5th Grade Kandinsky

This lesson was inspired by Russian artist, Wassily Kandinsky. Kandinsky is considered as the inventor and theorist of abstract painting in the 20th century.  5th Graders emulated Kandinsky's style.  We talked about the great influence music had on making his creations.  The black outlines were made with sharpie marker, students listened to classical music and draw how they felt the music.  We also discussed abstract art and how color can change a mood or express a feeling.  Students explored different watercolor techniques to fill their paper. 

"Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, and the soul is the piano with many strings.  The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause vibrations in the soul."

                                  --Wassily Kandinsky

4th grade color theory

4th grader dove into color theory.  They were to paint a background by mixing colors in the order of the color wheel.  We then used warm and cool to create circles and glued them on top of our paint background.

4th grade Value flowers

4th graders focused on value for this project.  Students used images of flowers to design their painting.  They first drew with pencil and then went over with white liquid glue.  On the second day of the project students chose two colors to paint the petals of the flower.  With those two colors they were to practice using value going light to dark with the color.  Students then chose one color to paint on the background and to add a little texture students could use a little salt on the background.  

Here are some of the results:

1st Grade Shape Robots

1st graders are reviewing geometric shapes, in particular; square, rectangle, circle, oval, and triangle.  Students were to use geometric shapes to build their own robot.  All of their drawings were fabulous! I knew I wanted to add color to the drawings, but wasn't sure what would be the best route to not loose any of the wonderful details from the drawing.  I had a suggestion from a fellow art teacher and used tissue paper squares and water to add color.

2nd Grade Mondrian

2nd graders learned about the artist, Piet Mondrian.  This was a great review of the primary colors.  On day one of the project we learned about Mondrian and looked at his work.  We watched this video to get us in the "Boogie Woogie" mood:

 Students then used masking tape to create squares and rectangles.

On day two of the project students used the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue to paint the squares and rectangles.  On day three of the project students used primary colored construction paper squares and rectangles to add to the already painted paper.  To finish off I allowed students to use silver paint on a few spaces.

Kindergarten Flower Vases

For this project kindergartners focused on line and value.  Students were given a piece of "funky" paper to glue on to the bottom of their paper to serve as our table.  Students made the vase by tracing around a stencil. Students glued on the vase and then used a white, blue, and black crayon to give the vase a sense of realness.  Students drew three circles on a brown piece of paper and instructed to draw lines on the centers.  To finish it off students were given yellow paint and were instructed to paint short lines with their paint brush to create the petals.  The idea for this project came from a fellow art teacher and they turned out AWESOME!

3rd Grade Shoe and Crazy Sock

3rd Graders first project of the school year was a very independent project and they all turned out so well!  We discussed contour line drawings and used a shoe for our drawing.  Once students drew their shoe they were instructed to create a crazy patterned sock.  They used colored pencils for the shoe and markers for the sock.

1st Grade Concentric Rings

1st graders learned about  Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky. For the first back to school project I wanted to focus on something that could be seen as bright and cheery.  So we studied Kandisnky's painting, Squares with Concentric Rings. 

We watched this short video to get us inspired to make our own:

 Students set to work by folding their paper to make 8 squares ( 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom). They then traced a large circle in each square and added two more hand drawn circles to each square.  Students then set to work painting. They were instructed to keep their colors separate and try not to mix them, as well as two of the same colors could not be touching each other.  It took two 50 minute classes for students to finish, for this project brush control was stressed greatly.

Here are some of the results:

1st Grade Wayne Thiebaud Donuts and Cupcakes

1st graders learned about artist Wayne Thiebaud. In half of the sections students drew a donut and used gel markers and metallic crayons.  In the other half students drew cupcakes using crayons and watercolor.