ZOOM IN
PHOTO PRINTMAKING

Intermediate (Grades 7 & 8)

Grab a photograph, get inspired, and let imaginations run wild! In this dynamic, multimedia workshop, your students will take a macro-style (close up) photo for abstraction, and then through an acrylic process, transfer their image onto canvas board.

Beginning with an original photo or image from newspapers or magazines, your students will seek out a composition that appeals to them and ask themselves how they can further enhance it.They will evaluate lines, shapes and colours and will learn how to use a cropping tool and concept sketches to achieve their plan for their abstract work of art. Finally, students will learn how to transfer and produce a translucent image that is embedded in acrylic medium.

At the conclusion of the workshop, your students will share their creations with their classmates, providing the opportunity for constructive criticism and allowing them to showcase how they took an otherwise ordinary photograph and turned it into unique and compelling canvas art.

Elements of Art: line, shape, colour
Principles of Art: proportion, alignment, unity

CLAY MONSTERS
sCULPTinG insPiRED GARGoYLEs

Intermediate (Grades 7 & 8)

Let’s sketch out fantastical monsters on paper and then bring them to life with paint and clay! Gargoyles from well-known churches around the world provide the inspiration for this imaginative workshop.

Your students will learn about the fascinating history of gargoyles and examine examples from Milan’s Cathedral as well as Notre Dame Basilica in Paris. After having selected a creature from their rough drawings, they will delve into clay, learning how to slab, roll, score and slip this soft material to create their monsters.They will work with both open and closed forms and will consider what aspects of their monster they want to you emphasize or exaggerate.

By the end of the workshop, your students will have learned how form can evoke feeling and portray a subject; and they will have created an expressive, modern-day gargoyle that they can proudly display at home!

Elements of Art: shape, form, texture, space
Principles of Art: movement, balance, proportion, contrast

DIGITAL ART
ENHANCING WITH PHOTOSHOP

Intermediate (Grades 7 & 8)

Let’s get creative with photography in this cutting-edge workshop where your students will take photographs of compelling natural or man-made objects and then enhance them using state-of-the-art software.

A brief lesson on well-known Canadian photographers will provide inspiration for your students as they work through the creative process.Winnipeg-born Laura Letinsky is best known for her expressive still-life photographs; her works subtly examine concepts of space, perceptions and colour. Edward Burtynsky’s focus on global industrial landscapes provides

a different perspective for students to ponder. Sample photos from this respected photographer illustrate that beauty can be found in unlikely places and will demonstrate the environmental impact on these sites. Once they have taken their photographs, your students will learn how to manipulate images in Photoshop Express. For example, they will become proficient in adjusting for elements such as clarity, contrast, exposure, highlights, shadow, tint, and vibrance.

To conclude, your students will share their creation with their classmates, providing the opportunity for constructive criticism and allowing them to showcase how they took an otherwise ordinary photograph and turned it into unique and compelling digital art.

Elements of Art: shape, form, space
Principles of Art: proportion, emphasis, balance

Full-day Workshop Variation: In this in-depth session, students will take their completed digital art and learn how to transfer it onto canvas board.

MADE YOU LOOK
MAGAZINE COVER

Intermediate (Grades 7 & 8)

Your students will choose a current event or social issue that is of interest to them and design a thought-provoking and compelling magazine cover to best represent the topic.

The artist will provide instruction on how to effectively use type and imagery together, and will teach the importance of colour, type, typefaces and the difference between display copy and body copy. Samples of work by renowned public artist Martin Firrell and graphic designer David Carson will provide inspiration to your students and help them envision their magazine cover. Using mixed media such as magazine cut outs, photographs and acrylic paint, your students will decide how to best execute their magazine cover to communicate their message.

By the end of the workshop, your students will appreciate how creatively combining image and type can deliver a strong and effective message. They will share their completed magazine cover with their classmates, providing the opportunity for constructive criticism, as well as sparking discussion of relevant social issues.

Elements of Art: shape, colour, space
Principles of Art: balance, unity, proportion, movement

YOUR PERSPECTIVE
ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE

Intermediate (Grade 7 & 8)

Let’s get animated! Your students will use shape and form to create their own graphic character, full of personality. Once their char- acter is finalized, they will create a perspective drawing for their animated creature to live in!

Your students will begin the creative process with pencil and charcoal, sketching a simple shape.They will then develop the shape, using techniques such as line style and texture to create a character with individuality. Next, students will focus on producing a perspective drawing—an environment or setting in which to place their character. Gathering inspiration from the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, they will include building structures in the background of their drawing and will learn about the importance of a horizon line and one-point perspective.

The completed animated character and perspective drawing will combine to form a cohesive and expressive work of art that your students can proudly display at home!

Elements of Art: line, form, space, shape
Principles of Art: unity and harmony, emphasis, proportion

In the full-day version of this workshop, students will develop their characters further with different styles, expressions and personalities.

Bold and Bright!
Indigenous Woodland Art Creation

Intermediate (Grade 7 & 8)

Nature and spirituality provide the inspiration for this captivating painting workshop. Your students are sure to be engaged as they learn about First Nations art, including the legendary Ojibway artist, Norval Morrisseau and the Indian Group of Seven.

To begin, students will be given an overview of Canada’s Indigenous art, focusing on the Woodland art style founded by Morrisseau. This distinct style is characterized by vibrant colours and bold, black lines, depicting the relationships between animals, people and plants, and the spiritual elements that connect them.

Students will then develop their own visual nature story by applying the elements of line, colour and shape to achieve movement in a 2-dimensional piece of art.  They will create an initial sketch and then bring their Woodland art piece to life using vivid paint colours, black form lines and the distinctive X-Ray technique.

To conclude, your students will share their paintings with their classmates and learn how to critique their work, providing opportunity for constructive criticism and visual storytelling. In addition, they will have gained an appreciation for First Nations Woodland art, and will have created their own compelling, colourful piece to take home!

Elements of Art: shape, line and colour 

Principles of Art: movement, balance, emphasis, and contrast