"Deep Unending," by 10th Grade Student (Cover Image)
NBHS artists have dipped their toes into the deep end of their imaginations with these mixed media prints inspired by the rolling waves of Lake Michigan that crash the shores of New Buffalo.
Step 1: Sketchbook Drafts
With the imagery of land and water as inspiration, students drew bold designs with strong contrast that could be converted into a linocut carving.
Step 2: Linoleum Block Transfer
The final designs were shaded in areas of positive and negative space before shading the back of their paper in graphite pencil so that they could transfer the drawing to a block of linoleum.
Step 3: Lino-Cut carving
Students practiced safe carving methods by pushing away from their fingertips through the soft linoleum block. Each line that is carved away gradually removes the light gray negative space while leaving the dark shaded areas raised up to create a stamp for the printing process.
Step 4: Printmaking
When they were finished carving, students learned how to create test prints to see what their blocks looked like. Changes could still be made to define edges or carve deeper for areas of pure white contrasted by the inked areas.
These test prints also gave students the chance to practice oil pastel blending techniques and compose the background of their mixed media prints.
Step 5: Mixed Media Prints
Part of the challenge of this unit was for students to compose a larger piece from their original print. This gave students the opportunity to experiment with color and the inspiration for their concept.
Step 6: Writing Artist Statements
Some students described the techniques they used while others focused on the subject matter or narrative behind their piece. The titles and artist statements are truly what bring these final works of art to life in the words of my students!
"Sunrise on Snail Shore" by 12th Grade Student
“Sunrise on Snail Shore” depicts a simple snail on a shore, watching the sun rise over the lake. What stands out is that the snail isn’t actually a part of the rest of the picture — it is separate, enclosed in its own version of the world. The picture reveals how this snail views the outside world in contrast to how others may experience it. Though a snail is used in the picture, the same concept also applies to people. While one person may be experiencing the joy of a beautiful sunrise, another may view it differently or simply have other things on their mind, enclosed in their own world. This is why it is so important to not judge other people, as it is often difficult or impossible to really know what they are experiencing or going through in their life. In this picture, we can see clearly that the snail is experiencing something other than what we experience. As hard as it can be to see, many people are often the same way. Picturing that every person is enclosed in their own hexagon of reality, we can understand why it is so important to give grace to others and to empathize with them.
"Solar Magic" by 10th Grade Student
My theme shows one of the most magical parts of life. I made a sun with a spider-like design that has one side contrasting the other in value so that it pops out of the water. I also outlined the details in the rays in my print after I transferred it to paper. Since the sun's rays were the main focus, I added pressure with layers of oil pastels so that it would stand apart from the subdued reflections in water.
"Beach wars III: Revenge of the Birds" by 9th Grade Student
The birds have come back from the south for the summer and they are angry at the humans for eating chicken all of the time. People have just started to swim at the beach again for the first time in months and then… the birds attack! Hundreds of seagulls, canadian geese, crows, and ravens come swooping down and attacking people by stealing their fries and pulling their hair causing utter chaos.
"Turtle Island" by 12th Grade Student
I was inspired by the large lion turtle from Avatar: The Last Airbender to show two turtles. One large turtle hovers on the left side with hatching while the other floats printed on the water. I created soft waves in the background using oil pastels to contrast the main focal points.
"Summer Sunset" by 10th Grade Student
The theme behind my artwork is a summer sunset. I used a lot of my own photos to replicate the sunset. When I was making my art, I wanted it to seem like my print was part of it and not something that completely stood out. I think that the balance between black and color turned out really well and it gives a good pop to the artwork. When I look at my artwork, the first thing that grabs my attention is the sun. I really tried to work on blending in the sky to make it seem realistic and cohesive. I experimented with different techniques to give me a variety of textures. For my sand, I decided to run the pastel on its side to create a textured foreground. I tried to make my piece resemble the final nights of summer and I think that theme reads well.
"The Sun That Sank Into Waves of Light" by 12th Grade Student
The theme of my final artwork was based on one of my favorite views. My inspiration comes from my love of watching the sunset, especially at the beach with my friends. I chose to make the dark spaces and light spaces more prominent by making the rays of my sun and waves very deep. I created my lines and followed the lines with the colors of my oil pastels to connect the printed design with the colors that mix. I extended the sun rays and waves into the background using different methods that I've learned like feathering and blending colors together with my hand.
"Deep Unending" by 10th Grade Student
The theme is a dark, unending sea and I thought of this because I wanted to create waves using cool tones that I love so I got the idea to make the boats in the middle of a storm. For my printmaking block, I wanted the majority of it to be black and the waves pop out because it is in the sea at night, so I added white lines to represent the waves. To make the boat the focal point, I almost completely carved it out just to make it white. I also decided to print my design twice on the paper and connect the waves to make one unified design. The white lines from the print are black in the background and the waves are different blues, purples, and greens. I also blended a lot of the colors together, but used different colors in the waves to make each individual wave stand out by itself. I am very happy with how the project came together and I love how when you step back the print stands out from the background but is still one beautiful cohesive design.
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