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!