Teacher-Student Portfolio
Tracy Ellyn & Amanda Rose
Tracy Ellyn, Teacher
When I work with students, my goal
is to train and inspire them as both
skilled and conceptual artists. I first
introduce students to a sound, classic
foundation of the art elements and
design principles so that their future
works fly with imagination, but
remain grounded with strength.
My own training was classic, and
I show students my pastel portraiture pieces as examples
of observation and use of media. It is somewhat surprising to them that I eventually applied this training to the
field of fashion design, but when they see the overlapping importance of form, proportion, texture, balance,
emphasis, contrast, and fine use of
media and technique—as well as the
importance of cultural and historical
influences—the connection makes
sense to them.
Tracy Ellyn is an art teacher and president of Miami Art and Design, South
Florida’s art education resource, in
Miami, Florida. www.kulturedkidz.com
To me, being an artist is wonderful because I am able to
express my feelings by creating a picture. I understand
how to apply different media,
techniques, and processes
to my work, allowing me to
create by just telling myself whether the technique or
theory feels right or wrong (the creative part always feels
right!). My drawings are lightweight and solidly three-dimensional, and I work on shape, form, and composition
in order to make my vision come alive on paper.
Amanda Rose, Student
In my favorite piece, the watercolor peacock is actu-
ally my self-portrait. I applied all the classic techniques
to anthropomorphism, where I represented myself as a
peacock. Such an impos-
sibility is only convincing
because my classic training
came first.
Amanda Rose is a seventh-grade
magnet art student at South-wood Middle School, Center for
the Arts, in Miami, Florida.
Call for Entries: SchoolArts is recognizing the work of students and teachers from around the country, and we are looking
for more art to be featured. Please send images of your work and the work of one of your students, along with 100-word
artist’s statements, on a CD to Nancy Walkup, Editor, SchoolArts, 2223 Parkside Drive, Denton, TX 76201.
