Apple Head- Dolls...... getting them right!

So here i have begun to my quest to perfect my "Apple Head"- Dolls. From the paper cut outs from my last post i have begun creating a template. This first doll is my prototype. As you can then see i have begun to tweak and subtly change the next two dolls. 

This second Apple Head Doll i have decided that the back of her will have my own printed "Chapples" fabric. You can see the fabric on the back of her head. Here i have changed her legs and shape of face.

This is my third tweaked Apple Head Doll in production. She isn't finished but i did keep my own printed "Chapple" fabric for the back of her head. I carved the "Chapples" and printed each one block print by hand and used fabric paint. Also her hair and face i have evolved. She isn't completed yet, still needing shoes and bows in her pig tails! But i am liking her more and more!

Paper doll....

I am at home now, since i am expecting. This has given me a little time to play and create before baby arrives and indulge in the things i want to make. So yesterday i got some coloured paper and began to create and experiment. Today i am getting material to create this doll in real. Will post as soon as i have created her....i hope you like her as much as i do!

Cat and Fish........

If you have never come across the picture story book "Cat and Fish" by Neil Curtis & Joan Grant you just have to get your hands on it. The illustrations are all out of this world. The detail is exquisite and all done using only black and white. It is a fantastic book to read to the Year 4 students to show that by using a reduced pallet of black and white you can achieve anything. Below is the picture storybook and above and way below are my students drawings. They could choose either cat or fish and either work black on white or reversed. We discussed line and pattern as well detail. They all achieved a very dramatic result and were extremely proud of the end results! 

Scratch foam fish...

These prints are the work of my crafty little Year 1 students. The theme was fish and the 4 scratch foam prints above are just a sample of their interesting ideas that they decided to print up. Just their ideas are just so pure and innocent. I hope you admire them as much as i do!

A few more etchings......

These are just 3 more perspects etchings created by my fabulously talented Year 5 students. I think each one captures a moment brilliantly. The line work and detail show much commitment to the medium. I am rather proud of the designs achieved!

The Bar- John Brack and 3.2 million dollars!

The Bar- 1954 (above)

I was lucky enough on Friday to attend a full day Pd at the NGV- Federation Square. Any day where i get to be away from school and not teaching but learning in my books is a plus. I spent the day surrounded by the tranquil walls of the gallery immersed in art and while i was there i had to pop up to level 2 to see the galleries latest acquisition. After the galleries fight to obtain this John Brack masterpiece- 'The Bar' last year and was out bided, it finally reigned supreme and bought the painting for 3.2 million on Thursday. Right now it sits on the wall next to his other probably most famous (and a huge favorite of mine)- Collins St, 5pm- 1955. (image below) I am a massive fan of this brilliant Australian artist and can't wait to get to the John Brack exhibition from the 24th April to the 9th August 2009 at the NGV- Federation Square.  (check out the link) This being the first retrospective in 20 years it shall be so worth the wait! And seeing as it opens on my birthday, surely that must be a good sign.........

Latin American Grand Final- 1969 (above)
Men's Wear - 1953 (above)
Junior Latin American - 1969 (above) 

Crazy Houses means Lino Cuts.....

All Year 6 students deserve a chance to get to know the artists / architects Antonio Gaudi and Hundertwasser! Two of the most intriguing and inspiring  men that ever walked the earth. Both visionaries and ahead of their time when it comes to design and construction, just getting your head around their works can blow your imagination into another dimension!

So once i introduced the students to both artists and their work i set about getting them to come up with their own crazy house designs in pencil. I came up with 4 examples (above) in texta of what i would carve in lino. Students then transferred their designs onto lino cuts and off they went. After a demo on how to hold the carving tool, safety, how to carve, different effects each student went about their own lino. One out of a possible 90 students cut themselves! I think that is a fantastic outcome. I must be a master teacher.............. below are just a few examples of their lino cuts, enjoy!!!