MOVING AGAIN

A partir de ahora, voy a combinar mi página web y mi blog en un nuevo sitio. Por favor, síguelo aquí: http://bit.ly/johnclark. 

I have neglected the blog this year, as I have been adjusting to my new home and school. I have also been creating a new eBook for my students. I also anticipate selling some artwork next summer. In order to keep all my links in one place, I have started a new web site. My future blog entries will go here.
http://bit.ly/johnclark 

Your Moment of Zentangle

(Previously published as a CIL entry). 

Thanks to Katja for the drawing pictured here!

A Zentangle is an ornate, detailed style of drawing that often resembles Mehndi or Henna temporary skin painting. I like to say that it is a fancy version of a doodle, or a super garabato. The term Zentangle is often credited to Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Rick asked Maria how she felt as she was drawing something, and her description was quite similar to meditation. More history and information is available on their website, www.zentangle.com. 
RUBRIC COMING SOON. 

Abstract Designs: Unity and Balance

Let's look at artists like Joan Miró, Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Matisse, and especially Kandinsky for inspiration. Make a few rough drafts in your sketchbook before deciding which image you want to create for your final project and whether or not you want to use chalk pastels, oil pastels, paint, watercolor, markers, colored pencils, or mixed media. As soon as possible I will post student work in this blog to give you more ideas.
RUBRIC: CLICK HERE

Linear Perspective

Before I learned how to use linear perspective, I simply made up the angles of the buildings and filled up the paper. Sometimes I used isometric projections or other intuitive techniques.  When my 6th grade teacher showed me linear perspective, this revolutionized my drawings. I was able to convey space in a realistic manner (Thanks again Lisa!). This one event changed my drawings more than any other technique. Thanks to Katja for the image pictured here. 

Don't Forget About Your "Old" Teachers!

It’s back to work for me, and I’ll be out of reach for a while as I get set up in my new home. As soon as I can I'll start posting my new lesson plans and teaching material. 

However, I wanted to leave you with one last thought before I leave. When I was 18 years old, I went to my former kindergarten teacher’s annual 4^th of July party, and introduced her to one of my friends as “my old kindergarten teacher.” She snapped back, “I am not that old!”

Art Related Careers: Teaching

Art Careers: Teaching

If you think about it, almost everything that is made by humans starts with a sketch or some sort of concept represented visually: shoes, clothes, cars, buildings, websites, animations, etc. However, I wanted to write a little about my favorite art related career: teaching.

Blog Introduction

This blog is dedicated to my co-workers, families and especially my students at CIL. While I would like to thank all of the important people in my life, (my family, friends, teachers, etc.) this blog's origins were inspired by the deep connection I have with many of my students this year.