This year we became a 1:1 school in our 4th - 12th grades. It has been so exciting for all of us!! As we begin the journey of integrating more technology into each class, I am on the lookout for ways to use and create digital art using open source programs. I’m also interested in reinforcing the hands-on creating we do in class with digital resources that get my students’ attention and highlight what I’m trying to teach in a fun and engaging way.
In my middle school and high school classes, we always start the year with drawing skills and shaded drawings. One thing students sometimes struggle with is shading dark enough to give their drawings real power.
I discovered a unique website that has several interesting “drawing games” on it. (www.mrdoob.com/projects/harmony) The game I highlighted allows them to play around with shading and really see the difference those dark areas can make to a drawing. After demonstrating this website, I asked them to create a nonobjective illustration. They started out using “sketchy” in the toggle button, but they could also experiment with different “brushes.”
We did a small critique and discussed how much more interesting their artworks were when there were a variety of contrasting values involved. The kids had fun experimenting and I was able to get my point across to them, which benefitted their drawing skills! Win Win!!
p.s. To save your work, hit the save button and then right click (or control click on a Mac) and download to your desktop.
No comments:
Post a Comment