PRINTMAKING- and thinking backwards!

One project that really seems to bring about the "ooooohs" and "ahhhhhhhs" with students is PRINTMAKING. There is something about having an image magically apprear on the paper, when printed. Especially, when we do reduction process, where the students continue to print on top of the same picture 2 or 3 times, with different colors. Every pull brings new excitement as the image becomes more clear and detailed.

In this lesson, my 4th grade students drew a still life, which they choose from a variety of pictures, onto linoleum sheets. They then used the various gouges to cut the linoleum away, printing a different color as they took more and more off the surface. This really stretches their thinking as they have to think in reverse, understanding that what they carve away, will remain the last color they printed. Trust me........they really have to think!

2nd learns Radial Balance...and I am not talking about tires:-)

Second grade is one of the "tested" grade levels in Duval County, and one of the items on this test is Radial Balance. I love doing this project with these students, not only to teach them about radial balance, but also because they really turn out some beautiful art projects. Below are some examples from the first class to finish. More than likely, I will be putting more on later, so keep coming back to see what shows up!







LESSON PROCESS:
We discussed Radial Balance and looked at examples.
Students used a circle pattern, traced it on black c. paper and cut out.
We folded the circle in half (taco) than in half again (pizza slice) and then one more time in half (ice cream cone).

When unfolded, it showed the middle of the circle and eight radiating folds, on which to draw patterns, by repeating the motif in all directions, in each of the 8 sections.

We chose a color theory to use to paint in patterns and then embellished with oil pastels.

Later, these will be mounted on another piece of contruction paper for display

3rd Grade Georgia O'Keefe Flowers

These students experienced flowers O'Keefe style! They were give a choice from many flower photographs as to which one they wanted to reproduce in a larger than life format. After doing some practice drawings, paying attention to shape and detail, they were ready to put it on their final sheet. Then we used layers of drybrush painting to fill in the composition followed by oil pastel embellishments. The results were fabulous! Enjoy!

Drawings, Weavings, Round #2

I just get so excited about what my students do, that I have to share......even though you have seen similar projects a couple of posts below. The pencil drawings of cloth were done by 5th grade students and the weavings by Kindergarten students. These weavings have a little added extra - patterns by printmaking!

4th grade Jewelers

This was a fun project to do with my 4th grade students, and it was certainly popular with both the boys and the girls! Several comments were made about this being "the best project" and "my favorite project." It is always music to my ears, when I hear students excited about what they have created. The neat thing about this project was that every necklace was beautiful! Not a bad one in the bunch.

HOW IT'S MADE.......
The students made just about every part of the necklace, with exception of a few small plastic beads used for spacing and extentions. They made the paper beads, using magazine paper cut in long, thin, triangles, then rolling them around a wooden stylist (beginning with the thicker end and ending with the thinner end, gluing the 2nd half to seal the bead). Then clay beads were made into different forms, with various patterns and textures etched in to the surface. Lastly, students used some rectangular sample chips (that someone gave me thousands of - literally), created a design in relief using shirtboard, covered in foil, and aged with india ink, to create the center medallion. After painting the clay beads with metallic paints, the students strung their necklaces thinking about how to "balance" the beads on either side. Some students chose to go a little asymetrical with their designs which made for some very interesting pieces.

Continuing Patterns

This was a fun little project for Middle School students that I picked up at Conference. I did it with my third grade students. The idea is to glue a small square of pattern paper (1x1") into the middle of a larger piece of paper. The larger piece can be whatever size desired, depending on how long the project needs to last. This project was done on 6"x6" black paper as it was a one day project.

Whats the point? Well, this one takes some thought. The goal is to continue the pattern from the small square out to the edges of the big square. The trick is, the student doesn't have all of the pattern revieled in the small square so they have to figure it out OR develope a pattern that fits. Sometimes the pattern grows and evolves as it moves to the edges utilizing a lot of problem solving and decision making skills.

Weaving with Kindergarten

If you have ever tried weaving with Kindergarten students, you know that it is a slow, tedious process. Weaving is not a skill that this age child understands easily or picks up quickly. BUT, it is a skill that they need to BEGIN working on as it helps with "pattern" as well as mathmatical thinking skills. So, I decided that simple weaving would be the place to start. I precut the "worp"(the piece being woven into) and the "weft" pieces (the pieces being woven). We talk about how weaving in found in many cultures as an art form and a means for creating every day objects. I also tie it into their study of Native American cultures.

As far as the actual weaving process, the students determine the color pattern they want to use and then we weave together, one strip at a time. Finally, we glue down the ends to keep them from falling out.

Coming soon......weaving with a twist! Keep an eye out for additional projects!

As POW WOW Approaches

Our Kindergarter students always take time, in the fall, to study various Native American tribes. Each class studies one tribe in depth, then later participate in a POW WOW with all the other classes, dressed in the clothing that represents that tribe. I like to do a little project with them that pertains to their specific tribe to expose them to Native American art. Above are three different lessons. The blue Nez Perce blanket patterns, the Iroquois legend of the The Turtles Race with Bear and the Sioux turtle, representing their 13 month year with 28 days each. More are on the way as they are completed.

First grade Portraits starting to Emerge

This is one of my favorite projects. Perhaps, that is why it is done on almost a annual basis. I really love seeing how this little guys express themselves when learning about PORTRAIT. First we discuss PORTRAIT. What is it? What does the artist want us to see? Then we learn about putting the face together, where the features go, and how big they are compared to each other - perspective. After a couple of practice drawings, we start on the final sheet. The next step is to begin filling in color with oil pastels. I usually have them layer a couple of colors, such as orange and a "skin" color, to give our faces some warmth. Then we move onto clothing, making sure to mix at least two similar colors, finally we get to the hair. We discuss that hair is not one big piece, but many different strands that are different colors. I demonstrate how we can create the look of strans by laying lines of different color, then they create hair. To top it off, we fill in a background that could deal which seasons, events, or even different artists styles. The result is some truly amazing work!

Rough Weather Ahead!!!

This class of 3rd grade students experienced rough seas as they painted seascapes depicting stormey skies and large waves. We talked about weather and how skies look when storms are approaching.
First, we took white, turquoise, and violet tempera and painted a stormy sky onto the manila paper, using white first, then, while wet, we slowly applied turquoise and violet, to create stormy clouds. I did allow them to use A LITTLE black, but only after a demonstration showing how little was really needed.
Then, we used violet, blue,turquoise, and white to work in the water. We reviewed "horizon line" and talked about how the waves would form peeks. They should paint the water using brush strokes that immulated rough waves. The last thing we did was add a small jut of land, far in the distance. Some chose to put in lighthouses and ships. Overall, we had some real weather brewing!

Beautiful Painted landscapes

These are some beautiful landscapes that were created by our 3rd grade students as they learned about deep depth. To understand how to create an illusion is not an easy task, but these students did it quite well. In this class, the students learned about landscape, then chose photographs of the landscapes as inspiration for their paintings. It was not required to copy the image exactly. In fact, it was encouraged that they combine ideas from different pictures or just use a part of the image and then "imagine" the rest. The layering technique was similar to the techniques listed in the above entry. There was a little more detail added after the sky, however.

To be honest, this was a real stretch for me as I have been more "controlling", to an extent, in my last 23 years, by doing a little more leading and not as much facilitating as I did in this project. In order to really get these students to make personal decisions and choice, I left the type of landscape up to them as well as how they would paint it with the techniques they had in their arsenals. The results were quite varied showing different skill levels. Overall, I think the lesson was successful and most of the students were happy with their work.

5th grade works on VALUES

My 5th grade students are required to know about VALUE before they leave us and go to middle school. One great way to teach it is through pencil drawing, learning to create shadow and light, and make a two dimensional drawing pop out into a three dimentional illusion. Almost every students is amazed at what they can do when it is finished and they step back and take a look.

* Students first observed many examples of pencil drawings and discussed the value scale that was used. We discussed high and low value and all the "in betweens."
* A blank value scale was passed out and the student practiced different pressures on the pencils to achieve the different values between black and white.
* We then put the values to work practicing how to use them on "3D forms" drawn on a 2D piece of paper (see above). Here they really had to learn how to "see around" the object, determine a light source, and create the illusion of mass and volume by applying a full range of values.
* Then came the crushed paper bags (crushed soda cans work as well). Students had to carefully draw the lines they saw and then apply the value to the drawing.

This is not an easy concept, but these 5th grade students did exceptionally well. Having to visualize FORM really uses the RIGHT side of the brain!

Wallpaper Still life

This was a wonderful project done with 3rd grade students.
* First a lesson on DEPTH and how artist achieve this on a flat surface.
* We talked about CONTRAST and how they would have to think about their wallpaper choices so the viewer could make out the objects.
* The students then drew a plan of their still life objects and where they would place them in the composition.
* Then students were given a piece of cardboard and a whole lot of scraps of wall paper. They really went to town, designing their still life, using all the patterns and textures available.
* Finally, the students were able to embellish and clarify with oil pastels to enhance the final piece.

This was a fun project,definitly worth repeating! Check with local stores that carry wallpaper and ask if they would donate their old books of wallpaper samples. You can usually get more than you need.

Kindergarten Color Study

From PRIMARY colors to SECONDARY colors! That is what these kindergarten students are learning about. They are identifying colors that belong in each catagory. These projects show the result of mixing two primary colors together to produce a secondary color. The pumpkins are examples of painting with the mixed colors. The fish are collages, where the students painted the paper first, mixing two primary colors, and then, later, cut shapes out and glued them into their composition.

Kindergarten Collage

Kindergarten students, many times, come to school not really knowing how to use scissors correctly. So, what better way to learn than doing collages. Here they learned about shapes, gluing procedures, and a little watercolor techniques. They cut the shapes from newspaper, glued them down, then painted right on top. These are wonderful masterpieces.

Pumpkin Patch

This third grade class used oil pastels to create VOLUME and MASS, when drawing these pumpkins. The goal was to blend colors together to give the optical illusion of form. We wanted you to think you could actually walk around these pumpkins, maybe even pick one up off the ground. Did it work?????