P.S. Art 2022: Celebrating the Creative Spirit of New York City Kids

Grade: PreK
Materials: Paint stick
School: District 25 PreK Center, Queens
Art Teacher: Jenifer Schiller

STUDENT:
I live with my mom, my dad, my brother, and my little brother. We live here. It makes me feel happy, a happy painting. When people look at my artwork, they should feel happy. I like art because I like to draw. I like the colors green, purple and pink, red and blue, and yellow and black color.

TEACHER:
For our PreK unit of study, “Where We Live,” the students were asked to create images of their homes. Students could choose from many different materials. Josali chose paint sticks. She connected to the unit of study by creating an image of her own house and talking about her family.

Grade: PreK
Materials: Tempera and collage
School: P.S. 230 The Doris L. Cohen School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Quinn Hanratty

STUDENT:
I want people to be happy when they see my artwork. I want them to know that I love tigers.

TEACHER:
This lesson coincided with Lunar New Year, the Year of the Tiger. Students had lessons in painting processes and experiences working with scissors and collage. They looked at the tiger paintings of Zhang Shanzi. Through nonfiction books, they learned about the life of a tiger. Students mixed their own orange to paint their collage papers and used cotton swabs to apply the tiger stripes. They cut and collaged these papers and drew faces for their tigers. Finally, they added the elements of a tiger’s environment.

Grade: PreK
Materials: Sharpie, watercolor, colored pencil, and pastel pencil
School: The Little Brooklyn PreK Center, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Lorna Clark

STUDENT:
I started with a big circle, and then I made my eyes, my nose, my mouth, my teeth, and my ears. Then I made my body and my dress. I also made eyelashes. I like to make art because it’s my favorite thing to do. My favorite things are drawing and painting. I mixed colors. I made purple. I made green. Blue and yellow make green. I practiced making the bows in my hair until I got it right. I want people to notice the little dots. I made them by dripping the paint.

TEACHER:
Vivian created this self-portrait following a sequence of observational lessons including drawing vehicles and favorite toys. Students used mirrors for their self-portrait drawings and noticed how different parts of their faces changed depending on their expressions. Prior to making their final pieces, students experimented with a variety of drawing and painting materials, tools, and techniques. Each material was explored to discover its unique qualities and possibilities.

Grade: PreK
Materials: Pastel pencil on painted paper
School: The Little Brooklyn PreK Center, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Lorna Clark

STUDENT:
When people look at my artwork, they might think it’s funny, because they might notice that the caterpillar is smiling. I made the dragon and the noodles because we were learning about Chinese New Year. There are two suns; one sun is red because it’s hotter than the yellow sun. At the bottom of my artwork there is a backyard with a treehouse. I made hearts because I love my mom and dad. The big heart in the middle is for my brother. He was really sick during COVID. He’s better now.

TEACHER:
Yamen began this artwork during an exploratory lesson using black and white drawing materials. Students in his class love to draw and have previously explored working with a range of drawing tools such as pastels, pencils, and markers. They were excited about using a new material: charcoal. They also were excited about the Lunar New Year, and we had a lively discussion prior to beginning the work. Students chose from a range of background papers and were encouraged to explore charcoal sticks and pencils. They used various lines, marks, and shapes to create drawings that were meaningful to them.

Grade: K
Materials: Crayon
School: P.S./M.S. 194, Bronx
Art Teacher: Maileen Arroyo-Santiago

STUDENT:
I like to make art because it is so much fun. When people look at my art, I want them to feel happy about my face. I look pretty, and I like my flowers. I wear a hijab, and I made a purple-and-pink pattern sky.

TEACHER:
For this unit of study, students embraced their differences. We read and discussed The Color of Us by Karen Katz, and watched the Sesame Street music video “The Colors of Me.” We talked about skin color, hair texture, and other characteristics that make us different. Students created drawings that demonstrated experimentation with pencil and crayon. They used multicultural crayons to depict their skin color and hair. They added details such as clothing and patterned backgrounds. We talked about line, shape, and color, and how they can be used to add realistic features to their self-portraits.

Grade: K
Materials: Construction paper, paint, and marker
School: P.S. 130 Hernando De Soto School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Julia Chan

STUDENT:
My self-portrait collage has a smile showing my teeth. I am happy in my art. I like to make art because is fun, and I also like to show my feelings by drawing and coloring. I hope people think my art is good.

TEACHER:
The self-portrait collage is a mixed media project that includes collage, drawing, and painting. Students had to place their entire body into the defined space of the paper. They drafted their faces as the starting point of their composition. Students overlapped ripped paper to form their faces, bodies, and limbs. They learned how to control the glue in order to apply it evenly. Finally, students created patterns using paint for their backgrounds.

Grade: K
Materials: Crayon, collage, and oil pastel
School: P.S. 212, Queens
Art Teacher: Caroline Picard

STUDENT:
This is a self-portrait of me feeling happy. When people look at my work, I want them to feel happy and proud. I like to make art because it is so fun. At home I also make art. I like to make toys out of paper.

TEACHER:
I introduced the topic of self-portraits to students by showing them a range of self-portraits, including those of Frida Kahlo, Gustave Courbet, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, Rembrandt van Rijn, Albrecht Dürer, and Vincent van Gogh. Students were given the choice of creating a full-body or an upper-body portrait. We discussed all of the features of our faces and other details that we might add to a self-portrait. Students used mirrors to make close observations and accurate self-portraits.

Grade: K
Materials: Crayon and tempera
School: A.C.E. Academy for Scholars at the Geraldine Ferraro Campus, Queens
Art Teacher: Vicki Heit

STUDENT:
My artwork is special because I made it, and I love making art. I like to make art because it’s fun . . . because you get to draw stuff and make stuff. When people look at my artwork, I want them to feel happy and cool and amazed.

TEACHER:
Kindergarteners love to draw animals. Starting at the beginning of the year, students worked on drawing basic shapes and then putting the shapes together to create a picture. They also practiced all types of lines—thin, thick, curvy, zig zag—and discussed why artists use a variety of lines in their artwork.

Grade: K
Materials: Mixed-media collage
School: P.S. 63, The STAR Academy, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Risa Schneider

STUDENT:
I felt really happy when I made it. And I took my time, and my hair came out like that because my hair is so long. I like to make art because it’s my favorite, because it’s just so much fun!

TEACHER:
Case’s expressive self-portrait is the culminating work of a unit in which kindergarten students addressed several of the second-grade learning indicators for collage noted in the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Visual Arts. He learned how to manipulate paper; make choices about art materials; and place, layer, and glue shapes. Case explored a variety of media and techniques, including marble-in-box action painting with tempera paint, creating patterns with paint sticks, and experimenting with new ways of employing paper. He worked with great enthusiasm and certainty in depicting himself.

Grade: K
Materials: Crayon, marker, watercolor, and tempera
School: P.S. 62 The Magnet School of Computer Science and Innovation, Queens
Art Teacher: Jenny Franco

STUDENT:
I like to make art because it’s fun. I get to paint, color, draw, and all of that good stuff! I worked hard, and I want people to feel surprised.

TEACHER:
In this unit, students discussed the importance of celebrating who they are and expressing their feelings and emotions through art. Students identified facial features and used lines and shapes to draw themselves. They used tempera paint, marker, crayon, and watercolor to complete their works of art. Sandrica created a drawing that demonstrates the use of varied lines and shapes to convey expression.

Grade: 1
Materials: Mixed media
School: P.S. 76 The Bennington School, Bronx
Art Teacher: Lawrence Dobens

STUDENT:
I loved putting all the little shapes on Jessa: the cotton balls and the hair. I made her face green, and I used brown and gray. Do you see that I put a star, too? I made lots of hair and big earrings, so that it would make everyone happy and excited. I want you to think that my artwork is amazing. I just love to make art because it’s so exciting. Art is my favorite thing, and I just love my art.

TEACHER:
This is the final lesson of a collage unit. In the previous lessons students used precut shapes and focused on the importance of placement and creating a composition that used the entire sheet of paper. They also experimented with cutting and tearing shapes, all the while learning to use glue properly. We were inspired by the collages of many artists, including Henri Matisse and Eric Carle. In this lesson, the children used precut cardboard pieces and were instructed to arrange them in any way they wished. During the next lesson they painted their work. This included mixing colors, applying paint, and creating patterns. In the final lesson the children added textured materials.

Grade: 1
Materials: Chalk pastel and marker
School: P.S. 212, Queens
Art Teacher: Caroline Picard

STUDENT:
It’s really funny. I love art now, but when I was smaller, in PreK, I hated art. I like to make art because it entertains me. I got this idea of drawing Goku just with numbers and numbers on the entire page.

TEACHER:
Students were asked to think about numbers artistically and creatively. We observed paintings by Jasper Johns, who often used numbers and letters as subjects. Next, we discussed numbers and their functions, and we talked about a variety of ways that we could transform numbers and use them to create unique compositions. Alexander immediately started to fill his paper with numbers, while simultaneously creating this Dragon Ball Z character. It is important for students to experience creating art using a variety of media; I challenged students to work with chalk pastels for this unit. In Alexander’s artwork, the chalk pastels accentuate the subject.

Grade: 1
Materials: Watercolor and construction-paper crayon
School: P.S. 15 Jackie Robinson, Queens
Art Teacher: Serrena Hospedales-Brown

STUDENT:
I want people to feel happy and proud of what I did because I feel like a true artist. The Indoraptor is my favorite dinosaur because it has red in it, and it is a night animal. Indoraptors hunt at night when it is stormy. I used dark colors to show how scary it is, and I wanted to make my artwork look scary like the artwork in the book Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, by Maya Angelou. When I do artwork, sometimes I feel like I don't do well, but I know that it doesn’t have to be perfect, and I like that.

TEACHER:
First-grade students were introduced to the life and artwork of Jean-Michel Basquiat by listening to the books Little People, Big Dreams: Jean-Michel Basquiat, by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, and Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, by Maya Angelou. Students discussed Basquiat’s artwork and brainstormed ideas for their artwork. Students had the choice of drawing any dinosaur that appealed to them using various images or drawing from their imagination. Students added elements to their artwork that they saw in Basquiat’s artwork. Nathaniel created The Indoraptor Kingdom from his imagination. His extensive knowledge of dinosaurs amazed me. He was very excited to study an artist whose imagery he could relate to and then create this piece.

Grade: 1
Materials: Wood and glue
School: P.S. 234 Independence School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Victoria Calabro

STUDENT:
I put hard work into my art. I want people to wonder how I made this. My sculpture is made out of wood blocks and are all different shapes. It was hard to stick with glue. I like to make sculptures and paintings. Art is my most favorite class of the day! Mr. Road Block has wings, giant eyeballs, buttons, and a hat. Mr. Road Block is very responsible and proper with good manners. I want people to imagine it moving like a robot.

TEACHER:
Students explored three-dimensional construction. They built robots by stacking and balancing wooden shapes using additive and subtractive techniques inspired by Sophie Taeuber-Arp’s wooden puppets exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art.

Grade: 1
Materials: Sharpie and watercolor
School: P.S. 79 Francis Lewis, Queens
Art Teacher: Mary O’Donnell

STUDENT:
This is me, and I hope to make my mom proud. I make art to tell a story. When people look at my artwork, I want them to feel happy.

TEACHER:
The goal was for my students to create expressive self-portraits. We talked about showing our emotions with facial expressions and with color. Dean incorporated what he had learned in our unit on lines and shapes. This unit combined elements from the drawing and painting benchmarks in the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Visual Arts.

Grade: 1
Materials: Torn-paper collage
School: P.S. 62 The Magnet School of Computer Science and Innovation , Queens
Art Teacher: Jenny Franco

STUDENT:
I am a nice person. I want my mom to feel proud. I like art because it fun. I like using all the colors.

TEACHER:
In this unit, students were able to express who they are and what makes them special. They used the Elements of Art to discuss their own facial features, skin tones, and hair texture. Students then used their hands as art tools to create their self-portrait collages. Their work demonstrated self-awareness and self-expression. Ganesh is an enthusiastic student and an independent artist. He chose his own background color and skin-tone paper, resulting in great contrast, and created his patterned shirt. I was impressed with the way he textured his hair. He was meticulous about tearing each piece of paper. His work is exemplary due to its detail and expressive quality. Ganesh’s collage truly reveals the positive and happy artist he is.

Grade: 1
Materials: Construction paper and gift-wrapping paper
School: P.S. 206 Joseph F. Lamb, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Laura Bronzini

STUDENT:
I want people to see that the butterfly’s wings are the same size. I also chose the same colors for each side. Red color is in the face and in the wings. It is my favorite color. I like to make art because I really love drawing my favorite things.

TEACHER:
Students have been exploring butterflies. Inspired by photographs and class discussions, they each created a symmetrical composition using a variety of shapes and colors. Throughout this lesson, King explored many collage techniques to represent a symmetrical butterfly.

Grade: 2
Materials: Mixed media
School: P.S. 35 Nathaniel Woodhull School, Queens
Art Teacher: Silvia Huggler

STUDENT:
Art is a way to make your dream world become true. I like to make art because it is a lot of fun. I feel very relaxed during art, and I like that I can make my mind wander. I hope my picture of spring will make people feel happy. Maybe they will appreciate my artwork. I would like that a lot. The picture is a portrait of myself during spring. I carefully thought about choosing spring colors, and I made many flowers. I also tried to include lots of details. Spring is my favorite season.

TEACHER:
After analyzing various portraits by Leroy Campbell, students discussed how to depict themselves in a specific season. Color, clothing, and background were considered as ways to show the seasons. The students then used mixed media to create a self-portrait that demonstrated use of organic and geometric shapes, attention to detail, conscious color choices, and a successful composition. Effective use of a variety of art materials and awareness of observational skill were also highlighted. Fatima is a quiet student who really communicates through her work. She is always focused, follows directions, and expresses her creativity in art. Fatima’s work demonstrates an understanding of the art materials, overlapping, and an overall successful composition.

Grade: 2
Materials: Mixed media
School: P.S. 110 The Florence Nightingale School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Jordana Prince

STUDENT:
I want people to think about the different types of transportation that you can find in a city. I created a helicopter, subway, and an airplane in my cityscape. I love being creative, and it makes me happy to share my artwork with others. I tried my best, and I am proud of myself!

TEACHER:
Students were introduced to cityscapes by James Rizzi, and they spoke about what we can find in our own city to inspire us. They spent time drawing and planning cityscapes in their sketchbooks. Using recycled cereal boxes, they cut and glued cardboard that they collaged and layered and to which they added many details. Once the cardboard was painted with black tempera paint, oil pastels were applied to bring our cityscapes to life.

Grade: 2
Materials: Paper collage
School: P.S. 234 Independence School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Victoria Calabro Shopa

STUDENT:
I want people to feel happy and to laugh when they look at my self-portrait. I made more than one nose. I cut so many. I made at least three, and I looked to see which nose was the best. I worked really hard. I like making art in school because my friends are with me. It is more fun than art at home. I liked making my collage dance. The most fun part was making my self-portrait Dab! I ended up ripping the hair instead of just using my scissors. The easiest part was cutting the bumpy L for my hat. The thumb was hard to cut on the hands, but the fingers were easy to cut. I just made a few snips.

TEACHER:
Students explored a range of collage techniques by tearing and cutting various types of paper. They created their own textured, painted paper for their clothing. Their life-size collage self-portraits reflect the mood each student chose to illustrate.

Grade: 2
Materials: Collage
School: P.S. 161 Arthur Ashe School, Queens
Art Teacher: Debbie Rich

STUDENT:
I want people to feel surprised because of my color choices and that it this not a real-looking portrait. I also want them to think about who she is. I used different types of shapes in my collage. I also used lots of layers in my collage and used a glue sponge to glue them down. I enjoyed creating my collage. I like to make art, and I want people to love it, especially when it turns out good. I have lots of fun making art, and I get to be creative.

TEACHER:
We began the unit by viewing the work of Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, and other collage artists. Students discussed what a portrait is and the different ways artists can create portraits. They chose between creating a self-portrait or a portrait. They learned about paper manipulation and were able to transform paper into facial features by cutting, crumpling, and tearing. Sameera is wonderful artist who always puts her mind and heart into everything she creates.

Grade: 2
Materials: Tempera and oil pastel
School: P.S. 63 Old South, Queens
Art Teacher: Maria Panotopoulou

STUDENT:
My lion is brave and calm. If you look in the lion’s eyes, you will see that he is very calm, very strong and brave. His eyes don’t look frightened. The lion is not frightened to be himself. I worked very hard on my lion portrait. I learned how to draw a lion, and I made a lot of effort to finish painting my ideas. I like to make art because I never get bored when I make art. It makes me feel energetic and creative.

TEACHER:
We explored how artists create a magical reality, transforming humans, animals, and everyday objects into otherworldly entities that make an impact on the viewer. We explored the work of artists who were inspired by nature. Students discovered that artists do not always portray animals realistically; they often depict them in unique, captivating, and extraordinary ways. Students painted animals in unique ways that deviated from reality. They worked on a large scale and were encouraged to create animal portraits that would captivate the viewer with their personalities.

Grade: 2
Materials: Paper collage
School: P.S. 205 Clarion, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Laura Nash

STUDENT:
There were fruits and a cup of juice that spilled, so the hands were cleaning the spill. When people look at the work, I want them to think about the washing hands. I learned that you can’t put glue on the front of the paper, because it will turn brown. Also that you can cut paper shapes from the side, not in the middle.

TEACHER:
The title of this lesson is “Let the Shape Lead the Way: Organic and Geometric Shape Collage with Imagination.” I begin this lesson by having the students cut out organic and geometric shapes with no particular goal in mind. Using their natural ability for pattern recognition, students move the shapes around like puzzle pieces until they start to make an association. Every image in the class was extremely different, some abstract, some figurative.

Grade: 2
Materials: Pencil, colored pencil, and marker
School: P.S. 46 Albert V. Maniscalco Elementary School, Staten Island
Art Teacher: Gerard Ucelli

STUDENT:
I want viewers to feel like my artwork means something as a part of history. I want them to feel like they’re taking a trip through time. I always enjoyed art since I started school. It makes me feel happy, and I have a lot of support from my family.

TEACHER:
In honor of Black History Month, students learned about influential figures whose accomplishments inspired future generations. Mae C. Jemison was the first African American woman to travel into space. Students learned line techniques inspired by the alphabet. When Scarlett finished her drawing of Mae C. Jemison, she looked at images of outer space to inspire the color palette of her background.

Grade: 2
Materials: Tempera, Sharpie, and oil pastel
School: P.S./M.S. 194, Bronx
Art Teacher: Maileen Arroyo-Santiago

STUDENT:
This work of art was created after I learned about the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. He was the best artist because he didn’t care what others thought about his paintings. He didn’t care if anyone didn’t think his art was neat or if they thought it was weird. I am a little like Basquiat. I don’t care what anyone thinks. My work is strong like the words I used, and just like I am. I love doing my best and not thinking about what others think. When people look at my artwork, I want them to see the words and think about Black history and feel surprised about my dinosaur, because it looks powerful. It’s like the dinosaur is speaking awesome words, and the amazing crown shows he’s a leader. Art is my favorite subject. I am always drawing, especially with my big sister, Marlyn. I really liked this project; it was one of my favorites so far because I love dinosaurs and creatures. I used lots of colors in my background, and I liked experimenting with paint on old paper.

TEACHER:
For this unit of study, in celebration of Black History Month, students learned about the art and life of Basquiat. Arcy used a variety of warm and cool colors with different sized brushes. He experimented blending colors and then drew a dinosaur to fill the entire page, creating a strong composition. Finally, he organized space with text, expressing his point of view. Arcy is learning the power of art to communicate one’s beliefs and values.

Grade: 2
Materials: Collage
School: Bronx Community Charter School, Bronx
Art Teacher: Kendra Sibley

STUDENT:
When I was six, I learned to draw. My sister used to teach me. Now I draw people a lot, and I’m getting good at it. I’m practicing getting better at drawing mouths and eyes. I’m happy because I see how much I’ve improved, and it makes me feel good about myself. My older sister walked by my portrait on her way out of the building, and I was excited for her to see it because I knew she would be proud of me. Someone else might be proud of me because they can see it is my best work. I worked so hard on my hair; I had to cut carefully to make skinny pieces. I took a deep breath before I cut, so I could be calm and steady. I also drew black stripes on my black paper to show how my hair is made of straight lines.

TEACHER:
To begin this self-portrait collage work, we talked about skin color and looked at artist Angélica Dass’s Humanæ Project, a photographic work in progress that is a reflection on skin color. The artist attempts to document humanity’s true colors rather than the labels “white,” “red,” “black,” and “yellow,” associated with race. Each student painted a paper with their own skin tone after mixing their unique skin color with white, black, red, and yellow paint. They drew the shapes for their head, ears, and neck on the back of the painted paper and cut them out. They chose a patterned paper for their shirts, and created their hair with construction paper that matched their hair color. They used markers and colored pencils to draw their eyes and mouths on white paper. Geraldyn used expressive paper color, manipulated cut shapes, and created an engaging work of art.

Grade: 2
Materials: Mixed media
School: Bronx Community Charter School, Bronx
Art Teacher: Kendra Sibley

STUDENT:
I think viewers will feel amazed that a kid would have their artwork displayed. They will think, “Wow! All those colors are really nicely balanced.” I also think they will actually feel excited to play with my sculpture pieces and put their own sculpture together. It feels nice and calming when I’m making art. Sometimes I get excited when I’m making, like it feels warm inside when my work is just the way I want it. I usually use cardboard, paper, markers, or colored pencils to make art. I also like using crayons. I really love drawing, and I like making designs. I started with bright colors, and then with paint markers, I added patterns to my pieces. On some pieces, I drew the basics of a face with eyes and a mouth. I wanted to use bright exciting colors and for the lips and eyes to blend it with the other colors on my other designs. For my ice creams, I had to figure out what I like and what would go good with my flavors.

TEACHER:
We looked at a variety of sculptures and described what makes a sculpture different from a drawing or painting. Students were already familiar with the concept of slotted sculpture. They chose precut cardboard shapes and used tempera sticks to color the front and back of each piece. Students added designs of their choosing. They created multiple sculptures, and when they were finished, they photographed their sculpture in different configurations and even combined their pieces with others to create super-sculptures.

Grade: 3
Materials: Oil pastel
School: P.S. 234 Independence School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Victoria Calabro

STUDENT:
I want people to feel happy and to think about what makes them happy when they see my art. I want people to feel there is more than what they see when they look up. I want them to look down because the creatures are amazing! I want them to see live insects on the ground! I got the idea for the water from the sky. I added a little white to make the water look different from the sky. For the eyes, I added tiny gray specks of oil pastel to help with the shading inside the eyes.

TEACHER:
The unit began with students exploring the expressive qualities of line and color. Students planned a drawing of an animal in its habitat. They recognized the narrative quality of a work of art and created a composition that included a background and foreground. When students rendered their final drawings in oil pastels, they manipulated the media to achieve specific effects. As a final step, the artists added details, making sure their animals have food, shelter, and a home. Bruno’s Grasshopper demonstrates experimentation with various drawing tools. Through a use of varied lines and colors, he conveyed expression.

Grade: 3
Materials: Pen, pencil, watercolor, and colored pencil
School: P.S. 102 Bayview, Queens
Art Teacher: Adela Leibowitz

STUDENT:
I spent a lot of time doing this, and I put hard work into every detail. I learned how to shade and make gradations, and I felt proud of my art. I want people to feel inspired by my art. I want them to feel calm and peaceful.

TEACHER:
For our unit, “Architectural Structures around the World,” students researched and chose which structures they wanted to depict. By observing and combining shapes to represent a subject, and by capably using directional lines in their work, they met the Grade 5 learning indicators for drawing as noted in the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Visual Arts. They discussed how Vincent van Gogh and Reginald Marsh used line, and they were introduced to the cityscapes of Stephen Wiltshire to help visualize how to render details.

Grade: 3
Materials: India ink and watercolor on rice paper
School: P.S. 150, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Branislava Duranovic Scheluchin

STUDENT:
When people look at my artwork, I want them to recognize the beauty and peacefulness of nature. I also want them to feel sort of happy and calm. I used watercolor and ink to make this artwork. I used ink to paint the lines and watercolor inside the shapes. I mixed different colors for branches. I mainly used a wet on dry technique. I painted details with a dry on dry technique. I like to make art because you can really do anything with it. I can work really hard and still have a lot of fun. And at the end, looking at my artwork makes me feel good.

TEACHER:
Students learned about Japanese scroll painting. Throughout this unit, students experienced a variety of art materials. They explored fluidity of ink, experimented with painting over a drawing, and experienced using rice paper for the first time. Finally, they learned about the possible uses of watercolor by learning different techniques.

Grade: 3
Materials: Collage and tempera
School: P.S. 161 Arthur Ashe School, Queens
Art Teacher: Debbie Rich

STUDENT:
When you feel free and hopeful, then you can do whatever you want to do, like a horse who gets to roam free. The horse is feeling happy even though he looks grumpy. It took me a long time to make the collage. I picked a lot of different types of papers, which made it look far more interesting than if I just used one color. I like to make art because it is cool to create artwork. I also like using the materials with so many colors and textures.

TEACHER:
To begin our collage unit, students selected photographs of animals that interested them and did observational sketches. They were inspired by the artwork of Henri Matisse and other collage artists. Students created their animal collages using various cutting and ripping techniques. As they were working on the drawing and collage portion of the unit, they gave each other feedback based on criteria to improve their work. The background was then painted to complete the artwork.

Grade: 3
Materials: Mixed media
School: P.S. 212 The Lady Deborah Moody School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Josephine Stanfa

STUDENT:
When people look at my artwork, I want them to be inspired. I want them to feel that they can create art with whatever they want, with any material they have. I want them to feel happy! I want people to be amazed when they look at my artwork. I want them to wonder how I created my sculpture. I make art because I find it interesting. I can create different things using different art materials.

TEACHER:
For our sculpture unit, students observed and discussed various sculptures. They created a series of drawings that demonstrated proportion, gesture, and expression. They focused on an interest or hobby. The students then used their sketches to create a sculpture that demonstrated gesture, movement, expression, and three-dimensionality.

Grade: 3
Materials: Colored pencil, woodless Color Stix, pearlescent and metallic crayon, Sharpie, and pencil
School: P.S. 63 The STAR Academy, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Risa Schneider

STUDENT:
I want viewers to know that being unique is a good thing. And you should feel good about yourself. So, I included things in my self-portrait that maybe people wouldn’t know just by looking at me. On the shelves, I put my painting stuff, because I like to paint, and my tablet, because I like using my iPad if I get bored. I like plants, and I always go near my plants when it’s a nice day, so I put a tree up there. And on the chair, I added my stuffed animal that I got a long time ago, because I always cuddle with it when I’m feeling upset. Then I put the Earth, because I love the planet and because I care about the environment. And that picture up there is because I like ballet and I always wanted to do ballet.

TEACHER:
This artwork was the result of lessons focused on observing and combining lines and shapes to represent a subject; inventive use of drawing media, through blending, mixing, and layering; and basic organization of space. Jaleah’s self-portrait particularly reflects our lessons centered around capturing details and deepening expressive skills. Students discussed how Frida Kahlo, Kehinde Wiley, Beauford Delaney, and other portraitists used not only physical attributes to depict people but also color, patterns, backgrounds, clothing, and additional imagery that conveyed information about the subject. Students brainstormed about less visible aspects of themselves that speak deeply to who they are as people—such as family, culture, hobbies, interests, skills, hopes, and dreams. Jaleah made thoughtful decisions about which details she would include to reveal important elements of her identity.

Grade: 3
Materials: Mixed media
School: P.S. 63 The STAR Academy, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Risa Schneider

STUDENT:
This is me, but string me. So I took my time, and I worked hard on it, to show me. I like to make art because, well, some art just looks super beautiful, and I like to make something beautiful, too.

TEACHER:
Students completed an observation-based identity self-portrait. We did a picture walk of the book Con la mano izquierda (With the Left Hand), by Ralf Konig, which shows abstract representational portraits by Colombian artist Mauricio Gómez, followed by whole-class analysis of the variety of materials students observed in Gómez’s mixed-media works. They discussed the moods, emotions, and messages they felt Gómez’s work conveyed. Informed by Gómez’s artwork and given the freedom to use any media or material in the art studio, students cycled through the self-portrait process again. They created a second (or sometimes a third) self-portrait. Students worked toward the fifth-grade artmaking benchmark: they worked sequentially, extended their knowledge of art media and composition, found new ways to use familiar tools and materials, and deepened their imaginative and expressive skills.

Grade: 4
Materials: Chalk pastel
School: P.S. 19 Judith K. Weiss, Bronx
Art Teacher: Michelle Quinn

STUDENT:
Viewers should be inspired by my artwork but not copy it. They should create their own unique version of it. I want people to feel calm and relaxed when they look at my work. If someone is stressed out and they see my art, I hope it will calm them down and make them feel better. I like to make art because it is relaxing. After doing ELA and math it helps me calm down, and it really makes me express myself. When I did the sky, I wasn’t originally going to make it like that. I really like the color blue, so I used it, and I think it turned out great.

TEACHER:
During a study about the artist Georgia O’Keeffe, we looked at her landscape artworks and learned about adobe houses found in Mexico and other southwestern regions. Experimenting with blending, mixing, and layering pastels, students were asked to create a natural landscape. Julie created a beautiful artwork with a distinct organization of foreground, middle ground, and background.

Grade: 4
Materials: Mixed media
School: P.S. 35 Nathaniel Woodhull School, Queens
Art Teacher: Silvia Huggler

STUDENT:
In art I can create something that is just mine. Nobody has the same picture, and it makes me unique. I like using all the art materials and tried my best to create a successful picture. I want viewers to realize how hard I worked on my portrait. Even though I struggled at times, I never gave up and tried my best.

TEACHER:
After analyzing various portraits by Leroy Campbell, students thought about how they would depict themselves in a specific season. Color, clothing, and background were discussed as ways to show a season. The students then used mixed media to create a self-portrait that demonstrated the use of organic and geometric shapes, attention to detail, conscious color choices, and a successful composition. Effective use of a variety of art materials and awareness of observational skill were also highlighted.

Grade: 4
Materials: Paper collage
School: P.S. 236 Mill Basin, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Natalie Rana

STUDENT:
I came up with the title The New Me because that’s how I felt at that moment. It was a new year, different from any other, as I returned back to the actual school building without remote instruction. The whole remote instruction changed my learning experience and changed who I was as a student. I am a newer version of myself. I worked hard on my self-portrait. The time and effort I dedicated to make it look like myself, using only torn pieces of paper, was a challenge. However, it was really important to me to follow the project criteria and still represent myself the way I wanted to be seen by others. I want people to look at my artwork and feel like they are seeing something that is unique and beautiful. I want them to think that they can relate to me through my art. I want people to view my art and know immediately what it is and what my thought process was. It is fun to create something and make it come alive. I can imagine something and then create my vision. Everything from the design to color choice is involved in making art, which is very satisfying to me.

TEACHER:
Students were introduced to Megan Coyle’s collage portraits. They used mirrors to observe facial features and skin tone, and selected realistic colors for their skin, eyes, and hair. They experimented with tearing and gluing construction paper and overlapping or layering each piece. Students were asked to portray how they see themselves or how they want to be seen. Olivia blossomed as an artist this year. The loss of an entire school year seemed to have awakened a completely new persona. Olivia began attentively observing her facial features and skin tone, capturing details through close observation. I am impressed by the level of detail that Olivia used to convey how she wanted to be represented.

Grade: 4
Materials: Watercolor
School: P.S. 183 Robert L. Stevenson School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Sophia Casas

STUDENT:
I want viewers to wonder if this self-portrait is about real life or not and where it could have happened and where I might have made it. I want them to make their own backstory to my self-portrait. I also want them to think how long this painting took to make. I like to do art because it shows how inspiring things can be. Art takes practice and patience. It’s not something that people should joke about.

TEACHER:
After doing some initial observational self-portrait drawings with their masks on, students were prompted to transform their masks. They were asked to change the design of the mask in a way that represented themselves or had personal significance. In the process of painting their self-portraits, students learned about monochromatic and complementary colors. Victoria’s use of color and movement of line strikingly expresses a mood in her self-portrait. I love how the work really confronts the viewer with its gaze. I have known Victoria since she was in kindergarten, and it’s been very special to see her own style emerge and develop over the years.

Grade: 4
Materials: Watercolor and Sharpie
School: P.S. 133, Queens
Art Teacher: Kaya Wielopolski

STUDENT:
When people look at my artwork, I want them to think that masks are not that bad. For example, it makes drawing less hard, because you don't have to draw things under the mask. The dark blue on my mask was a mistake, but it fits in because after a while it gets a bit wet if I am in a cold place for a while.

TEACHER:
The project began in the fall, when all the students came back to school wearing masks. Students were charged with creating a self-portrait with their masks on, showing expression through their eyes and color choices. The students worked from photographs as they sketched, paying attention to proportion. The students then discussed the mood meter, a chart to help people identify how they are feeling, and how color is used to express different moods. They discussed the decisions artists make when choosing colors. Students experimented with mixing and controlling watercolors and then refined their techniques as they painted their self-portraits.

Grade: 4
Materials: Oil pastel
School: P.S. 150, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Branislava Duranovic Scheluchin

STUDENT:
When people look at my artwork, I want them to feel like no one should judge anyone’s appearance. Everyone should be able to wear what they want to wear, say what they want to say, do what they want to do, and be themselves. I like to make art because you can feel free. Art is relaxing, and you can be creative. You can mix colors, use patterns, make textures. You can create whatever you wish. I want viewers to know that oil pastels are easy to work with. You can blend, mix, and layer them. I used random strokes for my crazy hair. I tried to recreate how my mouth looks when I smile. I also tried to make a shadow around my neck. My background is patterned.

TEACHER:
Students created self-portraits inspired by the artwork of contemporary African American artist Kehinde Wiley. Young artists explored expressive properties of oil pastels through covering, color mixing, blending, and layering. Students developed a better understanding of facial features and proportions through careful and extensive observation. Finally, students spent extensive time sketching and editing their self-portrait drawings. Young artists understood that the artistic process is a multistep process in which inquiry, mastery of materials and tools, and ability to make choices in the absence of rules result in highly personal expressive artwork.

Grade: 5
Materials: Pen and ink
School: P.S. 170 The Ralph A. Fabrizio School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Suzanne Antoniello-Kouros

STUDENT:
I like art because when I am feeling a certain emotion, I can express it through my art. When I was drawing, I was in a great mood, so I decided to draw a bee with a flower. I really love bees, and my favorite flower is the cornflower. So, I based my artwork on two of my favorite things. I want people looking at my work to feel positive and happy.

TEACHER:
This lesson involved the use of Zentangles being drawn within an image of their choice. My fourth and fifth grade students began the year with a drawing project. They created an image and then filled them with Zentangles. Creating with Zentangles can be very cathartic. The pandemic provided us with much time alone and as a result, many of us have become more introspective. My students really dug deep within themselves to create these pieces. I hope you enjoy them.

Grade: 5
Materials: Oil pastel
School: P.S. 199 Jessie Isador Straus, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Michelle Hill

STUDENT:
I like to make art because it’s a way to see what I am thinking. If I have a character in my head, I can put it down on paper. I love drawing. I was inspired by a piece of art by Vincent van Gogh called Winter Garden. My artwork turned out very different from his original drawing, but I practiced shading and perspective from looking at that. When people see my work, I want them to feel calm, like the birds, with cool air rushing through their feathers and a whole world they can fly away to.

TEACHER:
As an artist, I love Van Gogh’s work, especially his drawings. I showed my class Winter Garden to inspire them to use descriptive lines and shading in their artwork. The students did a study of Van Gogh’s work; then they created their own fall scene based on observations and discussion about seasonal trees. The goal was to create a fall or winter value drawing using oil pastels. The requirements were to include a horizon line and trees in the foreground, middle ground, and background. The additional challenge was to blend at least three distant values using only a black and a white pastel.

Grade: 5
Materials: Pencil and Sharpie
School: P.S. 316 Queens Explorers Elementary School, Queens
Art Teacher: Michelle Rosa

STUDENT:
The absence of color is something I want my viewers to recognize, as I did this on purpose. Colors would throw off what I wanted to show, which is the simplicity of nature. I like to make art to express myself. I enjoyed using realistic qualities in my art. I drew inspiration from nature, animals, and their habitats.

TEACHER:
This work draws inspiration from nature and Native American symbols. Students had the opportunity to observe, conceptualize, and generate artistic ideas as they created a personal artwork using simple lines and black-and-white illustrations. Crystal chose to use elements of line, shape, pattern, and variety in her artwork. She is consistently growing as an artist, analyzing and reflecting upon her own work, gathering inspiration from others, making connections to other artists, and developing new artistic skills.

Grade: 5
Materials: Oil pastel
School: P.S. 214 Cadwallader Colden School, Queens
Art Teacher: Susan Hoch

STUDENT:
When people look at my artwork, I want them to think of our world and the beautiful color we have around us. When they look at my artwork, I want them to feel happy, joyful, and positive. I like to make art because it makes me happy, and I can show how much effort I put into creating it. I want viewers to know that my artwork is not only for the world to see and enjoy, but that there is a meaning inside of it expressing how I feel or the way I dream of my world.

TEACHER:
Students learned to identify the style of Fauve artists and understood why they were labeled as “wild beasts.” They studied the artwork of Henri Matisse, Andre Derain, and Martina Shapiro for techniques in shading, blending, and color combinations. They compared traditional and nontraditional uses of color, explored color mixing, and experimented with blending, layering, creating tints and shades, and combining warm and cool colors. I used this Matisse’s quote repeatedly: “When I put down a green, it doesn’t mean grass; and when I put down a blue, it doesn’t mean the sky.” Alexandra has developed into a brilliant artist. I have known her since the second grade. She works meticulously and quietly. She carefully chose the right colors to balance her composition. Often, she would stop and stare at her work, then quickly pick up an oil pastel, and start blending and layering away. I was awestruck when she walked up to me holding her artwork and said, “I am finished” with a big smile on her face.

Grade: 5
Materials: Pencil
School: P.S. 316 Queens Explorers Elementary School, Queens
Art Teacher: Michelle Rosa

STUDENT:
When people look at my artwork, I want them to first notice the hair and read all the words in it, so they can feel powerful and positive about themselves. I want every woman to know that they can do whatever they want and be whomever they want. Making art builds my confidence, is fun, relaxing, and I think I am good at it.

TEACHER:
Students were asked to create an artwork with a personal narrative. Their thoughts and opinions have value, and being able to express them, especially through visual storytelling, is important. Liana takes extreme pride in her work. She shows interest and draws inspiration from contemporary women artists. Her message of being a smart, strong, standout female engages her audience and impacts all extraordinary young women.

Grade: 5
Materials: Watercolor and colored pencil
School: P.S. 527 East Side School for Social Action, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Jessica Clark

STUDENT:
Art is subjective. When people look at my artwork, I want their own experiences, their memories, happy or sad, to resonate with what they see. For me, art should inspire strong feelings and connections for the viewer. It is an artist’s privilege to create art that relates to the viewer’s emotions and connects to their experiences. Letting Go represents a conscious decision of standing up, walking forward, and facing whatever may come. The mannequin is walking into an unknown, not knowing what’s out there. Sometimes, it is so much easier to stay in your comfort zone and not get up. The mannequin has chosen to walk forward and keep going.

TEACHER:
Students are introduced to studio centers where they practice with tools and develop their own techniques before creating authentic and personally meaningful art pieces. Of the eight Studio Habits of Mind, we explored how artists observe and envision as they develop ideas for their artwork. Julia devoted her time to drawing mannequins from observation and exploring color using watercolor blending techniques. She envisioned Letting Go through planning and thumbnail sketches. Her artistic process demonstrates an imaginative interpretation of the observed figures, defined by contour lines and animated by an expressive use of watercolor. Julia recognizes and welcomes how the viewer’s life experiences will inform their interpretation of her artwork.

Grade: 5
Materials: Ink and watercolor
School: P.S. 36 Unionport, Bronx
Art Teacher: Jason Holt

STUDENT:
I chose this scene because these specific friends are very dear to me. We loved drawing in second grade, and we would draw as friends. Since I moved, I don’t see these friends anymore. I hope to see them one day. Art is a way to project my ideas and thoughts. Basically, I make art all the time, whenever I feel something or inspiration strikes me. The watercolor was a bit hard to control. I worked to make the watercolor less splashy. I like that there are a lot of details, especially for the people.

TEACHER:
Personal memories were the inspiration for this unit. Students reflected on important memories in their lives, and gained insight into the process by viewing and discussing artworks by other students. Students made preliminary drawings of each character to refine pose, expression, and detail. They transferred the drawings into a scene and developed a setting. Finally, they practiced their watercolor techniques to complete the artwork. This unit addressed organization of space, rendering of detail, and the ability to draw a figure.

Grade: 5
Materials: Acrylic and ink
School: P.S. 249 The Caton, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Yaffa Rasowsky

STUDENT:
If you see me not smiling, it doesn’t mean that I’m mad. I may be happy on the inside but not on the outside. If people see you have a sad face, it doesn’t always mean you’re sad. People could be mistaken about how you are feeling. I put myself in all different colors. I want people to see how colors connect in The Different Me’s. It shows all my feelings. For example, you might see that the red is angry. The different parts represent different parts of me: mad, sad, creative, emotional. The background is about jewelry and gold. The shiny part of my gold ring my aunt gave to me was more than just a birthday present. It was love.

TEACHER:
During this lesson on self-portraiture, artists observed their outward appearances, including facial features and physical posturing, as well as the rich layers of their complex personalities and social-emotional worlds. The development of expressive media using ink, paint, and brushes of varying sizes opened the door for artists to a world of colors and visual textures.

Grade: 5
Materials: Acrylic
School: P.S. 329 The Surfside School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Jonathan Bartlett

STUDENT:
When I share my art pieces, I want the viewers to feel inspired! I want them to feel they can do the same. I enjoy art because it makes me happy, and it inspires me to create more art. I always like to try new materials in my work. I hope viewers look at my realistic piece and think it looks as I intended it to. I am very focused when I am creating. This piece took me about four weeks to complete. I put in my best effort to do my best work.

TEACHER:
The lesson was part of our still-life unit. During this lesson students looked at and discussed masterworks of artists such as Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. Students used proper art vocabulary and engaged in peer discussions to help further develop their work. They set up still lifes of apples on their tables and created sketches to plan out their compositions before using acrylic paint for their final piece. Madison created a beautiful, realistic still life that demonstrates her ability to mix tints, shades, and tones. Her work also shows an understanding of how to create a balanced composition.

Grade: 5
Materials: Mixed media
School: P.S. 267 East Side Elementary School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Emma Niwa

STUDENT:
I have always liked to make art. I’ve made art with my grandma in France since I was little and now, during the summers. We make abstract paintings with things like toothbrushes. I want my viewers to know that I’m ten years old, and if I can make art, so can they! The biggest challenge I had with this self-portrait was making the skin tone with oil pastels. I like how everything just kind of looks good together, like how my shirt, mask, and hair bands are the same color. I decided to make the background sky blue and silver because I think those colors look really good together. For my background print, I abstracted three of my personality traits: kind, athletic, and easygoing.

TEACHER:
Mila’s self-portrait was her culminating work for our unit on self-portraiture. Fifth graders worked in their sketchbooks after looking at and discussing the self-portraits of Frida Kahlo, Yue Minjun,Toyin Ojih Odutola, and other artists. They learned to draw expressive faces in proportion and initially worked large, using charcoal to render their faces with varying expressions. Using oil pastels, they studied the careful placement of shadows and highlights. It was challenging to render facial features covered by masks. For the background, students learned how artists express ideas and concepts through lines, shapes, and marks. To create their abstract designs, each student was asked to reflect on three personality traits and abstract each trait by using only lines, shapes, and marks. Then students created a design incorporating all three traits, which they printed for their background.

Grade: 5
Materials: Construction paper, patterned paper, and ebony pencil
School: P.S. 150, Queens
Art Teacher: Ellen Anne Wine

STUDENT:
I like to make art because it’s really enjoyable, fun, and relaxing. It also can inspire others and motivate them to make their own art. In class we learn about different styles of art to inspire our own work. My artwork has a guitar and piano in it. In music class I am learning to play the guitar by understanding what sounds are made by the different strings and practicing different songs. It was exciting to include an instrument I am learning to play. I tried to use a variety of neutral colors and shapes to create my artwork and make it interesting to look at.

TEACHER:
Yangchen’s work was inspired by a lesson on cubist collage. Students had studied musical instruments by creating an observational drawing of an instrument of their choosing. Students then learned how cubists deconstructed objects by fragmenting them in their work. Students created their own color scheme and decided what instruments to include in their collages. I love how Yangchen’s work combined textured papers as a part of her background and a part of her guitar. She also used a variety of light and dark colors to help the viewer’s eye travel through the composition. Her use of negative space to help create part of the guitar was another interesting artistic choice. Yangchen is a quiet student, but her attention to detail speaks volumes.

Grade: 6
Materials: Watercolor, colored pencil, and marker
School: P.S. 53, Distict 75, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Megan Bobbio

STUDENT:
Art makes a difference in my life because whenever I feel stressed I can start drawing my favorite things to calm down. I also notice that I can use art to share my interests in science, especially outer space and the ocean. My art teacher helped us practice our drawing and gave us pictures to use to help us make sure that our pictures were accurate. I was also excited to use watercolor paint, because I haven’t used it for a very long time. My teacher helps me take my art to another level by asking questions so I can add details. I was not used to painting on such big paper before, so I learned how to spread the paint using my whole arm to move my brush across the paper. I had so much fun using different brushes for big and small parts of the painting. I also had trouble making my octopus “pop,” so the teacher and my paraprofessional, Ms. Tanisha, suggested outlining my octopus with a black marker, which I think helps my octopus look even better!

TEACHER:
This project was inspired by the animal illustrations of Eric Carle. Students discussed their favorite animals and practiced drawing basic animal forms in their sketchbooks. Students also practiced painting techniques of mixing colors, evenly spreading paint, and using their brushes to capture texture. Students were able to demonstrate an ability to closely observe their subject, explore color mixing, and use contour lines to define their subject.

Grade: 6
Materials: Pencil on paper School: P.S./M.S. 31 The William Lloyd Garrison School, Bronx
Art Teacher: Maria Devito

STUDENT:

Being an artist has made given me a lot of joy. I focus the best when I’m doing art. I was never really good at drawing until I started practicing with my older sister. I feel proud when others get amazed at what I do. My teacher taught us about drawing faces with correct proportions and realistic facial features. Before deciding to do my dad, I had already practiced drawing random human faces. It was challenging at first to draw my dad. It was helpful to follow the techniques we saw in tutorials and Ms. Devito’s demos. I wanted my artwork to look as good as possible. I put together all the practice I did on facial features, and looked at my dad very closely to draw him as I see him. I chose the patterned background to make him look royal.

TEACHER:
The lesson was the culmination of a drawing unit on portraiture. The students focused on close and sustained observation. They practiced skills for using tools to create value and form. They looked at how artists such as Kehinde Wiley represent their subjects from a unique and a personal viewpoint.

Grade: 6
Materials: Colored pencil
School: M.S. 158 Marie Curie, Queens
Art Teacher: Adam Gordon

STUDENT:
Being an artist has made me a better person. It calms me and helps me destress because it is an escape from everything in my life. Art has allowed me to put my thoughts and ideas on paper. Mr. Gordon helped me understand artwork better and encouraged me to try an art style that I never would have thought to attempt. He also helped me to better understand different art techniques and to find ways to improve my art skills. It was a challenge to make the subject look as realistic as the reference. I focused on everything I noticed and followed every little detail. I also took my time, so I could draw to the best of my ability.

TEACHER:
Meghan’s still life shows her ability to create a 2D design that demonstrates unity through color and shape. Her candy drawing is interesting because she chose to focus solely on the color and shape and left the background as is. Meghan is a young artist who is willing to take risks and try things she hasn’t before, and her work reflects this spirit.

Grade: 6
Materials: Charcoal
School: I.S. 5 The Walter Crowley Intermediate School, Queens
Art Teacher: Ji Choi

STUDENT:
I feel confident when I draw because I know I can produce good work. My teacher taught me how to create details in my drawings. I chose to draw the woolly mammoth because it is an animal that became extinct due to humankind. I wanted to remind people to prevent animals from becoming extinct. Ms. Choi has been helpful because she taught me how to draw step by step. When I was drawing this mammoth, I feared I would not be able to fit the tusks on the paper as they were very long. I changed the size of the animal to fit them in.

TEACHER:
This drawing is the result of a unit project on drawing of prehistoric Ice Age animals, extinct or nonextinct, inspired by cave paintings in Lascaux, France. Students learned that a contour drawing conveys three-dimensionality and differs from an outline drawing. They enhanced and personalized their drawings of prehistoric animals using a square compressed charcoal stick. This enabled students to further convey three-dimensionality and details by creating a range of values. They were able to add details with lines that varied in thickness and shading. I submitted Jhon’s drawing of the woolly mammoth because he created an illusion of space through perspective, and he drew the animal with great detail. The mammoth seems alive.

Grade: 6
Materials: Pencil
School: I.S. 228 David A. Boody, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Lisa Banker

STUDENT:
I am grateful for my ability to create art. Being an artist is something that I think of as a gift, and I am really lucky to have it in my life. Ms. Banker really pushed me to make my artwork better and encouraged me to keep going. With her help, I was able to create an artwork that I am proud of. Without her guidance, I would have given up. At some point, I started feeling tired of the artwork, and I became lazy. I started to doubt that I could ever finish my piece. I decided to take my time and simplify parts of my drawing. Breaking it down into smaller parts made it feel less complicated.

TEACHER:
The students used their observational skills to create pencil drawings of a very complex still life. Students practiced rendering different textures, creating realistic 3-D forms, and added patterns to their drawings. Eugenie’s artwork showcases the rich drawing and rendering skills we learned. She included all the details to create an artwork that is both bold and delicate. Eugenie was focused on creating a visually interesting image that has a range of textures, patterns, reflections, and forms. It was inspiring to see her dedication and her passion for her art.

Grade: 7
Materials: Watercolor
School: M.S. 377 Renaissance School of the Arts, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Vickie Byron

STUDENT:
Making art gives me happiness and confidence. Art opens my heart and flows through my mind. Ms. Byron taught me how to use contour lines and watercolor techniques, to balance my composition, and to create a self-portrait with correct proportions, values, and three-dimensionality. I learned many new watercolor techniques, like bleeding and dry brush. I have a great teacher who is committed to my learning and teaches me different ways to make art every day! I couldn’t see the structure of my face, and I didn’t know how to paint my mask. I studied my reflection and painted the values, paying close attention to the folds on the mask. I think it sits nicely on my face.

TEACHER:
This is the second year my students painted themselves with masks stretched over their faces. Elijah took it all in stride as he observed himself in the mirror and painted his image with a sense of light and harmonious color. He wanted his mask to fit the structure of his face, painting every plane with a complexity of values. During this difficult COVID year, I wanted my students to find joy in the rich effects of watercolor and in its blooms and gradient washes.

Grade: 7
Materials: Colored pencil on paper
School: M.S. 158 Marie Curie, Queens
Art Teacher: Adam Gordon

STUDENT:
Art allows me to express my ideas and share them with the public. I want to show the world my imagination, and art is the best way that I can do this. Mr. Gordon shows me how I can turn my imagination into captivating works of art. He showed me how to manipulate the tones and shades of colors to make my drawings tell a story. I wanted to create something that would impress my audience. I felt that my art was missing the final touch that would make people excited when viewing it. My solution was to create a sense of staged lighting in the center of my piece. I want it to direct the viewer’s focus to the center of the paper, where the main character is.

TEACHER:
Isabel wanted to create her artwork independently, and we spoke at length about her vision before she began creating her work. An important part of the process was working with Isabel to set her goals and define them, create a plan of action, and then bring her idea to fruition. Through conversations during the creation of her work, we also spoke a lot about 2D design and how to utilize the Elements of Art and Principles of Design to enhance her vision.

Grade: 7
Materials: Collage
School: I.S. 75 Frank D. Paulo, Staten Island
Art Teacher: Allison Imparato

STUDENT:
Art is an essential part of me because it allows me to have a deeper understanding of others’ emotions; it increases my self-awareness and allows me to be open to new ideas and experiences. Ms. Imparato finds ways to help me make my artwork turn out better than I thought. A little while ago, when I was doing this project, I had no idea what to do. My teacher helped me find ideas and showed me how to be more creative with my work. One may see artmaking as easy, but you have to face a lot of difficulties. The process of this artwork was kind of simple but also hard. I planned the art piece in my sketchbook, cut shapes and objects out of paper, glued the objects onto the large background, and last, I reviewed the work, making sure there were no mistakes.

TEACHER:
The collage demonstrates Noor’s purposeful use of collage techniques to express his personal vision of his surroundings. He overlapped construction paper to create each piece of furniture and then created a space on a 2D surface by arranging each piece of furniture to represent his bedroom.

Grade: 7
Materials: Watercolor
School: I.S. 34 Tottenville, Staten Island
Art Teacher: LeeAnne Thristino

STUDENT:
I enjoy creating art; it makes me happy. I like learning new skills and techniques. Mrs. Thristino introduced the students to watercolors and various watercolor techniques. This was my initial use of the medium. I was able to create a gradient background. I kept the silhouette simple, maintained enough detail, and created the necessary interest. My greatest challenge with this project was keeping my silhouette simple but with enough detail to create interest.

TEACHER:
I thought of this drawing unit when I observed utility pole silhouettes created by the setting sun. The students were asked to draw three to four utility pole sketches from their observation. Their initial sketches became frames of reference for the final silhouette piece. Lola’s gradient sunset demonstrates her knowledge of techniques for the application of watercolor.

Grade: 7
Materials: Acrylic
School: I.S. 34 Tottenville, Staten Island
Art Teacher: LeeAnne Thristino

STUDENT:
Creating art has always made me happy. Learning new skills and techniques makes me a better artist. Mrs. Thristino has helped me to grow my skills. For this work I learned to manipulate value to create the illusion of depth. Creating smooth transitions between values was the most difficult part of this project. I kept practicing this skill until the transitions looked correct.

TEACHER:
The students were challenged to create a monochromatic vector square. Many aspects of the student’s skill set were engaged as each used a range of values and smooth transitions to create highlights and shadows. The students were provided with a single color, its opposite, and white. The knowledge Lola gained of the fundamentals of value scale and its production are evident in her final painting.

Grade: 7
Materials: Bamboo pen and ink and watercolor
School: J.H.S. 223 The Montauk, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Jason Rondinelli

STUDENT:
Creating art helps me to connect with my mother, because she enjoys my art, and it brings us closer together. People are my favorite thing to draw. I search for images on the internet and discover new poses to draw. When I complete an artwork, I store it in my portfolio, so I can show others my collection and look back at my work to see how much I’ve accomplished. Mr. Rondinelli shows me art made by my peers and by master artists. It helps me think of new ideas for my own work. I learned how to layer shapes to create a foreground and background and how to mix colors together to create tertiary colors, tint, tones, and neutrals. The big and small leaves remind me of different-sized stars in the galaxy and inspired the name of my artwork. Painting inside of an outline was challenging because it was hard to control the moisture of the paint on the brush. I used contrasting tones in the background to cover up a messy edge. Another challenge I had was filling the picture plane with enough plants. I began drawing very small plants, but as I completed the assignment, I began to draw larger plants. This allowed me to fill the page with a lot of interesting details.

TEACHER:
My students created observational ink paintings of classroom plants. They looked at the work of contemporary ink artist Liu Dan and post-impressionist painter Henri Rousseau to compose their colorful paintings. The goals were to illustrate a unique point of view, mix tertiary colors with intent, and draw organic lines with a variety of textures. The students arranged compositions based on their personal view by choosing where on the picture plane to draw each plant. To illustrate texture, the students used bamboo pens, which exaggerated the variety of lines they produced. Afterwards, the students created monochromatic color palettes and painted each plant a different shade of green. Finally, to emphasize depth, they paired warm and cool colors, or tints and tones, to delineate the foreground from the background.

Grade: 7
Materials: Charcoal pencil
School: J.H.S. 259 William McKinley, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Roma A. Karas

STUDENT:
Art is an extension of myself and helps me express myself. I like to focus on small details in my art; it’s soothing and makes my pictures a lot more interesting. Mr. Karas has shown us many art techniques in class and gave us the artistic freedom to decide which tools to use: pencil, charcoal pencil, or oil pastel. It was challenging not to smear the charcoal pencil, which would ruin all the details. I placed a piece of paper under my hand while drawing, so that helped.

TEACHER:
Students were introduced to surrealism. They studied Federico Castellon, Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí, and others. Students had to create their own surrealistic landscape in black and white or using a color medium. Their artwork had to portray a mood, mysticism, and hidden subliminal messages. The finished product had to reflect an unusual source for imagery: the subconscious mind and a depiction of dreams.

Grade: 7
Materials: Watercolor
School: M.S. 936 Arts Off 3rd, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Dino DeAscentiis

STUDENT:
Art helps me express myself and connects me to the world! Mr. DeAscentiis has guided me and supported me along the way. He is always giving me positive feedback and pushing me to do better. My challenge was having time to work on my arts skills. I felt tired sometimes, but I did not give up. I know practice leads to perfection!

TEACHER:
Watercolor was a new medium for many of my students. I demonstrated how to apply watercolor paint and how to create skin tones by mixing the color pigments. My students showed persistence as they developed their skills. Zada is an art major at our school. She is in the process of putting together her visual arts portfolio for high school. Zada has a keen eye for mixing colors and applying them in her artwork. I see a great future ahead for Zada in a career in the arts.

Grade: 7
Materials: Watercolor
School: M.S. 114 East Side Middle School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Ali Mainhart

STUDENT:
Being an artist allows me to put my thoughts and energy on paper for others to see, enjoy, and even be inspired by. It also enables me to appreciate the art that surrounds us. Seeing others’ art encourages me to grow as an artist, learn from their techniques, and see their own stories in their works. My art teacher encourages me to explore new techniques, textures, and more by having us work in a variety of media, ranging from plaster to marker. She pushes me to try novel things that stray from my usual pencil and pen, so that I can apply those techniques to my art inside and outside of school. Watercolor is a more transparent medium and less opaque. It was difficult to get a rich red or blue from just a single stroke, so I layered the watercolors on top of one another to create a more vibrant effect.

TEACHER:
Mythology and fantasy play a large role in the entertainment landscape of middle-school students, from book series to their favorite movies and television shows. Combining animals to create an original mythological creature, replete with hand-picked powers and strengths, feeds into their need to subvert the ordinary for the fantastical. Through their creature creations, students explored how lines could be used to convey animal textures and patterns. They incorporated a variety of techniques to show depth and space in their backgrounds, as well as overlapping. This project served as their introduction to watercolor. Students learned how it could be manipulated to enhance the elements of texture and depth.

Grade: 7
Materials: Oil pastel
School: Corona Arts & Sciences Academy, Queens
Art Teacher: Jenna Mayette

STUDENT:
I use art to express myself, which I used to have trouble doing. Ms. Mayette has helped me understand that when I have some trouble with a work of art, it’s important to not give up immediately but to always try again. I learned to trust the process and myself when drawing and painting. Controlling the oil pastels and making the artwork as realistic as possible were challenging. I made myself realize that I couldn’t control all aspects, so instead I decided to just focus on the things I could control, like the color and the shading.

TEACHER:
Students discussed the work of Jamie Wyeth. They analyzed Wyeth’s Halloween-inspired paintings, and they practiced drawing from observation. Students applied their skills in creating value and used oil-pastel techniques they had learned. This particular lesson challenged and engaged students through discussion and questioning techniques and allowed students to take an active role in their learning.

Grade: 8
Materials: Plexiglas drypoint print
School: Bronx Community Charter School, Bronx
Art Teacher: Kendra Sibley

STUDENT:
I like the feeling in the beginning when you are making a new piece of art, when you’re excited and nervous at the same time. You are excited to see what’s possible and how it will turn out but nervous that it might not be what you expect. I’m inspired by things I see in the world, and I imagine myself becoming a better artist and working to improve with every piece. When I show my work to someone and they are surprised that I made it, I’m happy, and it gives me confidence. Kendra has been especially helpful when I get stuck. She gives me suggestions and asks me questions to help me bring my ideas more to life. She holds me accountable by saying, “You’re not done yet.” She motivates me to keep going until I’m proud of what I’ve made. My first plate broke after only one print. I was really disappointed because I put a lot of time and effort into it. In my second plate, I added more details. I also made deeper etchings in some areas of the plate to create better values. I like my second plate much more. I wouldn’t have been able to alter as much on my original plate, so it was a good thing that I had to start over.

TEACHER:
Students practiced the process of Plexiglas drypoint with a small plate. They etched with a scriber, smeared ink into the groves, wiped negative areas of the plate, and printed the plate on damp paper with a barren. We looked at the unifying qualities and unique designs of New York City storefronts. They identified interesting typography, architectural details and materials, and unique names and ads. They sketched their chosen storefronts and used hatching and cross-hatching to show a variety of values and textures. Over several days, the students created an edition of four or five prints. Students created engaging compositions with visual texture and a wide range of values.

Grade: 8
Materials: Graphite
School: M.S. 158 Marie Curie, Queens
Art Teacher: Jessi Abamont

STUDENT:
Being an artist has allowed me to look at everyday things from an artistic point of view. When I see a water bottle, I analyze the way light reflects or absorbs into the surface and plan out how I would sketch or paint it. In Mrs. Abamont’s class, I learned how to draw and experiment with things I would have hesitated to touch on my own. I enjoy her classes very much. She gives me time to become comfortable with certain tools, and she teaches and demonstrates art techniques. Being patient and trusting the process was challenging. I’d rarely used the grid method before, and I wasn’t sure how the final product would look. But I persisted, following the dimensions and the directions of my teacher. I learned that the lack of shading and depth really affected the way my drawing looked compared to the picture I used as a reference. It all worked out in the end.

TEACHER:
Students created self-portraits using the grid method. They learned about shading, shadows, facial proportions, and realism. Hyeon (Jesse) is a very talented young artist. When given the task of drawing a self-portrait, Jesse chose to step outside of her comfort zone and recreate a picture of gum being pulled from her mouth. Jesse’s use of various graphite pencils to create shadows and shading is seen throughout the drawing; the portrait displays precision, proportion, and originality.

Grade: 8
Materials: Ballpoint pen
School: M.S. 377 Renaissance School of the Arts, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Vickie Byron

STUDENT:
I was a new student at RSA this past fall and barely knew any techniques. The class was calm, and everyone was making inspiring work all around me. My drawing experiences in Ms. Byron’s class were magical, and I realize how fortunate I am to have a place where I can make art and let my imagination flow. I gained confidence and believe that I could be an artist! My greatest challenge was learning crosshatch line techniques. I was confused about values and where to put them. My teacher demonstrated the techniques and showed us how to see the shapes in terms of lights and shadows. Thanks to her, I can make beautiful gradients from dark to light.

TEACHER:
Drawing a still-life from observation helps students improve their perceptual skills as they learn to draw what they see instead of what they remember. When I introduced Alba to new crosshatch-line techniques, she was fascinated by Hendrick Goltzius, a sixteenth-century Dutch artist, and it wasn’t long before she was carving out perfectly parallel crosshatch lines into three-dimensional spaces of her own. This new art student’s mastery of skills in such a short time impressed everyone.

Grade: 8
Materials: Digital drawing
School: Lower Manhattan Community Middle School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Jessica Sinclair

STUDENTS:
Penny: Being an artist enables me to express myself and see things through a more creative view, which is cool. I hope to continue making art in the future. My art teacher helped me learn things I never knew how to do before. Kiran and I chose to work together to create Green Gothic by each of us drawing on our own to make a figure and then putting them together. This took a while. We helped each other by giving good feedback as well as advice.

Kiran: Every time I finish a piece, I look at it and say, “I did that.” Ms. Sinclair never sugarcoats anything. She gives feedback that makes huge differences in my artwork. A challenge we faced was trying to make our art piece look similar to Grant Wood’s American Gothic. Penny was the pitchfork man, who is taller than the woman, and I was the woman, but I am taller than Penny. So, we struggled with proportions. We discussed our individual work so we knew what was going on with each other’s piece. When we finally put it together we felt rewarded.

TEACHER:
The assignment was to create a digital drawing inspired by Kehinde Wiley’s paintings. In pairs, students looked through art history images to find five classical poses in which they would photograph each other. They chose the best classically posed photograph to draw in Adobe Illustrator. They examined the lighting and created details using the pen tool and live paint bucket. Once the students felt they had captured all the details and colors, they created a shape that was turned into a background pattern. I appreciated how well Penny and Kiran worked both independently and together to create this engaging take on American Gothic.

Grade: 8
Materials: Oil pastel
School: P.S. 161 Pedro Albizu Campos, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Lara Tyson

STUDENT:
Art has given me something to be passionate about and a way to express myself in a fun way. Art gives me purpose. I learned different techniques and art styles from Ms. Tyson, and my artistic abilities have grown. My biggest challenge was deciding how to show my personality in a unique way. In the end, I chose an idea that centered around wearing masks. I worked to avoid creating muddy colors. I wanted the colors to blend seamlessly together yet have each individual color stand out.

TEACHER:
This work was created as part of our portrait unit. Reflecting the Blueprint benchmarks and indicators, students created portraits from close observation. They represented themselves in novel ways, showing their personalities, thoughts, and emotions. Students used a range of values to describe volume and form and explored using drawing pencils, pastels, and oil pastels, creating varied line qualities and visual textures.

Grade: 8
Materials: Colored pencil on paper
School: Summer Arts Institute
Art Teacher: Laura Blau

STUDENT:
Being an artist gives me an outlet to express my feelings and spread awareness about life and current events. I created this piece to bring attention to women and girls being exploited for cheap labor by big sportswear companies. Ms. Blau has helped me so much by providing challenging prompts that allow me to push myself in terms of conceptualizing art, as well as improving my technical skills through practice. Her one-on-one feedback helped me to complete pieces more quickly than I believed I could. She also gave me confidence to enter my artwork into contests and to stick to deadlines. I wanted this piece to have a strong message, and it was challenging to not overwork the piece but to focus on making sure it was clear and understandable to viewers.

TEACHER:
Summer Arts Institute students were challenged to execute works of art that affirmed a point of view, bringing to light an aspect of popular culture or society. This was part of a unit broadly exploring pop art and propaganda. During the unit, students also attended virtual field trips to the Brooklyn Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art, analyzing and discussing important, controversial works of art created as social commentary.

Grade: 8
Materials: Watercolor
School: M.S. 255 Salk School of Science, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Heather Drayzen

STUDENT:
I love immersing myself in my work. I use my passion for art to build deeper connections. Creating works of art makes me more aware of myself and my world. I learned the foundations of art from Ms. Drayzen. She introduced me to techniques, artists, and media that encouraged me to think outside the box. She taught me to make my art more personal and taught me to have my own voice in every piece. The skin tone initially looked dull and colorless. My teacher suggested that I add a red-orange wash on top, and it helped the skin tone feel more vibrant and lifelike.

TEACHER:
Meera’s self-portrait evolved from a lesson on creating a personal artwork inspired by a historical portrait. Meera chose Joanna de Silva, done in 1792 by William Wood, to inspire her portrait of her sister, Ella. When proposing her project she wrote:
I selected this painting to remix because I loved the color palette, the sense of authority and pride it conveys, and the amount of jewelry (bling). It’s really interesting that the painting is of an Indian (now Bangladeshi) woman painted during English colonization, and yet she is depicted as royalty. I want to portray the image of authority just like it’s shown in this portrait to show the inner strength that colonized people felt even in the face of oppression.
This was Meera’s first portrait in watercolor. Her painting is ethereal and confident, and conveys a beautiful sense of light and form. Prior to the project, Meera designed a series of sketchbook drawings.

Grade: 8
Materials: Oil pastel
School: P.S./M.S. 194, Bronx
Art Teacher: Dolores Hostomsky

STUDENT:
My brother and I compete with each other all the time to see who can draw the best. When we are competing, I get to challenge myself. I also like making art for special occasions. Making art makes me happy, especially when I see people’s reactions to it, and that motivates me to continue. My teacher provided me with images of fruits and vegetables as visual references. I found blending difficult, and Ms. Hostomsky demonstrated how to blend but not overblend. What I found most difficult was choosing the correct colors to blend, so my peppers would appear three-dimensional. I thought a lot about which background color would help the drawing look more realistic.

TEACHER:
In eighth grade, students learned about the art and life of Howard Post. Students then created a still-life drawing focusing on creating the illusion of space through perspective, scale, and use of a wide range of values. Yismary’s still-life drawing of peppers depicts seamlessly blended oil pastel. She used a wide range of colors and values as a means of creating the illusion of space and form. Her astute attention to detail and her ability to challenge herself to do her best work is evident in this beautiful oil pastel drawing. But I truly believe what makes her artwork exceptional is her love of art. Congratulations, Yismary!

Grade: 8
Materials: Digital photograph
School: Lower Manhattan Community Middle School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Jessica Sinclair

STUDENT:
Being an artist made my creative thinking grow; it made me believe that anything can be beautiful, just with the right angle. Whenever I go somewhere, I always see something that would be the best picture to tell a story. My art teacher provided me with the support and materials that I needed in order to make this artwork. She made me see the true beauty of every object. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here right now making it to the finals of this competition. She showed me that I could do anything if I just put my mind to it, and that’s why I thank her now for making my life better. Some of the challenges I faced were timing, lighting, and the story that I wanted to tell. I met these challenges by going in a low angle to make the room seem dark.

TEACHER:
Photography teaches my students to look at the world around them a little differently. I wanted my students to focus on telling a story through an image. They all had the topic of family. We talked about how family looks different to everyone and they were to photograph what family meant to them. The students worked with me as well as teaching artist Mustafa Onde. He spoke to the class about point of view in photography and how he uses perspective to tell his story.

Grade: 8
Materials: Colored pencil on black card-stock paper
School: M.S. 137 America’s School of Heroes, Queens
Art Teacher: Lidia Menniti

STUDENT:
Art gives me a way to express my creativity in a way that I’m comfortable with. Art opened my eyes to the various ways people make art and express themselves through their pieces. Visual art doesn’t only have to be drawing or painting; you can make amazing things with paper, clay, and even digital forms. Art makes my life much more colorful and more open. Ms. Menniti gave me assignments that helped me form the portfolio I used for the high school auditions. She taught me different strategies and techniques to improve my art. She helped me develop my art skills by challenging me with different assignments and projects. When I was making this artwork, at first I had a little bit of trouble with getting the colors that best fit the reference image and made it the most realistic. After getting the right colors, I had difficulty with finding the right colors for shading. I overcame these challenges by matching the colors with the colors in the reference photo.

TEACHER:
Animal drawings were the perfect subject matter for my students to illustrate the art element of texture. Using close observation and sustained investigation, students drew their chosen animals. They explored perspective and scale and used their knowledge of values to describe volume and form.

Grade: 8
Materials: Pencil and black ink
School: I.S. 392, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Joan Esposito

STUDENT:
Being an artist has allowed me to reflect on my feelings and express myself. Ms. Esposito has helped my creative development by exposing me to new art forms and drawing techniques that I wouldn’t have tried without her influence. Some of the challenges I’ve faced were finding ways to fill up the page. I also struggled with deciding which of my many drafts I would use for this final piece.

TEACHER:
This lesson began as an introduction to the art of graffiti. Students were taught techniques for drawing letters and creating their own fonts. It developed into a project where students were tasked with expressing themselves in an artwork that incorporated lettering and drawing. There was a focus on composition, emphasis, self-expression, and drawing techniques such as hatching and cross-hatching. Nahjil did a beautiful job representing his subject in a novel way, showing a personal view, using ink purposefully to create varied line, and organizing his composition with an attention to emphasis. Nahjil is a creative powerhouse who often works on his own very personal and fascinating drawings outside of class. His work deserves to be recognized.

Grade: 8
Materials: Pastel on paper
School: P.S. 231, District 75, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Frank Anderson

STUDENT:
When I create using lines and shapes, I feel free. My diagonal lines lead me up like I’m flying. Art makes me focus and feel alive. Mr. Frank teaches me to arrange marks to accentuate arrangements of people. He reminds me to create these arrangements with a variety of marks, brushstrokes, and shapes. I took on the challenge of creating people taking a step for change. I emphasized specific action figures by arranging two groups of people and related background marks. I arranged one side with vertical background lines to support the group of people standing strong. On the right side I used diagonal lines to unite diagonal people who move and fly. I was amazed how uniting lines with people made it come alive. The standing figures make me feel calm and flying ones made me feel excited.

TEACHER:
We studied Harlem Renaissance artist Charles Henry Alston and his use of cubist color planes to depict civil rights activities. Referencing his paintings, students posed at different angles while classmates sketched. Finally, students drew their own cubist color plane designs to accentuate the actions of their figures engaging in civil rights activities. Adam exuberantly adapted this cubist style by creating a background directional-line design that dynamically unified lines and planes and grouped figure arrangements to accentuate a specific civil rights focal point of action.

Grade: 8
Materials: Ink and watercolor
School: M.S. 114 East Side Middle School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Ali Mainhart

STUDENT
Making art is an important source of pleasure in my life. It has also helped me in other areas of life by improving my patience, attention to detail, and imagination. Ms. Mainhart taught me techniques for working with different materials. She also provided me with interesting topics that inspired me and that I enjoyed working with. She encouraged me as I created art and made art class enjoyable for me. Because the vanishing point was outside of the painting, it was challenging to draw the buildings accurately in perspective. I met this challenge by using a vanishing point and guidelines I drew on a separate sheet of paper.

TEACHER
“Perspective” literally means “point-of-view.” When introducing my eighth grade students to one-point perspective, my goal was to have them use this drawing technique to capture not just a vantage point but a space or location with personal meaning. We discussed how the horizon line represents their actual eye level, and the vanishing point becomes the focal spot of their eyes, so their point of view is an essential component of their picture. Each student chose a place to draw in one-point perspective, ranging from the familiar to the fictional to the fantastical. The goal was to introduce viewers to their literal and figurative point of view, and to use details and depth to pull them into this designed space.

Grade: 9
Materials: Pen and ink
School: High School for Contemporary Arts, Bronx
Teacher: Elizabeth Fidoten

STUDENT:
Throughout my life, art has left an astonishing impact on me. It allows doors to be opened and universes to be created. It has allowed me to express my inner thoughts and re-create them into something so real that the limits are just the imagination itself. I have learned new processes and strategies for visualizing ideas and drawing them because Ms. Fidoten makes me get out of my comfort zone. Researching was challenging. Paleolithic art had a large effect on the final piece. Anatomy, proportions, and imaginative realism all played their parts into the final design. Then the detail work took longer due to the shading and pen work; however, the end result was worth it.

TEACHER:
This work was done in Illustration class during our Drawing Intensive lesson, which is designed specifically to develop drawing strategies for showing texture, shading, and volume. Jean utilized his skills in research, observation, and experimentation to arrive at this well-executed artwork.

Grade: 9
Materials: Ink and acrylic
School: Stuyvesant High School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Karen Leo

STUDENT:
Art has played a significant part in my life because it allows me to create things that I never could have imagined. I admire the mastery that goes into artmaking, but to add significance to artwork, one has to add meaning or statements to their art. When I made this piece, I was questioning whether artwork has the power to fix the problems it addresses. My art teacher, Ms. Leo, helped me answer this question by showing the class many important historic artworks. I learned that art doesn’t fix our problems. Instead, art changes the way that people view the world. In this piece, I show my struggle with finding meaning in my art. I show myself, hiding under the covers, angry with myself, and hiding from the question: Why do I make art?

TEACHER:
Milo was a student in my Art Appreciation class and came with an impressive skill set. He had the benefit of receiving intensive art training at his previous school, and he had developed a personal style. The self-portrait project followed an art history unit, in which we looked at portraiture from diverse cultures and through different periods of time. Students were encouraged to create their own artwork based on observation and personal expression and using a variety of materials.

Grade: 9
Materials: Acrylic
School: Summer Arts Institute
Art Teacher: Laura Blau

STUDENT:
Because I’m an artist, I closely observe the world around me in order to find inspiration for my work. For example, on the subway, I often observe the way that people’s clothes fold, because rendering folds is something I struggle with in my drawing. Before Ms. Blau’s class, I only had created art to demonstrate my technical skill. She provided me with a space where I was able to explore messages behind my artwork for the first time. I had never painted skin before. I practiced mixing together a lot of different skin tones. It was challenging coming up with a concrete concept, but I combined various ideas and used my own anxieties as inspiration.

TEACHER:
Students at the Summer Arts Institute investigated pop art as well as propaganda from various historic periods. They were tasked with executing a work of art that offered a point of view and shed light on an element of popular culture or a societal issue. Summer Arts Institute was virtual during July 2021, so students’ small-group peer critiques were in held in virtual breakout rooms. As a class, we attended virtual field trips to the Brooklyn Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art to view and discuss important artwork with social, often controversial, commentary.

Grade: 9
Materials: Drawing pencil
School: Scholars’ Academy, Queens
Art Teacher: Kelly Trpic-Rukavina

STUDENT:
Being an artist allows me to express myself without using words. I am very grateful for that because I have never been very good with words. By giving us this assignment, Ms. Trpic-Rukavina played a huge role in my development as an artist. This artwork is like nothing I’d ever done before. At first, I thought the outcome would be unsightly; however, I wanted to find a way to make it work and make it meaningful, even if it was outside my comfort zone. I had never used so many shading techniques in one work, and realism was still foreign to me. I was determined, and I did have a handful of failed attempts. I restarted this project several times and eventually was able to produce a work I am proud of.

TEACHER:
We began our observational drawing unit by studying the hand, using different drawing techniques. Students focused on line variations, line weight, and how to use line to imply mass and form. The final assignment stressed the use of the medium, as well as composition and conceptual creativity. I was fascinated by the way Ariadna took a traditional hand drawing and turned it into a captivating composition of interwoven and interlocking hands. The more I looked at it, the more lifelike it became, and the more engaged I become with the work. Ariadna worked through several ideas, and her process took her on an arduous journey. She is a dedicated and talented young artist, and this work showcases her creativity and self-motivation.

Grade: 9
Materials: Mixed media
School: New Utrecht High School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Taylor Harlin

STUDENT:
Being an artist helps me to be more self-aware. It has given me an outlet to express my emotions. Making artwork grounds me and makes me realize that my feelings matter. My art teacher guided us through each step of the project, giving us examples and asking about our ideas. Each day, Ms. Harlin encouraged me to make my work better. In this sculpture, the most challenging part was sculpting the surface of the animal in papier mâché. My collection of drawings helped me to shape the deer from a top view, profile, and frontal view. I carefully observed every angle to achieve the best likeness for the animal.

TEACHER:
Students were asked to build a creature that would watch over the classroom from an elevated mount, to make taxidermy more whimsical. This sculpture required preliminary sketches of multiple views and a collection of reference images. Students began with a foam plate, newspaper, and wire to build an armature capturing the basic form of their creature. Then layers of papier mâché were added to sculpt facial forms and features. Students brought their creatures to life with tempera paint and mixed-media details.

Grade: 9
Materials: Card stock and marker
School: Robert F. Kennedy Community High School, Queens
Art Teacher: Stacy Heller

STUDENT:
Being an artist has let me express my creativity and reveal who I am as a person. Art has given me freedom to determine what I want to create. I become more focused on a goal when I am motivated, and Ms. Heller’s encouragement helped me to become more absorbed. She provides a new perspective for me to consider, and this helps to expand my mind and create different ways of making art. Finding inspiration in making this artwork and thinking of how to balance the doodle shapes were challenges. I couldn’t figure out how to make the shapes stay in place, but I thought of a different way to construct the shapes into a sculpture. It took a lot of thought to figure out what would balance and not fall apart.

TEACHER:
The Doodle Sculpture lesson was inspired by the work of Jean Dubuffet. The students examined Dubuffet’s use of easily accessible drawing materials such as ballpoint pens and discussed his assertion that anyone can make art. The students made connections between doodling in the margins of their notebooks and Dubuffet’s work and were challenged to draw a series of doodles and transform them into a three-dimensional sculptural form. Camila’s attention to detail, craftsmanship, and strategic use of tabs and slots contributed to the structural integrity of the paper sculpture. The transformation of the flat doodle shapes into a three-dimensional form was exciting to watch. The unit stressed unity through color, shape, and pattern; repetitive shapes; balance; and awareness of spatial relationships.

Grade: 9
Materials: Digital photograph
School: Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Lauren Rocco

STUDENT:
I have been able to express myself and my ideas through my work. Art speaks to me in a very specific way and teaches me concepts and ideas with a single image. Being an artist allows me to speak to other artists who feel as I do. Ms. Rocco has helped me to develop my photography skills. With knowledge of dramatic shadowing, composition, and balance, I was able to form more complex and higher quality photographs like Hunter’s Shadow. Originally, the trophy didn’t cast a bright enough light to create a shadow, and I didn’t want to remove the trophy from the picture. By removing other lighting, the shadow was cast and the trophy remained in the image.

TEACHER:
Students were asked to construct a photograph with dramatic lighting, using their knowledge from previous lessons on composition. The work of portrait photographers such as Gordon Parks and Annie Leibovitz was used to discuss lighting, particularly the differences between using artificial and natural light. The composition, subject, emotion, pose, and direction of lighting were all elements Jadenn used to convey great feeling in his image.

Grade: 9
Materials: Graphite, pastel, and collage
School: Stuyvesant High School, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Karen Leo

STUDENT:
Art has become my preferred medium for connecting with the world. During COVID-19, I used art to reflect on the uncertainty of the human condition and to continue to explore my innermost self. Ms. Leo’s art class was a welcoming and stimulating environment from the very beginning. She encouraged me to create art that was true to me and to my style. I learned to use charcoal pencils to complete my first ever self-portrait. In her class, I delved into art history, a source of further inspiration. Ms. Leo’s class exposed me to the limitless possibilities of the art world. I used gridding and value techniques taught to us by Ms. Leo to add depth and an element of reality to my work. To master the medium, I practiced shading. The news clippings from my school’s paper use words relevant to my feelings about COVID-19 and my experience as a freshman in high school. The vines wrapping around the borders give my piece an immersive quality.

TEACHER:
Elizabeth created this work in Art Appreciation class, where we combine the study of art history with studio practice. The self-portrait drawing project was part of a larger unit on portraiture. We discussed how portraits carry information about identity and power. There were many steps to this project. Students staged self-portrait photos, employed the grid method, and practiced drawing skills that included using correct proportions and shading. Artists also were encouraged to explore different media and avenues of representation, which Elizabeth took on in a very impressive way.

Grade: 10
Materials: Acrylic on canvas board
School: City College Academy of the Arts, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Gloria Adams

STUDENT:
My interest in art began in fourth grade, and it has made a difference in my life in many ways. Being an artist has made me more creative and has made me think deeply about what I see. Ms. Adams challenged me by asking me to work in a new medium. I never really painted before this project. I also was introduced to a new way of sketching. Even though I struggled, this artwork enhanced my painting skills and sparked my interest in painting.

TEACHER:
During this assignment, students were asked to use a limited color palette while they explored portraiture. The monochromatic palette that Karina chose helped to bring her subject to life. Karina learned to control light, value, and intensity and to use acrylic paint proficiently. Her own personal style shines through. Karina’s choice of color was particularly exciting to me.

Grade: 10
Materials: Pen on paper
School: Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Nicole Buccellato

STUDENT:
Being an artist has boosted my self-esteem and allows me to express myself. I understand many art concepts and techniques to use in my drawings thanks to Ms. Buccellato. Drawing the leaves on the trees and making them as realistic as possible was a challenge for me. I had to work carefully to accurately shade certain areas

TEACHER:
Sebastian’s well-executed work was the result of a unit on perspective. We examined Christ Delivering the Keys to St. Peter, by Renaissance painter Pietro Perugino, and analyzed how the artist created the illusion of deep space using one-point linear perspective. We also looked at works by early Renaisssance sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti. Students watched a video about his contemporary, the architect Filippo Brunelleschi, and his experiments with perspective involving the Baptistery in Florence, Italy. After learning how to render shapes into forms using linear one-point perspective, students photographed their own block, or another block in Brooklyn and drew the scene. They added value by shading with black ink.

Grade: 10
Materials: Oil, Dorland's wax medium, and oil medium on hand-made stretched canvas
School: Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School, Queens
Art Teacher: Nicole Spata

STUDENT:
When I was ten, I started to develop some anxiety. I was told it would help to focus on something specific and breathe deeply. This was beneficial and trained my eyes to fixate on detail and color. That skill helped me when I started painting and drawing. Being proficient in art is much more than creating a work of art; it’s about expressing yourself without having to use words. I had only painted or drawn from references and never used my imagination, which limited me artistically. I realized it was much more fun and freeing without reference pictures. Mrs. Spata’s instruction and guidance have helped me to improve my art skills. I applied a layer of acrylic paint and, using a palette knife, I added oil paint (mixed with Dorland’s wax medium). The surface became textured, making it difficult to create straight lines for detail. I had to loosen up, relax, and realize that sometimes uneven lines are okay. A painting does not have to be a perfect representation. It can be an interpretation or exaggeration of reality.

TEACHER:
Previous to this project, students had created still lifes, paying attention to detail. For this work, students had to create a painting using only a palette knife with thickened, impasto oil paint. The students began the unit by choosing a photo they took that had some sentimental value to them. The goal was to play up visual texture and loosen up. It forced students to move to more expressive works that were more connected to thoughts and feelings than technical ability.

Grade: 10
Materials: Graphite pencil
School: Science Skills Center High School for Science, Technology and the Creative Arts, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Lindsay Price

STUDENT:
Being an artist has changed my perspective on how I perceive what I see in my everyday life. It has affected the choices I have made throughout my life. Ms. Price taught me the basics of artmaking and has given me the encouragement I needed to explore and to find new subjects. The challenge was to create texture in order to make the portrait more realistic. I struggled with drawing the white hair.

TEACHER:
In our Hero Portrait project, students created portraits of their personal heroes. The hero could be someone they know or a famous person in history. Students discussed what makes a hero and how heroes made impacts within their communities in different ways. Students were given a choice of materials and employed various techniques to achieve desired outcomes. We used a grid method to create accurate and well-proportioned images and studied artists who use this method in their artistic process. James’s work shows great attention to detail in honoring Petrov, a lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defense Forces known as the man who “saved the world from nuclear war” in a 1983 nuclear false alarm incident.

Grade: 10
Materials: Colored pencil
School: Humanities and Arts Magnet High School, Queens
Art Teacher: Jane Judson

STUDENT:
I’m a quiet and introverted person. Art making gives me the ability to express myself visually. It has made me more expressive, and I have learned to be a better observer of details. Ms. Judson pushes me to persevere when making my work. During my two years working with Ms. Judson, I learned to work in a variety of art media and to explore different artistic processes. I finally feel that I have gained confidence in myself and in my art skills. I struggled to make the right choices when it came to color and proper undertones. I overcame this by working slowly with light layers of color. By building them up carefully, the colors blended seamlessly, and I love the results. I now have a much better understanding of color theory and mixing.

TEACHER:
Ashley created this artwork during a drawing unit on color theory, blending, and photorealism. We looked at the artwork of Catherine Jenna (CJ) Hendry, who spends hours making tiny scribbles in colored pencil to create hyperrealistic drawings of paint blobs. Students learned about color layering, undertones, and the effects of overlapping complementary colors. Ashley meticulously drew her subject in pencil. Her attention to detail is impressive. She lightly layered colors to achieve the hyperrealistic look. For each shade of brown, Ashely used at least five layers of different colors. As the project progressed, it looked more and more captivating.

Grade: 10
Materials: Acrylic
School: The High School of Fashion Industries, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Elise Zubrovich

STUDENT:
Whenever I’m feeling stressed about things like school, relationships, and daily struggles that affect my mindset, I turn to my art. Acrylic paint and oil paint are two of the materials that impacted my art the most. Ms. Zubrovitch taught a lesson on color theory, and her knowledge helped me create this work. As I was painting the tray, I kept making the colors too dull and gray. I made a wash by diluting white paint and layering it over the canvas until I got the right shade.

TEACHER:
Prior to creating their paintings, students engaged in an extensive study of color theory. They practiced color mixing and explored different color schemes. To create a painting that captured the details of a subject, students photographed objects at close range. Natalia chose to zoom in on her acrylic paint set. By using a variety of different brushes and layering her paint colors to show light and value in her work, Natalia created a work that demonstrates her mastery of acrylic paint techniques.

Grade: 11
Materials: Watercolor pencil and watercolor
School: P.S. 373 Brooklyn Transition Center, District 75, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Hilarie Gilinson

STUDENT:
This is about my feelings. I’m hiding my feelings. I wanted to cover my face because I’m really shy. I covered my face, put my hood up, and had my hair in a bun. I used blue paint because I wanted it to look shy. I’m proud of my artwork, and I hope everyone likes it. When people look at my art I want them to say I’m a good painter. I really don’t like to make art, but I’m getting better at it.

TEACHER:
Working in a District 75 high school has allowed me to work with many talented and creative young artists. Many of my students have difficulty expressing their emotions, but they are often able to express themselves through the arts. In order to address the challenge of conveying emotion, I asked my students to create an expressive mixed-media self-portrait. We evaluated artists’ self-portraits, examining each subject’s facial expression and posture. We discussed the color palette in each painting. Before students began drawing, they completed a planning sheet, identifying a specific posture and facial expression, and preplanned their color palette. Students posed and photographed themselves with USB cameras, then traced their images onto large paper. Planning sheets were used throughout the process.

Grade: 11
Materials: Digital photograph
School: University Prep Charter High School, Bronx
Art Teacher: Brendan White

STUDENT:
I take pictures when I see something that amazes me. Making art allows me to disconnect from reality and lose myself. It feeds my soul. It sort of makes me feel like a young child, experiencing something exciting for the very first time. Mr. White was the first person who ever told me that not only was I allowed to be an artist but that maybe I already was one. He encourages me and always treats me with kindness and consideration. His positive energy and passion for art helped me develop my own love of taking pictures. He convinced me that my work deserves to be out there for others to enjoy. The challenge was finding familiar objects and creating something new and abstract with them. The objects were not being cooperative and kept falling away from each other. I tried my best to overlap the objects and use soft lighting to create shadows so they would stand out. I noticed that I liked the pictures more when I zoomed in closer. It wasn’t easy, but I’m very happy with how it turned out.

TEACHER:
Hilary’s photograph is the result of a lesson on observation and alteration. We were in a period of remote learning at the time. Students were asked to create an abstract composition that represented the spaces that surrounded them. They asked themselves, “How can I rearrange ordinary objects to construct a compelling composition that reimagines familiar objects?” Hilary certainly accomplished this.

Grade: 11
Materials: Cardboard, recycled cup, hot glue, Ultra Mache, Plaster Craft, and gesso
School: Kingsbridge International High School, Bronx
Art Teacher: Bob Hechler

STUDENT:
Being an artist makes me more attentive to details and has helped me find solutions to problems. Mr. Hechler was my cheerleader. He taught us a bunch of skills with different media and then let us loose. It was so frustrating when I said, “What should I do,” and he would answer, “That’s a good question. What do you think you should you do?” This whole project was a challenge. Looking in a mirror and seeing yourself is one thing, but bringing it to life is another. I would think I was doing great, but when I would step back, the features were all in the wrong places. I had to do it over and over until I got the desired result.

TEACHER:
Fatoumata was fascinated with the way light falls on a three-dimensional surface. She moved around the room as she sculpted, looking at each facial feature under different lighting conditions. This attention to detail helped her create the delicate features of her self-portrait. It has been my experience that art students are kinetic learners. They love to be in motion when they’re making art. I knew that being back in person after a year and a half, students were going to be harder to engage with than before the pandemic. This year, I wanted to work across the curriculum as much as possible to enhance their interest in content areas where they were going to be expected to pass a Regents exam. So, for our unit on three-dimensional self-portraits, we looked at classical sculptures that related to their Global History curriculum.

Grade: 11
Materials: Cardboard, recycled cup, hot glue, Ultra Mache, Plaster Craft, and gesso
Schol: Kingsbridge International High School, Bronx
Art Teacher: Bob Hechler

STUDENT:
Being an artist has made me recognize the difference between looking and seeing. As an artist, I am more patient and pay attention to the details. One day in class, Mr. Hechler showed us some marble sculpture, and it caught my interest. Then we all decided to make scuptures. We helped each other and occasionally asked the teacher to give us hints on how to solve some problems. It wouldn’t be me without the hijab. I had an idea, but Mr. Hechler told me it would be hard to do it alone, so I organized my friends to help me. After school we came together, wove the plaster cloth into a shawl, then soaked it in water and quickly put it onto the head and shoulders of my sculpture. We had to do it swiftly. I directed the group like a conductor, making sure they draped it properly. Then I put the final touches on it myself.

TEACHER:
Nadia was intent on including the hijab to her self-portrait. She chose a material that we had used previously on a different project. She also understood the importance of including her ears and hair in order to make the fabric drape properly. It was her attention to details that made her project so successful. It has been my experience that art students are kinetic learners. They love to be in motion when they’re making art. I knew that being back in-person after a year and a half, students were going to be harder to engage than before the pandemic. This year, I wanted to work across the curriculum as much as possible to enhance their interest in content areas where they were going to be expected to pass a Regents exam. So, for our unit on three-dimensional self-portraits, we looked at classical sculpture that related to their Global History curriculum.

Grade: 11
Materials: Gouache paint on watercolor paper
School: Wadleigh Secondary School for the Performing & Visual Arts, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Ronald Jabradally

STUDENT:
From drawing little doodles in kindergarten to making story books in elementary school and now having art classes in high school, art has been a passion of mine and has helped me through a lot. Mr. Jabradally guided me and showed me a technique for shading the background. He often gives me advice and feedback, motivating me to finish my artwork. Life, Death, and Rebirth is an example of how much COVID-19 has impacted us. We took many things for granted, never realizing how fragile a life and a relationship are until they are gone. They only exist in the memories we carry and will share with future generations. The flowers signify life; the skull is death, and the butterflies represent rebirth. With the weight of this on my mind, it was a challenge to focus on making this the best artwork that I could.

TEACHER:
In this lesson, students learned how to depict light and cast shadows using dramatic lighting. They were able to improve the illusion of form and depth in each painting, regardless of the subject. Shanel’s work beautifully addresses the twelfth grade benchmark for artmaking in the Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in Visual Arts. She has mastered various materials and techniques, developed a portfolio that reflects her personal style, and she has demonstrated the power of art to illuminate and inform.

Grade: 11
Materials: Acrylic on vinyl record
School: New Utrecht High School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Taylor Harlin

STUDENT:
Art offers an escape from everyday life. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, you can pick up a brush or pen and take control for a moment. Ms. Harlin teaches us to appreciate our mistakes, because they can be just as valuable as our most perfect work. We are encouraged to experiment and take risks. She teaches us to be thinkers. When creating this artwork, the most challenging part was identifying the areas of value that created form in my portrait. I met the challenge by closely observing my value mapping, my reference image, and by looking in the mirror when I needed reinforcement.

TEACHER:
We began this class assignment with a study of high-contrast portraits. Each student created a reference photo of themselves with an emphasis on dramatic lighting. Students then mapped out the values in their portraits and worked to carefully mix the grayscale in acrylic paint. For this painting, students were given a vinyl record as a painting surface. Jessie’s artwork shows careful observation of proportion and the use of value to show form.

Grade: 11
Materials: Brush pen, Sharpie, Micron pen, and white gel pen
School: Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Pauline Kim

STUDENT:
I made this work just as school transitioned to in-person, after almost two years of being isolated. It was difficult to feel comfortable in this new setting, but slowly, what was at first overwhelming became welcoming. I made this artwork to convey what I felt: chaotic creatures were endlesssly bouncing around in my head. But it isn’t a completely hellish piece; there is much happiness in it. Nothing is just black or white. There is nuance in life. I hadn’t done anything realistic in pen and ink. This was an opportunity for me to combine the realistic and cartoon worlds. Ms. Kim creates an environment that is very free, so I felt like there was no limit to what I could creatively pursue. I worked without drafting, using only a pen on paper. Towards the end, I had a large ink spill over the top of the piece, but I made it work by using white ink over the spillage. I think it made it better, and looking back, it sends the message of pushing on and appreciating life’s mistakes and gray areas.

TEACHER:
For students’ first experimentation with pen and ink, they used various inking tools to explore the variety of lines and textures that could be produced. Students learned about contour lines and the importance of capturing the forms of their faces. Once satisfied with their choices, the students selected the ink medium and were given a prompt, “Where am I?” Students explored the idea of their location, physically or mentally, and how it impacted their view of themselves. They used literal or conceptual ideas to create their vision. From the beginning, Alton had a strong vision. The selfie image seems to have exploded with images from his subconscious.

Grade: 11
Materials: Oil on canvas
School: Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Manhattan
Art teacher: David Driggers

STUDENT:
Ever since I was a little girl I have considered myself to be an artist. My art allows me to express myself without having to use words, which has been difficult for me in the past. Being an artist is a big part of my life and has contributed greatly to who I am today. My art teacher, Mr. Driggers, has given me freedom in his class to create art that is meaningful to me. Over the past few months, I have grown as an artist considerably, and it is all thanks to insights I have gotten from his class. When I began this piece, I struggled with the likeness of the two portraits, as they are two portraits of me. I learned to distance myself from the idea of painting portraits and instead focused on how colors blended together.

TEACHER:
In the advanced painting class Django is given a great deal of freedom to explore subjects and styles of her own choosing. The goal is for her to develop a body of work that represents her unique artistic voice.

Grade: 11
Materials: Ink
School: P.S. K77, District 75, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Amie Robinson

STUDENT:
Being an artist has made me happy. I enjoy creating designs and want to be a cartoonist. I love looking at new artwork like the traditional ink painting I saw in art class. I was really inspired by it. I think the artwork is beautiful. This was my first time working with ink using a brush. I love the way the drawing looks. It has a nice texture, and it has the stripes with thick and thin brushstrokes. I did not want to add color so that that the texture and lines would stand out. What was most challenging for me was capturing the tiger’s mood. The tiger is relaxed, and you can see in its mouth and nose a calm expression. It was hard in some ways because the body proportion and pose should be relaxed too. My art teacher helped by showing me examples of many paintings.

TEACHER:
Students celebrated the Lunar New Year and Year of the Tiger by exploring The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s incredible online collection of Asian Art. We focused on ink drawings and scroll paintings of tigers by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, as well as those of the Ming dynasty in China. Students compared and contrasted various artworks and discussed how the artist used brushstrokes to achieve variations in line, texture, and form.

Grade: 11
Materials: Digital photograph
School: Susan E. Wagner High School, Staten Island
Art Teacher: Alishia Neckin

STUDENT:
I have always been creative, and I feel inspired, as if I’m accomplishing something just for me. I enjoy the process and the product I create. I am proud to see what I am capable of. Ms. Neckin inspires me and pushes me to keep going. This helps me develop good ideas and opens my mind to possibilities. She’s the best art teacher I’ve ever had, and I’m so thankful to have her as my teacher. A Woman with a Dog, by Jean Honoré Fragonard, was the inspiration for this image. I admired the calm and amused expression of the woman. It was a challenge to get my cat to stay in place and to place myself perfectly in the frame. I had to prop my camera up on my fish tank and use a timer. Eventually, I was able to find a spot where I was framed perfectly and my cat cooperated.

TEACHER:
Students were asked to find inspiration for a photo shoot using The Met website. Using a more traditional art medium, such as painting or sculpture, students chose a work of art and explored the history of the work and its artist. Students discussed what they liked about the piece and how they could use those ideas to develop a meaningful series of photographs.

Grade: 11
Materials: Oil on canvas
School: Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Nicole Buccellato

STUDENT:
I remember being told in an oil painting class, “You will never see the world around you the same. As soon as you start painting, you will see objects as different colors you need to match on a palette.” It stuck in my mind, and no matter where I looked, I tried to match the color, whether it was burnt sienna, raw umber, or any other color, whatever the hue or value. Ms. Buccellato encouraged my art making during a school year in which I was unable to take a studio art class. This was my first portrait painting, and I was terrified that the colors wouldn’t look realistic. Skin tones are very difficult to match, as there are certain hues and values to it. I decided it would be better to experiment on my own before putting the paint down on the canvas. This helped me get over my fear as well as get a better understanding of how colors react with one another.

TEACHER:
This work was created not in a class but during after-school hours and art club. The subject is one that is very near and dear to Gabriella’s heart and personal in content. She would consult with me for the technical issues she had with the medium of oil paint.

Grade: 11
Materials: Acrylic on canvas
School: Medgar Evers College Preparatory School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Diane Aytche

STUDENT:
Art has been the center of my life in elementary school, middle school, and now high school. It allows me freedom of expression, and art will always be a part of my life. Ms. Aytche supports me in every way and pushes me forward! She opens me up to new ideas and artists and encourages me to be a risk taker. There were several thumbnail sketches I reviewed before I selected the ones I wanted to use. Choosing the actual events in her head was a challenge, because there were many. Ultimately, I chose the ones that I thought would “speak” the loudest, as I thought about what she went through. Getting the consistent skin tone can be challenging. I kept mixing paints until I had what I thought would represent what I was after. This took several tries, but it came together. Lots of problem-solving... Yay!

TEACHER:
Through drawing and painting, skills are developed as students study and explore the art of portraiture. The past and present hold a plethora of images, from cave paintings to today’s self- portrait “selfie.” Meaning is derived as students explore classical portraiture and its context. Joyce presents a contemporary, contemplative portrait in a nontraditional way. There is sparkling hope in her eyes. Through Joyce’s investigation, planning, and execution, this painting captures the difficult role of the healthcare worker during the pandemic.

Grade: 11
Materials: Watercolor and oil pastel
School: Scholars’ Academy, Queens
Art Teacher: Kelly Trpic-Rukavina

STUDENT:
Art was always my hobby, because it was a fun distraction and a way I could express myself. The word “artist” has become part of my identity. My artworks are a reflection of me and show the progress I have made over a few years. They show my patience, effort, and creativity. In Ms. Trpic-Rukavina’s class, we discuss works of art, and we are introduced to new media, artists, and styles of art. I had to trust the process, because I didn’t know where I was going with the project. Eventually it took form and has an even deeper meaning to me than when I began the work. There were technical problems, like the placement of my hand, and I had to layer the watercolor to make it more opaque.

TEACHER:
Students created a series of self-portraits exploring inner and outer identities and how identity can be portrayed through gesture, facial expressions, color schemes, and symbolism. They chose the media that would best convey their idea while being encouraged to explore materials they found challenging. At first, Arissa struggled with new media, but she quickly found that the materials offered her an expanded color palette and new techniques to explore. Through vivid color choices and textures, Arissa was able to capture an expressive double self-portrait. Arissa has the drive to experiment with materials and approaches, and I am impressed by her artistic talent and vision.

Grade: 11
Materials: Colored pencil
School: Scholars’ Academy, Queens
Art Teacher: Kelly Trpic-Rukavina

STUDENT:
Making art has given me a way to focus my energy on something that I’m proud of. I could spend hours in my room working on one piece of art, which somehow is more satisfying than doing anything else. Ms. Trpic-Rukavina has supported my creative development by introducing me to various genres, artists, and media. In class, I have been pushed out of my comfort zone and learned just how limitless art can be. By submitting my art to P.S. Art, Ms. Trpic has helped boost my confidence. One of the biggest challenges I faced while creating this artwork was being my own worst critic. There are always parts of my work that do not reach my standards. I worked through this by experimenting with techniques and colors on separate sheets of paper before using them on my final piece.

TEACHER:
After exploring the art of M. C. Escher, René Magritte, and Vladimir Kush, students had to create an image that contained a visual paradox. The image had to be witty and thought provoking, while challenging the viewers perception of reality. Students were encouraged to embrace chance and to edit, edit, edit. Caitrin responded with this compelling composition, elevated by her innate ability in handling the medium. This work is just one of many examples of Caitrin’s artistic talents and creativity.

Grade: 12
Materials: Watercolor
School: Edward R. Murrow High School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Sarah Holcomb

STUDENT:
I created Self-Portrait with a Squirrel Monkey as a part of an exploration of the relationship between people and primates. I am aware of the visual impact of people and animals. The expressiveness of living beings—their colors, movements, and shapes—stay with us and influence our sense of beauty. Ms. Holcomb has helped me refine my creative output. Her guidance has led me to carefully plan each piece before beginning to paint, and her critiques of my in-progress work help me identify areas needing development. She has given me the freedom to develop my own concepts and work in any medium of my choice. Due to the orange-yellow tones of the hair and the blue background, I found it difficult to demonstrate the subtler variations of tone on the face and within the hair itself. Using washes of purple ultimately worked, and the painting started to develop a greater depth and likeness.

TEACHER:
Ripley is enrolled in AP Art and Design, and she is currently working on her portfolio. The artistic practices the students in the Art Institute have been working on for the last three years culminate in their senior year. They are encouraged to develop a central concept or thesis and build a body of work around it. This takes place over a series of lessons modeled after a college-level approach to developing a thesis. Our goal is to prepare students for art school and for studio practice in the future. During these lessons, students are creating multiple works in the medium of their choice. Ripley has developed a personal style while improving her painting skills and techniques and has applied the knowledge she has acquired.

Grade: 12
Materials: Pigma Micron pen and white gel pen on hand-made paper
School: Edward R. Murrow High School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Carlos Rosado

STUDENT:
Art has been the perfect fusion of my intellectual and artistic curiosity. I have always been able to use my growth in one area to expand my understanding of many things in the other area. Mr. Rosado, along with Ms. Sarah Holcomb, provides me with targeted feedback and helps fortify my artistic voice and vision despite the challenges of working in different media and with new concepts. In this monochromatic piece, the only color is that of the paper showing through. The rest, shaded in black and white, is meant to invoke feelings of tranquility and comfort while highlighting how human structures may blend into the environment successfully. Showing the cohesion of the surrounding forest and the cabin, with its natural textures and elements, was a key element of this piece.

TEACHER:
In my class students are continuously challenged to grow their artistic talents by developing sound and effective technical skills. But equally important is the exploration of their own artistic philosophy and direction. I create projects that allow for student autonomy within the broad confines of exploring their personal styles and visions. For this project the students were asked to begin a series of works that could define their artistic sensibilities and skills, and be similar to a thesis. The students support their work with research to help support and clarify their choices. Frederick chose to juxtapose nature and the material world in his woodland scene. His artwork shows the level of proficiency he has achieved in this medium.

Grade: 12
Materials: Acrylic on canvas board
School: Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Nicole Buccellato

STUDENT:
Whenever I have felt overwhelmed and stressed from school, art has allowed an escape from reality. I would just sit at my desk and be able to paint for hours. My art practice has expanded from drawing only with graphite to painting powerful, colorful pieces. I didn’t think I could create work like this. Ms. Buccellato has played a role in my creative development by expanding my artistic boundaries. While creating this artwork, I realized that I had never painted something so difficult and realistic. I just had to trust the process and take my time with this work.

TEACHER:
Nicole worked on this painting after we completed a unit on still life in painting class. During a discussion about potential subjects for PS Art, she played with the ideas of still life and self-portrait. I told Nicole that artists have made nontraditional self-portraits using objects. The Lunar New Year was fast approaching, and Nicole was very excited about the holiday. She decided to represent herself and her heritage through this composition.

Grade: 12
Materials: Acrylic
School: Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Allison Keller

STUDENT:
Life as an artist makes me realize how I look at my own art and how people look at the world with their own ideas about art. My art teacher, Ms. Keller, has supported my ideas about the project and helped me with a variety of painting techniques throughout the process. A major challenge for me is accepting imperfection during the painting process. I am a perfectionist and wanted to create the exact replica of my reference. It takes time to perfect and understand color theory and the application of acrylic paint. Getting the correct colors to match my reference image to the best of my ability was an intricate process.

TEACHER:
For this unit we analyzed paintings throughout the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. We studied realism and the effect that lighting has on an image. In this project, students were to use a single light source in their references to create tenebrism, lending a sense of darkening and concealment in their work.

Grade: 12
Materials: Graphite and soft pastel on gray drawing paper
School: New Utrecht High School, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Adrienne Mikulka

STUDENT:
Artists design visually and mentally. We concretely show our way of thinking to affect and influence with our artwork. I use various methods to visually record my life and ideas to attract people’s attention. Being an artist gives me the opportunity to change the world. My art teacher is a good mentor. Ms. Mikulka supports my ideas and gives me suggestions that are inspirational. I think more deeply about what I want my artwork to say because of the ideas and artists she introduces us to. The challenge for me was to express the emotion of the animal. Environmental pollution harms our atmosphere and impacts all living beings. Hunters illegally kill endangered animals for profit. How do I create the visual impression of the rhino’s sadness? I used graphite to create the surface of the rhino. I used soft pastels to make a more powerful image. The color from the soft pastels make the rhino look vibrant and conveyed alertness.

TEACHER:
Kunyu is a senior art major. In our Portfolio 3 classroom, students explore what matters to them most and what they want their voices to amplify to their community. Students are encouraged to explore a variety of media and to discover how contemporary artists are using their voices to ignite similar conversations in the world. The result of working in this way is a body of work that is extremely meaningful and personal to each and every student; they clearly can connect their experience to themselves, other artists, and the world at large, while also learning how to discuss their process and intention in an influential way. They leave high school knowing that their voices matter.

Grade: 12
Materials: Acrylic on wooden panel
School: Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School, Queens
Art Teacher: Jane Kahn

STUDENT:
Art helps me to cope with the intense emotions I feel while navigating everyday life. My pieces are visual displays of my mind on a canvas. In this way, art is my therapy, as it helps me to turn my innermost thoughts into masterpieces that help me better understand myself. Dr. Kahn has helped me broaden my horizons by introducing me to new artistic media. Because of her expert guidance, I have strengthened my compositional eye in paintings and photography. I used a mirror as a reference for myself in The Keys, and the angle I was trying to capture was blocked from my view due to my perspective, so it was difficult to replicate. To overcome this, I kept my hand still while moving only my head to see the angle, draw the basic shapes, and fix any perspective issues.

TEACHER:
Based on a set of keys I found in the park during the pandemic, students were to imagine the keys opening a door and what might be on the other side. Using observational skills and adding imaginative elements, Kaylin presented an unusual perspective of herself as she uses The Keys to open the door. Observational and imaginative work are required elements for the portfolio component of the annual New York City Commencement Exam and for college admissions portfolios.

Grade: 12
Materials: Colored pencil, watercolor, acrylic, and Micron pen on gesso canvas
School: Fordham High School for the Arts, Bronx
Art Teacher: Lisa Mota

STUDENT:
Painting on my gesso canvases and in my sketchbooks until the dead of night, I cultivated my drawing abilities and made pieces that represented my beliefs and ideas. At Fordham Arts, I’ve found a guide in Ms. Mota. I tried sculpting, printmaking, mosaics, and more in the engaging environment of my classroom. Ms. Mota wants me to forever improve my techniques and cherish the messes that may come from being an artist. She is my great mentor. I created Ratings Go Up, Scale Goes Down for my AP Drawing Portfolio. My theme is the image of women in the media and in Hollywood; the constant public critique of female bodies has created impossible expectations for women. I dug through archives of popular magazines that body-shamed women and read interviews from female celebrities who have felt this unrelenting judgment. My artwork has bright colors and bold lettering to counteract the dull reality of the issue. I hope to bring awareness for the need of more body positivity in the media!

TEACHER:
Stephanie is enrolled in AP Drawing. Throughout this semester she has engaged in inquiry around the pressures of being a woman. Stephanie has challenged herself to explore what real beauty is and who defines it. She is raising awareness of an issue that has caused negative self-esteem in many young girls. Stephanie was very receptive to constructive criticism and delivered a pointed message through her artwork.

Grade: 12
Materials: Watercolor
School: The High School of Art and Design, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Richard Weinstein

STUDENT:
I can’t recall a time when I wasn’t drawing. Attending a specialized arts high school and learning alongside many peers who shared the same passion for art as I do was the foundation of my coming-of-age experience. This was my first watercolor. Mr. Weinstein challenged me by setting up mirrors around my composition and encouraged me to work larger and to not hesitate. Because of this piece, I grew more confident in my abilities. When I am unsure or frustrated with my artwork, I recall what I was able to do and think about how much further I can push myself and what I can accomplish. Being back in the studio for the first time since early 2020, surrounded by my classmates, was refreshing and nostalgic. This is my first large piece, and it was done in a medium I was unfamiliar with. From the composition down to the tiny details in the labels on the cans, I worked on the piece for hours, spending almost three weeks on the underpainting alone. I wanted to show what I was capable of and saw it through to the end. At last, I completed the piece and left with a new hunger to create more.

TEACHER:
This hyperrealism project was designed to increase observational skills and the appreciation for diverse relationships. Students engaged in analysis, made thoughtful color choices, rendered forms realistically, and showed depth and space through overlapping. Evan’s work ambitiously measures 26 x 40 inches. Students were challenged to meticulously examine objects and create their compositions with watercolor, using transparent layers to nuance and match colors as exactly as possible. In addition to calling upon students’ the technical skills, this project promotes virtues of ambition, diligence, perseverance, commitment, and discipline.

Grade: 12
Materials: Oil on canvas
School: The High School of Art and Design, Manhattan
Art Teacher: James Harrington

STUDENT:
Being an artist has given me a different perspective of the world around me. Art is a way of expressing myself and my life through a visual presence. Mr. Harrington helped me to create a stronger dynamic between my art and myself. I learned the value of being able to describe my artwork to others, and doing so also helped me. Mr. Harrington taught me the important relationship between my visual reference and my artwork. As I painted Dehumanizing, I found it challenging to balance realism with my own interpretation of the subject. The perspective is from the audience’s point of view. You are in the dark space, and the only light that is ahead of you is artificial. The building is under construction, and I played with horizontal and vertical lines to create depth and emphasize the idea of how a space can feel bigger than you. Constructing a building is similar to constructing a human; there is a timeline and a process. Every part of the process supports how the final product will come out. It makes you question what the outcome is and what it will offer.

TEACHER:
My role as a teacher is to be a guide for my students as they find their artistic identities. I want them to have the latitude to experiment and explore. Each student is required to develop a body of work united by a theme of their own choosing. This theme often changes as the work progresses and the students find their way. What evolves is a clearer vision of the artist’s creative identity. Sometimes the theme doesn’t become evident until quite a lot of work is complete. Underlying each is the common denominator, both visual and thematic, of the artist’s aesthetic. It is often during our senior critiques that we examine a body of work and find the words that best describe the product. In other words, the images occasionally precede the words. I embrace this because it is an indication of a true visual journey.

Grade: 12
Materials: Digitally manipulated photograph
School: Susan E. Wagner High School, Staten Island
Art Teacher: Alishia Neckin

STUDENT:
Being an artist means expressing myself freely without the worries of being wrong. It allows me to express myself in a meaningful way and has opened my mind to different perspectives. A substantial amount of my creative development comes from my art teacher, Mrs. Neckin. She introduced me to photography, painting, sculpture, and drawing. The exposure I gained inspired me to create meaningful and breathtaking photographs. When creating Kori Fish, I was challenged in creating a balance between fantasy and reality. I struggled to make realistic highlights that created a dreamlike atmosphere. I experimented with different lighting techniques until I found lighting that was perfect, and I created realistic highlights to make the image feel complete.

TEACHER:
This year, we focused on the exploration of conceptual photography and creating an image with meaning and purpose. Katrell really has found his voice in his images, and his skill has truly developed into something amazing. He has found his passion, and it’s obvious in the work he creates.

Grade: 12
Materials: Acrylic on canvas board
School: Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Lara Hill

STUDENT:
Being an artist has taught me discipline, not only as I develop my craft as an artist but also as I work hard to achieve all my goals. As an art major I learned to trust the process, realizing that if I keep creating, I will keep growing. Ms. Hill has been one of the most motivational teachers I have ever had. She has exposed me to a variety of art opportunities. She inspired me to paint and taught me many techniques. She also encouraged me to not give up and to challenge myself. One goal I had in this artwork was to achieve proper proportions while working on a larger canvas. In this painting I am expressing the strength and support between brothers.

TEACHER:
For Portfolio Preparation class, Morvens has been working on developing a body of work that explores a personal theme. He has been using the medium of acrylic paint to create self-portraits and portraits of his family.

Grade: 12
Materials: Acrylic on canvas
School: Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Brooklyn
Art Teacher: Lara Hill

STUDENT:
Art has given me a voice and allows me to express myself through paint in ways I cannot with words. Ms. Hill has encouraged me to utilize a variety of art media and has helped me express myself through my artwork. Her support and hands-on classes have pushed the evolution of my work in technique and meaning. New Beginnings is a portrait of my younger sister cutting her hair. It is painted with dramatic lighting inspired by the work of Caravaggio. Two other sources of inspiration were the film Mulan and Frida Kahlo’s Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair. As was true for Mulan, a simple cut of her hair can change her fate. How we present ourselves has a significant impact on how we feel and shows who we are on the inside. The light on her hair and hands indicates that she has a bright future ahead and that she is looking for many changes in her life.

TEACHER:
Inspired by art history, students created portraits with the chiaroscuro techniques used by the Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. After careful study of the artist’s use of light to create drama and depth, students designed personal tableaus that illuminated their chosen subjects.

Grade: 12
Materials: Chalk pastel
School: Tottenville High School, Staten Island
Art Teacher: Wynter Carnevale

STUDENT:
As an artist, I am able to think creatively when problem solving. I can contribute creative ideas to help those with whom I work and collaborate. By creating a portfolio and developing skills I can list on my resume, I stood out when applying to colleges and jobs. Being able to present skills and ways of thinking beyond the books allowed me to make lasting impressions. Ms. Carnevale is truly an inspiration to me and my peers and has undoubtedly left a lasting impact on all of her students. If she weren’t my art teacher, I would not have had such an incredible support system. She encouraged me when I was not confident in my artistic abilities and opened my eyes to career opportunities in art. I struggled to maintain the pigmentation in the pastels. I decided to use gloves, work in small portions, and work my way inside to out, so my arm wouldn’t brush up against the finished parts. It was a challenge to establish a realistic and not overly airbrushed look when blending the pastels, but I was able to establish a technique and flow, which I applied to the entire piece. I successfully created the work as I envisioned it

TEACHER:
When the class was assigned portraiture, Nicole chose to portray her grandmother. Using chalk pastels as her medium was a true test of Nicole’s skill. She did a remarkable job capturing her grandmother’s features in this large piece.

Grade: 12
Materials: Oil on canvas
School: Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School, Queens
Art Teacher: Jane Kahn

STUDENT:
I grew up in an artistic environment. My house was a studio and workspace for my parents, who are both artists. The walls in our living room were covered with our drawings, a one-of-a-kind “wallpaper.” My parents believed that I should be given the opportunity to explore my creativity to better understand what I might want to do in life. Dr. Kahn gives me positive advice and encouragement and never gives up on me when I get stuck in the art process. I love the moment when I finish a work of art. It gives me a sense of satisfaction and confidence to challenge myself more. Deciding how to depict myself was challenging; I am a private person. I presented myself in three ways, based on my books, attire, and physical appearance. I am an amalgamation of the diversity of New York City and of my background. The pyramidal composition leads the viewer’s eyes to look from the bottom to the top. The pose and still-life objects were first set up in my room, then multiple pictures were taken until I found the composition of my liking.

TEACHER:
From the time students are freshmen, they see the senior art students working in the hallway outside the art room, painting self-portraits on a large scale. Stepping up to and taking on the challenge of completing such a huge painting has become a rite of passage that many of the art majors anticipate. Identity is a major theme of adolescence, and in addition to working large and using techniques they have learned over four years as art majors, students add a conceptual aspect that tells who they are beyond their credible likeness. Much of Koromo’s free-choice artwork is of digital characters and exceptional animations. However, her skill with traditional artists’ media is every bit as superb. This painting feels very personal, has compositional strength, and is imbued with a lyrical quality. It is a gorgeously executed painting.

Grade: 12
Materials: Ink wash
School: The High School of Art and Design, Manhattan
Art Teacher: Matt Lassen

STUDENT:
Art is a getaway: an opportunity to focus and let my mind wander. It’s hard to imagine not having art as an escape to express myself. I’ve never known what it’s like to not to be an artist. It’s been a passion all my life. To achieve my vision, Mr. Lassen and I talk about next steps during the artistic process. I want people to experience different emotions through the story my art tells. Sometimes I get consumed with making art that others want to see. In these moments, it’s hard to draw for just for myself. When this happens, I take a break to remind myself what art really means. This was my first time working with ink wash. It was difficult to create solid tones, as the ink dried very quickly. Once I started to understand how to work with the medium, it became pretty straightforward. Once the ink was down, it wasn’t going anywhere, so I had no choice but to camouflage the accidents I made, creating some cool unintentional textures.

TEACHER:
After a year and a half of remote learning and too much mandatory screen time, I wanted my students to experience the art media they were denied. This project was titled The Night of…; Students finished that sentence by illustrating their story in a single composition. Rendering a nighttime scene required them to embed light sources within their piece and to get their full range of tones in ink wash by mixing different ratios of ink and water. The nighttime setting forced the class to paint and render with the full range of tones. Although this is the first time Jack used ink wash, the work contains impressive storytelling. The rendering and immersive nature of the environment makes you feel like you are within it, exploring.