Opening the door to my art room at UW Baraboo

 

This was my demo piece for the paper painting project. The goal was to have students simplify the subject into puzzle pieces.

This is my simple still life that I was looking at for my Paper Painting project.

Here’s an update on the projects we’ve been working on in my painting class at UW Baraboo this month!

We started with a drawing project inspired by Betty Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. The goal was to help students understand accurate drawing techniques. The project involved creating a hand drawing, allowing each student to infuse their personality into the piece—some included sleeves, rings, or unique hand poses. The first step was tracing the hand on plexiglass, followed by using a proportional divider to measure distances accurately. I'm so impressed with the results and have included some examples for you to see!

Next, we built on the hand drawings with a site-size project. Students taped a piece of paper to a window on campus and drew the view accurately, applying the measuring skills they had learned. These are not full-time art students, but they’ve done an amazing job, and it’s been a pleasure seeing their growth.

Our third project was a paper-based painting exercise that simplified the process of creating art. Students set up a still life scene with a pair in a cardboard box, lit it with a single light source, and used gray paper to cut out shapes that represented values of lightness and darkness. This exercise mirrors how I’d teach oil painting techniques, but using paper instead.

Next week, we’ll dive into oil painting with a black-and-white piece that we’ll glaze with color once dry. I’m excited to continue this rewarding journey with my students at UW Baraboo and look forward to getting outside for plein air painting as the weather warms. Thanks for reading, and I hope the month of March brings you inspiration!

Thank you,

Kyle Martin

 

Students at UW-Baraboo taped drawing paper to the windows, and drew the campus buildings just as they saw them.

This group of students found a great view!