6th grade was given the task to design a sculpture from recycled materials and paper mache. The sculpture had to be that of a humanoid and had to stand upright. As always, witnessing students create unique, imaginative designs from basic house hold items was exciting! The final step was to paint the sculptures. We discussed techniques, surface design and application.
Third Grade learned about abstract painting and the artist, Helen Frankenthaler. We looked at images of her paintings and discussed her techniques. Students then used similar techniques to create 3 of their own paintings plus a group painting. The following are images of of the students in process. (Images of finished work will be posted soon.) The students really enjoyed learning about abstract painting. They were impressed to learn that the artists made careful choices and didn’t just “throw the paint anywhere.” I found that by learning about this type of art, their understanding of composition and balance was furthered as well.
As part of the High School Art Drawing form Observation unit, students did one class of blind contour drawings. A slide show of examples were shown. Some were left as line drawings while some were painted. We discussed the purpose of this exercise as well as the aesthetic qualities of the work. I allowed students to do blind contour drawings of one another or of objects they had with them or could find in the classroom. They did three drawings a piece and had to color at least one. Adding color to the process really added a fun element to this process which can otherwise leave basic art students feeling as if it is unfinished work.
Blind contour drawing of a ceiling suspended projector
Kindergarten Pumpkins – Using watercolors, crayons and markers students practiced their drawing skills while learning about composition. We looked at artists’ examples and talked about foreground and background. Initially I was going to have these be completed in watercolors but because a second class was needed to finish, I thought it would be fun to introduce the idea of mixed media work. The students really enjoyed the results.
First Grade Paper Mache Pumpkins
Third Grade learned about the anatomy; the human skeleton and proportion. First they drew from an actual skeleton. Next, they learned about perspective and how to create the illusion of space in a drawing. I had them draw two preliminary pictures, one of a room and one of a road. For the final art work, they choose which background to make (room or road). They drew this background, making a setting for their skeleton. Once their background was complete, they cut out their skeleton. We reviewed Day of the Dead art work and some students choose to decorate their skeleton. The final step was to put the two pieces together, placement was important.
Fourth Grade created Halloween Silhouettes using color mixing and watercolor techniques along with their knowledge about perspective and shapes.
My advanced High School Art 2 class, revisited the work of the Surrealists for inspiration in this pen drawing lesson. In elaborating on the idea of dream like imagery or imagery of the sub conscience, students began by making a collage. I encouraged them to do more then cut and paste. I wanted them to explore cutting up pictures and reconstructing them to create a new idea or feeling. Once these collages were complete, the students were to transform them into a pen drawing using either the whole collage or a section of it. They could copy it directly but were again encouraged to transform the idea even further by playing with light and shadow, creating emphasis and eliminating unnecessary parts. We looked at and discussed various artists’ use of pen from Michelangelo to Edward Gorey. It was my hope that the student’s personal voice and style would emerge.
In teaching sixth grade about the color wheel, I find that filling in a basic, coloring page type color wheel is very boring for them. I designed this lesson so they could 1) practice mixing secondary colors, 2) practice painting techniques and 3) create a color wheel that is visually interesting and therefore more engaging. The first step was to review color mixing. I gave each table a tray of primary colors and six note cards. They each needed to have a set of six painted cards when finished. Then they decided on one shape they would repeat, making up the color wheel. Using a self made template they traced and cut out the shapes from their painted cards, assembled the color wheel on construction paper and if they choose to, designed a background form their scraps.
It seems I unintentionally planned paper mache lessons for four different grades at the same time. It is so much fun.
Little first grade hands working on paper mache pumpkins!
To begin our year in kindergarten art, I wanted students to review using watercolors. We also looked at various examples of landscapes and seascapes. We talked about places we could paint using our memories. Some students wanted to paint their backyard while others choose to paint a place they visited. I was proud of their watercolor techniques and also impressed by their unique ideas.
I begin this lesson by showing students the painting, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer by Gustav Klimt.
I ask them to describe what they see. At first, most can’t differentiate between the background pattern and Adele’s dress. We talk about pattern and use of color. 5th graders are very astute about how Klimt used color to create emphasis while also hiding some of the form. I describe this to the students as camouflage. After our discussion, the students did drawings of an animal or a person that is camouflaged into their background using color and / or pattern.
High School Art 1 is wrapping up a unit on value and observational drawing. These are still life drawings they did using drawing pens.
