Mrs. Burch's Lesson Plans

11:39 am - Tuesday, Sept 23

6th Grade
Warm/Cool Color Mosaics

A mosaic is a picture "painted" with bits of broken glass or tile. Today we won't be working with broken glass but the end result will look like a mosaic just the same.

Start by drawing an interesting organic shape -- a leaf, sun, flower, moon, star, hand, fish... something natural. Then break up the space into pieces by drawing a line design right over the entire paper like the picture isn't even there. Color the pieces inside the shape using warm colors, and the pieces outside the shape with cool colors.


This is due at the end of class Wednesday.

7th Grade
6 Color-Scheme Boxes

This is a pretty simple assignment that looks stunning when it's finished!

Start by drawing a rectangle in the center of your paper. Now draw a rectangle outside that rectangle. Draw another rectangle outside the 2nd one, until you end up with 6 rectangles nested one inside the other. (You may want to see me to get you started on this one if you're making it up from home.) Now, draw a design inside each rectangle. Color each rectangle with a different color scheme: Complementary, Split-Complementary, Warm, Cool, Triad, Monochromatic, Analogous. (That's 7. You only have to choose 6.)

Due at end of class on Wednesday.

8th Grade
Andy Warhol Color Scheme Paintings



Andy Warhol is famous for these silkscreen prints of actress Marilyn Monroe. He did literally hundreds of these, each with a different color scheme. We are going to use his idea to create 6 small works of art using a different color scheme for each.

Divide a large piece of drawing paper into 6 equal squares. (See me to get started.) Draw a picture in one square. Copy that picture into the remaining 5 squares. Color each picture using a different color scheme: (Monochromatic, Analogous, Warm, Cool, Complementary, Split-Complementary, Triadic -- you only have to pick 6.)

Due at end of class on Wednesday.

01:02 pm - Friday, Sept 19

COLOR SCHEMES

Today we will be discussing Color Schemes, or the relationships between colors. Color schemes are used by everyone from fashion designers to architects to create objects that are pleasing to the eye.

The color schemes we will talk about today are: Complementary, Split-Complementary, Warm, Cool, Analogous, Monochromatic, and Triad.

Complementary Colors are colors that are opposites on the color wheel, like Orange and Blue, Red and Green, and Violet and Yellow. Complementary colors are often used in advertising because they really catch your eye when you put them together:

Complementary Colors

Split-Complements are one color plus the color on either side of its compliment.

Split-Complementary

Warm Colors are Red, Red-orange, Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow, and Yellow-Green These colors make you feel warm:

Warm and Cool Colors

Cool Colors are Red-Violet, Violet, Blue-Violet, Blue, Blue-Green, and Green

Analogous Colors are colors that are side-by-side on the color wheel.


Analogous Colors

Monochromatic Colors are one color plus black and white


Monochromatic Colors

A Triad is a group of colors equal distances apart on the color wheel; every 4th color on our color wheel.

A Triad

Please label the color wheel you made yesterday with these color schemes and write the definitions on the back. This will be your reference to use for the next week's worth of assignments, starting with a quiz on Monday. Having it will make life a lot easier for you!

11:26 am - Thursday, Sept 18

The COLOR WHEEL

The color wheel is a chart that shows the relationships of shared colors. This is an example of a color-wheel:

A color wheel shows all the colors that can be made with the PRIMARY COLORS, or Red, Blue, and Yellow.

In class today we will be making a color wheel using only the PRIMARY colors. If you need to make this up, see me:

01:48 pm - Monday, Sept 15

6th and 7th Grades:
Today we will be drawing and shading geometric solids in class. We will shade these shapes just like we shaded our value charts, from black to white, depending on the location of the light source. Geometric solids make up just about everything around, so if you can draw and shade these shapes, you can draw anything and make it look realistic.

This picture shows how completed shapes should look. Please see me if you need help.

You need to draw and shade a Cube, Sphere, Cylinder, Pyramid, and Cone in class. If you do not finish in class, please finish at home.

8th Grade --
Begin drawing and shading still-life. A still-life is a drawing of everyday objects, arranged in a way that looks interesting to the viewer.
See me to make this up. DUE WEDNESDAY, SEPT 17 at end of class.

01:37 pm - Friday, Sept 12

Today we will be making value charts. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color or shade. (This should already be in your notebook. If not, take a minute to write it down.)

Start with a large sheet of manilla paper. Fold it in half "hamburger style." Now fold that in half in the same direction 2 more times until you have something that looks like a ruler. Now, fold your ruler in half the other way twice. Open your paper up. You should end up with 4 rows of 8 squares each.

Consider each row of 8 squares One Value Chart. Color the first square as black as you can get it with a #2 pencil*. It should be black and shiny with no flecks of yellow paper showing through. Color the second square a little bit lighter. Make the next one a little lighter than that. Keep going lighter until you get to the last square. The last square should have no pencil at all. Each square should be a different value than the one before, from dark to light.

Complete 3 scales. Alternate each row so that the scales run in opposite directions. In other words, the first row should go black to white, the 2nd row white to black, and the third black to white. Due at end of class today -- if you do not finish in class, take home to finish and bring back on Monday.

*No mechanical pencils. They are very hard to shade with because you can't use the side of the pencil and you only have a small surface area of graphite to work with. You will not be able to get a nice, smooth blend. Use the "old school" type -- the kind you sharpen in a pencil sharpener for best results.

01:19 pm - Wednesday, September 10- Thursday Sept. 11

Vocabulary (in notebook)
Contour Drawing a drawing made with only lines, sort of like a coloring book drawing but more detailed.
Shaded Contour Drawing A contour drawing with shadows added
Blind Contour Drawing A contour drawing done while looking only at the object being drawn and not at the paper.

Today we will be doing 3 drawings of shoes: A Contour Drawing, a Shaded Contour Drawing, and a Blind Contour Drawing.

We'll start with the blind contour drawing. Place your pencil on one spot on your paper. Now, put your eye on one spot on the shoe. Move your eye along the outline of the shoes, and try to move your pencil the same way you move your eye. Once you get the outline done, start moving your eye to the details of the shoe -- laces, grommets, wrinkles, etc... try to add as many details as you can WITHOUT LOOKING AT YOUR PAPER. The end result will look sort of funny, but this is a way to learn how to draw without looking at your paper. If you look at your paper less, you'll notice more details to draw. Here is an example of a finished blind contour drawing:

I would like to see more detail attempted than is shown in this picture, but this is the general idea.

Now we will try the Contour drawing. Try to represent your shoe on the paper with lines, in as much detail as you can. This is a good example:


Use only lines -- no coloring or shading. THe trick to getting your shoes to look right is to start with the right outline shape of the shoe. Once you get that shape, the details will fall into place.

When you finish your contour drawing, do another contour drawing on another sheet of paper. Try drawing your shoe from a different angle. We will add shadows to the second picture to create a shaded contour drawing, like this one:


Consider your light source: if the light is hitting the shoes from the upper left, then the lower right side of the shoe will be darkest, and the cast shadow will fall on the right side of the shoe. And, all your highlights (white spots) will be on the tops and left sides of surfaces. Draw what you see -- there is no right or wrong answer; you are simply recording what you see.

You will be responsible for 3 complete drawings: A blind contour, contour, and shaded contour by the end of class on Thursday. If you do not finish in class, you must finish at home.

01:25 pm - Thursday, Sept 4

Note: I am updating a day early because I will have a substitute teacher. See post below this one for Wednesday's lesson plan.

Today we will be cutting shapes out of our painted paper to create our collage self-portraits. Cover your table with newspaper before you begin!

It is a good idea to start out with your skin color. Cut a head-shape out of your skin-toned paint. You may want to draw it lightly first. Place it on your sheet of background color to make sure it will fit. Now cut out the details for your face -- eyes, mouth, nose, brows, hair... refer to your practice sketch to get the shapes you really want. Do not glue them on your face -- leave them loose so you can rearrange them until you like what you see, then glue them down.

Once you have your face and hair, it's time to add clothing and details. Remember to draw lightly, then cut, then arrange -- do not glue until you're satisfied with the placement.

When your collage self-portrait is done, please put it in the drying rack to dry.

Note to sub: Please bundle artworks together by class when dry and place them in the appropriate turn-in basket (baskets are numbered by class period.) Students will help you.

If you don't finish today, put your pieces in your posterboard folders and keep them in your turn-in basket. (That's what those are for.)


This is not a collage, but look how this artist used color to express a mood. What kind of mood do you feel when you look at this picture?

01:15 pm - Wednesday, Sept 3

Today we will be creating the painted paper which we will be cutting up to make our self-portrait collages.

Notebook Work:
Vocabulary -- (put in notebook)
Collage-- picture made of shapes, cut out and glued to another piece of paper
Texture -- the way something feels or appears to feel (patterns are also texture.)

Questions
1. Draw 5 boxes. Draw a different texture in each box.
2. How does texture make a work of art more interesting?

The Project:
How to create the painted paper:
First, you need to consider the colors you will need for your picture -- what color hair do you have? Eyes? What color clothes do you want to be wearing in your self-portrait? Are there any other items that you want to include that will need special colors? Make a list of items and colors you will need:

Hair: black/brown
Eyes: brown
Skin: peach/tan
Jeans: blue
Shirt: red
Jewelery: gold
keys: silver
sky: orange/yellow/red sunset

COVER YOUR TABLE WITH NEWSPAPER NOW.

We will start with the small sheet of paper for the background. Put your name on this paper before you start painting! What colors do you want for the background of your picture? Start swirling those colors on the small sheet of paper and making designs in the background to suit your mood. It doesn't have to look like a realistic background -- you can just have fun with color if you like. Let it dry in the drying rack while you're working on the bigger sheet.

Now, make sure your name is somewhere on the back of the large piece of art paper in front of you. Start painting large swatches of the colors you will use. Don't mix the colors up, but allow them to touch each other and sort of blend together. You can even paint another color on top of the first color and let it swirl together. If you don't like the way it looks, don't throw it away. You may decide you like that color after it dries, or you can trade it for another color from another student.

Go wild with color and texture!

While the paint is still wet, use a toothpick to scratch texture designs into the paint. Think about what the color will be used for, and mimic that texture. For instance, you might select black for hair. If your hair is curly, you can scratch curly-Qs into the black paint. If it is straight, draw a lot of straight lines.

Now, CAREFULLY put the paper into the drying rack to dry. If you have time, you may do another-- just be sure your name is on the back of the paper.

You will be responsible for 2 things today: Your notebook work and at least 1 painted paper sheet.

Tomorrow we will begin cutting out pieces for the collage. You will have a substitute teacher, so please follow his/her directions carefully!!!

01:51 pm - ALL CLASSES -- Tuesday, September 2nd 3002

Today, we will begin creating collage self-portraits.

Vocabulary --
Collage -- a picture made of shapes cut out of paper, fabric, or other flat items.
Self-Portrait -- a picture you make of yourself

We will be working with the Elements shape, color and texture.
We will also be working with the Principles of Balance and Unity. (You should already have the Elements and Principles in your notebook. 6th Graders will just have the Elements.)

You may recognize this picture for Eric Carle's "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Eric Carle's illustrations are gorgeous to look at because they're so colorful and have such interesting textures.

Eric carle starts out by painting whole sheets of paper with different colors and then swirling colors together, scratching designs into wet paint, and then cutting shapes for collages out of the paper when the paint is dry. We will be using his technique to create self-portraits.

You will be responsible for two graded items today: 1)Notebook questions based on the portraits below, and 2) a sketch of your self-portrait design.

1. Today we will start by looking at some famous self-portraits to get some ideas:


Click thumbnails to see larger picture (then hit "back" on your browser to come back to this page)

L-R Vincent Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and Paul Gaugin</a>

Notebook Questions:
A. What similarities and differences do you see in these self-portraits?
B. How did these artists use COLOR to make their portraits more interesting?
C. Which self-portrait is your favorite? Why?

2. Now we will start preparing to create our portraits by drawing a sketch of what we want the finished picture to look like. (This sketch is part of your portfolio and will be taken up at the end of the week to be graded. Grade Rubrics will be distributed on Monday.)

Criteria for sketch --
A. You must fill the page. Add details that show something about you (like Frida Kahlo's Monkey and the garden in the background in her "Self Portrait with Monkey.")
B. Sketch must be fully colored (this will help you with tomorrow's part of the lesson). Use bright colors - make your picture look interesting. Consider colors that tell about your personality -- Using lots of yellow might communicate that you are a happy person, or orange might show a person who is energetic. Think about colors that seem appropriate for the mood you want the picture to take on.
C. You must sign your sketch at the bottom and put your full name and class period on the back.
D. Sketches must be turned in at the end of class on Tuesday or brought to class on Wednesday if finished at home.

Be sure to wear old clothes on Wednesday. We will be painting.

04:33 pm - All Classes -- Thursday February 20

6th Grade -- We will be making warm and cool color mosaics.

Warm colors in the lotus stand out against the cool colors in the background.

A mosaic is a picture made out of tiny, cut pieces of tile or glass. Mosaics were used a lot in ancient Rome, Greece, and Turkey, as well as some Middle-Eastern countries as early as 3300 B.C. We are not going to use broken glass to create our pictures, but these drawings will have the look of a mosaic when we are finished with them.

Start by drawing a motif in the center of the paper. It should be something recognizable by its shape, as all inside detail will not show up well. (Stars, hearts, hands... those are good choices. A basketball is not, because it would look like a simple circle by the time we are finished.)

Once you have your shape drawn, draw triangles over the picture to break up the space. Connect the triangles so that it looks like you're looking at your shape through a spider web or broken glass. Don't make them too small -- two inches is a good size.

Now, color all the triangle pieces inside the shape using Warm colors -- red, yellow, orange, red-orange, yellow-orange, etc... Color all the triangle pieces outside the shape Cool colors -- purple, green, blue, blue-violet, blue-green, etc... Avoid using black, brown, pink, sky blue, etc... just use colors that are on the color wheel (see earlier 8th grade post or the blackboard in the classroom.)

When you are finished, your picture will look similar to the one above. See me if you need help making this up.

7th Grade -- Work on Monochromatic paintings. They should look like this:

03:30 pm - All Classes -- Monday, February 10

6th Grade -- work on your weavings. (See earlier post for how-to if you need to make this up.)

8th Grade -- work on color scheme paintings. (See earlier post for how-to if you need to make this up.)

7th Grade -- Begin monochromatic paintings.
A monochromatic color scheme is one that uses one color only, plus black and white. (Black and white are neutrals not colors.)

This scale shows blue mixed with various amounts of white.
One color mixed with white is a tint. Mixed with only black, it becomes a shade.


Select a motif. Repeat your motif in various sizes, all over the paper, overlapping some. Paint the entire page using a monochromatic color scheme, with each shape being a different tint or shade of the same color. Note -- do not mix black and white with your color, or it will be a dull, ugly color. Keep your brushes clean between colors.