Dots, Ish, and Magic

School is back in full swing and we are loving our art rooms!!











Here is what we've been up to in art class these first few weeks...

 
Kindergarten artists started their year in art by creating Magic Carpets, (photos coming soon!) an idea I borrowed from Hope at Mrs. Knight's Smartest Artists, a blog I discovered over the summer that has many wonderful project ideas. We started out by focusing on drawing lines of all sorts on our papers. Next, students added cut paper shapes to their magic carpets for another layer of line, color, and shape.  The overall goals of this project were to start refining drawing skills and to practice cutting and gluing.  Additionally, this simple project allowed space in those kindergarten brains for yet another set of new  routines.  Those first few weeks of school are so exciting, but can also be really overwhelming. We will be moving on to a watercolor and crayon resist project next...also fairly magical.



First grade artists are just wrapping up projects centered on the book The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. We read the book, then students were asked to create their own dots just like the girl in the story.  The message of the story is that one should never be afraid to make their mark.  First graders had a blast making their mark...





Second grade artists also enjoyed a book by Peter H. Reynolds.  We read the story Ish and discussed what it means if something is "ish."  It's not quite one thing, and not quite another...it's "ish."  We applied this concept to our drawings.  Setting out to draw something can often be a challenge and a frustration if it doesn't turn out looking the way it should.  Well, the story Ish is meant to remind artists of all ages that thinking and drawing "ish-fully," is quite a wonderful thing.









Much more to come next week as we get started on our Art to Remember fundraiser projects.  To coincide with this project students at all levels will be thinking about and discussing the idea of giving and receiving gifts--an art in itself!  Stay tuned...

Architecture and Human Habitats

Second graders just wrapped up an architecture project in which they had to create buildings or human habitats with interesting architectural details and shapes. My goal was to guide them beyond the typical house made from a square with a triangle on top for a roof. They got it, and the results are great!

(The little characters in this painting are "half-caterpillar-half- man singing opera"...naturally!)

Students first studied different images of buildings. We also read the "House Book"--the author of the book is escaping me--but it's a children's book with great illustrations of all the parts of a house. We also talked a bit about different kinds of buildings and how they are different. Students were able to choose whether they wanted to create houses in a neighborhood, skyscrapers, cabins, etc. This really helped ensure that everyone's project turned out differently.



The process started with drawing just the buildings or houses first. Color was added with watercolor paint, crayon, or marker--I gave a variety of choices for this part. Then, the buildings were set aside and students created their backgrounds. They had to consider the sky and the ground. Lastly, the buildings were cut out, arranged in the best spot, and then glued in place.

One significant part of this project for me was that I started to notice the day to day logistics of teaching art are becoming easier and easier. As a result, I'm more tuned into the choices I make as a teacher and the choices I make as an artist. Although, in all honesty, I have done very little of my own artwork of late, I have found myself becoming inspired by the lessons I'm teaching. In my own work, I've been at a stand still as I decide what route to take next. I'd like to try a new subject matter but can't quite narrow it down. I've decided to start turning my attention to what I'm teaching...that is where I'm directing my creativity these days after all. This architecture idea stood out to me, so now I'm looking more closely at the interesting houses in my neighborhood and thinking about how I can tie this concept into some new paintings of my own. We'll see what happens. Perhaps the glaring emptiness of that brand new canvas on my easel won't be so empty much longer.