Van Gogh inspired watercolors

5th grade students created small Van Gogh-Starry Night inspired watercolors. This one session studio project started with a review and discussion regarding the composition and elements of Van Gogh's work. Using a direct drawing step by step process with crayons on white card stock the students drew the basic shapes and forms.Yellow liquid watercolor was used first to create the star and light elements, then students were given blue and purple. They were encourage to create movement on their composition using curving lines. Black was the last liquid watercolor made available to the students. Works were finished with a dusting of salt to enhance the star effect.

cave drawings

Take a Line for a walk Fall 2011

Black and White Op Art

Complimentary Picasso inspired Profiles

 Complimentary Colors-Picasso inspired portraits Part I

4th grade Sugar Skulls

In honor of Day of the Dead students decorated pre-formed sugar skulls.

Decorative Skull Drawings

 While connecting to World Studies standards for 6th grade this lesson also allows students to develop their drawing and design skills. Using handouts, drawings from their sketchbook's and table resource images as well as classroom discussion students draw a basic human skull. Taking inspiration from the Day of the Dead celebrations of Mexico, students add color, pattern and details to personalize their drawing. Works are done on black paper with color pencil, metallic color pencils, crayons, construction paper crayons and metallic crayons.

 

Paper Tile Mosaics

Paper mosaics are a great way to revisit patterns and develop more complex designs. I like to connect this lesson with mandalas or Art from Ancient times.

Turtle oh lovely Turtle

Inspired by Aboriginal art work and the universal appeal of the mandala image students create their own collage turtle. This three part project is perfect to connect to classroom language arts themes and support district standards and cultural curriculum. Hand outs, discussion and art prints are an important element in the presentation of this project.

Part I: Using pre-printed mandalas students create the shell of their turtle using ccolor pencils, metallic color pencils and crayons . Review the color wheel and use of complimentary colors and or warm and cool colors color with a purpose

Part II: Provide an assortment of printmaking shapes and a limited choice of paint colors (connect to Aboriginal art work) students create a background for their turtle.

Part III: Students create a body and attach the turtle to the printed background. Finishing with markers and color pencils for details.

November December 2011 Red Rectangular Robots

This collage project reinforces color and shape recognition while building on spacial relationships; top, middle and bottom. Perfect for Kindergarten and 1st grade students, can be expanded to provide more of challenge older students. (These art pieces were created by Kinders).

Part I: Pre cut red rectangles and squares, students create a basic "human" robot form. One head at the top, body in the middle, two arms out of the sides of the body (not the head) two legs located below the main body.

Part II: Using color pencils, stickers and additonal colors students add addtional details to their robots. What does your creation do, does it have special powers or skills. If time permits students can make a pet for their art robot.

Eye Spy with My Little Eye

Students grades Kinder-3rd were given the opportunity to explore nature using their artist's eye. They drew and painted, cats, snakes, bats, and birds.

Recycle Robots

This 6 session class was designed to give students grades 3-6 a chance to design and create their own Recycle Robot. First we did a sketchbook and collected ideas about what a robot is or can be. Students brought in items for the project such as plastic bottles and food containers, corks, wire, cardboard tubes, buttons, lids...and we created a junkyard. With adult supervision they used hot glue to assemble their creations. The robots were spray painted silver/chrome.

Check out the work of Clinton Bailey for further inspiration