November 2nd-November 9th

Sixth Graders:
This week, the sixth graders will finish painting their pinch pots with acrylic paints. They will be using a self-selected color scheme to add a base coat and design details. Once the painting is completed, they will move on to their texture etching project. Each student has created five unique line designs on a 5" x 5" square of paper. These line designs will be transferred onto copper or aluminum squares to create a beautiful texture design. 

Seventh Graders:
The seventh grade students are finishing up their Oaxacan animals. They have been painting intricate dot and line patterns on their animals with brightly colored paints. The results have been amazing! Next up, an Op Art design project. Students will create a work of art using optical effects that trick or disturb the eye.

Eighth Graders:
The eighth grade students are studying Chagall's America stained glass windows from The Art Institute of Chicago. We are transforming the windows of our Art Room into our own version of Chagall's famous work. Each student is designing their own section of stained glass. Stay tuned...the windows will be "installed" very soon.

October 15th-October 19th

Sixth Grade:
The sixth graders will continue to work on their cityscapes in one or two-point perspective. While drawing several buildings last week, the students used rulers to accurately draw guidelines to their vanishing point(s) in an effort to make their skyscrapers or other structures appear to be three-dimensional. This week, finishing touches will be added. This will include careful outlining in black marker and shading in with colored pencils. The students have shown great creativity in designing their personalized cities.

Seventh Grade:
We will be kicking off the Oaxacan Animal Clay Unit this week. All seventh graders will need to bring in a picture of an animal from a book, magazine, or the internet by Wednesday, October 17th. This picture will be the inspiration for their clay figure.

Eighth Grade:
All eighth graders continue to work on the "Color Study through Design" project. Each student is mixing colors according to specific guidelines in each section of their design project. The students who have completed the painting portion of this project will begin outlining their sections with black marker. These projects will be graded based on color mixing skills, painting technique, and overall design quality and presentation.

October 1st-October 5th

One Point Perspective

This week, sixth graders will begin designing their city scapes in one or two-point perspective. On Monday, the students will use rulers to accurately draw guidelines to their vanishing point(s) in an effort to make skyscrapers or other structures appear to be three dimensional. Next week, finishing touches will be added. This will include careful outlining in black marker and shading in with colored pencils. Soon, the art room will be filled with creative architects designing the next great city skyline!

Pop Art
This week, seventh graders will continue to work on our Andy Warhol inspired Pop Art projects. The students have worked with tireless effort and precision to recreate a product from their everyday life into a work of art. They have been using lightboxes and the sunlight from the art room windows to trace/repeat their image four times on 12 X 12 drawing paper. This week, we will begin to add the exact colors from the real product to the drawings using colored pencils and markers. The results should be a feast for the eyes!

A Color Study through Design
The eighth grade classes will begin a brand new project this week. First, each student will create their own design based on four specific directions that I provide. Then, they will repeat their design seven more times on a 12 x 18 piece of drawing paper. Once their design is completed, they will begin painting. This project is an exercise in mixing paints and developing a better understanding of color. In addition, the students will become acquainted with art vocabulary words such as analogous, complementary, monochromatic, opaque, neutral, shade, tint, and value. Each of the eight sections will be painted with a different color scheme.

September 24th-September 28th

Andy Warhol

• Sixth grade students just completed their Animal Eye project, which was inspired by the works of Georgia O'Keefe. Our next project with focus on one and two-point perspective. Each student will design their own cityscape while applying their knowledge of the rules of perspective.
• Seventh grade students wrapped up their contour line shoe drawings. Next up, we will kick off our Pop Art project inspired by the works of Andy Warhol. In order to start this project, students will need a wrapper or a label from a product by Tuesday, September 25th.
• Eighth grade students are still diligently working on their Self-Portrait projects. The results have been fantastic! We will be completing this project by the end of the week.  

September 10th-September 14th

6th Grade: Last week, sixth grade students completed the Color Wheel painting project. This project required all students to identify the primary, secondary, and intermediate colors on the color wheel. They reinforced this knowledge by mixing paints to create the intermediate colors on their own "wheel." In addition, they created a tint and a shade for all of their "pure" colors. A tint is created when white is added to a color. A shade is created when you add black. The sixth graders were encouraged to paint neatly and accurately within the color wheel boundaries. This week we will begin the "Animal Eye" project inspired by Georgia O'Keefe.

7th Grade: On Monday, the seventh graders will complete their "Namely Me" collages inspired by the works of Henri Matisse. Next, we will move on to our contour line drawing unit. Each student will draw three different views of various shoes with pencil. Later, they will outline their drawings in marker. We will discuss the various styles and types of lines that can be used to create interest and detail. The students will be encouraged to vary the thinness and thickness of their lines as well as explore patterns to create their works of art.

8th Grade: The eighth grade classes have started the Self-Portrait Unit and will continue to work on them throughout the week. Each student is using a photograph of themselves to create a self-portrait inspired by the grid process used by artist Chuck Close. After measuring and designing their grids, the students began analyzing the values and shapes in each numbered box on their photograph. Then, they began using pencils to enlarge what they saw on the doubled grid on their drawing paper.  

September 3rd-September 7th

Welcome to the Art Room!  

My name is Donna Cirjakovic and I will be your child's art teacher. This will be my third year at Lakeview, and the start of my seventh year with Center Cass School District 66.  During my teaching career, I have taught second grade, fourth grade, and art at the elementary level. This will be my eleventh year of teaching.

Projects

Each semester will be filled with several projects that will explore your child's creativity, teach them problem solving skills, and broaden their knowledge of art elements, principles, and history. All art projects will be completed at school.  Work missed due to absences can be worked on in the morning from 7:35-7:50 (except Wednesdays), Study Hall B (Mondays and Wednesdays), or during extra time given in class.

Grades

 All projects will be graded according to a rubric based on creativity, craftsmanship, technique, and effort. Students will have the opportunity to grade themselves using the rubric prior to turning in a project. This allows them to make sure that they have all aspects of the project completed before I make the final assessment.

Behavior

Students are expected to be respectful, listen and follow directions, report to class on time, and use all art materials safely and appropriately. If expectations are not met, students will receive a verbal warning.  If the behavior continues after the warning, consequences will be given based on the severity of the behavior. Students who demonstrate positive, on-task behavior may earn Spartan Stars for tangible rewards.

Contact

If you have any questions or concerns throughout the year, please feel free to contact me at dcirjakovic@ccsd66.org or at (630) 783-5015

May 28th-June 1st

Sixth grade art students are creating abstract paintings inspired by the works of Wassily Kadinsky (1866-1944). During the first step of this project, the students were given very little direction about what they should paint. They were told not to paint anything recognizable. They could not include any symbols, words, numbers, or anything else that could be considered representational. I wanted them to experiment with their brushstrokes and use of color. The next phase of this project will begin on Tuesday. The students will enhance their paintings with marker, pen, crayon, or pencil as they wish. Once again, their embellishments cannot show anything representational. Finally, they will measure out a grid on the back of their paintings and then cut them into one inch, even squares. These squares will then be reassembled and mounted on another piece of colored paper. I have included a student sample from another school to help you visualize the finished product! I can't wait to see what they create.

May 21st-May 25th

Gunter Gerzso, Paisaie Espejismo

Non-Objective Abstract Art

All 6th grade comic strips or comic book covers will be due at the end of class on Monday. These have been quite fun to create and the characters have been very memorable. I laughed out loud at some of the 'gags' that the students thought up to make their comic strips funny. Very creative, indeed. This week, we will begin a brand new non-objective painting/collage project. It will be a very busy week in the art room!

May 14th-May 18th

Cartooning Unit

Sixth grade students will continue working on the cartooning unit until the end of the week. Each student has a choice to either create a comic strip with their own unique characters or design a comic book cover in the style of Marvel or DC comics. They will continue to work on their rough drafts, then move on to their final copies with marker, watercolor paint, or colored pencils.

May 7th-May 11th

Up next...the Cartooning Unit!

The sixth grade students will create their own cartoon character and incorporate it into a comic strip or comic book cover. We will kick off the unit by exploring famous comic strip characters throughout history. We will learn how to create movement, emotions, and gestures in our characters. They will also learn how to include a funny "gag." According to Helen D. Hume, "a cartoonist exaggerates reality and tells the truth with a twist. Yet cartoons are close enough to real-life events that we can relate to the artist's version of the truth. Because of their attention-getting simplicity, cartoons have many applications." I am looking forward to the student "applications" in the Lakeview art room!

April 30th-May 4th

Line Designs

This week, the sixth graders will be painting their pinch pots with acrylic paints. They will be using a self-selected color scheme to add a base coat and design details. Once the painting is completed, they will move on to their texture etching project. Each student has created five unique line designs on a 5" x 5" square of paper. These line designs will be transferred onto copper or aluminum squares to create a beautiful texture design. 

April 23rd-April 27th

We're getting ready to work with clay!

This week, the sixth graders are moving on to a new clay project. We will be exploring "form" by designing pinch pots with our hands and various clay tools. Once the clay dries, we will use acrylic paint to add vibrant colors to our pinch pots. It will be a messy week in the art room, so please do not wear your favorite outfits. Smocks will be available for all students.

April 16th-April 20th

This week, sixth graders will continue to work on their cityscapes in one or two-point perspective. While drawing several buildings last week, the students used rulers to accurately draw guidelines to their vanishing point(s) in an effort to make their skyscrapers or other structures appear to be three dimensional. This week, finishing touches will be added. This will include careful outlining in black marker and shading in with colored pencils. The students have shown great creativity in designing their personalized cities.

April 9th-April 13

One Point Perspective

This week, sixth graders will begin designing their city scapes in one or two-point perspective. On Monday, the students will use rulers to accurately draw guidelines to their vanishing point(s) in an effort to make skyscrapers or other structures appear to be three dimensional. Next week, finishing touches will be added. This will include careful outlining in black marker and shading in with colored pencils. Soon, the art room will be filled with creative architects designing the next great city skyline!

April 2nd-April 6th

Animal Eye Project

Sixth grade students have done a phenomenal job working on their "Animal Eye" projects. They will be completed, neatly matted, and displayed soon after we return from spring break. Our next unit of study will explore one and two-point perspective. We will begin practicing our technique in our sketchbooks before we create our formal project: a cityscape!

March 19th-March 23rd

Sixth grade students have been learning about a celebrated American artist: Georgia O'Keefe. In class, we analyzed several of O'Keefe's floral paintings. We discussed her use of value, line, space, texture, shape, and color. We talked about how she enlarged her subjects to fill in an entire canvas. Some of her paintings were enlarged to the point that they became abstract. We are using these works by O'Keefe as an inspiration for our "Animal Eye" project. Each student will draw an elarged eye of an animal based on a photo. We will use oil pastels to add color and texture to the eye and the surrounded fur, feathers, or skin.

March 12th-March 16th

This week, sixth grade students will begin working on the Color Wheel painting project. This project requires all students to identify the primary, secondary, and intermediate colors on the color wheel. They will reinforce this knowledge by mixing paints to create the secondary and intermediate colors on their own "wheel." In addition, they will create a tint and a shade for all of their "pure" colors. A tint is created when white is added to a color. A shade is created when you add black. The sixth graders are encouraged to paint neatly and accurately within the color wheel boundaries.

March 5th-March 9th

Welcome to 6th grade art! My name is Mrs. Cirjakovic and I will be your child's art teacher for the next 12 weeks. This trimester will be filled with several projects that will explore your child's creativity, teach them problem solving skills, and broaden their knowledge of art history. We will begin the trimester by designing personalized art portfolios to safely store our works of art.

Reminder: ISAT tests will be administered Tuesday through Thursday, which will alter our art class schedule.

February 20th-February 24th

Papier Mache Finalists!

The eighth grade students voted the top monster designs from each class. The finalists are pictured here! On Tuesday, we will take a vote to decide on the top three winners over all.

We are also designing the program cover for the eighth grade graduation. One design will be selected for the final product.

This week, we will also begin a new project that explores positive and negative design.

February 13th-February 17th

Papier Mache Monsters

The eight grade students will wrap up their 3-D monster projects this week by adding their finishing details with paint and glue. When they are completed, all of the classes will vote to recognize the top three monster designs. I will post the winners on my blog at the end of the month.

We will also begin a new design lesson this week. Students will work independently to design (hand-drawn) commencement logos and motifs for their Graduation Program. They will use the computer to select fonts for the lettering. One winner will be selected and honored by having their design showcased on the 2012 Eighth Grade Graduation Program Cover.

February 6th through February 10

Papier Mache Projects in 8th Grade!

The eighth grade art classes continue to create their amazing Papier Mache monsters. We are pretending that we have been commissioned by Pixar to create a prototype for a monster in their next big movie. First, each student sketched their ideas for their monsters with a front and back view. Next, they built their armatures from newspaper, cardboard, wire, aluminum foil, and masking tape. Finally, they began adding strips of newspaper with papier mache glue to their armatures. This week, we will add the final layer of papier mache and begin the painting process. We will be using acrylic paints, so students need to make sure that they aren't wearing their favorite clothing! Smocks will be made available in the art room. I will be sure to post pictures of the completed monsters in my blog next week.

January 23rd-January 27th

The majority of eighth grade students have completed the painting portion of the Line Design Painting Project. All black sharpie outlining should be finished by Wednesday so that the critiquing and grading process can begin. Our next project will be a 3-D Paper Mache sculpture with "monsters" as the inspiration. More details will follow next week.

Please note: There will be a short Color Quiz on Friday, January 27th. Students will receive a study guide on Monday to review for this quiz. Students will be expected to identify the following: all of the primary and secondary colors, which colors are mixed to create the secondary colors, the three basic sets of complementary colors, and how to create a tint or a shade of a color. This quiz should be an easy review because the students studied and applied their knowledge of color while creating their Line Design Painting Project.

January 16th-January 20

All eighth grade students continue to work on the "Color Study through Design" project. We will be completing this project by the end of the week. Each student is mixing paint colors according to specific guidelines in each section of their design project. The students who have completed the painting portion of this project will begin outlining their sections with black marker. These projects will be graded based on color mixing skills, painting technique, and overall design quality and presentation.

The eighth grade classes continue to work on a brand new project: "A Color Study through Design". First, each student created their own design based on four specific directions that I provided. Then, they repeated their design seven more times on a 12 x 18 piece of drawing paper. Once their design was completed, they began painting. This project is an exercise in mixing paints and and developing a better understanding of color. In addition, the students are becoming acquainted with art vocabulary words such as analogous, complementary, monochromatic, opaque, neutral, shade, tint, and value. Each of the eight sections are being painted with a different color scheme. So far, the results have been quite impressive. This is a wonderful group of talented artists.

January 2nd-January 6th

Pablo Picasso

Welcome back! This week, eighth graders will wrap up their self-portraits. Although the goal was to complete this project before break, most students needed extra class time to complete this amazing work of art. The new deadline for the self-portrait is this Thursday, January 5th. Any student who needs extra time to complete this project can see me in the morning from 7:35-7:50 or we can set up another work time that is convenient. We will begin a new painting project by the end of the week. This design project will require students to apply what they know about the color wheel and value.