“The proof is in the pudding” – Cervantes

This is a follow up post to Project Planning During A Pandemic where I get to showcase student work while reflecting on the assignment. As described in the linked post above, planning for hybrid teaching is challenging and I have been experimenting with different approaches to teach the concepts, keep the kids engaged, and not drive them or myself crazy while doing it.

As described in the linked post above, the objective of the ZoneDoodle Art Kit Cover project was developed as a way to incorporate both typography and line patterns to personalize student art kit covers, which for the most part, are being kept at home with just the sketchbook and few tools going back and forth to school on the one day each week when the kids have their art elective. My few students who are in school four days a week have an art kit at home and at school.

Thanks to a COVID related grant, we were able to purchase 2000 blank pizza boxes so every art student in the district could receive an art kit. The Art Kit Cover lesson was a good way to personalize the kit and help foster an attachment to it. Also, one day this pandemic will be under control and our lives will attain a new normalcy. If students hold on to them, the art kit covers can become a keepsake or memento from this time.

All of the lessons, demos, and tutorials for this project are in the Project Planning During A Pandemic post. In all, the project went well. The Thanksgiving holiday break was both helpful as a bridge between phases of the project, and a disruption in flow. Consistency, cohesiveness, and frequent check-ins are necessary always, and even more so with hybrid learning. With nearly 160 students who I see just once weekly, I am challenged to provide those necessary components. Despite the challenges, the kids rallied. As usual.

Here are just ten of the finished art kit covers and the rest can be found on Artsonia.

Meanwhile, as the kids were working on their Art Kit Covers at home, they would work on Digital Zone Doodles on iPads using Autodesk Sketchbook app when they were in school. This part of the project was easier to monitor because it was completed synchronously. After the initial check-in at the start of each virtual class meeting, I would open individual breakout rooms during studio time, which enabled me to check in, see the student’s work, and offer encouragement or assistance. As you’ll see below and at the Digital ZoneDoodle gallery on Artsonia, the kids did an outstanding job with this project.

Antonia C – Image 1: I love all of the different colors on it. I like how neat some of the zone doodles so I tried for that’s style. I would not change anything but if I had to I would and more colors. This art work surprise me how neat it was.
Image 2: All I did in this art work was change to colors of the zone doodles and it remains the same figure. The colors are almost all from the original piece but in a different place
Image 3: For this art work I did not do much. I had finished the second one today and was playing around with sketch book and I found a color adjust tool and I played with it until I got something like this.