Art Class - Edgar Degas - Three

Today we had some messy fun...chalk pastels are really messy to work with...we had blue cheeks and blue elbows, and blue arms, and blue floors, and blue hair...

We started with a wild crazy colour wheel, to try our hand at blending pastels to achieve desired colours and to brush up on the colour theory that we have already learnt...

So each student had to make 12 areas on their pastel paper 

and then another shape in the center using black markers...

we started with positioning and colouring the primary colours red, yellow and blue, 

then the secondary colours, orange, green and purple, 

then the tertiary colours,which they had to make by blending... 

yellow-green, blue-green, blue-purple, purple-red, red-orange, orange-yellow...

The middle shapes were shaded in using white to create tints and

the center shape coloured in using black to create shades...

A really fun project...

Take a look at these awesome artworks...

We watched a clip on You Tube Degas and the dancers

the boys really enjoy this...

We then looked at Degas beautiful pastel work The Blue Dancers 1899 and tried our hand at our own Blue Dancers...The boys used chalk or soft pastels to create their artworks, we glued a few pieces of tulle onto the skirts for a 3D effect...

Take a look...

Well done boys - you are great!!!

Art Class - Edgar Degas - Two

Well I have to say a big well done to my art boys...what STARS...

once again I sprang a ballerina art lesson onto them and they embraced it and did SO well.

This was a really fun experience and a good lesson in sculpture...

We first warmed up with some exercises on using soft or chalk pastels...I gave each artist an Edgar Degas painting to work from, with a little cardboard window or viewer, we placed it over a section of the painting and they had to try copy that portion of painting, trying to get the texture and colours similar to Degas.

I gave them each an ear bud or 2 to use as a tool and instructed them to use one finger as another tool. Chalk pastels can be messy and can become muddy very quickly, they were also instructed not to blow...ooh this was a huge temptation...

and one guy asked me " ah can't we just blow once?"....

We watched a couple of YouTube clips - Edgar Degas and Getting to know Degas...there are quite a few lovely ones to watch, the idea being to familiarise the students with as many of the artists works as possible.

These classes are not to create artists but to instill a love and knowledge of art and the great Masters by looking and coping their works...

We then began with our Degas project for the morning...creating The little Fourteen-year-old dancer out of piper cleaners and tin foil...

They made a figure shape from pipe cleaners, then layer upon layer upon layer of tin foil to create the dancer...complete with foil tutu...

aren't they great?

Art Class - Edgar Degas - One

I home school my children, one of the blessings of this, is being able to share resources and skills. I have started a small art appreciation class with a couple of my 
knight's good buddies (grades 1 - 3).
 We meet every second week and study the great Masters. 

This term we are studying Edgar Degas.
Which has been interesting as he is famous for his beautiful works of ballerina's...and as I mentioned it is an all boy class... :-)
These boys have been so impressive, we have had some great chats about girls and future wives...what a blessing this is to be able to see these guys learning and blossoming in their homes...

I started out by giving them each an artwork to study...they then had to 'teach' the class about the work, what they saw, colours, moods, how it made them feel etc...

I gave them a brief history of Degas's life.
We did some blind contour drawing exercises to get them looking and thinking...
They then had to study the object I gave them and sketch it quickly.
Because it is a class of boys who love to move, we then moved onto quick sketches of movement - gesture drawings. They each had a turn to stand on a chair and take on a pose, 
the others had to draw them...

Then onto our Degas project for the morning...inspired by  
The Ballet Rehearsal on Stage 1874 Oil on canvas.
We used oil pastels, pastel paper and white cupcake holders as tutus. 
They first drew their ballerina's, coloured them and cut them out.
Then created a stage...some added audience, some added bright lights and some added coloured lights...
We then stuck the dancers on with sticky foam adhesives to create a 3D effect...

 Will you take a look at the gorgeous end products...
Well done boys...

 (lovely idea taken from here)