of photos are better choices for the short period of time that we will be doing the drawing.  If a student choices a more difficult drawing or wants to spend more time on it they may carry it over to the warm-up for the next class.  The drawings are expected to be detailed, not traced and contain shading and texture.  I demonstrate using photos from the same magazines of how to build the shaped one upon another after accessing the item. 

    Sketchbooks are 25% of their grades and are considered not just practice drawing and paying attention to details and elements but consistent daily effort. 

    2nd MP Warm-ups for the second marking period will begin after Thanksgiving vacation.  Students will be doing a short critique of a piece of art at the beginning of each class.  We will have already discussed the information that accompanies all mediums of art worldwide.  Sequentially from artist, title, date, materials, measurements and finally ending with owner/location of the artwork.  Students then must answer three questions using full sentences and discriptive adjectives.  They are instructed to use the elements listed on the cabinet doors to help them make constructive detailed answers.

    First they need to describe the subject matter to someone who couldn't see it.  Pretending it were an e-mail, text or as if speaking to a blind person.  Second they write what they first noticed about the art or their first impression.  And finally they give their opinions and personal thoughts about the art and support their comment with specific elements they like or dislike about it.

    As with the first marking period the warm-up will count for 25% of the final grade.

    White on Black Drawing

    I will do a demonstration and show an example of how different materials (charcoal, pencil and chalk) look in white on black paper.  Students will practice pencil control and experiment with using the different materials on scrap black paper.  They will then choose an image to draw.  Owls were our subject for marking period 2.   Students independently chose a photograph of a real owl to draw from. 

    We did a quick exercise to help remind the students to break down each element of the owls body into geometric shapes to successful create a layout for the owl.  Each student worked independently drawing the owl.  Multiple demonstrations are given over the course of the project to help with technique.