What’s YOUR Name?

Our first big art projects this year are all about NAMES!  Each grade level is learning a different way to write their names – 1st and 2nd grades are learning BUBBLE LETTERS, 3rd is learning BLOCK LETTERS, and grades 4 and 5 are learning how to write their name in CURSIVE.  Students then added the art elements of line, shape, and color to turn their names into a work of art.

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Grades 1 & 2 bubble letter designs

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Grade 3 block letter designs

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Grade 4 cursive writing designs

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Grade 5 cursive writing designs

We also spent some time looking at how other artists use words and letters in their art pieces.  We looked at the words that Faith Ringgold includes around her Story Quilts.

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Andy Warhol’s “100 Cans” and Juan Miro’s Hirondelle/Amour also brought some interesting discussions about words found in art.images-1 images

“I Can” Goals:

I can write my name in block, bubble, or cursive letters.

I can talk about different works of art.

I can use the art elements of line, shape, and color to create a work of art using my own name.

 

 

Hoot! Hoot! Fourth Grade Owl Stuffies

There is a reason you haven’t heard much from our fourth grade artists lately….they have been busy sewing up their fantastic owl stuffies!  Fourth graders learned that American artist Faith Ringgold not only created her famous “story quilts”, but she also sewed neat little soft sculpture dolls.  Her dolls were the inspiration for our fun owl stuffies.

This project had many steps.  Fourth graders began by tracing and cutting the basic owl shape from a template, learned how to sew a simple whipstitch, added beans and stuffing to fill their owls….and finished by glueing fun felt details to their owls.  The final step was giving their owl a name and writing a sentence to introduce their owls.

Our owl stuffies are on display in the Georgetown Library and the rotunda showcases.  Check them out…you will be AMAZED!  You can also see all of their creations at our Artsonia on-line art gallery…be sure to read about their owls in the Artist Comments section!

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Fresh From the Art Room….

We are finishing up some great projects in our art room!  Fourth graders have been revisiting a favorite artist, Faith Ringgold – and have created these beautiful self-portraits.  My favorite part of this project is reading what they wrote about themselves below their portraits – such a fun way for me to get to know them all a little bit better!  (click on the images to see what they wrote!)

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First graders have completed a little pattern project – Beetle Bop Bugs.  This project gave them a chance to show Mrs. Brouwer their direction following and cutting skills…not to mention getting to use those fancy paper punches!  First graders learned that the paper punch can be a little tricky to use!

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Second grade artists have been looking at the sunflowers painted by Vincent Van Gogh as they created their own beautiful sunflowers.

 

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IMG_0019  We love these new Crayola crayons…so many beautiful colors all rolled in to one fancy twistee crayon.

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Parents….the 1st grade Beetle Bop project and the 2nd grade Sunflowers are in Georgetown’s ARTSONIA on-line art gallery – visit the gallery HERE.

Second Grade Story Quilts

Second grade artists have been studying the work of American artist Faith Ringgold.  They were intrigued by her famous Story Quilts and enjoyed reading the story and words that surround her quilts.

Ringgold - "The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles"

Ringgold – “The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles”

Second graders learned how to weave paper to create their “quilt” and added stories about themselves to finish the piece.  They created a giant cover to hold their weavings, and took them home – just in time for Mother’s Day!

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Ringgold - Story Quilt

Ringgold – Story Quilt

Ringgold - Story Quilt

Ringgold – Story Quilt

Second Grade Weavers

My second grade artists have been looking at the story quilts created by Faith Ringgold.  They especially enjoyed seeing her “Sunflowers Quilting Bee at Arles” and finding another artist we’ve recently studied, Vincent Van Gogh!

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We created “mini quilts” by weaving paper strips, decorating our “quilts” with patterns, and writing about ourselves and our work in the style of Faith Ringgold.  I learned that my second graders are AWESOME weavers!

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Fun Felt Pins

Our Georgetown students are excited about some special guests that are coming to our school in June – elementary students from our sister school at Raey Guang in Pingtung City, Taiwan! Some of our students are blog pen-pals and have been learning all about life in Taiwan.

Our art students wanted to create a special gift for our guests.  The challenge: create something small and lightweight that would easily fit into a small suitcase filled with other treasures accumulated during the trip to the United States.  And of course, our gift should be really cool too!

Our fourth grade artists were inspired by the fabric story quilts created by Faith Ringgold….and our little wearable art pins made from felt scraps, sequins, and tacky glue are the result.

Here are a few….I love them, don’t you?  Our artists made two pins – one to keep, and one to give as a gift.

Fourth Grade Felt Pins

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Fourth Grade Felt Pins

Fourth Grade Felt Pins