Starlight, Starbright

Cover Artwork: "Arabian," by 10th Grade Student

The foundation of any work of art is in the artist's plan for composition. Thinking like an artist is how you use the Art Elements to communicate your ideas while balancing the space available with your chosen media. These foundational tools are essential to understanding art while using key vocabulary to explain it. My high school students in ART I learned the Elements and Principles of Art while weaving layers of color with paint.

Non-Objective art is beautiful, expressive, and open to interpretation. Without the pressure of realistic representation, students can solidify the ingredients of their compositions to develop a strong sense of design.

The class analyzed famous artworks to identify how art elements were organized in their compositions to communicate the artist intent.

Equipped with their toolbox of art vocabulary, students planned the color schemes and line quality for their layered paintings. From the base coat to the foreground, each layer of paint added greater depth and value to their compositions.

Inspiration for this project was adapted from the vibrant designs of Keith Haring.

The layers of paint woven with repeated line designs created unity and color harmony in my students' artworks.

Each painting had a unique style and mood that captured the essence of the artist.

The final paintings were quite striking!

As students were completing their paintings at various paces, they applied what they had learned from the Design unit to an extension artwork titled, "Starlight." Students created their own stencil that repeated like stars in the night sky across the page.

Within these shapes they honed in on their "artist's eye" to practice their technique with value shading, line design, and overall balance.

They were given their choice of media to represent these Starlight designs with the option to use a grayscale or color palette.

Each design was unique to the students' interests while also developing drawing and painting techniques.

I love teaching developing artists who have so much potential and excitement in their artwork. These young artists are stars in the making!

Star light, star bright,

The first star I see tonight;

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the wish I wish tonight. ☆