3rd Grade: Week 2 of our Digital Lesson

Now that we have gathered all of our supplies we need to start putting it together! Sooo, let's talk about how to do that. How in the world are we going to make a bunch of random items look like a piece of artwork?!

materials

This is the piece I've been creating. Check out the steps below and follow along with me to see how we go from finding things in our house to the beginnings of an art piece!

Gathering our Supplies

First, we need to lay everything out and see if we have enough stuff to work with. You may find that some items are waaaay too big compared to everything else or some things you don't want to ruin by putting in your sculpture. You might also find that once you lay it out it isn't quite enough. Below you can see what I managed to gather around my house and my list may help you out if you're having trouble finding items to use.

I was able to find a lot more than I thought. I may use it all, some pieces I might decide I don't need, and I may have to search for more. But I think this is a pretty good start!

Gather things that you have multiple of and won't miss one or two of them. Many things I collected couldn't be used anymore, dull drill bit, torn bag, dead batteries. Also, some items belonged to empty containers or were empty or old!

My point is I won't miss any of these items because I don't need any of them (neither does my husband, or dog)! Keep that in mind with the materials you're going to use.

Getting Started

First, you're going to need something to glue it to, like a piece of cardboard. You can use an old lid if you want sides, like from a shoe box, or just cut a rectangle piece of cardboard from a cereal or amazon box. Just use whatever you have laying around!

The size of your rectangle is up you, and it kind of depends on the size of your found objects what will work best for you. 6x8 is the smallest I think I would go, 9x12 is the size of our drawing paper at school and 8x10 is a nice in-between size.

You don't have to use one of those sizes but they're pretty standard and easy to work with. You can also use a square but most people find squares a little more difficult to use when trying to arrange pieces. Go with what you think will work for you!

Creating your Composition

The trick is all about how we lay the pieces out. This is where composition comes into play. In art, composition refers to how different parts of an artwork are combined or put together to form a whole, final piece. We're looking at hoe to thoughtfully arrange our gathering of found objects in a way that people will find pleasing and interesting. We're going to learn about and use the rule of thirds to help us. Check out the image below.

Imagine the large rectangle is your cardboard or a piece of paper. The rule of thirds takes that large rectangle and breaks it down into thirds. First with two vertical lines and then two horizontal lines. Artists place items in an artwork on these lines and the points where they intersect to draw attention to them.

It is generally considered more interesting when objects are not placed in the middle of the page. Take a look at the images below to see how the rule of thirds can be used.

not using the rule of thirds using the rule of thirds

Place interesting items on the intersecting points and anything with a strong line along one of the vertical or horizontal lines that divide the rectangle.

Using the rule of thirds is an easy way to start a composition and gives you some direction when deciding where to place items in a big empty rectangle. Let's explore it further by trying it ourselves when arranging our found object on our cardboard.

Arranging your Objects

Let's get the rule of thirds onto our rectangle base. Draw two vertical lines on your cardboard rectangle that break it up into 3 equal sections. Then add two horizontal lines, also equally spaced to create your tic tac toe board. 😊 I would begin by picking either your most interesting item and placing it on a focal point or taking a straight item and laying in top of one of your lines. Keep adding additional items to fill the space!

Try different compositions out! You can take pictures if you find something you like, but don't be afraid to mess it up and see if you can come up with a better arrangement. You can always put them back! Experiment and have fun!

Once you have something you like use whatever glue is available to you to glue down your items. Be careful that you don't use too much glue so that it spills everywhere!

Struggling to get started?

Having trouble starting or finding something you like? Check out my video on how I began and take a look at the different compositions I've been creating with my pieces!

Once everything is glued down send me an in progress picture through Seesaw! Find the assigned activity and attach a photo so I can see what you've been working on. This will count as checkpoint grade for me to track your progress.