The Radnor Middle School 8th-Grade Art course gives students the opportunity to create visual art works in a variety of media. Different techniques and processes are used to communicate ideas. All areas of study will emphasize the creative process and the logistics of producing art. Projects will include, but are not limited to, observational drawing, painting, and sculpting. When drawing, the students will learn to observe and draw an object accurately. To accomplish this, the students will use value to develop the appearance of form and space on a two-dimensional plane. Perspective, highlighting, and shading will be encouraged. Painting with acrylic paints will be introduced through an activity, such as creating a self-portrait on canvas. To achieve a pleasing result, the students will learn how to use different tones of a base color (not necessarily a local color) to simulate the structure of the face. Texture and line will also be presented through this process. Sculpture will be addressed through an activity, such as the design and construction of a clay piece. This project will combine hand-building techniques (pinch, coil, and slab) while also implementing modeling techniques. The finished piece will extend knowledge of color sense through the process of glazing and firing the work. One example of this type of activity would be the creating of a clay cube that uses some element(s) of sculpture as part of the overall design. Other exciting possibilities exist to accomplish the goals of this element of the eighth (8th) grade art curriculum.
Projects Include:
- Self-Portrait in Acrylics
- Black and White Charcoal Sketch
- Pencil Contour Sketch
- Clay Cube with Sculptural Elements