Symmetrically Sketched Spiders

In this lesson my student have been exploring the differences in draing techniques. Sketching and gestrual drawing vs. complex contour designs. For an exercise in sketching students were given one half of a spider and asked to finish the spider using sketching and shading. Student show off what they have learned about value and skethcing before partaking in a contour exersize.

Pastel Spider Web

This project highlights the lines of a spider web while introducing little hands to conrolling glue and blending chalk pastels. Students first draw a dot in the middle of the paper and make ratial lines reaching to the papers edges. Students then color in each section with a different color of chalk pastel. Using two fingers student blend in a back and forth motion to smooth the colors into the paper and to blend the edges together. Students then create a glue dot and repeat the line pattern they created earlier with glue. Student then add circles that get larger to complete the web. The glue will disolve the pastels showing the black paper and leaving the blended pastels in the web's spaces.

Abstract Tree Silhouette

In this project students start by watching a Prezi that I created introducing them to the basics of what abstract art is and why we create it. Students then create a bare tree silouette with branches that strech to the edges of the paper. Students use black oil pastels to thicken thier outlines. Students then add a different color of oil pastel to every space created by the tree branches giving the work an abstract feel.

My character

This was a great kindergaten art project. Students explore how found objects can be used to create art. Students scavenger the art room in search of objects that can be used to create a face. Things such as buttons, string pieces, dust bunnies, scrap papers, crayon and eraser pieces, etc. Then using a construction paper circle students assemble a face. Student study pattern and rubbings to create an outfit. Students then sketch hands and feet. To end this project students create a drawing of the asseblage piece they have created. They give thier character a quote and learn how to write in a speech bubble. The two works are mounted and displayed together.

Fall Leaf Watercolor Print

This project showcases the beauty of the leaves in fall. In class student pretend to be a bug on a leaf as we explore the lines and shapes that nature creates. Students then explore outside to find a variety of leaves to use in thier artwork. Students then use the backside of thier leaves under thier papers and the side of a wax crayon to create a rubbing or print of thier leaves. Students them outline the leaf with a marker and them use watercolors to blend around the leaves and fill in the background. To culminate this project students write a haiku about the experiece of being a leaf falling from a tree.

Fishy Wax Relief

This is a lesson that uses the technique of wax relief. You can buy these black pages from art catalogs but they are costly and you can create your own pretty easily. Give students oil pastels and have them create a grid, being sure to use lots of colors and make a thick layer. They may use rainbow colors or chose a color scheme to work from. After paper is filled with color students apply a thick layer of black oil pastels untill the colors are covered. Then students use printmaking "scratchers" to create thier work of art. For this lesson in particular we focused on underwater scenes. We learned fun fish facts and studied the beauty of the color spectrums found underwater.

Wayne Thiebaud Cakes

In this lesson as a class we watch a few video clips of ace of cakes. We discuss how even cake can be art and the many forms of jobs that fall into the artistic category. We talk about how Duff, from ace of cakes uses his creativity to think outside of the box; a key element in our art room. We then look for inspirations from artist Wayne Thiebaud and discuss how he used cakes and candy as his main subject matter.

On black construction paper, Students create and elipse shape to start then fill in as a cylider. They may make multiple tears, but tears should get smaller as they go up. Students are to add a cake plate and stand to accompany the cake. Students then add decorations. Warn them not to make too small of decorations as oil pastels will be hard to fill in tiny lettering or details. Students then use oil pastels to decorate their cake giving it an icing feel. Student may follow up with a short story or poem using describing words to tell the tale of thier delicious cakes.

Under the sea

This is a 1st grade lesson that allows students to explore the world that lives underwater. We start by finding interesting fish facts from books and internet sources. We have a class discussion on ideas we already know about underwater life then we build on that knowledge base by adding new facts from research.

Now that we have a good knowledge base we delve into the art process. Student do thier sketchbook connections first by doing step by step how-to-draw demos that allows them to do sketch work on about 8 different marine life animals. Then we choose our best fish to create a large individual sketch. Then we create a resit with watercolor and oil pastels. To wrap up each student presents their fish along with one interesting fact they learned and places them in a mural that we have previously created.

PAPER SCULPTURE

This is a 5th grade lesson that explores how paper can be used for sculpture. We use white on white to study how sclulptural techniques can show space, value and depth in an artwork. We use one small piece as an accent color. We watch a power point that features techniques as well as artists who have created some really amazing works with white paper sculpture. I will try and post my ppt in a box.net file soon. I encourage students to think outside the boz on this one and get very mechanical in their detail work.

INSPECTING INSECTS

This is a lesson I do with Kindergarten. We talk about how studying a particular subject can help us draw it more accuratley. So we watch a presentation about what it means to be an insect from http://urbanext.illinois.edu/insects/03.html it is actually a 4th grade presentation but the first 10 slides cover the basics like 6 legs, 2-4 wings, antennaes and what they do. Then we play a game I project and image of a group of bugs from google images and in groups they figure out who belongs in our insect bug club (this checks for understanding of previous lesson). Then we create a series of images of insects, one in watercolor, one in marker, and one in chalk or oil pastels. We paste our insect studies on posterboard and show and tell them and do whole group discussion of what we learned. To wrap up we create invented insects out of clay sculptures. This is a great cross curriculum with science.

TRIBAL SHIELDS

This lesson is the 4th grade component to my Native American Unit. I review the native culture. We do a group study of Native American symbols and meanings. Then the students are free to design thiers how they wish. We use an oil pastel and watercolor resist as our medium.

LINE, DESIGN & ILLUSION

This is a lesson I have done with 4th grade. They create an illusion using a combination of lines, shapes and color patterns. The students can opt to use things like letters in their illusion as well. We study Escher and a few other illusion puzzles with this lesson.

MR. PICASSO HEAD

I recently found the website Mr. Picasso Head, which is awesome! I gave a brief history about Pablo Picasso. We had just done a lesson about abstract art so this was a good transition to talk about how cubism relates to abstract art and how it differs. So we compared and contrasted, then we went on the web and using out Intelliboard each student chose a part to create a class picasso head. Next we did out sketchbook connection, we sketched two of Picasso's famous portraits, then the students created two of thier own cubist portraits. We then chose 1 of the four for our final project. We drew it out on large paper, outlined with sharpie, then painted with tempera paints. I think they turned out really neat and the students enjoyed the project. They gained key concepts about art history and art styles while using higher level thinking from past lessons to compare, contrast and create.

This lesson is part of my native american unit. This particular lesson is done with 2nd grade. We study navajo designs and rugs. We then learn all about the meaning of symmetry. We create a symmetrical navajo design and do a resist process to finish. This is a good addition to the cultural unit.