Underwater Project

At Monarch Christian Academy, we are working on a project called "In the Sea." We created a big body of water using an extra large board, roughly the size of a standard door, which we decorated with many different sea creatures using a variety of mediums. The students utilized their knowledge and creativity to make a tantalizing underwater world.

Below are some examples of the students' works: Rachel captured a sea turtle in her underwater bubble.  Look at those sophisticated colors!

Rachel's turtle (4)

They used oil pastels to color the creatures, crinkled the paper to make cracks to absorb paints, and painted all over with blue tempera cake. Check out Alyson's piece below; her delicate touch created a beautiful sea turtle!

Alyson's turtle (5)

Zolly's blending of colors created a unique and wonderful fish.  Is the fish eating that sea weed?

Zolly's fish (4)

Joel's fish bubble was among the busiest of all, seemingly inspired by planets!

Joel's fish (3)

Josiah's octopus is large and bold.  His confidence clearly comes through in his filled-out bubble!

Josiah's octopus (5)

Ayden's bubble is filled with many many sea animals.  I see a fish, an octopus, another fish ... another octopus ... and is that a clam?

Ayden's fish and octopus (4)

Alyssa's turtle is awesome.  It's proportional, placed prominently in the middle, and incorporates excellent use of colors--who would've thought that blue, yellow, and pink could be so great on a turtle!

Alyssa's turtle (5)

Underwater Project #1

I made a frame to display all the stdents' works. I used cardboard: measured, cut with an exacto- knife, and glued them all together. Although you can't tell the size here, it's bigger than a typical door!

Underwater Project #2

I thought it would be more fun if we added three dimensional effects on the frame, which expanded the sea scene in height, width, and added depth. Hopefully, you'll agree that the frame helped the piece be more appealing so that the students can enjoy, learn, and let their imagination grow.

The project doesn't end here. We colored the border by first applying white acrylic (ran out of gesso, but worked just as well!).

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Underwater Project #3

Oops, the aluminum fish in the middle needs a little adjustment!

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Underwater Project #4

Tada!

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Still not done. I took the bubbles created by the students, printed them using a color printer, and reduced the size of the bubbles.

It's getting there...do you see all the bubbles?

Underwater Project #5

There we have it! We displayed the 'Underwater Project' at the school. It was a big hit! The students made their own fish with their face on it, gave the fish pretty scales, and even decorated with sparkly jewels. We couldn't finish the fish, but everyone had so much fun making it! 

The students were matching their bubbles on the board shouting out their names. It's so rewarding to see the students get excited about their work.

The adventure continues on...

Grave Danger: Spot and Rip Jaw

These are new characters for the continuing book making project for Justin and Leo.

The story becomes really exciting, and we are moving onto a new chapter! I can't wait 'till it all becomes together.

Spot

Rip Jaw

Spot

Rip Jaw

Color Pencil Drawing

Still Life Objects

Here are the still life objects that Katherine will be drawing with color pencils ... 

Katherine's first class drawing

... and here is Katherine's drawing.  She's not finished, but I think it's a great start!  Really nice emphasis on details--looks better than the real thing!

Hannah's example objects

I was inspired to try a simpler still life myself ...

Hannah's first example drawing

... and here is how far I got!

Materials used

Here are the color pencils that we are using.  The brand is Prisma Color Pencils.  I like this brand because the lead is soft, which allows pigments to absorb onto the paper more effectively.

We are excited about starting our new study on color pencil drawing!
This time, instead of including all the objects that are set up, we are going to focus on one specific area that we found most interesting. Katherine chose to use white paper to draw on, so I chose black paper to show different effects and feelings that we'll get by using different tonality underneath.

I'll keep posting the progress, so come back soon!

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Katherine's second class drawing

...Katherine's back with the adorable bear. And, the tassels are coming alive!

Hannah's second example drawing

I made a little progress too...

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Katherine (15)

Katherine completed her color pencil drawing. It is so beautiful.

I like the selection of the objects that Katherine made, the composition is bold and inviting, and the colors are beautifully rendered. We are moving on to another exciting mixed media work next time!