4/7/2023
Kelsey Meyer
For the second class, Caroline was the lead teacher, and instructed students on how to create characters using the modeling clay. She demonstrated the importance of having wire in the characters- the clay stays moldable because it is oil based and thus the moisture does not evaporate like it does with water based clays, but by having wire inside characters, a sturdiness is created while maintaining the clay's natural pliability.
Caroline also revisited the ideas of expression and color symbolism as described in our initial slideshow that kicked off this lesson. She reminded students to think of how facial expressions may help viewers understand how characters are feeling. Similarly she also explained how color could contribute to our understanding, as viewers, of the characters' moods (like the characters in Inside Out, with Sadness being blue, Disgust being green, Joy being Yellow, Anger being red, and Fear being purple).
We then released our students to experiment with the clay and begin creating their characters. Different students worked at different paces. We reminded students to experiment with texture, mixing colors, scale, and a variety of forms. When students began creating characters specific to their projects, we reminded them to think of scale of characters in relation to each other (other characters in the story), in relation to props, and in relation to their background.
Some students finished very quickly- we encouraged them to add additional details, to try mixing more complex colors, to create props, and/or to think about the expression the character utilized.
Other students worked much slower, only experimenting with color mixing or how they wanted their forms to look, but all students present got their hands into the modeling clay at least for a little bit- even if they did so begrudgingly.
Observation #1: This group was working on a movie about a breakup between a toxic relationship, and so the characters are a boy and a girl. We talked about making sure the scale between the characters being consistent so that they do not look awkward in dialogue with one another. I also appreciated the student's attention to detail in creating Crocs for the character to wear, in addition to "Calvin Klein" jeans, and a Nike shirt.
Observation #2: This group was missing 2/3 members that day, so this student really just worked on creating a myriad of colors as their story displays a community park throughout the seasons and they wanted the flowers and butterfly to change with the seasons.
Observation #3: This group was creating a story involving tacos and a food fight- I was very impressed with their attention to detail in the design of their props- TACOS! This group has worked well together despite claims that they don't really know each other/ hangout with each other very much.
Observation #4: This group was creating some blob characters- I was impressed with their color mixing and the different personalities they gave their characters through facial expressions, color, and hair-dos.
Observation #5: This group focused on creating anthropomorphized cars and planes as their characters. They created expressions that explain the personality of each character very well! I had to get this group back on focus A LOT.
Observation #6: This group was creating blobby aliens for their story- I appreciate the attention to detail and the props they also made from modeling clay instead of going to mixed media or paper!
Some WAYS we would improve THIS LESSON in the future include:
Advocate for students to MAKE CHARACTERS- we had a very minimal schedule for this project and so staying on schedule proved crucial later.
Having a more hands on demo for students to understand clay characters and use of wires
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