As an art teacher, the traditional still-life project has always left me feeling cold. I don't like doing them, so why would I have my students do them?

So over the years I have found creative "twists" to make them a bit more interesting. From students bringing in their own items so they "buy into" the project, to setting up visual puzzles like working on top of black and white striped paper (Like HERE). But the major "thing" that tends to become a problem is space and a lack of it. A still-life has to command a space, and should not be moved to avoid complaints about how it looks different over several viewings... 

An interesting solution I have tried is to make tiny personal still-life sculptures. Each student gets a 4 x 4 inch piece of cardboard or foam-core and covers it with some decorative paper, then adds 5 objects I have set up in buffet-style bins. They have to add a tiny sixth object that has personal meaning. (I grade that as a homework and they have to say what it means.) It should be tiny and not valuable but hold some personal meaning. Here are some samples of our mini-sculptures:

I had them put names and period on the bottom, and they were assembled with Elmer's and hot glue. Some objects were able to be tied on, clipped, or taped. To first get familiar with their still-life, I had them do 4 drawings on a large 18 x 24 inch sheet of paper folded in 4. The first drawing was done with rulers so that it would be 3 times larger than their actual sculpture. Second was using their phones or my iPad to photograph a section and enlarge it. Third was a drawing like an Etch-a-Sketch in pen with a single continuous line, and the fourth was from a birds-eye-view. 

Once familiar with their objects they did their final drawing on watercolor paper in light pencil and then in oil pastel. When complete they did either watercolor on top or black ink watered down. They were encouraged to choose their own point of view, but that the work should fill the page as best they could.

Daily, the mini-sculptures were kept in a copy paper box lid, and placed out each period for kids to retrieve and work. Students had individual pieces, and the work was all very unique with a personal element included. I think I will do it again. I loved not having to set up and take down a large display when other classes had to come through. It was a real sanity saver I will repeat.

This was for a mostly 9th grade class of general ed students. I think this same approach would work well for lower grades, and you might get better still life compositions from AP students.

It is often assumed that kids have a hard time working on a purely abstract level, non-figuratively, but I have found this is not true. I am NOT talking about letting kids go outside and splash paint, or close their eyes to make marks, but about thoughtful and meaningful works of art. Given a simple tutorial on the basics of expressionism, students do very well, creating works that are both artful and meaningful. Moreover, they will be able to look afterwards at works by Klee, Gottlieb, Pollock, Calder, Nevelson, and other abstract expressionist works and make some insightful statements about the works and the artists.

This lesson can also be applied to create 2D and 3D works in all media. It can be used to slightly abstract works through choice of color and shape or to create works that are completely non-objective. 

I have used this approach for about 20 years now, and formalized my information in the book, "The Emotional Color Wheel"  (Book is at the bottom of that link) As well as the posters here. But the above sample will be enough to help you without having to purchase anything. A direct link to the free sample is HERE.

I will share with you 3 different approaches I have used. 

Family with Shapes and Colors: Students list 8 members of their family and write 5 descriptive words about each (positive and negative if need be) I let them know they can write in code if they want to keep their feelings a secret. After exploring the emotional values of colors and shapes, students create symbolic shapes, lines, and colors for each family member, and make a composition to represent their family. They can organize shapes by how well people get along with each other and the colors between shapes can show how they feel about each other. Here are some samples from my classroom:

This same lesson can be done in 3D. Shapes can be cut from cardboard, foamcore, or even floral-foam as in these example. Floral foam can be carved with Popsicle sticks and sanded with bare hands, then sealed with gesso. I incorporate a video on the work of Alexander Calder and we make mobiles from our forms. The photo below is how I display them in my room, hung from cables above student desks.

My 3rd example is using a student's traced silhouette to anchor the work. While these are being traced, students create a list of things they know about themselves, both positive and negative, and another list of how others see themselves. Sometimes lists will be similar, but often assumptions strangers make are very different from reality.

Inside the student's shape, they use colors, shapes, lines, etc. to express how they feel about themselves. On the outside they use the same art elements to illustrate assumptions people make about them. This becomes a project that focuses on inside-vs-outside perceptions. It is often a very therapeutic and revealing assignment. 

An updated blogpost on this lesson can be found HERE.

 I often give these projects 2 grades, one for their use of media, and another for their expression based on what they wrote on the back of their work or a hand-out that could be provided. Specific and personal choices get a higher grade than non-specific general associations. 

​A: (Specific and Personal) 
I used red to express my anger about how my parents reacted to me when I revealed a secret to them. I trusted them but I feel like they broke my trust and I can not be as truthful to them anymore.
OR
I used yellow to represent my happiness at overcoming a great obstacle in my life. My family was very supportive and this helped me get through it. 

B: (Personal but non-specific)
I used red because I have a temper sometimes and lose control. 
OR
I used blue to show that I am a relaxed person who does not get upset easily. 

C: (Non-symbolic but connected) 
I used pink 'cause I have a pink bedroom. 
OR
I used green because the car I want is green. 

D: (Not symbolic, not connected)
I used purple, because I like it.

Another exploration I have done is called an Emotional Journey. 

​I ask students to list 5 life events that have shaped them into the person they are today. Events can be both positive or negative. I make it clear they only share what they are comfortable with, and they may be vague in their writing so as to keep their personal information private. As an example, I share 5 of my own:
 
1. I was praised early on for my art and that helped build my self esteem.
2. As a teenager I had some struggles but art helped me get through them.
3. I have traveled internationally and it opened my eyes to the world.
4. My father died, and I was there to say goodbye.
5. I continue to grow and have shared my knowledge through books I write.
 
Note that number 2 is intentionally vague. I know the specifics of my struggles, but it is not necessary for anyone else to know the details of that struggle. If a student wrote something similar, you could ask, "is this something that is still going on, or have you moved past it?" If you suspect a student may be going through a difficult situation like suicide, abuse, neglect, etc., legally you are mandated to report that information to your school's guidance person, or the designated school resource person. You are not certified or authorized to dig deeper and investigate, but to report.
 
If a student shares disturbing information, don't stop them from sharing, but listen carefully, and later share that information with the authorized person to get that student the resources they need. Do not promise to keep a secret. You can lose your certification or worse if you do not report it. Thankfully this is rare, but you should be aware of this, and it can happen at any time, not just S.E.L. based lessons.
 
As students write their lists, perhaps on a hand-out you create, it can be helpful to offer some suggestions like these:
 
•First time to riding a bike
•Changing schools
•An adult who was a good mentor
•Meeting or seeing someone famous
•First time hunting, fishing, swimming, boating...
•The time you won an award
•Finding out someone lied to you
•First time you went to a funeral
•Birth of a new family member
•First job, or interview, or first firing
•Your first paycheck or first time to be paid
•A travel experience, vacation, cruise, moving to a new place...
•A time you saved someone’s life or someone saved yours
•First time you were tempted to do something wrong

​Bonsai, begun in China and appropriated by the Japanese is a wonderful theme from which to explore culture, art concepts, and even geometry concepts! It is also a project that is well known in my school, and often cited by students as the "reason" they signed up for my sculpture class.

I usually introduce it in November for several reasons:
1. They make great gifts for the holidays!
2. If students want to buy special items for leaves, Black Friday sales make them cheap.
3. If you do it too soon, kids might expect every project to be "like this" and they are not.
 
As for those Core Content or STEAM connections, trees are a great way to connect with fractals (https://goo.gl/C1VfwO) and are also a great way to connect with Asian history. (https://goo.gl/CqBnvb)

​I have done this project with students as young as 7 and all the way through high school. I like to use thin gauge stove pipe wire (black annealed wire) from Nasco because it's cheap and plentiful. The dark wire contrasts nicely with anything you add for leaves. It could also be done with pipe cleaners for the younger ones, but would require quite a few per student. Generally a tree needs between 50 and 100 wires, or about 30 pipe cleaners. Each wire needs its own "leaf," so counting is not a problem. Keep in mind, more wire is harder to twist... Even 100 thin wires can be a bit hard. 75 seems to be a good middle ground. You should ALWAYS make a sample.
 
I have done 4 different kinds of bases.
​The first two require no roots and are easier:
1. A block of wood with a 1/2 in to 3/4 inch hole filled with wire and a 1/4 inch dowel hammered in to tighten it.
2. A half inch dowel in a block of wood, covered with a plaster environmental base with the dowel exposed. We then wrap the wires to that dowel and create a tree.
3. Make and attach roots to an object students bring in for an expressive quality.
4. Attach roots to a rock. We get soapstone in bulk from Nasco when the budget allows. Found rocks will work too.

I am sure you could make something with clay too that could be fired and would work well too. (Raku Maybe?)

​If you go with soapstone or another soft stone, sandpaper and plaster tools can smooth and shape the surface with nooks so that roots can grab onto the rock. It can even be drilled for some root ends. For a jewel-like rock, start with a coarse grit, medium, then fine, and finish with a green scrub sponge under water. At the end you'll need to spray the base with clear spray paint. Some trees may need the help of a few drops of glue. I like 527 glue.

​I generally buy a tooling foil from Nasco for leaves, and have some beads and other crafty items around students may use as leaves. Nasco has brass, aluminum, and copper foil. Aluminum is cheapest. I warn students that the cut foil can be sharp, and we use rubber cement pick-ups or scrap rubber printing plates to emboss and puncture leaves or some other semi-soft surface. A nail or awl will work fine for embossing and puncturing. I pre-cut the foil into strips on my paper cutter. Students fold them and use the handle of a scissor to press them. They cut along the fold as one would to cut out a heart, just cut a leaf shape instead. Cut end to end so as not to waste foil. Running fingers on edges will cause deep cuts, something to consider. Beads are better for safety, and leaves take a while to cut and emboss. (But they do look really nice!)

​With my high school students, I give them the option to buy beads or items from the local craft store. I tell them to think about the person they might want to give this to and what THEY might like on the tree. What would help make it personal and expressive? I show them some examples from previous classes and they get excited by the idea. I remind them to shop the sales, but that they may have items already at home. Old costume jewelry, seashells, and craft items can make great leaf-like additions to their tree.
 
If you use wire, pliers, and cutting tools are important, as well as eye safety equipment.  We have a wood shop and are able to borrow from them from time to time. Cutting wire can be done quickly by wrapping it around some cardboard and using a tin snip or other durable cutter. Students can also cut one by one with a ruler nearby, but that takes a lot of time. I find 16 to 18 inch wires are a good size to work with. About 12 inches if you do not need roots.

​I have a poster (above) for the first steps with wires in two bunches coded red and green. This is VERY important if you make trees with roots as it will lock in the wires. If not, it can potentially all fall apart.  If your tree does not need roots, it is not important at all.
 
Once wire is cut, you'll need to even out one end, and begin twisting, separating in half, then twisting again, separating in half and so on. They twist best when you part them like a "Y" and put your hand in the middle to twist. The BEST THING about this project is that even "ugly" trees still look like trees. Branches should end in pairs or threes. If someone has a short single wire, just pull it out sideways, and add a leaf to it later. All ends will need about 1 to 2 inches of wire to add on a leaf or bead. 

​Roots can be shorter and end in chunks of 3 to 6 wires, but they will need to branch out and be twisted tightly to grab onto your chosen base. The photo examples above should be helpful to show the difference between root ends and branch ends.
 
When trees are near complete, we review traditional Bonsai forms, and show a video about it. They are required to shape their Bonsai to show the art principle of movement. I try to have them pick a movement that is self expressive. If they are an active student, pick and active pose. A Shy student might like a willow pose. I remind them that art should always be tied to the maker, the artist, or expressive in a way that would be appreciated by the recipient. 

Extra Hints: Obviously items with holes are easier to attach. Sometimes a curled wire is enough, sometimes, as with leaves, crimping the wire with pliers helps hold them in place. For shells or items without holes, I curl the very tip of the wire into a tiny circle, about 1/8 inch, then put a drop of hot glue on the loop like a dewdrop, then place the item in the still hot glue. Look closely at the samples below and you can see that items were attached differently depending on the material.