Tenzin, grade five.

Jane B. Montero

When we think of traditional art projects in upper elementary art classrooms, visions of clay, watercolor paint, and construction paper come to mind. If youʼre looking for an alternative, using Chromebooks to create hexagon compositions has proven to be an engaging option for my students. This project allows them to demonstrate their understanding of how artists layer shapes on top of shapes. I call this project Hashimoto Hexagon Compositions because it draws inspiration from contemporary artist Jacob Hashimoto.

Introducing the Artist
Jacob Hashimoto is a phenomenal artist who creates dynamic work rooted in tradition. We start with a slideshow presentation of Hashimoto’s amazing wall sculptures, which combine traditional Japanese materials such as rice paper, bamboo, and thread. Hashimoto paints each hexagon or circle individually and strings hundreds of them together to create his final installations.

The Process
Following the presentation, students spend three class periods creating their own hexagon compositions in Google Drawings. My students are already familiar with the digital art-making tools in the app.

The more success students have with technology, the more confident they will become.

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