IGCSE + Online

This semester turned out to be a bit of a disappointment- I returned in January to find out I had a class of only two students. Then halfway through the preparations for our exam, we went online; only later to find out that the exams are cancelled altogether. To top it all off, this was my LAST chance to teach this class, which I love, due to our school no longer running the program.

Nonetheless, I was privileged to be a part of these students’ creative journeys and I am excited to see where it takes them in the future!

Making Art With Alternative Materials

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  Student work created with coffee, cocoa, mulberry leaf powder and nail polish!

As artists, we are constantly creating and coming up with new ideas. Facing limitations in terms of materials, especially during at-home learning, proves to be no barrier in continuing to make art! I expanded my own horizons in making my first YouTube tutorial to introduce my students to working with alternative materials, click here to check it out.

Bookbinding is typically one of my year end activities, in an attempt to recycle old drawings and paper from the semester. I saw artists all over the internet embarking on quarantine projects and thought it would be neat for us as well to create a collection of work from this time (not knowing that our at-home learning would last the entire fourth quarter!) After binding our own COVID Diaries, I gave the students two assignments per week, consisting of one sketchbook assignment (which they chose from a list) and one art challenge, which we started during our weekly class calls. Here are some of my favourite submissions:

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  Data Drawing

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  Coronavirus Inspired

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  View Out the Window

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  COVID Cartoon

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  Drawing to Music

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  Draw Your Daily Schedule

Decay

This was a unit I did with my IGCSE class in the final weeks of the first semester. I wanted them to have the experience of working with a midterm exam topic to practice working within a limited time, similar to the final exam.

The topic was decay. We began by brainstorming the word, looking at the definition and collecting ideas for subjects pertaining to the topic. I had them do observational drawings of objects, both from my collection and from items they brought in.

After the students had several drawings, we narrowed in to the topic a bit more with a specified task: either to design a fashion garment inspired by decay, or to develop a final piece to be shown in an exhibition on decay. Once the students chose a direction, they began to develop their ideas from their original starting point drawings.

I did a workshop showing them different techniques for distressing paper and fabric to make it look old, worn and decayed. They explored these techniques in their sketchbooks and incorporated some of them into their final ideas.

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The final piece was to be created during three one and a half hour exam slots. My students went into the exam knowing exactly which of their ideas they were going to recreate, what materials they needed and had thought out the steps for completion. There was an interruption of snow amidst the creating, so the midterm was not actually finished before the semester ended. Despite this small hiccup, I think all of them were familiarized with the exam process and the steps needed for taking a topic from the brainstorming stages to completion.

The Batik

This has to be my favourite project from last year’s curriculum- the batik

I started with a discussion on colour theory- introducing the colour wheel and colour schemes. Students did exercises in their sketchbooks, mixing oil pastels to create a colour wheel and two still life studies of fruit. I also had them conduct personal research outside of class on emotion and colour, as well as the meaning of certain colours in different cultures.

We looked at examples of hyperrealism and artists who create with high precision and detail. We compared and contrasted these examples with artists whose work is much more stylized. I then introduced the task: to create a pattern for a batik based on studies of fruit (students could use their previous studies or find other images for inspiration). The students began this task with drawing thumbnails of ideas, considering different shapes and arrangements in each composition. I also had them decide colour schemes for their final pattern.

I introduced the process of making a batik: creating a wax resist pattern, dyeing and repeating with additional details for each colour in the design. I decided last year, based on my limited knowledge and resources, that I would teach a faux batik technique. We used a combination of toothpaste and aloe gel for our resist which worked great. It was easy to rinse out of the fabric, and there was no tedious ironing of wax involved. Students drew out their chosen design onto fabric and painted the colours with fabric paint. This process drew out over several days, mostly because of the drying time. A few students attempted multiple layers of toothpaste and paint, others stuck to painting in between the outlines.

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This project has an additional product. After the batik was finished, we dove into a visual communication design task: creating a poster for a healthy eating campaign with a message or slogan. Students chose a message that they wanted to communicate (which coincides nicely with the elementary project earlier this fall). This time around, I decided to give more up front instruction on choosing typefaces and layouts to create hierarchy in the design. In their sketchbooks, students collected samples of different typefaces and product advertisements; and began to thumbnail ideas. We had one class to create poster designs using an online design program. The next class, we had a critique and students made their final decisions of which designs to print. In typical IGCSE fashion (and to emulate a more authentic exam style situation),  students mounted their final pieces on poster board.

Micro>Macro Drawing

I am teaching the Cambridge IGCSE Art and Design course for the second time this year. Once again, I only have four students. I am facing difficulties this year mostly with room scheduling- there is only one art room and two art courses running at the same time (a mostly good problem!) This week was experimental, mixed media drawing; so I decided we would draw on the floor- out on the 5th floor landing. As it is just outside the art room, we had easy access to materials and sinks for clean up. The setting was more relaxed- yoga mats instead of the typical table and chairs- and since more traffic comes through the stairwell, we had more visitors be a part of the excitement.

The students picked from a selection of natural objects to draw. We used bigger sheets of paper- the goal was to zoom in on a section of the object and experiment with materials to replicate the texture. Media attempted for this drawing included charcoal, conte, pastel, watercolour and ink. Following a discussion of the finished results, I had them experiment drawing with thread- stitching overtop of their drawings to create additional texture and interest. I gave them ideas of different embroidery stitches to try and they did the rest. I am so excited to work with this very talented and self motivated group- this is just the beginning!

They Are Finished

After a week of late nights at school, an entire semester of work, and last minute paper and supply woes…

They are finished.

This year has been the biggest challenge of my teaching career and life overseas. My class schedule has been busier than any of the years previous. I eagerly entered a world unknown with the challenge of teaching Cambridge IGCSE Art and Design to four wonderful students. We have spent a whole year developing our artistic skills with the final culmination this week in two eight hour(!) exams.

I am proud, they did so well.

There was a great amount of learning along this journey, for both the students and myself as the teacher. There were struggles with assessment and understanding the wordy objectives set out for us. I agonized many hours over how best to prepare them and introduce as many materials and processes as I could in our limited time. I felt like a first year teacher all over again.

In addition to this class, I also worked with two other students independently through the Advanced Placement Studio Art course and portfolio. This has been a lot of work on their part, and growing again for me to learn yet another syllabus and assessment. These two students are some of the most hardworking, dedicated and self motivated artists I have seen. They submit a final portfolio of work on Monday, comprised of three components.

This is why I am here, for them. To teach, mentor and develop artists. I need more of these moments to remind me why I am doing what I do. There are no greater pleasures in this teaching life than to sit back, watch them create independently and at the end, lay out all the finished pieces from the year. Such accomplishments are worth celebrating.

Whew, what a year… wait, there is still a month and a half to go!