About Mrs. Lane & Art Class

Hello from the Miller Art room!
This blog is dedicated to the art department at BR Miller Middle School.

My name is Stephanie Lane and I am the 7th grade art instructor Miller. I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BA in Art Education. I loved my college experience and tried to take as many studio art courses as possible.
I have a huge passion for art and art making that I enjoy sharing with students. I will be offering a variety of  lessons, techniques, and media projects to 7th grade students.

I am looking forward to a great year!
Please check back for updates and student work images.

About 7th grade Art:

7th grade Art is really a sampler platter of art concepts and mediums. The objective of the class is to expose students to a variety of different techniques, critiques, materials and methods so they can begin to understand why and how art plays an active role in their lives. Students will be asked to think as artists and observers. Students will produce their own artwork using an assortment of art tools, techniques and materials such as pencils, paper, paint, colored pencil, print making, watercolor and in their sketchbooks. Along with a handcrafted sketchbook, students will keep a portfolio throughout the semester so they will be able to compare how far they have grown against their own work. Group critiques will be designed to help students learn from one another, push one another to do better, share ideas and thoughts. We begin our year by handcrafting sketchbooks that will be used throughout the entire quarter. We will venture into the elements and principals of design. This will help students begin to build a strong foundation in the arts no matter what the discipline they intend to follow.

Painting has been designed to introduce the student to the basics of working with both acrylic, ink, and watercolors paints. They will be introduce and ask to apply the elements and principles of design to their work as well as color theory. Students will learn to put together and stretch their own canvases to paint on. We begin our quarter by handcrafting sketchbooks that will be used throughout the entire quarter.

Drawing teaches students basic skills and techniques in drawing from direct observation. Direct observation for this course is defined as drawing from still life, landscape and architecture. The primary goals are to learn to judge proportion and to depict those observations in drawings that demonstrate an understanding of depth, form and space. Verbal skills are developed through critique and class discussion.
This course reinforces and further develops the skills of drawing from direct observation established in Art I. Students use traditional subject matter to explore a range of drawing materials and techniques including the introduction of color, mark-making techniques, and gesture. Compositional and rendering skills are emphasized through various media.

Ceramics is a hand building course designed to introduce students to clay, the cycle of clay and the working properties of clay through learning the pinch, coil and slab techniques. Emphasis is placed on learning and applying the elements and principles of art to our clay work. Students glaze and fire their work using a variety of techniques and equipment. After all hand building work is complete they experience working on the potters wheel.

2D/3D Art is using traditional and non-traditional materials. Students in this course develop inventive experimental approaches to a variety of pictorial media and examine how media, idea and composition relate. Students explore the boundaries between painting and sculpture when nontraditional materials are incorporated in collage and assemblage form.