Middle School Art

Middle school students are introduced to the elements of design and a number of 19th and 20th century artist and movements. They are exposed to a variety of media in this one-quarter long exploratory class.After studying values (shading) and Photo-Realist painter Chuck Close, students are given a photograph of themselves and a grid to enlarge it onto.

Students studied about shapes and Henri Matisse's book of cut-papers, "Jazz," then they illustrate stories or myths.

While studying color theory, students were challenged to create a self-portrait using oil pastels and only two complimentary colors and black and white.

Students learned about cartoonist Charles Schultz and pop artist Roy Liechtenstein, then they enlarged and painted comic strip panels.

Students magnify flowers like American regionalist Georgia O'Keefe, this is a good exercise both in composition and values too.


One of the uses of the element of line, is "cross-contour" lines, which model around objects.

Daddaism lends itself nicely to learning about juxtaposing images, shape, and texture in these magazine mosaics and collages.