2006 – 2007 Journal prompts
Week 1: Many people enjoy
the beautiful scent of flowers. As a flower, how would you feel if someone put
his or her nose in your face? Express
this feeling in a cartoon, and don’t forget to write a caption.
Week 2: The best artists
are very observant. They take careful
notice of everything they see, such as the sun shining through a cloud or the
texture of a leaf. Write about some
vivid visual experiences you have had.
Describe all the details you can remember. Take students outside to do this.
Week 3: Traditionally, blue
represents a boy baby and pink represents a girl baby. Why might this be true? What color do you think represents you? Why?
Week 4: Name all the colors
that each of the following types of music brings to mind: country and western, rock and roll, jazz, and
classical. Explain your matches. Make sure students use unusual names for the
colors. Not just red, yellow, blue, etc. . .
Week 5: Write things you
can see, but not feel, such as a rainbow.
Write things you can feel, but not see, such as wind. Describe how you might visual create both in
a painting.
Week 6: Many advertisements
are created by graphic artists. Pretend
you are a graphic artist, and create a travel brochure advertising a journey to
the past. Make sure to explain that
students must choose a certain time and place in the past that the students
already know about.
Week 7: “Beauty is in the
eye of the beholder.” What does this
saying mean to you?
Week 8: Test your observation
skills. Think about someone you know
well, such as a parent, sibling, or friend.
Without looking at the person, list as many details, as you can about
his or her face, such as nose shape, eye color, birthmarks, etc. Then look at the person and write, in another
paragraph, what you left out.
Week 9: Tepid means
“lukewarm” or “lacking feeling.” How can
colors be tepid? What colors do you
consider tepid? Describe how you would
show lukewarm or lack of feeling in an artwork.
Week 10: Describe a place
that might have a musty smell. What
colors or textures could you use to evoke mustiness in a painting? Ask about other emotions and smells.
Week 11: (Show students
works by Grandma Moses and Michelangelo.)
Grandma Moses painted for pleasure.
Michelangelo was a professional painter who worked for money. Do you think one reason is better than the
other? How might the reasons affect the
final art?
Week 12: How is eating
mashed potatoes like the color brown?
What other foods taste like the color brown? Choose your favorite food. What color is it? Is it more than one color?
Week 13: Find a photograph
in one of your textbooks or in the classroom.
Describe and analyze it. How
could you make it better?
Week 14: What would life be
like if on Fridays people could only see yellow? You might discuss this aloud on a Friday.
Week 15:
Week 16: Fine arts reflect
our culture. What does the music that is
popular with people your age say about your generation? How would you show this in a visual work of
art?
Week 17: Why are art
museums important?
Week 18: Form a picture
frame with your thumbs and index fingers.
Look around the room through your frame until you find an interesting
image. Explain why this image interests
you. Talk about composition and why it
is important.
Week 19: (Show students any
work of art that is commonly considered a masterpiece.) Study this work of art. Now look away and describe the piece in as
much detail as possible. What would you
name the piece?
Week 20: Pretend you could
walk into a painting. What painting
would you enter? What would you see and
how would you feel?
Week 21: How can artists
help us understand other people?
Week 22: Describe what you
feel makes a work of art great.
Week 23: What qualities do
you think make a great artist?
Week 24: Design a coin for
a new country. Tell what it is made of,
and explain its symbols.
Week 25: If you could meet
any artist, living or dead, whom would you choose to
meet? Why?
Week 26: In his notebooks,
Leonardo da Vinci wrote that people should be able to look at stains on a wall
and see marvelous images. What surfaces
have you stopped and studied? What did
you see? Students should take a weekend
and look for “marvelous images” in unusual places.
Week 27: Which of the
following do you think most influences a person to become an artist: desire, talent, practice, environment, or
encouragement? Explain why you think
so.
Week 28: Most artists
believe that drawing is seeing. What do
you think they mean by this?
Week 29: An artist uses the
tool he or she can best express ideas with. What is your favorite artist’s tool? Explain why.
Week 30: Some people feel
the best works of art are very realistic.
Others prefer abstract art. Which
type of art do you think is best?
Explain.
Week 31: Calligraphy is the
art of lettering. Describe a new and
decorative version of the alphabet, and show some of the letters.
Week 32: History comes
alive through art. In what ways do
artists interpret and use history?
Week 33: What would you say
in response to someone who has told you he or she plans to become an
artist? (Two responses
please. Number one: Respond to this knowing that the person
asking you is not a “good” artist.
Number two: Respond to this not
knowing whether the person is any good or not.)
Week 34: Art is an
important part of our daily lives. From
a newspaper to a milk carton, art is all around us. List as
many everyday things as you can think of that art is part of.
Week 35: Imagine you are a
fashion designer. Improve the design of an article of clothing. Write a description of your product and state
its benefits. Drawings
please.
Week 36: Some artists focus
on the overall visual quality of our environment. Think of the school building and
grounds. Redesign the school making
improvements and changes in landscaping to make the area more pleasing.
Week 37: Artist can be
influenced by television, movies, books, sports, travel, and hobbies. Compare how each may or may not affect fine
artists (e.g., painters), graphic artists (e.g., advertisers), or architects.