Mrs. Card's class Still Life Project

Mrs. Larsen's class Still Life Project

4th grade student examples of shading a ball

Here they are! Fabulous examples of shading a ball! Now that we have learned all the separate parts (proportion, details, and shading), I am really looking forward to seeing the still life project completed!

kindergarten - week 2

This week the Kindergarten students drew pictures of themselves! We talked about all the parts that belong on a head, then the students looked at themselves in mirrors while drawing. They all had a ton of fun and the pictures turned out really fantastic!

4th grade - Name Art

Here are some photos of the student name tags, finally! Sorry it has taken so long to post this, I have had a cold all week, so I haven't had the energy for posting.

The name tags turned out really fantastic! Well done, everyone!

Seeing with artist's eyes, aka using the Elements of Art

This week all 4th grade classes will begin their work in the art room. Our drawing lessons will start with a review lesson on seeing the world with 'artist' eyes. An artist sees the world around him/her as an arrangement of basic elements. The Elements of Art are the basic building blocks of reproducing what we see around us.

There are 7 basic Elements;
1. Shape - everything in the world can be simplified into basic starting shapes for sketching the layout of an artwork.
2. Line - can be used to create surface contours, shapes, textures, and more.
3. Color - creates mood and energy in an artwork.
4. Texture - the way something feels when you touch it (real texture), or looks like it would feel if you could touch it (implied texture). It can lend a sense of realism and variety.
5. Value - the scale of light to dark of any given hue. A gray scale is also called a value scale. Value creates mood, contrast, and variety.
6. Space - a feeling of depth. Basics of space are ... size, placement, detail, and overlap.
7. Form - 3D! Creates realism in an artwork.

The trick it to not only recognize and see the elements in the world around us, but to then manipulate them on paper to create a pleasing composition. But more on that later!
For now, practice at home looking for and identifying the Elements of Art around you!

Welcome to a new term!

I would like to welcome the 4th grade classes to the art room!

Today we went over the rules in the art room. There are only 3...

1. Whisper voices. Please keep conversations quiet so that others can concentrate on their art!
2. Listening bodies. It is easier to listen if your body is still and you are looking at the speaker.
3. The GOLDEN RULE! Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

If you fail to follow the rules, you will...

1. receive a warning. This is a freebie.
2. be moved to a new seat in the room. At this point, you will lose some points.
3. be sent to think time. You cannot come back until you have a written plan to fix the problem.

Hairspray fixative for chalk pastel projects

Second grade students are bringing home their portfolios today.  Inside the portfolio, there is a pastel landscape.  Pastels are extremely fun, but also extremely messy.  They will never stop being messy unless you spray a fixative on them.

Artist fixatives are expensive and smelly; but fortunately, there is an alternative!  Spray aerosol hairspray 6-8 inches above the artwork and let it dry!  If there is still chalk coming off on your fingers, spray it again.  The hairspray acts like a glue to hold the chalk in place.  If you don't have any of this type of hairspray in the house, you can find it at the dollar store.  I don't recommend pump hairspray because the droplets coming out are much larger and can leave dark spots all over the artwork.  Aerosol creates an even, fine mist that works very well.

Sra. Duran's class - Thanksgiving Collage

Mrs. Hutchings' class - Thanksgiving Collage

Mrs. McPherson's class - Thanksgiving Collage

Miss Sorensen's class - Thanksgiving Collage

2nd grade - Thanksgiving Collage

Last week the second grade classes began a cut paper collage based on the theme 'Thanksgiving'. We discussed the first Thanksgiving with Pilgrims and Indians, things we are thankful for, and of course, the feast! Each student made a series of thumbnail sketches of their ideas, then chose one to develop. We then spent the rest of the week building! My example is shown above. Watch for student work to be posted soon!

First Grade Color Wheels

The first grade students painted and cut out their own color wheels. The secondary colors you see were created using only primary colors. The students were expected to be able to follow directions enough to create the 6 colors of the simple color wheel, cut out a tracer shape, trace it on all 6 colors, then cut out those 6 new shapes. As you can see by comparing the image above with the image below, some students have developed more of the fine motor skills required for cutting than others. I strongly encourage giving your children lots of opportunities to practice this important skill!

Sra. Duran's class, part 1

Sra. Duran's class, part 2

Sra. Duran's class, part 3

Sra. Duran's class, part 4

Mrs. Hutchings' class, part 1

Mrs. Hutchings' class, part 2