Mrs. Miller's Makers!: December 2018

Thanks for stopping by the Westlawn Art Blog! I hope you enjoy this update from November and December (two shortened, yet BUSY months)!

I hope you also enjoy time as a family over winter break. Merry Christmas and happy new year! 😀

4K art students finished their collagraph printing project in November! The students had a blast printing their collagraph plates that they had made the class before. They learned how to roll a brayer in printing ink (listening for the "snap crackle pop" sound... like Rice Krispies). They then rolled the ink onto their collagraph plate and then printed that onto their background paper. The backgrounds were made by gluing down a variety of shapes (made of both positive and negative space). It's amazing how much we can pack into a 30 minute art lesson. Both the process and products of the printmaking lesson were a great success!
The 4K students are now beginning a new art project inspired by famous Russian artist, Wassily Kandinsky! The students once again enjoyed printmaking, in a slightly different way. This time they pressed foam blocks into paint and printed them using a variety of colors! They learned that Wassily Kandinsky LOVES shapes and colors... so they know next art class will involve even MORE colors and shapes (when they begin to paint circle after circle onto their amazing abstract paintings)!

Kindergarten students just finished their Catching Snowflakes artwork! The students seem to really enjoy the many art making techniques that the project included. The project began with the students designing mittens using different types of line. We talked about symmetry when attempting to make each mitten look the same with the colors and lines. After drawing the line designs with oil pastel, the students had fun painting in the empty spaces with tempera paint. The students also painted sleeves, a hat, and a background to resemble a night sky. After gluing on all of the items (including a face, tongue, and puff ball for the hat), the students enjoyed the BEST (and messiest) part of the project... snowflake printing! They learned a bit about snowflakes and attempted to imitate their design with six points (however many of the snowflakes went in a different direction 😉). Like real snowflakes, each one turned out unique and beautiful in its own way!
We had just enough time to design some gift tags for holiday gift giving on our last class before break! Look for these when they come home and feel free to attach them to one of the gifts under the tree 😄

First grade students thoroughly enjoyed finishing their clay project this month... Clay Snowmen! The kids not only loved working with the clay, but they also learned a lot in the process, such as how to shape clay into a pinch pot (disguised as a snowball), and how to get two pieces of clay to stick together. These clay making techniques were first introduced in kindergarten, but were reviewed and elaborated on this school year. The best part of the project was when the students got to add a personality to their snow person with the features they made out of clay. They were required to add a headpiece, neck piece, and face. After the projects were fired in the kiln the students thoughtfully painted their snow people. I then finished off their projects by sticking little twigs into the snow people for arms 😄
Like the kindergarten students, the first graders had just enough time before winter break to make a little holiday themed art project. They colored cute thank you cards that they intend to give to someone that will give them a special gift this Christmas. We talked about how when we receive a gift it goes along way to show gratitude by saying "thank you."

1st grade Clay Snowmen on display featuring all Westlawn 1st graders

Second grade students also completed their clay project this month... Clay Picture Frames! The students had a great time working with the clay and designing their frames. To begin the project, the students rolled out a clay slab (defined as a flat piece of clay) and then cut it to fit the frame template. The next step of the project required the students to add texture (defined as the surface quality of an object). The students pressed in found objects and even the bottom of their SHOES to create interesting textures. The students were also asked to add more clay to their designs by either cutting out clay from a slab OR shaping moist clay into a design. One of the most important steps of the project was demonstrating the "4 S's"(score, slip, stick, and smooth) to get two pieces of clay to stick together. It became especially important to show the 4 S's when adding the base to the frame since that would determine how strong and sturdy the frame would be. Lastly, the students enjoyed glazing their picture frames after they had been bisque fired in the kiln. The projects then went into the kiln a second time for a glaze firing and wala... they were complete! Soon, the students pictures will be added to the frames which will really make them look wonderful and complete!
The second grade students are now moving on to designing the cover of their sketchbooks by learning to write their names in cursive! They may be coming home with some new found knowledge and ambition to use the new style of writing! 😉

3rd grade students just completed a Holiday Light Bulb Watercolor Painting! This project hasn't been done in a few years, but after admiring one of the framed paintings in the hall of Westlawn, I decided it should make an appearance this year! Not only do the paintings turn out beautiful and eye catching, but the students also put their knowledge of color theory and color mixing to the test! The students traced a bunch of light bulb templates to start the project, focusing on making a nice composition that makes good use of the space. After tracing with pencil, the students used permanent marker and also added details to the bases of the light bulbs to resemble real ones. Th BEST part of the project (at least in my opinion) was painting in the light bulbs and seeing the colors mix where they overlap. It may not appear difficult when looking at the paintings, but it was a big challenge to paint neatly and avoid having the colors merge and spread into one another. For the background, the students used a technique that 5th graders also used for their projects... sprinkling salt over wet watercolor to soak up the paint and make a frozen/crystallized effect. This techniques was a huge hit with the students.
The 3rd grade students are now starting to design their own alphabets! Once the alphabets are complete, they will use the letter designs for the cover of their sketchbooks! Can't wait to continue with these when we're back from break 😊

Creative Color Wheels on display during November (featuring Mrs. Kotnik's class)

4th grade students enjoyed finishing their sketchbooks designs, with "doodling" as the theme! The sketchbook design cover involved creating a picture frame with cutting complex designs, drawing a self portrait, cutting out letters from magazines to spell out their name and the word "sketchbook," and lastly adding doodle designs all over the sketchbook! It was so nice to give the students an art activity that was rather easy and freeing. After spending time on a challenging tree painting, it was great to see the students loosen up and add a variety of designs to their sketchbook cover without feeling like it had to look like anything or be perfect. They turned out SUPER cool!
The 4th grade students also had a chance to do some holiday themed drawings (the Grinch and Buddy the Elf 😄) by viewing how to draw videos from the YouTube channel "Art for Kids Hub." The YouTube channel is great, because the artist often draws alongside his kids and breaks down drawings into fairly simple steps. I was absolutely amazed at the quality of the drawings and was so grateful that the kids had the ability to use Chromebooks to help them in the drawing process. Unlike drawing in a large group setting, the students could pause the videos, speed them up, rewind them, and had a close up view (not to mention the ability to tune out noise with the use of headphones). So awesome!

5th grade students recently completed their Snowflake artwork (currently on display at Westlawn). The students began the project by painting analogous watercolors using the "exploding color technique." While the paint was still wet, they sprinkled salt on the watercolor to soak up some of the paint, giving the paintings a frozen and "wintery" look. The students then spent the next couple of classes making snowflakes which is more difficult than it looks! Two of the snowflakes were created with the help of a template that the students followed when cutting. They were then given the challenge to show their own creativity in coming up with their own unique designs (which was even more fun)! No matter how many times I create a paper snowflake, it is always so fun and exciting to see what it ends up looking like when it is opened up and the designs are multiplied to create beautiful radial symmetry. The students had the same reaction, but also discovered the disappointment that came with a failed design. The students completed the project by laying out the snowflakes in an interesting and eye appealing composition (thoughtfully considering how they used the space). They carefully glued them down by painting on the glue and laying them flat.

Like the fourth grade students, the fifth graders also had a couple class periods to do some fun holiday themed observational drawing with the YouTube channel "Art for Kids Hub." They totally impressed me and each other with their "Grinch" and "Buddy the Elf" drawings! They seemed to have a lot of fun drawing one on one with the use of their Chromebooks (such a handy tool in art class)!

The fifth graders are now beginning an Elements and Principles Accordion project that I will share more about next month!