Middle School Student Art
Below are some examples of different art projects I have taught in my Elementary art classroom.
Ocean Sgraffito Vessels
8th grade students hand-built clay vessels using the coil method. They added underglaze and scratched in an ocean design to achieve this stunning affect before glazing their vases with clear glaze.
Spoon Totems
7th grade students drew self-portraits using only symbols. They sculpted spoons and used the additive process to add these symbols to represent themselves in a spoon totem.
Egyptian Name Cartouches
6th grade theme allowed students to follow their world cultures class. When they studied Egypt, they learned how to translate their names into hieroglyphics. Students designed a cartouche and carved it using a low relief technique.
Stained Glass
6th grade students started learning the basics of making stained glass by taking 2 triangles and wire to create birds. 7th graders added cutting glass to their repertoire and made stars. 8th graders used all of the steps to create stained glass windows.
Wire Trees and Shadow Drawings
7th grade students went outside to draw trees and learned the "Rule of V's." They recreated their sketches in wire, set up flashlights, and drew the shadows from several angles and in various colors.
Islamic Radial Design Tiles
7th grade students studied the geometric art of Islam and how to create designs with more than 2 lines of symmetry. They glued their mosaic pieces and grouted their finished tiles to complete these stunning pieces.
Geometric Embroidery Designs
8th grade students used geometry to design original patterns. Then they sewed their embroidery thread in patterns to create colorful final projects.
Endangered Animal Batiks
8th grade students practiced symmetry by studying Calaveras for Dia de los Muertos. Partnering with a research project in science, they drew their endangered animal onto canvas, traced in glue, dyed their canvas, and washed their projects to discover the final design.
Photography & Digital Magazine Covers
7th grade students took pictures and added them to other design elements to create an original magazine cover using Canva. They were required to add a title, subtitle, featured articles, a barcode, and more.
Warhol Color Study Self-Portraits
7th grade students explored color and shading techniques using their own portraits as inspiration. They included a monochromatic smooth, primary stippling, analogous hatching, and grey scale crosshatching.
O'Keeffe Mother's Day Flowers
8th grade students studied abstract flowers by Georgia O'Keeffe. They drew their own flowers by "zooming in" to flower still lives, coloring them using analogous color schemes and chalk, and giving them their mothers for a special gift.
2-Point Perspective Castles
7th grade students practiced drawing in perspective using simple blocks. They took their technique to the next level by adding parts of a castle, extra creative details, and watercolor to create original buildings of their very own.
Warhol Color Study Self-Portraits
7th grade students explored color and shading techniques using their own portraits as inspiration. They included a monochromatic smooth, primary stippling, analogous hatching, and grey scale crosshatching.
Britto Masterpieces
7th grade students analyzed the style of Romero Britto. They used the same elements to recreate masterpieces of their choice into new and amazing works of art.
O'Keeffe Mother's Day Flowers
8th grade students studied abstract flowers by Georgia O'Keeffe. They drew their own flowers by "zooming in" to flower still lives, coloring them using analogous color schemes and chalk, and giving them their mothers for a special gift.
2-Point Perspective Castles
7th grade students practiced drawing in perspective using simple blocks. They took their technique to the next level by adding parts of a castle, extra creative details, and watercolor to create original buildings of their very own.
Op Art Galaxies
6th grade students were inspired by Op Art to use geometry to create a new galaxy. They used lines, colors, and extra details of their choice to complete their out of this world projects.
Lichtenstein Self-Portraits
7th grade students took selfies to make their own comic book storyboard square. They used what they learned about drawing techniques to fill in their shapes using primary colors and patterns.
Make a Difference Prints
8th grade students chose a cause close to their hearts to inspire a message. To bring attention to make a positive difference, they carved their designs into linoleum and made a series of prints to sell as cards.
Wesselman Kitchen Collage
7th grade students created collages using magazines, colored paper, and wallpaper samples. Their challenge was to create a kitchen scene using perspective and good technique to make it look realistic.
