Week Update

Well, I haven't updated since this past Sunday, so I will briefly tell you what I've been up to..  parent-teacher conferences were on Tuesday.  We are in the middle of various projects... monochromatic rhythm paintings (which are awesome and I will share with you later)...  Rainbow Fish paintings, bird paintings, American landscape paintings.. wow, I guess we are doing a lot of paintings now.  The 4/5s are doing a mosaic/fresco project which I will show you when we are further along.  And the 5/6s have been working on these awesome Medieval paper mache knight sculptures.  We start with a newspaper armature, without the head.  The armature is built around a wood base with a dowel rod.  Then paper mache is applied over it.  Then, the full figure is painted a neutral-ish color.  Next, a head is made with model magic and later painted.  Clothes are added with felt, leather and fabric.  These are mostly tied and glued on.  Weapons are made from all sorts of materials.  Hair can be painted on or added with yarn or furry material, or even molded with model magic.  There is a lot of leeway for how the knight can be constructed.  Most of the kids are not finished yet, but here is one done by a student who has already given it away to her grandma for a present.  I will show you more when more are finished. 

Greek Vase Drawings- 4th/5th grade

Greek Vase Drawing & Model:  First, the 4/5s read a magazine about Greek vases. Then they made a small vase using modeling clay.  Next, they used chalk to develop a drawing of Greek vases using Greek imagery and symbols. Black sharpie markers were used to draw the designs.

Pacific Northwest Coast Masks-- 3rd grade

The 3/4s viewed a video about Pacific Northwest Coast art.  They made a spirit animal mask using similar characteristics.  These are made out of paper mache and are painted with a limited color palette. 

 

Paper Weavings

Paper Weavings by Kindergartners.
A twist on the typical paper weaving... use wrapping paper and scrapbook paper pieces. 

Dr. Suess Architecture

The 2nd graders studied Dr. Suess in their language arts class.  In art class we looked at the artwork of Dr. Suess.  They drew whimsical architecture with wobbly and wavy lines.

Art Show

It's been a couple weeks, but we had a regional Youth Art Month show at the mall here.  Here are my panels.

Japanese Scrolls

Third Grade Japanese Scrolls

We watched a powerpoint about Hokusai, the Japanese printmaker.  The students made styrofoam prints using imagery of nature.  We practiced using calligraphy brushes with India ink.  The students assembled their calligraphy and prints, along with origami paper into a hanging scroll.

Arctic Animals

Arctic Animals

Primaries-- 1st Grade

The Primaries used cool colors to paint a background for Arctic animals.  They used their observation skills to draw detailed animals from pictures of these animals.  

 This project complements their study of the Arctic in LA/SS/D. 

New Art Blog

So I decided to separate out my personal artwork from my elementary art teaching pictures.

If you are interested in checking out my brand new art blog, here it is:

Beautiful oops

If you haven't seen this book yet, it is probably my favorite kids' book! I love it! My 18 month old loves to play with all the flaps.

Inside Out Pictures

 

Inside Out Pictures

The Primaries learned about positive and negative space. 

They exercised their cutting skills and spatial awareness.

Step One:  Cut out shapes from a 4.5" x 9" colored piece of paper.

Step Two:  Take all of the shapes and try to put them back together like a puzzle.

Putting the puzzle together.

Very carefully, flip the large piece over to the other side (like a mirror image)

Finally, reposition any shapes that have shifted.  Glue down!  Voila!

Oil Pastel Landscapes-- 2nd grade

Oil Pastel Landscapes

By the Upper Primaries

This project focused on learning about foreground, middle ground, background, shadows, and color mixing.  The students learned simple depth techniques.  The Upper Primaries used oil pastels to draw a tropical landscape.  They learned how to mix and blend oil pastels to create rich colors.  Paul Gauguin was studied and in particular, the students explored his painting Tahitian Landscape.