December Art Update

Hello Westlawn families! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to each of you! Your child may have come home mentioning a Winter Break Drawing Challenge I put together for them. I thought this would be something fun for them to do once the business and excitement of winter break calms down a bit. If you hear the words, "I'm bored," pull up this list of drawing prompts and get sketching! I encouraged the kids to involve family members and get creative with how they interpret the drawing prompts. If they don't want to draw a gingerbread house... could they make one? If you don't celebrate Christmas... could they draw something meaningful to them during this time of year? So many options! They can either draw in their sketchbook (if it was brought home) OR anything else you approve. If they want to make a painting instead... awesome! 

Please make sure to remind your child to bring in anything they create and we will do a "show and tell" next art class! If they brought home their sketchbook, they MUST bring those back, as we will be using them throughout the rest of the school year. Let me know if you have any more questions!

Take a look at what each grade level has been up to during this shortened, yet BUSY month of December!

Kindergarten artists completed their string art which was used as a background for their Self-portraits! It is always a challenge to teach the young artists how to thread the yarn through the holes in order to make a pattern, BUT after completing the first half, the second half goes much quicker and is more enjoyable for the students. Mrs. Haas has been a HUGE help to me in the art room this year, and her extra set of skilled hands came in very handy as we worked on this project in small groups. Thank you Mrs. Haas!

Following winter break, the kinders will be starting their Catching Snowflakes art project! The adorable winter themed project is a mixed media artwork and teaches the artists a wide range of skills and art making techniques!

First grade artists are ALMOST finished with their adorable Clay Snowmen! The artwork is a nice transition from their clay cupcakes they made during kindergarten, since many of the clay making techniques are re-introduced and expanded upon. Instead of making two pinch pots (from the cupcakes), the first grade artists are asked to make three for their clay snowman, and disguise them as "snowballs." The students also have an opportunity to make a head piece, neckpiece, and face, which involves other clay making methods such as: rolling coils and spheres, pinching and forming the clay, and of course using the "4 S's" to get the clay to attach. The students are having a blast giving their snowperson its own personality! When we return from break we will complete the face, add other details and touch ups, and add holes so twigs can be added for arms!

Second grade artists are nearing the end of their Kente Cloth Inspired Paper Weavings! We are now past the most complicated part, which is the weaving itself. It is not only tricky for the students to repeat a certain pattern of colors, but it is also tricky to make sure they follow the pattern of "over, under, over under" with their weaving. One little mistake in the pattern can effect the rest of the weaving and cause the student to go back and re-do everything after the error. Despite there being so much for the students to remember for the weaving process, they are LOVING this style of art and are realizing how fun and addicting it can be! Following winter break we will be completing the last step of the project, which is adding Kente cloth inspired designs using colored permanent markers. This step once again reinforces pattern and turns the weaving into somewhat of an optical illusion, making the weaving look real!

Third grade artists are doing a FABULOUS job making their Holiday Lights Watercolor Paintings! The paintings are so eye catching and appear real, with the addition of the white oil pastel for the "glare." The artwork requires that the students understand color mixing, by making secondary colors and tertiary colors in places that the lightbulbs overlap. Not only are the students being asked to demonstrate their knowledge of color mixing, but they also are becoming familiar with how to successfully paint with watercolors. The students are now moving on to making the background by painting wet blue with wet black ("wet in wet" or "exploding colors") and sprinkling some salt on top. The salt soaks up areas of paint giving the paper a frosted/ice crystal look.

Fourth grade artists added finishing touches to their O'Keefe Inspired Fall Paintings, and they look stunning! After sponge painting on the fall colors with a small round sponge, the students learned to paint varied lines for the branches. This step was challenging for many of students and since we were nearing the end of the project, it took an extra measure of patience to complete the trees. Our final class before break was spent adding colored pencil to the ends of the branches to create finer points. With the extra time left in class, some students enjoyed some Free Choice Art and others chose to try out one of the Winter Break Drawing Challenges!

Fifth grade artists are amazing me (and hopefully themselves) with how they are adding value to their self-portraits! They learned how to use different drawing techniques in order to show a range of values within an artwork. Since the students are adding value with permanent marker, they cannot blend or press lighter or harder in areas. Instead, they learned techniques such as "hatching," "cross-hatching," "stippling," and more. Our TWO goals during our last class together before break was to... demonstrate value using the techniques they learned AND not give up! Since the students cannot erase mistakes, this style of art requires perseverance, a positive mindset, and being okay with some mistakes. The goal is GROWTH, not perfection. I cannot wait to see the completed artworks soon!

November Art Update

Hello and welcome to December! I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving!

November was a fun and busy month in the art room. Please take a look at the pictures and descriptions below to find out what each grade level has been up to in the art room.

Kindergarten artists created Patriotic Pinwheels for our Veteran's Day celebration! The students created a pattern of red and white stripes by coloring in the white stripes with oil pastel and then painting red watercolor on the alternating stripes. They also colored in the stars with silver crayon and painted around the with blue watercolor. The opposite side of their pinwheels was the most fun to create for the kids since it involved paint and shaving cream! After adding some red and blue paint to the white shaving cream, the students used toothpicks to add designs (stars and swirls). We then pressed their paper on the shaving cream and paint mixture (which stained the paper and made a print) and then scraped off the excess shaving cream. The unique printing process left behind awesome marbled prints! Thanks to Mrs. Haas as well as a couple of my high school helpers, we had the pinwheels assembled, strung, and hung up in no time to welcome our valued and honored guests!

The Kinders are now working on their simple self portrait line drawings which will be added to their colorful tissue paper collage backgrounds! For this project, we talked about self portraits and walked through the steps to creating a successful portrait drawing. The students have grown so much, even since their very first self portrait drawing on the cover of their sketchbooks! They are now working hard to finish their tissue paper collages, which is teaching many of the students patience and perseverance!

1st grade artists are nearly finished with their Matisse Inspired Mobiles! The multimedia project has taken a while but the students seem to be enjoying the process, especially the assemblage of the mobile which we are currently working on. The students had a choice between a spiral or a ring for their mobile structure and are now getting creative in attaching their Matisse inspired shapes. They are using hole punchers and colored wires to attach the pieces. We talked about how there are many things to consider when creating a mobile... balance (both physical and visual), space and placement (so each of the shapes can move freely), strength (so the shapes don't fall off), and visual appeal from all sides! It is a lot of fun seeing our first graders get creative in their designs and work together to tackle any problem they encounter. Very soon our mobiles will be complete and we will be starting our Clay Snowmen!

2nd grade artists are loving their Kente Cloth Inspired Weaving projects! We are now at the point with our projects that the students have finished weaving paper to make a weft. They are now needing to secure the strips with a little glue so they don't move around. Next, the students will be learning to draw designs inspired by Kente cloth and African culture so that they can add lots of eye catching designs and patterns to their paper weavings. Once the designs are added with colored sharpie, the students will weave in a few accent strips with yarn and then trim the edges of their finished pieces. They are already so beautiful... I can't wait to see them complete!

3rd grade artists in the midst of creating their Holiday Lights Watercolor Paintings! Up until this point, the students have spent time tracing and adding details to their 18 light bulbs. We practiced overlapping and discussed how transparent glass would show through to the object underneath, whereas opaque material, like the metal portion on the bottom, would not be see through. After drawing and tracing with pencil, the students traced their lines with sharpie and are now ready to paint! While the painting will also be challenging, it should be the most fun for the students since they will see the colors mix where the light bulbs overlap. They will just need to understand the nature of watercolor and be careful to not let their paint get too wet so the colors to don't move and bleed where they shouldn't.

4th grade artists are getting very close to completing their O'Keefe Inspired Autumn Landscapes! The students have completely blown me away with their painting techniques and dedication to their artwork. We have had lots of fun experimenting with a variety of painting techniques, including: color mixing (such as tints and shades), painting with brushes AND sponges, creating textures and movement, and more. After adding in the pops of fall colors, the students will finish their artwork by painting and drawing in very thin branches for the trees. Although autumn is past, the students have done a fantastic job of capturing the beauty of the season into their paintings. If I could, I would mat and frame every single one of their paintings!

5th grade artists have been busy creating a variety of artworks in the art room! Now that the handmade paper is complete, the students are printing backgrounds for a self portrait project. The students thoroughly enjoyed designing and carving their linoleum blocks and especially enjoyed printing them! It never fails... every year I get "oohs and aahs" when demonstrating the printing process. These prints are especially neat because they connect to make a complete pattern of 12 printed squares. While some students print, others trace their self portraits using the AWESOME light boards that were gifted by the 5th grade class at the end of last year! Once all the portraits have been traced with pencil, the students will be learning how to add value and shading using ultra fine sharpies (an intimidating thing to do since you can't erase)! I look forward to showing off the final projects when they are complete!

Thanks for stopping by! See you again at the beginning of 2020 for our December art update!

October Art Update

Hello and thank you for stopping by the Westlawn Art Blog!

Since the last art update, I shared some exciting news with Westlawn students! I told them that something exciting is happening this April, and then had them guess which one is true... Construction is starting on the new art room! (false), Mrs. Ramos is going to travel to space! (false) OR... Mrs. Miller is going to have a baby, making her daughter Naomi a big sister (TRUE)! Naomi, my husband, and I are very excited to add to our family. I am grateful to have the majority of the school year with the students and will do my very best to find a long term sub that will do a good job filling my place. I am also very grateful that the timing will allow me to be back at the start of next school year when I have a brand new art room. I am SO excited!!!

Naomi sharing the exciting news! :)

Westlawn artists have enjoyed creating and learning in the art room this past month. All of the students designed sketchbooks and 2nd-5th grade make them from scratch using paper grocery bags generously donated by Piggly Wiggly! Take a look below to see what each grade has been up to!

Kindergarten artists designed their Sketchbooks during the month of October AND created adorable Picasso Inspired Pumpkins! The sketchbook covers required each student to draw a self portrait, write their name, and color in the empty spaces of the letters and picture frame. The students will use the sketchbooks throughout the year for a variety of reasons, but the primary goal is for students to GROW in their drawing abilities and ENJOY sketching! 

Following the sketchbooks, the students read the book, "When Pigasso Met Mootisse" as a fun introduction to their Picasso Pumpkin project. The colorful and comical book was based on famous artists Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. The two artists became rivals and mid way through the book an epic battle took place. Eventually, the artists learned to appreciate each others differences, including their different art styles. The students studied Picasso's style of "cubism" and enjoyed playing a drawing-dice game called "Roll a Picasso!" The game helped the students to better understand Picasso's style, work on their observational drawing, AND work on their direction following and cooperation. The students then made their final artwork by mixing and painting a variety of oranges and greens for their pumpkin. They then drew, cut, colored, arranged, and glued on the facial features to resemble the cubist style. Lastly, the students added oil pastel to the pumpkin to make it look more 3-D. I just LOVE the personalities of each pumpkin!

Picasso Pumpkins featuring Mrs. Sheppard's Kindergarten Class

First grade artists designed sketchbooks like they made last year, and will use them all school year in a variety of ways. The students once again drew a self portrait on the front cover and made it colorful and complete. It is so neat to see how the students grow in their self portrait drawings from year to year!

The first graders then read the same book that kindergarten did ("When Pigasso Met Mootisse") but, instead of focusing on Picasso, the students studied Matisse and his style of painting. The students will take what they learned about Matisse and use it to make Matisse Inspired Mobiles! The students have already worked hard painting painting BOTH sides of a large grid of paper. They enjoyed making many of the colors themselves to create variety in their mobiles. They then practiced drawing shapes like Matisse in their sketchbooks and are now drawing the shapes onto their painted grid. Next, the students will be cutting out their shapes, adding details with oil pastels and colored pencil, and then constructing a mobile!

Second grade artists also have been making sketchbooks, and now that they are in second grade they make them from scratch! The students learn how to transform a Piggly Wiggly paper bag into a sketchbook with handles! The sketchbooks also have a pocket made by the students and a "golden checklist" that provides the students with over 20 drawing prompts! The sketchbook cover design is unique to each grade level and second grade's theme is cursive. The students spent 3 art classes learning how to write their name and the word "sketchbook" in cursive. They began by tracing the letters, then moved on to copying the letters, and ended by drawing the letters on their own. Although the task was challenging and the students only got an introduction to the style of lettering, it taught them patience, perseverance, and grit. Learning to write their names in cursive was essentially observational drawing, which all of the students know how to do. 

The artists also designed and cut a picture frame to go on their cover by folding a paper in half and cutting out a variety of shapes for an interesting border. They were able to paint the frame as they pleased and once the frames dried, they glued them down. Lastly, the students drew and colored self portraits to complete their sketchbook covers. They learned the basics of portrait drawing, but had the freedom to draw themselves how they wanted as long as it had a resemblance to them. 

Third grade artists are in the midst of creating their fantastic sketchbooks, which will come in handy all school year, and beyond! I tell the students that it is important to make a quality sketchbook that will last, because someday they can pull it out and show their kids and grandkids their sketchbook from elementary school. How cool would that be?! I would have loved to see my parents' or grandparents' sketchbook from elementary school!

After creating the outer body of the sketchbook with gluing and folding techniques, the students created their one of a kind picture frames and self portraits. It is so fun to see how the self portraits progress and change from year to year as the students move through the grades. The third graders are now having fun designing their own alphabet using a variety of fonts! The alphabets are made up of both letters that are imagined by the students and letters that are drawn from observation or memory. The creativity is already starting to come out as the students are having fun designing their letters. Once the alphabets are complete, the students will use the letters to add their name and the word "sketchbook" to the front cover.

Fourth grade artists just completed their hand crafted sketchbooks with the theme "doodling!" After creating the outer body of the sketchbooks, the students designed their own picture frames using sketching and cutting techniques to make an interesting symmetrical design. They then used metallic paints to add color and glued on the frames once they were dry. The artists then drew a self portrait and either colored it using colored pencils or painted it using watercolor or tempera paints. Some of the most creative self portraits came from 4th grade this year. The kids are full of creative ideas and artistic talent! The letters on the cover were added with magazines, and last (but NOT least) was doodling with sharpies! I love that the use of sharpies allowed the kids to be free with their drawings and the doodling allowed them to draw whatever they wanted. Now that the sketchbooks are complete, we are moving on to Georgia O'Keefe Inspired Paintings!

Fifth grade artists began creating their Sketchbooks, and are now in the process of making handmade paper which will be used for both their sketchbook covers and their Element and Principle Accordion Book covers! Since the students make paper in groups of eight at a time, when they are not making paper, they have been playing Element and Principle games! The students took a pre-assessment on the Elements and Principles to see how much they knew (which not surprisingly was very little) SO... we are making it a goal to memorize the 14 art words AND be able to use them when we talk about art. In the midst of the paper making and Element and Principle studying, the students enjoyed fall/Halloween drawing videos on "Art for Kids Hub." The students had a chance to choose a video and follow along with their Chromebooks and ear phones. The drawings turned out fantastic and were so much fun for the students!

Well, that's all for now. See you for the next art blog update at the beginning of December!

September Art Update

Hello Westlawn families! I am so glad you stopped by the Westlawn Art Blog for the first Art Update of the school year!

Before we get into pictures and descriptions from each grade level, here is an update on the fish project from last school year...

The much anticipated fish mural at the St. Paul's Fish Market has been completed and is up for all to see! I first visited the fish market at the end of August and was SO excited to see all of the students beautiful artwork on display! A handful of students have mentioned to me that they have visited and even found their fish on the wall in the "grouper" room. If you have not had a chance to go, I hope you can make it at some point. Even the staff at the Fish Market commented on how wonderful the display is and how much their customers enjoy looking at the one of a kind art pieces. Way to go Westlawn Dolphins (and other Cedarburg Elementary art students)!

For our first art project or the school year, all Westlawn students (5K-5th grade) took part in a collaborative art display that fit the theme of this school year... GROWING. In morning pods, the students learned about characteristics of a Marigold flower, which served as a great analogy for how we want to act as learners and people of good character.

Each grade level was given a mini theme to fit the BIGGER theme of GROWING. Prior to the art making process, the students got inspired by reading a book by Lois Ehlert (Milwaukee author and artist). The kinders and first grade students read "Planting a Rainbow" which showed the process of planting and nurturing flowers in order to help them grow. The book contained a variety of colorful flowers that Ehlert made using her collage technique. 2nd-5th grade students read the book "Scraps" which gave the students an inside look to Ehlert's childhood, her sources of inspiration, and the creative thought process behind her art making and book making. The older students especially enjoyed this book since it reminded them to take risks and enjoy the process of art making, just as much as the final product.

Following the reading and viewing of Lois Ehlert's books, the students started their own art making process for our Collaborative Westlawn Garden!

Westlawn Garden Collaborative Art Display

Kindergarten artists enjoyed making Fingerprint Hyacinths! The students first drew the stem and leaves using green crayon and then used their one of a kind artist tool, their finger print, to make the petals on the flower! We talked about placing the petals close together and making many rows so that the flower looked full and plump! The students then practiced their cutting skills once the paint was dry. A fun and fairly simple process for their first project :)
The students also spent two art classes exploring the Free Choice Art Station... an important and favorite feature in the art room! On occasion, students will be able to enjoy the Free Choice Art Station by choosing their own art activity. Over the two classes, they learned what art materials and activities were available for Free Choice Art and how to use them. They had a lot of fun at the stations and wish they could have spent more time at each one!

1st grade artists had the opportunity to experience a super fun and unique art technique of bubble printing for their Bubble Print Hydrangeas! The students began the project by painting a piece of paper with different shades of greens. They then cut out a stem and leaves, and added details with ultra fine sharpie, after the paint was dry. For the hydrangea prints, the students used a straw to blow bubbles into a mixture of paint, printing ink, dish soap, and water. Once they filled the plate with lots of bubbles, the students took their paper circle and gently pressed it over the bubbles to create a print. The prints didn't always come out perfectly the first time, so we persevered and tried again until we got it right. To complete the project, we cut out our circles to resemble the look of a hydrangea and glued on the stem and leaves!

2nd grade artists continued with the theme of Marigolds by making French Marigold Flowers! Like the first grade students, the 2nd graders painted the leaves and stem with a variety of greens which they later cut out and glued together on a new piece of paper. The petals were the most fun to make since the students showed the technique of value change (gradation) by gradually changing from one color to another. This was easier said than done, but the students enjoyed the process. Once the petals were cut we arranged them in a radial pattern and glued them down. Lastly, the students crumpled up a small piece of colored tissue paper to add to the center of their flowers.

3rd grade artists had the chance to work with felt for their first art project! Their Felt Flowers turned out SO cool and attracted a lot of attention once the display was out up in the hallway! The students were given the challenge of making their own templates for their flower rather than tracing ones that were premade for them. They needed to understand CONTRAST, in the flower designs, size, and colors. Once their flower designs were approved, they traced, cut, and glued their pieces together, with a button of their choice on top. Lastly, the students added leaves (and a stem if they wished) to complete their one of a kind flowers!

4th grade artists learned how to make art like Lois Ehlert for their Lois Ehlert Inspired Flowers! This was definitely not easy for all students, as the "collage art technique" takes time, planning, and patience. Unlike drawing and painting a two dimensional flower, the collage making process involves painting a variety of papers and cutting and gluing the pieces together to resemble the desired subject. Once the students got a hang of the technique they really seemed to enjoy it and the final products were so fantastic! My favorite part of the project was the creative freedom the students had to choose their own flower (real or make believe). The creativity, problem solving, and risk taking brought a huge smile to my face!! Way to go 4th grade! What a creative and fun group of students!

5th grade artists were given the challenge of making Creatures or 3-D Flowers for our collaborative art display! Although some students would jump at the chance to have total creative freedom in making a one of a kind project, it is also a greater challenge to take risks and essentially "figure it out on your own." Of course, I made a couple examples of creatures and 3-D flowers, while also providing lots of visuals, but I really wanted the students to be creative, take risks, and guide their own art making process. I will be honest and say I was nervous to do this because it's hard to watch students struggle (if they lack motivation and direction), BUT I was pleasantly surprised to see that EVERY student created a project that was meaningful to them and fit their level of artistic ability. Yahoo! SO proud of you 5th graders! The students were ALSO excited to see what they were able to create. I think the message Lois Ehlert gave in her book "Scraps" was more effective than I thought it would be :)

Westlawn 5th graders ALSO had the privilege of taking an art and music field trip to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra AND the Milwaukee Art Museum! This is certainly a yearly highlight for Mrs. Wilson and myself and this year was no exception. What a NEAT opportunity for students to be exposed to the arts OUTSIDE of school. They saw and heard a lot on the trip that will hopefully inspire them and give them a greater appreciation for art and music, even if they don't choose that career path for themself. In preparation for the field trip, the 5th graders learned art museum etiquette as well as ways to talk about art in a meaningful and educated manner. They were introduced to the seven Elements and seven Principles of art, which are connected to ALL art. (The elements are: line, shape, color, value, texture, space, and form. The principles are: balance, contrast, emphasis, pattern, unity, movement, and rhythm).

Westlawn 5th Grade students on the Art and Music Field Trip!

All students (grades 5K-5th grade) are now starting to create SKETCHBOOKS, which will be used throughout the school year. Stay tuned for more pictures and description on that, and MORE, at the beginning of November!

See you then!

May/June Art Update!

Thanks for stopping by the Westlawn Art Blog one last time for the 2018-2019 school year!

Although the artwork has already been sent home (and hopefully it made it home safely) I figured it would be nice to see what the Westlawn artists were up to during the month of May and the very beginning of June.

Also... an update on the fish artwork at the St.Paul's Fish Market... It is my understanding that the fish display should be completed in the next 2-3 weeks. I will send out an email once I hear that the display is up and ready to see! I can't wait to go myself... maybe I'll see you there! So stay tuned on that. I know it was an enormous undertaking and those displays take a while to complete.

During the month of May/June...

5th grade artists completed their Clay Cake Slices just in time for the end of the year! The project is certainly a favorite and every cake turns out so unique AND appealing! The students spent many classes creating the cakes, beginning with rolling out, cutting, and designing slabs. They then attempted to give their clay a unique flare by adding a topper. After the bottom pieces were joined together using the "score, slip, stick, and smooth" techniques, the cakes were left out to dry and then were bisque fired in the kiln. The students then enjoyed painting their cakes by hand mixing colors and adding textures and details. It is so fun to see the creativity and excitement from the kids as they make their cakes "come to life."

4th grade artists completed their Self Portrait Chalk Drawings to finish off the year! I think the students would agree that the drawing unit was a long and challenging one... no doubt, yet the students GREW SO MUCH during this unit! It was so fun to look at their first self portrait drawings (when we started the unit) and then compare them to their very last ones. Now the challenge will be remembering all they learned with portrait drawing the next time they attempt a self portrait!

3rd grade artists completed their beautiful Warm and Cool Collagraph Prints! The students did a fantastic job creating the collagraph plate (which was a collage of items glued onto a cardboard base). They were given the direction that the design must be non-representational and a balance of positive and negative space. After painting two backgrounds (one warm and one cool) the students had the challenge of painting and printing their collagraph plates 4 times for each background! The results are beautiful, either together or on their own!

2nd grade artists finished their Pop Art Popsicles just in time for summer! These turned out so fun and are very timely as we head into the summer season! The students printed the backgrounds with colorful printing ink and a rectangular linoleum block. They then stuffed and paper mache'd  4 empty toilet paper rolls to resemble popsicles. Lastly, the students painted the popsicles 4 different colors that would stand out from the background colors and then glued them down (along with the popsicle sticks) once they were dry. Although the project involved many steps, the students seemed to enjoy the process!

1st grade enjoyed making Father's Day Cards after completing their stunning VanGogh Inspired Sunflowers (a personal favorite)! To complete the VanGogh Inspired Sunflowers, the students spent a lot of time cutting and gluing on petals... lots of petals! They also added some extra details, including shadows and highlights with oil pastels. Following the Sunflower project, the students were excited to make Father's Day cards (the cards are supposed to be a surprise... so shhh... act surprised)! The students designed ties and then did some basic Origami to create the front of the card. They then added some extra details, along with a message! Happy Father's Day to all of our awesome WL Dads and Dad like figures!

Kindergarten artists created two projects during the month of May and June. They finished their adorable and delicious looking Clay Cupcakes AND their Brave Year of Firsts Self Portraits! For the self-portrait project, the students enjoyed reading the book "My Brave Year of Firsts" by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Laura Cornell. The book is written in such a fun and humorous way as a little girl reflects back on all of her "firsts" that she experienced in the past year. The book helped the students to think back on all of the firsts THEY experienced this year in kindergarten. With the help of a teacher's writing to look at, the kids wrote down three "firsts" they had! They also enjoyed making a self portrait with cut paper, oil pastels, and colored pencils. Their favorite part was probably adding a hairstyle that looked like theirs!

4K artists had their last art class of the year in May! We enjoyed adding COLOR to our Clay Flower Bowls! The students first colored their clay with oil pastels and then attempted to water down tempera paint to fill in the areas around the oil pastels. The students learned that the oil pastels like to boss the paint around by saying, "Don't go here paint! I was here first!" I was so impressed with the students as they cradled the petals as they colored and handled them with care so they wouldn't break! Way to go 4K artists! I can't wait to have you again next year, and more often too!

Well, that's it folks! Thank you for all of the support and encouragement you give to your kids in ALL subject areas! Of course I am biased towards the arts, so I hope your child continues to enjoy art related activities over the summer. They ALL have sketchbooks (with the exception of 4K) and many have blank pages that can be filled over the summer. I would love to see how they fill up those pages when they come back in the fall. I will be ready... but for now, bring on summer!

Blessing to you all!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Miller 💖

April Art Update

Hello and welcome to the Westlawn Art Blog!

Even with a shortened month of school due to spring break, the students were still able to accomplish a lot, including finishing their fish projects! Below you will see pictures of the fish projects from each grade level. In addition to completing the fish projects, students either returned to a project they had been working on or started a brand new unit. Check it out...

5th grade artists returned to their printmaking project after finishing their Watercolor Fish! The students are currently working on creating self portrait relief prints that will be added onto their linoleum printed backgrounds. So far, the students have learned the process of transferring their image to the foam printing plate and how to create a relief in the foam by pushing it down with a wooden stylus. The project is not easy for the students since it is unfamiliar to many and the white foam makes it difficult to see what you have pushed down. After creating the relief in the foam, the students will have a blast printing their portraits with the printing ink and brayers!

5th grade classes with their Watercolor Fish!

5th grade Watercolor Fish!

Making Self Portrait Relief Prints!

4th grade artists are revisiting their self portrait unit after finishing their awesome Scratch Art Fish (which are some of my personal favorites)! We are about half way through the self portrait unit (it's a long one). The students are currently making rough draft self portraits onto a 9X12 sheet of paper. After teaching the unit many times, I have learned how helpful it is to make a rough draft portrait so that students can feel free to make mistakes and not worry about their drawings being perfect. Once we are finished with the rough drafts (which contain all of the lines of symmetry on the face) we will than trace those to make our final drafts. Those drawings will then be turned into beautiful chalk drawings. Cheer the students on as they work through this challenging (and rewarding) unit!

4th grade classes with their Scratch Art Fish!

4th grade Scratch Art Fish!

4th graders working on their Self Portrait Drawings (rough drafts).

3rd grade artists were able to come back to their Clay Canopic Jars after finishing their amazing Paper Mosaic Fish! The students are currently finishing up their Canopic Jars by painting them to imitate the actual colors on an ancient Canopic Jar! The students are learning how to layer colors and use a variety of painting techniques to achieve the desired look of the jar. After completing the Canopic Jars the students will be moving onto their final art project of the school year (hard to believe it's almost here)! Stay tuned to see what their final project will be!

3rd grade classes with their Paper Mosaic Fish!

3rd grade Paper Mosaic Fish!

3rd grade students painting their Clay Canopic Jars.

2nd grade artists just started a NEW project after finishing their Romero Britto Inspired Fish! The students are continuing in the style of "Pop Art" and this time are making Pop Art Popsicles! The kids had fun printing four colorful background colors using a linoleum block and colorful printing ink. Next, the students will be turning t.p. rolls into papier mache popsicles! Papier Mache is super messy but super fun, so unless your child hates getting messy, they'll love what is to come!

2nd grade class with their Romero Britto Style Fish!

2nd grade Romero Britto Style Fish!

2nd grade students at work on their Pop Art Popsicles! Pictured above are students printing the background and paper macheing the t.p. rolls for popsicles! Also... a picture of a block tower students made during some Free Choice Art time

1st grade artists returned to their VanGogh Inspired Sunflower Paintings after completing their Marbled Paper Fish! The students are about halfway through the multi-step project and are now at the point that they can cut, arrange, and glue the pieces onto their sunflowers. The first graders have been learning a lot about VanGogh's painting style and look like true artists as they study his painting and recreate the colors and textures that they see! I love the discussions this project creates among students as they discuss colors they see and then attempt to recreate them (every year I hear the color description "garbage green"). We cannot wait to show off the students masterpieces when they are completed later this month!

1st grade classes with their Handmade Marbled Paper Fish!

1st grade Handmade Marbled Paper Fish!

Kindergarten artists started a clay project after finishing their Piet Mondrian Inspired Fish! The students are enjoying the process of making Clay Cupcakes, and let me tell you... they are too cute! The students first learned how to shape clay into a pinch pot for the base of their cupcakes. The silicone cupcake liners they used were helpful in making the bottom of the cupcake look real. The students then made a second pinch pot for the top of their cupcake. After this, they were given the challenge of making a long coil for the icing of the cupcake which they spiraled around the top. Lastly, the students had the option of making a topper such as a cherry or strawberry. They did a great job with this and appeared to love every step of the process! After the projects are fired in the kiln, the kinders will enjoy painting them!

Kindergarten classes with their Piet Mondrian Inspired Fish!

Kindergarten Piet Mondrian Inspired Fish!

Kindergarten students LOVING the clay making process for their Clay Cupcakes!

4K artists also began a clay project during the month of April! The students enjoyed making Clay Flower Bowls! The students were given a pre-cut flower and were given the task of adding texture using a variety of items (including the bottoms of their shoes)! The students also learned how to attach two pieces of clay together when adding a clay circle to the center of their flower. They learned the words "score, slip, stick, and smooth." Lastly, the 4K students shaped their flowers into bowls by gently curling up the petals and pinching them to imitate real petals. The students had such a great time working with the clay and are excited to add color to them next art class!

4K artists creating their Clay Flower Bowls!