Tree Weavings

The third graders wrapped up their landscape paintings some weeks back and we've taken to weaving... right over our paintings.  Little did the students know, but the surface we had painted our landscapes, being sure to include a foreground, middleground and background, was actually a cardboard loom.  The students wrapped the warp yarn in such a way that it made a "v" shape.  As students began weaving, the weaving emulated a tree shape giving the illusion and texture of a tree on our landscape.

Completing Colorful Castles

The second graders put a tremendous amount of time, effort and creativity into their pop-up castles.  Using numerous lines and shapes to render their castles, the students sketched, colored, painted and cut out their royal homes.  When we return from winter vacation, we'll be embarking on a self portrait unit in which we'll continue the theme of royalty.  Stay tuned...

Where The Wild Things Are

Remember the forests at night that we drew and painted?  Well, after reading Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and having a discussion on the difference between geometric and organic shapes, the first graders are filling their forests with their own "wild things".  Using paper to tear organic shapes for the various parts of their monsters, the first graders are gluing down a torn paper monster collage and then using oil pastel to add the details.

Drawing Trees

At the elementary level, our drawings of trees often start out at looking a little bit like broccoli.  You know the kind... a trunk with a fuffy cloud-looking shape on top.  To help our first graders to (literally) see the forest for the trees, or better yet, to focus on a single tree, the students drew the trees outside our art room.  We dubbed our more realistic-looking trees "V" trees and studied how the trunk of a tree branched out into smaller trunks, how big branches branched out into medium branches which branched out to small branches.  A single trunk results in hundreds of "V"-shaped twigs at the top.
After sketching several trees in pencil, the first graders are coloring in their trees with crayon.  These drawings will get painted with a wash of black watercolor paint to create an image of a forest at night to prepare our papers for the next step of the project.

Rainy Day People Prints

The kindergartners have mixed the last pair of primary colors... red and blue!  We discovered the way to make purple is by mixing this very combination.  We'll be using our last painted paper to print people, and then use oil pastel to finish our winter scene after reading The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

Silly Pumpkin Patches

The kindergartners have been painting a bunch this fall.  We've been rehearsing the Primary Color Song to help us remember this bit of information, then using the primary colors to make new colors.  So far, we've mixed red and yellow paint to make orange painted papers, and we've mixed yellow and blue to make green painted papers.  The kindergartners used the painted papers to make a silly pumpkin patch, complete with googly eyes and goofy smiles!

Coiling Away the Day

The fourth graders are knuckle deep in clay!  They've been experimenting with clay and starting to create coil pots while practicing the score and slip method of joining clay.

The students learned that wedging clay is the process of getting the air bubbles out of clay, as well as compacting the clay particles.  We've been practicing the 'ram's head spiral' wedge.  Watch how to do it on the link below...

After rolling out a slab, the students are building clay pots one coil at a time.  Our goal is to have a pot that is at least five coils tall.  After the initial demonstration, I've been playing the video below to remind students of the process over and over and over again!

How to wedge clay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNZhkHJ1ozE

How to make a coil pot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5OVJlvvF5U

Sketchbook Assignment #4

Draw one of your fingers, close up with lots of detail and shading.

Sketchbook Assignment #3

Pick an everyday object or something from Pop Culture and draw it.  Don't forget to shade it in (add value)!

Sketchbook Assignment #2

Cut a leaf in half and glue it down.  Draw the missing side of the leaf in pencil and add a range of values (in other words, shade it in!)

Sketchbook Assignment #1

Define value.
(Hint:  Value is the lightness and darkness of a color.)
Draw a value scale in pencil.

Painting Everything But The Yellow Brick Road

We were fortunate to have beautiful, warm weather so that we could paint the sets for Oz outside.  Thank you to the 5th graders who helped prepare the scenery for the upcoming school play!

Take the Fairy House Tour

A huge thank you to all who participated in our Fairy House/Gnome Home Build!  We had over 30 kiddos build 19 structures around the grounds of the school.  The fairies, gnomes and elves have been checking out their new digs and excited about taking up residence in their new homes.

En Plein Air Landscapes

With a landscape like that in our very own backyard, how can we not go outside?!  We've been lucky to have a gorgeous autumn, so we've taken full advantage of it by going outside to sketch our landscapes.  Before doing so, the third graders viewed, studied and discussed Impressionist landscapes, specifically that of Claude Monet.  We also spent some time breaking down landscapes into foreground, middleground and background.  We even prepped our drawing surfaces with tissue paper to designate these three areas to help us focus on each particular section.  We did have to do some repair work since the glue sticks weren't enough to hold down the layers of tissue paper, so we added a coat of watered down glue.  Up next... painting!

Creating Colorful Castles

Check out the second graders colorful creations!  The second graders reviewed the elements of line and shape and are now well-versed in the difference between the two.  Using a variety of both, the students are designing their very own castle, of which they are the king or queen.  We'll even get a peek as to what they'll look like as the ruler of their kingdom, but more on that later!

The Lines and Shapes That Make a Carnival

The first graders have expanded their repertoire of lines and shapes and are using these elements to create fantastical fairs.  After gluing down their four shapes, the students sketched the layout of their carnivals, then went to work adding color with oil pastels.

We Are the Primary Colors...

we make other colors...

The kindergartners are painting in full swing.  After learning about the primary colors and singing our primary color song each week, the students are now seeing what these colors can do.  We're mixing two primary colors at a time and making discoveries along the way.  So far, we've mixed red and yellow, as well as yellow and blue.  We'll be using our painted papers for an upcoming pumpkin project before experimenting with our last two primaries, red and blue.

Play Day with Clay

The fourth graders are about to embark on their first unit of study... clay.  They'll be making coil pots, but before they do, the students are using a class period to get reacquainted with clay.  After a demonstration on how to wedge clay, roll out a slab, make a coil, and how to adjoin two pieces of clay with the score and slip technique, the fourth graders will be trying out these techniques as well.
The following are some useful videos to watch.

Setting Up Our Sketchbooks

The fifth graders finished preparing their mini-sketchbooks made from a single sheet of 12x18" paper.
We'll be using these for weekly assignments that will prepare and extend our understanding of the concepts covered in our 5th grade units of study.  The first two assignments have been...
1)  Define value and draw a value scale.
2)  Glue down half a leaf and complete the other side.

The fifth graders have been looking at and discussing how artists use a range of value to create a sense of depth.  They'll be experimenting with tints and shades in their upcoming paintings and, just for fun, the fifth graders have been challenged to coming up with 100 different colors using only red, yellow, blue, white and black.

Fairy House/Gnome Home Build

It's coming soon!  Mark your calendars:  Saturday, October 18th at 10 a.m.
The Fairy House/Gnome Home Build will be held annually in the fall instead of the spring to help these tiny creatures prepare for the impending winter.

King or Queen of the Castle

The second graders paired up with partners this week to review the art elements of line and shape and to generate an extensive variety of each.  Using a multitude of these lines and shapes, each second grade student will design the layout of their very own castle.  Don't be fooled by the size!  We are in the midst of a large undertaking, using 18x24" paper for this endeavor.  And the ramifications of this assignment include:
-The castle must be as wide as the paper, however, the paper can be held vertically or horizontally.
-The castle must be as tall as at least half the paper.
-The castle and it's details must be comprised of at least 5 different lines and 5 different shapes.
-Lastly, the castle must include at least one window...
Why?  To see the king or queen inside, of course!

Looking at Landscape

The third graders studied landscapes this week.  After learning about foreground, middleground and background, the third graders viewed a series of Impressionist landscapes and dissected the paintings, specifically how the artist Claude Monet rendered space.  The third graders then prepared their painting surfaces by gluing down four layers of tissue paper, which will hopefully help them identify and render these components of a landscape when we go outside next week to sketch.

Sunsets in Kindergarten

 The kindergartners recently learned about the primary colors.  After a quick scavenger hunt in the art room for things that are primary-colored and learning my little ditty about the primary colors, the kinders set to work on their sunsets.  Using only the primary colors, the kiddos painted on 9x12" paper, mixing only where two colors met.  They were quick to discover the colors made when two primary colors are mixed, but we'll wait a bit to name these new colors secondary.  Inspired by Tomie dePaola's Legend of the Indian Paintbrush, the students also thought about the things that they like to do and do especially well.  They created drawings of themselves and their gift which they later glued onto their sunset.

The (Temporary) Sewing Table

If there's a will, there's a way.  And, if there's an art room full of third graders finishing up their Square One Art drawings, they'll figure out how to make a sewing table a reality in the art room!  This is what we came up with... plastic baskets and cardboard.  Not at all a poor solution, however, over the course of the last two weeks, the cardboard has begun to sag.  A wooden frame would solve this problem.  And, an overturned coffee table would work as a stable base.  Anyone looking to get rid of a small coffee table or end table?  I'm envisioning the 'Lack' table from Ikea...

Wapping Fair

Who went?!  I did, I did!  And, as I gazed out across the fair from the top of the ferris wheel, I had the spark of an idea for our first first grade project of the year.  Looking at all the lines and shapes created by the rides, games, tents and fencing, having the first graders design their own fair complete with an assortment of lines and shapes would be a perfect way to review these two elements of art.

First, the first graders brainstormed as many types lines and shapes as they could.  We talked about the difference between these two elements.  We read the story Minerva Louise at the Fair by Janet Morgan Stoeke and looked at photographs of fairs at night.
Students then traced four geometric shapes onto colored construction paper and cut them out.  They had to figure out what these four shapes could be in their drawing of a fair and glue the shapes down.  Once the shapes were adhered to black paper, the first graders used pencil to design their very own fair, incorporating a variety of lines and shapes.

Square One Art

Square One Art is here!  But, don't get too excited.  Each student at each grade level is preparing their drawings for this wonderful fundraiser organized by the PTO, but our drawings won't be sent out until the spring.  The spring is usually a busy time in the art room and it's hard to break our stride once it's in full swing, so we're making sure we put our best effort in now.

The Four Agreements

The Four Agreements are an integral component to the culture of Pleasant Valley School.  As such, we look at and discuss how the Agreements look, sound and feel in the art room.  This year students looked at several examples of famous artists working in their studios.  We observed what they looked like while they were hard at work.  We imagined what their studios would sound like in the midst of the creative process.  We entertained the idea of what it would feel like to be an artist working on their artwork in their studio.  Since the students are the artists and the art room is their studio space, they were quick to make the connection that if we all promise to follow the Four Agreements, our art room would mimic the atmosphere of any of the famous artists' studios.  With a high five, each student at Pleasant Valley promised to follow the Agreements and I kept a hand as a visual reminder of that promise!

Additions to the Art Room

We have two (soon to be three) additions to the side project rotation.  Drum roll please...

Community Painting!  Up to two students may work on this side project once they are done with their main project.  This will be an ever-evolving painting, built up in layers, by students in varying classes.  Students may add to, edit and rework our cardboard canvas for the duration of the trimester.

Wire Quilt Squares!  Students use colored wire to create line drawings in wire within a square.  The squares will be joined together to create a quilt-like sculpture, but don't try using it as a blanket... It won't keep you very warm!

In the works... A sewing table for stitching hands to explore.  I'm looking for a suitable table-like structure to hold or frame the fabric... like the Lack side table from Ikea.  Looks like a road trip to Ikea may be in my future weekend plans!!!

Here We Go!

So, I'm fairly certain that this will be our best year yet!  The artroom has been cleaned, organized, painted, and restocked and is now ready to serve as a studio space to our budding artists!  I am eager and excited to get new, as well as familiar, art supplies into the hands of the kiddos and get creative.  Our motto for this year is "creativity takes courage" and I'll be asking students to be bold, brave, and willing to explore the depths of our creativity and be willing to make mistakes in the process.

The Finished Fourth Grade Frieze

Meet Me at the Museum

Don't forget to "meet me at the museum" next week!  I'll be going to the 

New Britain Museum of American Art on Saturday, June 14th at 10 o'clock
to see the current exhibitions.  Join me!!!  

***Hint, hint... The museum is free on Saturday mornings between 10 and noon.***

http://www.nbmaa.org/

Texture: Actual

The third graders spent a good, long time exploring emotions through expressive self-portraits.  We are finally shifting gears and instead of talking about how someone feels on the inside, we are talking about how something feels on the outside.  Smooth, rough, bumpy, slippery and hard are just examples of textures the third graders identified while studying Maria Martinez' Jar and a 19th century Cameroon Leopard Throne. We also looked at Vincent Van Gogh's Irises and Georgia O'Keeffe's From the Lake No.1 and generated a list of various textures.  The third graders are creating numerous actual textures by embossing onto aluminum with stylus tools after drawing five intersecting lines.

Popsicles with Pastels

This beautiful, warm weather is leaving us with a hankering for a cool, sweet treat!  So, we've resorted to drawing popsicles!  After talking about form, value, tints and shades, the second graders started sketching some very appetizing ices!

Pattern Monsters

After studying line and shape in their abstract landscapes, the first graders are now using those elements to create patterns.  Each student is developing their own monster which will be magically (I mean, artistically) transformed into a pattern monster.

The Kindergartners(') Rock!

This week the kindergartners finished painting a pattern on their rocks by repeating lines, shapes and colors.  One class even got so far as painting a thin black line across their rock.  The inspiration for this project is Andy Goldsworthy's artwork made with broken pebbles.  Each student's rock will be assembled together so that the black line links them into a larger, communal work of art.