October in the Art Room

Here’s a look at what we’ve been creating in the art room this October – we’ve been very busy.

5th Graders are studying the work of Claude Monet and have been experimenting with his Impressionist style. Their artwork focuses on Monet’s interest in painting the bridge over his pond of waterlilies.

Day 29-Monet Picture Frames Monet Bridges Monet's Bridge Monet's Bridge

Fourth Graders are learning about the abstract art of Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky.  They love his “Several Circles No. 323” and are enjoying creating a large circle inspired piece using ink pens, stamps, crayons, and chalk.

Kandinsky circles

Third grade artists have been studying the work of abstract drip painter Action Jackson Pollock.  After creating their own messy drip paintings, I believe Action Jackson is a new favorite artist for third grade!

Action Jackson portrait and drip painting

Second graders have been learning about Vincent Van Gogh’s famous “Starry Night” painting.  They painted a starry night background, colored a foreground with crayons, and added textured buildings to their landscape.

Van Gogh Landscapes Starry Night

First graders have been busy creating “Shape Birds” that will be framed for our December Kids Art Fair.  They are excited to create a work of art that will be framed and matted for this art show!

Shape Birds Shape Birds

First Graders also completed their HUGE google-eye monsters – yikes!

Google Eye Monsters Google Eye Monsters

Mrs. Anderson’s third grade artists have been reading the funny story about “Pigasso and Mootise” (not to be confused with Picasso and Matisse!) and creating their own Pigassos.

Pigasso and Mootisse Pigasso

Some of our classes have been thinking about Halloween too – we’ve been drawing spiders and Frankie Frankensteins in first and second grade.

Spiders and Webs Frankie Frankensteins

And finally..Kindergarten artists have been learning how to draw great spirals as they complete their spiral snails.  Forgot to get a picture of their work….but just ask them, they will be glad to show you how they have become SPIRAL EXPERTS!

Week 3 In The Art Room

We are finishing up many projects in the art room, and beginning to hang our masterpieces in the hallways!  Please remember to LOOK UP above the lockers for our new artwork on display.

Fifth graders also started their creating their sketchbooks this week.  We talked about the many ways that artists use sketchbooks – including making quick drawings, taking notes, capturing our feelings, a place to practice, and my favorite idea…..DRAWING OUR THOUGHTS!

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5th Graders enjoying their new sketchbooks.

We’ll finish assembling our sketchbooks soon, and keep them in the art room to use throughout the year.  Fourth graders are excited to begin making their sketchbooks too!

Radial Symmetry in the Art Room!Radial Symmetry

Third graders spent this week finishing up their study of Radial Symmetry in art.  Their junk bas relief sculptures are very fun – who knew all those markers in the dead marker box would become such interesting works of art!

radial symmetryradial symmetryradial symmetry

More from the Collage Project

The collage project continues!  My friend and fellow art teacher at Park Elementary, Mrs. Anderson, suggested I document my collage making process with some photos.  Before I begin, I would like to credit an artist who has given me inspiration and direction in my beginner collage attempts – Teesha Moore.  Check out her blog and work – it is simply stunning!  Her step-by-step journal making directions gave me the background information and understanding I needed to begin my own little collages.

First step….I cut and tape a variety of 5×7 pieces of paper to my work surface.  I like to try different hand-made papers with texture, watercolor paper, and plain old cold-press illustration board – whatever looks fun.

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Next….splash some watercolor on the different papers.  Sometimes I draw with crayon on the paper first to create some crayon-resist effects, or pull off come color with paper towel.

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Here’s my favorite part…cutting snips of pictures, patterns, colors…and gluing them to the watercolor surfaces.  I like to play around with the colors and images, but not think too hard about it while I am working (also one of Teesha Moore’s suggestions….as is looking at my magazines upside down so I can focus on colors and textures instead of images!).  The hardest part is to leave some room for words, writing, and drawing too.  At this point I often work toward a theme for the group of 10 collages that I’m working on….in this case, vegetables and fruit.  The theme helps me focus in my magazine snipping and cutting – otherwise I may never get to the next step.

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This is where I try to pull the collage group together with words or quotes, or just letters.  I like the visual punch the words add to the collages, and the way words can add emphasis to the piece.  Sometimes I stamp images and words at this point too.

collage 001

Finally, more fun…drawing on the images, adding details to the background, playing with the colors, and pulling each collage  together.  This is a neat step because I can use any art material I can think of…markers, chalk, oil pastel, crayons, or colored pencils  As I continue to work on these collages, I am also preparing the next 10 for a new series!collage 004

Fun Days in the Art Room

Georgetown Artists have been enjoying Fun Days in the art room this week! Our students work toward their Fun Days by following art room rules and building up their fun time in 10 minute increments. All of our classes have achieved 50 minutes of fun time in art, which is amazing and really difficult to do!

During fun days we play games…Apples to Apples is a favorite! We also have been making valentines, building with Bug Bonz and Space Links, sketching from our drawing books, and an all-time favorite, drawing on giant pieces of paper supplied by one of our parents, Mrs. Stehouwer.

Some pictures of February Fun Days….