As the month of October drew to a close, so did many of the art projects students have been working on. Take a look below to see what each grade has been up to!
First, check out this group picture of 5th grade at the Milwaukee Art Museum! Mrs. Wilson and I enjoyed taking our students and their classroom teachers on a field trip to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Milwaukee Art Museum on October 31st! It is always such a highly anticipated field trip that offers our students such a neat opportunity. We are truly fortunate to have access to wonderful art enriching venues right here in Milwaukee!
4K art students began part one of a two part printing project! The students learned how to make a "Collagraph plate" which will be used to make a "Collagraph print." The students were taught that the fancy term "Collagraph plate" is very much like a stamp, which most students are familiar with. The difference is that a "Collagraph plate" is a method of gluing a collage of materials onto a surface to make a print, where as a stamp is a relief with an area that has been removed or carved out.
The 4K students glued a variety of materials onto a cardboard surface. The objects they glued on varied from leaves and twigs, to bubble wrap and textured cardboard. The students learned the word "environment" as a way to describe their surroundings. They identified which objects on their plate came from their indoor vs. outdoor environment.
Next art class we will print our Collagraph plates onto a shape filled background! Can't wait!☺
5K art students completed their Picasso Style Pumpkins last month and then began a new art project, Patriotic Pinwheels! The Patriotic Pinwheel art project involves a crayon resist method. The students learned first hand the relationship between the crayon and the paint. They discovered that the crayon is BOSSY and says to the paint, "Don't go here paint, I was here first!"
The kids loved the humor in that and enjoyed seeing the paint being pushed away from the white crayon in their American flag designs.
Make sure to check out the Patriotic Pinwheels if you come for the Veteran's day celebration on November 9th! The pinwheels will greet our Veterans and guests when they first enter our school!
1st grade students are nearly finished with their Matisse Inspired Mobiles! After practice sketching designs like Henri Matisse, they painted a color grid by hand mixing 12 different colors! They then drew their designs on the different sections of the color grid and cut them out (the cutting was by far the most challenging part of the project... seemed to take a really long time). The students are now having fun hole-punching and assembling their mobile with paper clips. We talked about characteristics of a mobile... that it should be interesting from all angles, should be sturdy and well put together, and should effectively move with the pieces having their own space.
2nd grade students completed their VanGogh Inspired Sunflowers (finally, I know😜)! They looks Ah-mazing! I told the students I would totally frame them (and I'm not kidding). I hope you see and admire all of the hard work they put in to them. I have received many compliments from onlookers as they see them on display in the front hall of school. The two features that we worked on recently (the petals and the shadows/highlights) are what elevated the artworks and made them truly breathtaking.
The 2nd grade students are now collaborating to make a Patriotic Themed Agamograph for the Veterans day celebration next week! The students were given a small strip of paper as a portion of a whole patriotic picture. The goal of the project is for the students to create an enlarged version of their picture that will then be put together with their classmates to make a two sided piece of art (referred to as an "Agamograph..." named after artist Yacov Agam who was famous for inventing this movable style of art). The project is challenging and a bit risky, but I believe it will turn out great, and in the end the students will be so excited to see their artwork come together!
3rd grade is nearly finished with their Creative Color Wheels! After hand mixing and painting their color grid of 12 colors, the students chose a theme for their color wheel. With help from Mrs. Miller finding silhouettes of the students' chosen themes, the students then used their silhouette to make a master template that they would use to trace and cut their 12 objects. Following the cutting, come students added details with the use of carbon paper and permanent marker.
The students just recently made a background for their artwork by splatter painting with all 12 colors from the color wheel! What student doesn't like splatter painting? Even with wearing khaki paints the day we splatter painted (duh Mrs. Miller, what were you thinking), I miraculously left school without any paint on my pants! Soon, the students will be arranging and gluing their 12 objects onto their backgrounds!
4th grade is continuing to work on their Fall Tree Paintings. Although the project is taking a while, it is amazing to see how much the students have grown in their drawing and painting abilities with this challenging and rewarding art project! The students have added paint in stages, beginning with the sky, then the trunk and branches, then the leaves from back to front. The project is teaching the students patience, diligence, and many painting techniques (texture, shading, color mixing... just to name a few). I cannot wait to see the completed pieces and see pride and satisfaction on the students' faces when they are finished. Stay tuned!
5th grade students are wrapping up their Silhouette Self-Portraits! One of the best parts of the art project is the chance to see each students' personality come through in their artwork! I have really enjoyed getting to know the students better through their collage of drawings. Throughout the project the students were challenged to grow in their drawing abilities AND show a variety of artistic techniques including: overlapping, shading, gradation, texture, blending, etc. All in all, it appears the students were pleased with both the process and product. I hope their families enjoy seeing their child's unique personality come through in their beautiful works of art!
