ENGAGE AND PERSIST: Collagraph Printmaking

One of the 8 “Studio Habits” (Hetland et el, 2007) artists practice in the Choice-Based art studio is Engage and Persist.”  This is what artists do when they grab hold of an idea and stuck with it.

Collagraph Print by "A," Grade 5

Recently I  observed a 5^th grade student demonstrating this habit. He was learning to make a collagraph and print it on our etching press. There were many steps to practice and his first try did not produce satisfactory results.

The student who made the handsome edition of prints pictured above worked independently to master this new technique over a three day period. He stuck with it until he could control all aspects of the process and produce a good, clean image.

The Class that Loved Clay

With four weeks left in school, the Clay Center’s days are numbered. Clay artists are intent on making the most of the few days that are left.

One class in particular is especially prolific, as evidenced by our new style of graph: The "Team Box-top Graph."

As you can see, the DREAM team is outdistancing the other teams hands down.

Finding an idea then finding the “right stuff”

A small cohort of papier mâché artists have been working for several days now on various animal forms. The mâché was layered over balloon armatures – a process these students had experience with from past years.

"C's" Bee, Grade 5

Once the sculptures were hard, the decorating began: paint was employed as a surface treatment and then the search began for just the right thing to use for finer details, in this case, wire for wings, antennae and stinger. The final touch for this sculpture was to add a string so the bee could be installed in the artist's bedroom when it gets home.

The Marvelous Thing

Work in Progress by "M" Grade 8

What I know:

It started out as grey cardboard strips, woven together into an elegant mat.

It was disassembled in order to paint the strips blue.

It was reassembled and then green strips were added too.

Blue and Green are the artist’s favorite colors.

It is held together by weaving and by string.

It can be rolled into a sculptural object.

Ambitious Artists

"Noah's Ark" by "C," "B" & "S," Grade 5

It was “C’s” vision, but he couldn’t do it alone. “C” collaborated with two peers to complete his version of “Noah’s Ark” in time for the end of 3^rd Quarter.  The ark itself seemed to come together fairly quickly, but then there was the matter of designing a way to show the flood, and the houses deep below the water. And the animals – what is a good way to make the animals?  “B” and “S” pitched in and helped craft the animals and apply brown tape to the solid side of the ark. The other side, they were proud to show, is open, so you can see inside. Noah stands on the prow and feathered birds perch up on the top.

And one more cool thing? The ark fits inside the flood, for easy transport.

Trickle Up

In a previous post, “C,” who makes graph paper designs was featured. I asked “C,” who is in 7^th grade, to show his work to some 8^th graders who I thought might be inspired by both his skill and devotion  to his art. Since then, “C” has dropped in several times to mentor these older students, offering to “get them started” and lending his expertise to those intrigued by his body of work.  Here is one of the resulting designs.

Graph Paper Design by "K" grade 8

Although "C" does not often use color in  his designs, "K," an 8th grade artist, found that colored pencils really brought out the pattern she designed.

From Papermaker to Collage Artist

Papermaking has been a popular choice in the studio recently. It is magical to concoct mixtures of pulp and turn it into customized paper, each with a unique color, texture, thickness and character. Some papermakers make sheet after sheet, blending rainbows of papers. Some try for the thinners paper, others for the thickest.  

When the blenders finally stop, paper artists are faced with the question: “What will I do with my handmade papers?” Many are turned into handmade books, sometimes becoming pages, other times adorning covers.  

"Me" by "G," grade 5

This 5^th grader used her collection to make this collage depicting summer/winter, day/night and featuring her favorite paper, the one with a little flower embedded, right in the middle.