Bext Kindergarten Project Ever

Kindergarten artists have been working on the best project, in my opinion (and theirs), thus far--cardboard scrap people. Students have been learning about creating a figure with a head, arms, torso and legs. We have been talking about how the arms come from the top of the torso, etc. Once they create their little figure out of six cardboard rectangles, they head on over to the art buffet to gather materials to give it a personality. Students have had so much fun with their work, that I had to let them take their figure home right away. I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves on this one.

art buffet

And here are some finished pieces:









Awesome.

Organic Shape Collage

Third grade students have been studying shape and color. For this project, we were inspired by the work of Elizabeth Murray. To begin, we learned about organic and geometric shapes. Artists noticed that organic shapes often have curved and irregular sides and geometric shapes are shapes that we recognize (square, triangle, rectangle, etc.). Next, we learned about complementary colors. Complementary colors are across from each other on the colorwheel. When you put two complementary colors next to each other, they become vivid and stand out. Students were asked to create organic shapes out of construction paper. Once they had their shape, they used the complementary color to create patterns on top with collage. Students made a number of shapes using the same pair of complementary colors.

Next, we looked at the work of Elizabeth Murray. Students noticed how she put many shapes together into one composition. We also noticed that new shapes were created in the space between the colored shapes. This is called negative space. Students took all of their shapes and played with their own composition. They experimented until they made a piece that had interesting positive and negative space. Once they were finished, they glued their shapes to large pieces of paper.




Check Digication for more finished pieces in the coming week.

Food Collage

Food collages up on Digication! Click here.

Third Grade Castles and Color

Third grade artists finished their castle drawings! There are a number of examples up on the Digication page and don't forget to check out the display near the office. They came out great.

Since we worked for so long in black and white, we are jumping right into color explorations. For the first one, students explored color mixing. We focused on how to create a variety of colors using primary and secondary colors. We also discussed previously learned concepts such as tints and shades. Third graders spent a class simply experimenting with color mixing. They created a large painting with as many different colors as they could fit.

The following class, we discussed how we made brown with paint. We talked about how when two colors that are across from each other on the color wheel are mixed, brown is created. We learned that these colors are called complimentary colors. Students noticed how when two complimentary colors are next to each other, they stand out.

Students then explored sorting geometric and organic shapes on the Smartboard. For the activity, students were asked to create organic shapes out of paper that have a pattern on top. Students were only allowed to use one pair of complimentary colors to create a dynamic color contrast.

Each artist created a number of different organic shapes with pattern. In our next class, we will look at how the artist Elizabeth Murray created compositions of different shapes. Students will take the shapes they created and put them together to create a finished abstract collage.

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!

First Grade Animal Collages

First graders continue their exploration of collage. In this project, students studied the work one of my favorites--Charley Harper. We looked closely at how he "builds" pictures out of simple shapes.

First graders then created their own collage of an animal. Students explored how they can use basic shapes to create their picture. Students began with the large shapes before adding small details, just as they had practiced in their wild thing collages.

The following class, we discussed animal habitats. Students created a collage habitat for their animal on another piece of paper. When they were finished, they cut out their animal and put it into the habitat. Here are a few examples of finished work. More will be up on our Digication page this weekend!

The Year So Far: Second Grade

Second grade artists have been learning about foreground and background. We have also been brushing up on warm and cool colors. In our first project, students created collages of where they live. The first week, students only used cool colors (blues, purples and greens). We remembered to include the horizon line (where the ground meets the sky) and lots of details.

The following class, we discussed foreground and background. We noticed that things in the background are usually smaller and closer to the top of the paper. We also noticed that things in the foreground are bigger, lower to the bottom of the paper and often overlap objects in the background. Students then used only warm colors to create their foreground. This time, we made streets with a variety of modes of transportation. We also discovered that because of the warm and cool color contrast, the foreground stands out from the background.

These will soon be on display at South. Keep an eye out for this excellent work!

The Year So Far: First Grade

First grade artists have been exploring line and shape. To start the year, we explored line with monoprinting. This is one of my favorite activities to do with the students. We first discussed all of the different kinds of lines we could make. Students then learned about basic printmaking. They used a tray for a plate and painted on a variety of lines. To make the print, they put a piece of paper on top of the tray and burnished with their hands to transfer their image from the plate to the paper. Each student created five prints and it was a ton of fun.

The following class, we read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Because the students were so familiar with this book, we focused on looking at the illustrations with "artist's eyes." We discussed that this means we look closely and notice all of the details that the artist included. The students noticed how Sendak created wild things with different textures (fur, scales...) using different types of lines.

from Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

We then looked back at our monoprints. We noticed how many of them looked like fur or scales, wavy hair or spots. Using these prints and additional paper for details, first grade artists created their own wild things.

We learned how artists begin a collage with the large, basic shapes before moving on to the small details.

Awesome work first graders! We will continue our exploration of shape and collage for the next few weeks.