8th Grade Homework

Mrs. Titus

Art

2013-2014

Creating assignments should be completed and turned in on 9 x 12 sketchpad. Use only one side of the paper. Creating
assignments on lined paper will not be accepted. Plan to spend at least 1-1 1/2 hours to complete each creating assignment.
Homework is worth 20% of quarter grade. Homework will be graded out of 10 points. Late work will be penalized 2 points. The day
the next homework assignment is due is the last day the previous late assignment can be turned in for partial credit. Written work is to
be completed on lined paper or it may be typed. Please refer to the teacher web sites for additional resources. Aesthetics is the
philosophical study of what is art and what is beautiful. Aesthetic questions involve higher order thinking. Written work should be
approximately half to one page unless specified. Each work that you make should be creative and conscientiously produced.

Web site to link to teacher web sites: http://www.north-haven.k12.ct.us/

Please note: Dates are subject to change due to schedule changes. New dates will be announced in class if necessary.
Term 1:
Due Date:
Creating:
8AB
8AC
8BC Personal Item: Choose an object that has special meaning to you (a necklace, an old toy, a trophy) and place it
9/13
9/12
9/13 on a piece of white paper on a table. Consider what the object means to you and think about how it should be
placed on the paper. (Maybe it is placed off to the side, almost in shadows, if its something you keep personal. If
it something that made you feel victorious; maybe you place it front and center and draw it so it appears larger
than life size.) As you draw, try to capture your feelings toward the item. As you color the object with colored
pencils; try to use colors that enhance the meaning you want to express. Shade the object with a range of values
to show the illusion of form. On the back of your paper, explain why this object is special to you and explain the
artistic choices you made to express your feelings about this object.
Due Date:
8AB
10/4

8AC
10/3

Due Date:
8AB
8AC
10/23 10/22

Creating:
8BC Value Scale /Shaded Landscape:
10/4 Use a pencil and a ruler to create a value scale with 5 values. Each box of the value scale should be 1 x 1 .
Use a pencil to create (blend) 5 different values from lightest-white paper to darkest- black. Next, you will need
to find a color landscape at least 5 x 7. Look at the color landscape and on a separate piece of paper, draw it to
fit a 9 x 12 sheet of paper. Refer to the color landscape and the value scale to shade the landscape using only
pencil so that it shows all 5 values from the value scale. A contour line drawing alone of the landscape is not
acceptable. Be sure to turn in all three elements of this assignment:
Value scale Shaded landscape Color landscape
8BC Aesthetic Question: Personal Definition of Art: Write your personal definition for art using 3 paragraphs:
10/23 Paragraph 1: Write your definition of Art and include what characteristics make something art.
Paragraph 2: Explain who you think decides if something is art- the viewer, the artist, the museum, the culture,
the art critic, etc.
Paragraph 3: Name a specific work of art created after 1960, with the title and artist,that you believe deserves to
Most responding questions are from the text Puzzles in Art, Battin, 1989 by St. Martins Press

8th Grade Homework

Mrs. Titus

Art

2013-2014

be in a museum. Include 3 reasons why this work is Art. Include a photocopy of the artwork.
Term 2:
Due Date:
8AB
11/12

8AC
11/8

Due Date:
8AB
8AC
12/5
12/4

Due Date:
8AB
8AC
1/9
1/8

8BC Creating:
11/12 Shaded Sneaker: Create a value study of your sneaker. Using only pencil, first draw a contour line drawing of
your sneaker that takes up most of your 9 x 12 paper. When the line drawing is completely shaded, the sneaker
should show variations of lights and darks that you see on the sneaker and table. You should use the white of the
paper for only the brightest highlights. Remember this drawing is about shading from a real object. A contour
line drawing will not be accepted. Refer to Octobers value scale to make sure you are representing at least five
value variations within the drawing.

8BC Creating:
12/5 Season Switch Landscape: Locate a famous painting by one of the following artists (Bierstadt, OKeeffe, or
Cezanne) that features a color landscape (not a color photograph or advertisement). Draw the composition on 9
x 12 paper. Then change the season of the artwork so that it is dramatically different than the existing one
illustrated in the original artwork. Consider factors that will create visual differences in your artwork such as tree
leaves, flower blossoms, snow, etc. Color should be used throughout the page. Make sure to use the whole page
and maintain the general composition of the original. Include a reproduction with the title and artist of your art
history reference with your Season Switch artwork.

8BC Aesthetic Question: The Color of Pittsburgh

1/9
In 1958, Alexander Calders mobile Pittsburgh was donated by a private collector to Allegheny County,
Pennsylvania, for installation in the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport. The mobile was originally black and
white, but when it was installed, it was painted green and gold, the official colors of Allegheny County. Calder
protested, but the work was not restored to black and white during his lifetime.
Answer the following questions:
Having already relinquished ownership of the work when it was sold to the collector, did Calder, as the
creator of the work, still have a right to insist that it not be altered? Even if he did not, was it wrong for
Allegheny County to alter the artwork against his wishes? Explain your opinion.
Could we say that the artwork itself had a right not to be altered, regardless of whatever rights Calder or
Allegheny County might have had? Explain your opinion.

Most responding questions are from the text Puzzles in Art, Battin, 1989 by St. Martins Press

8th Grade Homework

Mrs. Titus

Art

2013-2014

Term 3:
Due Date:
8AB
1/31

8AC
1/30

Creating:
8BC Recycled Building Faade Low Relief Sculpture:
1/31 First locate an image of a famous complex building faade. (For example: Taj Mahal, White House, Sydney
Opera, etc.) Print this image to turn in with your sculpture. Next locate recycled thin cardboard like that from
cereal boxes and pasta boxes. Begin the sculpture by cutting out your base piece which should be no larger than
9 x 12. Make sure to put the colorful side down so it is not distracting. Using scraps of the recycled cereal box
boards, cut pieces and glue to build a low relief layered sculpture that is based on your chosen building. Make
sure to include the details of the building to show the complexity of the design. There should 4 or more layers of
cardboard built up to achieve this. Be sure to label the back of your sculpture with your name and the building
you selected. Do not add paint or marker. The design should be purely cardboard. Use white or clear glue.

Due Date:
8AB
2/20

8AC
2/19

Creating:
8BC Google Doodle Logo:
2/20
Create a Google Logo that could be used on the Google home page. Your Google Logo should illustrate and
communicate one of the following themes: Time, Nature, or American History. Illustrate the theme in each letter of
Google or as a group. Include a background that is integrated with the Google Logo. Choose some or all of the
following materials: colored pencil, marker, and paint. Your logo letters should fill the 9 x 12 space.

Due Date:
8AB
3/10

8AC
3/7

Aesthetic Question:
8BC Falling Water Falling Down?: You will be told about the story of Falling Water in class. To summarize, the
3/10 engineer and the architect had different opinions about the construction of this building. The architect had an
artistic vision. The engineer wanted to rely on experience and keep to safe and proven methods for building a
house. The result was a house so beautiful, people referred to it as art. Unfortunately it did not hold structurally
and had to undergo repairs for structural problems in the beams. Explain your feelings about this issue in two
paragraphs.
The first paragraph should look at how to balance the relationship between the engineer and the artist. How
important is safety and function and how do they compete with visionary artists who want to think in new ways?
The second paragraph should describe your feelings about Falling Water and its history. Do you think it is a
work of art, just a house, or both? Why? Does it bother you that it has structural issues?
Most responding questions are from the text Puzzles in Art, Battin, 1989 by St. Martins Press

8th Grade Homework

Mrs. Titus

Art

2013-2014

Term 4:
Due Date:
8AB
8AC
4/17
4/16

Due Date:
8AB
8AC
5/13
5/12

Due Date:
8AB
8AC
5/30
5/29

8BC
4/17

Creating:
Lettering Design: Consider how interesting and decorative different lettering styles can be. Draw your name in
an interesting and decorative way using pencil. Then using similar decorative design, fill in much of the negative
space so the name becomes hard to see. (The designs should not overlap the name!) The designs should
almost hide the name by being similar in style. Then use colored pencil to apply one of the following color
schemes to the entire design. The 9x 12 paper should be completely colored. Design and name will be
colored using one of the color scheme choices. Write the color scheme you used on the back of your paper.
Color scheme choice 1: 1 pair of complementary: varying the intensities.
Color scheme choice 2: monochromatic: focusing on the many values of that one color.
Color scheme choice 3: one group of analogous colors

8BC Creating:
5/13 Metallic Drawing: Draw a twisted, dented soda can, or a crumpled metallic snack food bag (such as Doritos),
using all of the page. (Can or bag should be larger than life size.) Use a pencil and try to show how the distorted
words and images appear on the label. Use a pencil to shade in the areas of shadow-- remember that each
folded side will be a different value and make sure to show the shadow on the table. No white should be showing
except for the brightest highlights. (A contour line drawing alone is not acceptable!) Use colored pencils to add
color. Include the table or surface the can sits on including cast shadows.

8BC Creating:
5/30 Middle School Memory Boxes: Draw three 2-point perspective boxes using the same two vanishing points. Use
a ruler! Boxes should be large and they may overlap. (The vanishing points may be off the paper.) Each box will
represent a grade in middle school. Do not label boxes 6th, 7th, or 8th. Boxes should be completely covered
using realistic or symbolic images using colored pencils. Images should relate to your experiences and memories
of each grade. Do not use words to decorate boxes. The 6 th grade box must use a neutral color scheme. 7th
should use a split complementary color scheme. 8 th should be the most colorful using colors that appeal to you.
Each of the boxes should be completely filled.

Most responding questions are from the text Puzzles in Art, Battin, 1989 by St. Martins Press

8th Grade Homework

Mrs. Titus

Art

2013-2014

Most responding questions are from the text Puzzles in Art, Battin, 1989 by St. Martins Press