Fourth Grade Abstract Paintings

For this project, fourth grade artists experimented with stamping and painting. We looked at the work of Piet Mondrian and noticed how his work became increasingly abstract throughout his career. Students noticed that although his later paintings are not representational, he created interesting compositions using shape, line and color. Students worked from this idea when creating their own abstract compositions. Beginning with line, they used small pieces of cardboard to stamp short lines on a large sheet of paper. They were encouraged to create shapes and patterns as they worked, but were told to play with the material and see what happened.

The following class, we discussed color schemes. We looked at some abstract paintings where the artist selected a color scheme to use. We explored primary color schemes, complementary color schemes and analogous color schemes. Students were not required to choose one specific color scheme, but we discussed how being selective about the colors you choose can work better than just using every single color available. Here are two paintings by Sarah Morris that we looked at. Here, she used a complementary color scheme on the left and an analogous one on the right.

Fourth graders used tempera cakes to add color to their work. They came out so beautifully. Here are a few examples, but click here for many more.

Fourth Grade Relief Sculpture

Get ready for a long post! Fourth graders have been BUSY in the art studio! We have been working on cardboard relief sculpture for a few weeks. We started out by simply experimenting with the material. I wrote about the experience as a guest blogger for From Studio to Classroom. You can check out that post here.
I gave the students one full period to play with cardboard. We discussed relief sculpture and how height can be built up by layering one piece on top of another. Students were challenged to create a piece of their choice (either representational or abstract). They came up with some really interesting ideas. More importantly, though, they figured out how to make the cardboard work for building. They explored different ways to cut, add texture and attach. All of these skills would be very important in the next part of the unit.


The next time we met, I shared one of my favorite contemporary artists, AJ Fosik. (We learned that a contemporary artist is a living artist who is making work now.) AJ Fosik makes amazing relief sculptures out of wood. Many show animals and fantastic creatures. Here are a couple of examples:


The fourth graders loved his work! They noticed how he includes interesting details (see missing tooth above) and bright colors to make his work stand out. Once we discussed his work, students were asked to create their own animal head relief sculpture out of cardboard. Students first built their relief by cutting cardboard and layering to create height. Next they painted their work with one color. This color is their base coat. Finally, they added details and texture using a small brush. Some classes are finished and some are still working, so here are some images of the process:


Here are two completed pieces. I will let you know when more go up on Digication. The students have been really successful with this project and it has been a lot of fun.

Food Collage

Food collages up on Digication! Click here.

Fourth Grade Painted Paper Collage

Wayne Thiebaud is one of my favorite artists to share with students. They immediately connect with his bright colors and playful subject matter. Fourth graders have been working on a painted paper collage project inspired by the work of Wayne Thiebaud.

The first class, students had a "painted paper factory." Students created sheets of paper filled with a color and texture to use in the upcoming project. We brushed up on our understanding of color mixing and played with adding texture with brush strokes.

The following week we looked at many examples of Thiebaud's work. We noticed how his paintings included food and had simple backgrounds. The students thought this was probably because he wanted you to look at the food without getting distracted. We also had a number of ideas about why a person would make pictures of food. Fourth grade artists were then given their assignment-- to create a picture of food with collage using the paper they had created during the previous class. Students were reminded to look for textures and colors that would suit the foods they were depicting.

The artists had fantastic ideas for foods to create. We also discussed how we should think about our composition, just as we had with our abstract drawings. Students tried out different compositions before gluing down their final pieces. Here are some finished examples:




Not every class has completed this project. I will put many more examples up on Digication when we are done!

The Year So Far: Fourth Grade

Fourth graders have been learning about abstraction. We looked at Several Circles by Vasily Kandinsky.

Several Circles

We learned that it is an abstract piece of work because it does not depict something we immediately recognize. Students were asked to create their own abstract composition using circles. First, they created a their composition by tracing a variety of circles. They were asked to think about placement (overlapping, touching, apart, inside) while creating their composition. Next, they added color using construction paper crayons. Some decided to used solid color while others included pattern. When we shared the work, we noticed that although we used the same shape and materials, each piece was unique.

Be sure to check out the display of this work in the lobby! This unit was inspired by one done at Briargrove Elemtary. Thanks for the inspiraton Mrs. Gonzalez!

Next, fourth grade artists created an abstract composition using pattern and line. To begin, students created their composition by tracing their hand twice. They used the same ideas for placement and composition (apart, touching, overlapping, inside) as in the circles project. Next, they made three lines crossing their hands. Once finished, they created a different pattern in each section of their composition. We discussed balance when creating a composition. Students thought about how the relationship between darker and lighter areas should be balanced and spread throughout their drawing.

Fourth graders will now be moving onto a unit exploring more representational work. Nice job!

The Year So Far: The First Day of Art

Welcome to the South School Art Studio! Here are some photos of the studio:

This year, in South tradition, students in every grade created a self-portrait on the first day of art. They will repeat this activity on their final day of the year to see how much has changed about their drawings and themselves. Here are some examples:

See more examples on display outside of the art studio!