Art on the Fly

At the start of each school year, art students at Sheboygan South High School produce an ice-breaker project intended as a way to ease back from summer break. The first project is low-stress and a great way for new students to showcase talents and have choice and ownership on day one of class.

Some of our past icebreaker projects have explored different environments within the Sheboygan community, from Lake Michigan to local businesses. A common trend in these projects has been to study contemporary art ideas while connecting living artists to our current environment. To begin this school year, students created custom flying disc designs for use at the numerous disc golf courses around Sheboygan County.

Acquiring the Discs
I searched for the most economical way to purchase more than 200 flying discs. On average, a golf disc costs around $10; this didn’t work for our budget. Instead, the art department purchased 200 white 9" (23 cm) Ultimate Frisbee–style discs for a bundle price of $240 from DiscountMugs.com. The discs didn’t fly well, but they were perfect for our art installation.

Artistic Inspirations
Showing students that art can be drawn on nontraditional substrate materials was a great introduction before allowing them to draw or paint on their own flying discs. For inspiration, we explored a variety of contemporary artists such as Malaysian-born Cheeming Boey, known for his permanent marker drawings on polystyrene cups and paper coffee cups. Other influences included Roy Lichtenstein, an Etsy shop called FlyDiscs, and references to African Zulu telephone wire designs.

To incorporate a historical aspect into the lesson, students read an article from History.com (see Resources) about the Wham-O Toy Company, who produced the first plastic Frisbee in 1957. Did you know the Frisbee was conceptualized by university students who would throw their empty pie tins from the Frisbie Pie Company and yell, “Frisbie”?

Developing Ideas
I asked students to research a variety of themes and artistic styles. In their sketchbooks, students created four different themed ideas and conferred with me to choose their best idea.

Student Ethan L. said, “I like working on different sketches before my final project because it allows me to go out of the box and expand an idea. In many of my sketches, I try to challenge myself with a crazy amount of detail and repetitive lines.”

As students began developing ideas, it became apparent that contemporary art would be the main influence for their pieces. Allowing students to research living artists whose styles they connected with played a large role in the success of their designs.
Student Christian L. said, “I follow numerous artists on Instagram: DQDraws, dripp_art, metalmexican, vexx, and GawxArt, who I relate with my artistic style. Knowing that many of the artists are just a bit older in their twenties or thirties is relatable and motivating.”

Flying Disc Production
After students’ final sketches were approved, prep work was needed on the disc to ensure proper adhesion. Students used light-grit sandpaper to rough up the surface of the disc and applied a primer to it. Next, students drew out their designs with pencil. Students were then given the choice of any media they wanted to use for adding color. I demonstrated how to use a material if students had never used it before. To ensure students’ designs wouldn’t flake or chip off, a clear coat was sprayed on the disc.

Student Christian L. said, “Working on the disc was really fun and very different compared to my past projects. I’m used to making my art on paper or canvas, and working on a limited space like a circle was challenging. I really enjoyed the freedom to draw anything I wanted to.”

Teacher Assessment Rubric

A theme of selected inspiration is recognized and a focal point is created.
Variations of line, pattern, and repetition flow around the disc to create movement and balance.
Colors are bold, vibrant, and dominant. No white spots are shown in colored areas. (This criterion is different for each student’s choice of media.)
Line weights are used to create depth including foreground, middle ground, and background.
Student demonstrates evidence of classroom participation, creativity, originality, effort, time management, technical skill, and sketchbook work.