Clay Projects are BUSTING OUT all Over

The dust has not settled yet, in the Art Lab.........literally! Clay dust is everywhere as we are building clay things in every class. This is such a perfect way to teach the element of FORM and how it differs from SHAPE. I will have to say that this is probably the MOST FAVORITE medium, with which the students like to work. Here are some of the projects that have been done so far: 2nd - slab birds 3rd - apples, wild cat faces, blue bowl, pies 4th - slab plates 5th - sea turtles, masks

Learning about Organic Shape in Kindergarten

These cute little alligator paintings were done with Kindergarten students. We talked about geometric and organic shapes, and then practiced by painting gators. They had such fun with this. Afterwards, we embellished with oil pastels and gave some detail to our works of art.

Where have I been??????

Sorry to all of you who check me out on a regular basis. I have been so busy that I have not let you know about what I have been doing. Going back to being the sole Art Teacher at a school of 1300 students has not been as easy as I thought. Therefore, I have not been blogging regularly. Well, get ready....... a lot of new posts are coming your way.

Radial Balance, Beautiful in all directionsI

In 2nd grade, we learn about RADIAL BALANCE. This is a wonderful opportunity to create these beautiful radial designs that look the same in all directions. This is one of the students favorite projects and they begin finding things in radial balance everywhere. Process: * Trace a circle on black paper and cut it out carefully. * Fold the circle in half, then in half again, and in half once more. * When opened up, the circle should have 4 long folds (8 sections) showing the middle of the circle. * Using pencils, students can begin creating their designs, making sure to do the same thing in each of the 8 sections. * Students can then paint in designs and finish up with oil pastels.

Monochromatics

This is such a difficult thing for my 4th grade students. To paint with only one color, only using the tints and shades of that color is not natural as our world is so colorful. BUT is does make you THINK.......... and learn about mixing tints and shades.

Landscapes

This year's third grade Landscapes help to teach depth. We also review FOREGROUND, MIDDLE GROUND, AND BACKGROUND.

Clay Vessels

Clay has begun, and these are the first projects to come out of the kiln. This 4th grade class made slab vessels, painting them to reflect a "NATURE" theme. Texture was emphasized as we rubbed paint into the clay and rinsed off the excess. This created a "bark" like texture. Then colors were painted on vines and flowers.

Perfect Portraits

Each year I like to teach PORTRAIT to my 1st grade students as it is a great way to teach proportion, formal balance, and color blending. We also discuss what makes a portrait a portrait---when the artist focuses your attention on WHO the person is instead of what they are doing. We also learn about blending colors using oil pastels. As you can see, it makes for some interesting color. This year, I added a pattern component. The portraits were remounted on colored construction paper and different patterns were added around the "frame". We did discuss regular and irregular pattern so the students could practice both on their portraits.

Pattern and Shape......How Cute!

Here is a lesson that teachers request just about every year. Why? Because it is so cute! It is a great way to teach Pattern and Shape. We talk about regular and irregular pattern as well as organic and geometric shape.

Coming in 2013

It is time.......................

Literary Pumpkins! WOW!

Every year, we have a tradition where each class chooses a book, then uses a pumpkin to create a character from that book. Every year, I am amazed at the creativity that comes out of these children and their teachers. Here are just a few for you to enjoy.

Gusty Trees

This is another Color Study lesson done with Kindergarten students, where they mix primary colors to get secondary colors. In this lesson they are creating trees, growing in grass with fall leaves. Can't you just feel the wind blowing through the branches as the leaves swirl to the ground?

Color Study is happening in Kindergarten

What hues do you get from mixing PRIMARY HUES? What's a HUE anyway? Well, the answer is HUE is the name of a color. Soooo what do you get when you start mixing PRIMARY HUES? You get SECONDARY HUES. That, of course, would be green, orange, and violet (purple). That is what we are learning. Here we have pumpkin pictures painted by students where they had to mix the correct colors to get the desired results. Beautiful orange pumpkins, with purple stems and green leaves and grass!