creating a work of art

[Dan]

I loved the Graveyard Book because the book seemed so surreal to me. You take on the character Bod, and what he does at his home the graveyard. I created a collage out of Bod’s home the graveyard and what I thought it looked like in my mind. I chose dark shades of gray and black as my central vision colors. I chose dark colors because a graveyard is dark and dreary and I wanted to add that to my collage to create the same effect. I located the dark shades of grey from an old magazine, so I drew each character’s tombstone on the magazine page and cut them out in the shapes of tombstones and wrote their name on each one. I used pieces of the magazine that had black crows on parts of it because of the ties that crows have on graveyards. It seems like you only see crows at graveyards and crows were the only birds mentioned in the book. I also cut out monsters and ghosts that I thought looked like what I was visualizing in my mind as I read the book. The winged creature I cut out represents a Night Gaunt in the story because of it’s winged appearance and scary features that imaged made the cut. I cut out a skeleton monster because reminded me of the guardian of the tomb called the Sleer. I also made each tombstone and creature three dimensional to give it a more lifelike look. I used the color black for my frame because the graveyard is dark and mysterious. Black symbolizes death and mysterious evoking a sense of potential and possibility. Also people wear black to a funeral which then goes to a graveyard so I thought black would be perfect for color. My “golden line” is near the beginning it is located on page 38 in the first paragraph. The passage is from Bod’s guardian Silas and he states: “So the Graveyard is taking care of you. While you are here, you can see in the darkness. You can walk some of the ways that the living should not travel. The eyes of the living will slip from you.” I chose this passage because Bod feels that never being allowed to leave the graveyard seems more like a curse then a gift. He is confused and frustrated always being in the graveyard and never allowed to leave. He has to learn that the graveyard is his home and is what actually keeps him safe, and saved him as a baby. Creating this response I discovered that a picture is worth a thousand words. What I picture in my head I try to put it in a drawing or search and try to match what’s in my head to another picture or symbol. I am satisfied with my response I feel that the three dimensional images are unique and creative. I didn’t see any other person use that type of art, so I think it is special being the only one.

[Lisa]

I was lucky enough to get 25 copies of this book donated to my English 1 and 2 classes and I can't wait to see what my students think of it! I enjoyed reading about Dan's project and I think I may ask my students to do something similar.

[Will]

Lisa wrote: "I enjoyed reading about Dan's project and I think I may ask my students to do something similar."

Please don't make your students do this. Some people just don't have the creative mind to make art, and even if they love the book, a project like that can really frustrate someone who isn't very good at making things (myself). Instead, try thinking about making it an in-class project where the entire class participates in ONE product. That will allow those who aren't good at creating things still dish out creative ideas without making them try to exceed their limits.

[Lisa]

My students cannot work together. Really. Maybe small groups, but not the whole class. Will, I always come up with a list of projects for them to do. The list usually has some artistic stuff on it, some research projects, some writing projects, etc. They can pick what project they are interested in working on, and if they have an idea for a project, they may approach me with it. They like the idea of choice; it makes them feel a little more in control. And a project like this would be ONE idea for them on the list. It's hard enough to get them to read. I don't want to lose them on a project. I get what you are saying. Thanks for the input!

[Will]

No problem! I think a list of options is a great idea.