Thursday, May 28, 2009

Warm/Cool Hands, 3rd Grade

I got this idea from Art Projects for Kids a while back. I did make some significant changes. She uses a template, and we did it all from scratch and used different shapes in the background. You also get the chance to touch on warm and cool colors again, which is always great.



1. Start with 9x12 white piece of paper

2. Draw either a circle, triangle or square in the upper right part of the paper (not all the way to the corner)

3. Draw echo lines or contour lines that follow the shape all the way to the edges of the paper.

3. Lay your hand down and trace it (I suggest getting your hand near the original shape)

4. Outline everything in sharpie

5. Students decide if the hand will be warm or cool, and the background will be opposite color scheme. Then, begin painting with tempera. Keep the same pattern. Yellow/Red/Orange...repeat. Everyone can have their own pattern of doing color, doesn't matter : )

6. Once dry, a re-outline is good to do. We ran out of time, so we didn't do this in the photos above.


My students LOVED this. Many of them voted this as favorite project of the year...which surprised me some, but...hey! I think they turned out nice.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

4th Grade, Optical Illusion Art

Optical Illusion is always a hit, and I'm always looking for a way to teach it in some way that's not too difficult. I find, that, no matter WHAT...it's always got some level of difficulty. You can even see in this student example that there are some errors, but you can get the general idea.



1. First, start with a 9x9 piece of paper.
2. Create a simple design with shapes. I prefer circles. I like when they go off the paper, too.
3.Use a ruler and make inch marks going down two sides of the paper (must be on the corner, or "L" of paper).
4.Connect the lines to make a grid.
5.Outline with a sharpie over ALL pencil lines (grid and shapes)
6.Pick ONE color of marker.
7.Start in a corner where there is no shape. Go every-other like a checkerboard but don't be limited by the shape of a square. Three of the hints I give are:
1. Go SLOW and THINK first
2. No two colors should be right next to eachother (side to side)
3. Colors should always be corner to corner with eachother
Go ahead...try it...you know you want to :)

Friday, May 22, 2009

Van Gogh Sunflowers, 2nd Grade

I love anything having to do with Van Gogh, and usually my kids do too. Once I show them he's the guy who did Starry Night, they are hooked. That image is so etched into their minds, it's an icon to them. So, with this project I wanted to show them his famous Sunflowers painting. The sad thing was, most classes ran out of time (I am seeing the last batches of students this past week and next week), that they aren't completely finished, but this is how they are going home.

I really hit hard on overlapping, going off the paper (cropping), and making their flowers appear realistic. 2nd to 3rd grade for me is where that big leap happens. In 3rd grade we really hit home more realistic drawing.

We used oil pastels for these. Drew the vase first, then the centers of the flowers. I had them draw a total of 6...one was supposed to go off the paper, and some should be ovals and some circles. Then, we drew the stems and I do a funny little lesson on what NOT to do (or what they would have done in Kindergarten or First Grade), and it makes them laugh, and realize how silly that was. They are determined to make them look realistic and overlap after that. I like the way they turned out even under crunched time.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Bug Jars, 4th Grade

This is one of my favorite projects, but it takes a long time. We focus on 'observational' drawing, and the students use detailed pictures of insects to draw their own insects focusing on the lines and little details of the insect.

Then, they color with prismacolors. We talk about blending with them, to make the insects look 3D.

Next, we create a bug jar from a separate piece of 12x18 paper. The students add detail inside the bug jar (a twig, a water bowl, a spider web, etc). Then, they cut out their bugs and glue them on. They may flip up the wings of their flying creatures and make them pop out.

Lastly, they glue their bug jar onto a 12x18 colored piece of paper, and add a table-cloth design to add detail and contrast.

Oh, and I almost forgot-add the bug jar sign on with tape, or draw it on. The sign may say various things:

"Creepy crawly bugs!"
"Beware of bugs"
"My bug jar"
"I love bugs"
"Caution: Man Eating Bugs"

(Trust me, I've seen it all!)

Have fun. (Sorry my picture isn't the best)

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

2nd Art Show at the Elementary School

My 2nd art show was held last Thursday night at the Elementary school (grades 3 and 4). I sprinkled the hallway with lots of art put up in more of a mixed up way then at the Primary Building. I really wanted to give it that 'gallery' feel and that's the exact comment I got from a lot of the teachers and staff!

The sad news? The displays were all taken down today and cut apart, so that artwork can be given back to the students before school's out. It was up for exactly 8 days. 2 of which included a weekend. How sad! Good news? 11 days until summer vacation.

Little picture of just part of the hallway (I hung a total of 27 of them!).

Friday, May 15, 2009

Anna's Animals

One of my 4th graders who is unable to attend gym class for health reasons opts to come to me in lieu of gym. So, she gets extra art time and she treasures it. She has some amazing drawing talent. Her "extra" class has been devoted to created realistic animal drawings, using shading with colored pencils and extra fine point sharpies. I am so proud of what she's done. Here are two of her four animals she's made over the course of the year. She really takes her time, and it's obvious. I will definitely miss her next year.

Pigs, Kindergarten

For my full day kindergarten kids, I really like to focus on simple things they can draw and feel really great about, and build confidence in their art.

Here are some simple and silly pigs.

Featured on Art Projects For Kids

I am so excited! One of my favorite blogs, ArtProjectsforKids.Org just featured an art lesson I did that was inspired by one of her lessons.

Go check it out here. Clicky Clicky.

Thanks Kathy! :)

Thursday, May 7, 2009

One art show down, one to go.

I had my art show at the primary building tonight. It went great! Many kids came with parents and it seemed like a success.

I ended up hanging the artwork on kraft rolls of paper by class, and people around the school raved about the way it looked. I guess from the past, it has a much 'neater' and cleaner look...people were really happy with it, and so was I.

Here's a taste:

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Lizards, 3rd Grade

I saw this project and even I felt intimidated by it! I thought, wow...I have never really drawn a lizard before, this will be hard. But, it really is simple once broken down into steps, and I felt confident enough to teach it to my 3rd graders. They are an awesome group of kids that are super excited about learning and trying new things. I almost NEVER hear whining out of them, which is all sorts of awesome, right?

These were done on 9x12 black construction paper. Drew with a black oil pastel first (no pencils!), added color with chalk pastels, and then re-outlined in a black oil pastel again to make 'em pop. The detailed directions are on that link given above.

I LOVE getting ideas from other art teachers, it rocks...and so do these: