January Art Update

Thanks for stopping by the Westlawn Art Blog!

Take a look at the pictures and descriptions below to see what each grade level has been working on in art class!

Kindergarten artists have been creating a mixed media art project entitled, Catching Snowflakes! We began the project by reading the book "Snowflakes Fall" written by Patricia MacLachlan and illustrated by Seven Kellogg. The art project involves a variety of art making processes and skills. The students first made a night sky by using black and blue paint. They then designed a pair of mittens by creating a variety of line designs with oil pastels. We talked about how to make the mittens symmetrical by showing the same designs on each mitten. The students had fun using the oil pastels and paint to create the mittens, hat, and sleeves. They then did a great deal of cutting and gluing when adding the additional pieces of the face, tongue, and puff ball. The students are now in the process of printing snowflakes onto their artwork with cardboard and other found objects. We brought a little science into the art room by watching a short video about snowflakes and how they are made. The students (and I) were amazed about all there was to learn about such a tiny, yet incredible, pieces of nature!

First grade artists worked on two art projects during the month of January. They began their Kimono Portrait project and paused that to complete their Clay Snowmen! As seen in the pictures below, the students had a blast doing some blow painting when creating cherry blossom trees for their Kimono Portrait backgrounds. Soon, the students will be painting on the cherry blossoms and then creating a Kimono person using a variety of art making techniques.
Once the Clay Snowmen were bisque fired in the kiln, the students enjoyed painting them, but quickly realized it was a bit of a challenge! A steady hand, patience, and problem solving, was required for painting the fragile little snow people that were to remain mostly white. The students did a great job of mixing colors and giving their snow people unique personalities!

Second grade artists began a new project following their Kente Cloth Inspired Weavings! The students are being introduced to the style of art known as "Pop Art." The students learned that the term "Pop Art" comes from "popular culture" and certain characteristics like bright bold colors make the art style easily recognizable. For their artwork, students will be making Pop Art Popsicles made from recycled toilet paper rolls! Before getting to the step of paper macheing the cardboard tubes to make popsicles, the students are creating fun and colorful backgrounds inspired by Pop Artist Romero Britto! The students studied his style of art and imitated his use of lines and shapes when creating their own designs, They first drew the designs on paper and then transferred them to foam to make a print! It is so fun to watch the students enjoy every step of the multi-layered project which includes: art history, design, printmaking, paper-macheing, and more!

Third grade artists are in the midst of creating Warm and Cool Collagraph Prints for their latest art project! The project ties in nicely with our year long theme of studying color. To begin the project, the students were required to design and assemble a Collagraph plate. The artists learned that the term Collagraph comes from the word "collage" since making a collagraph plate is essentially making a collage of items on a surface to be printed. The students had fun choosing a variety of items that were made of different textures (bubble wrap, yarn, foam, burlap, etc.). We talked about how the designs should create a nice composition with a balance of positive and negative space and should be non-representational. After the objects were glued on to the cardboard bases and were coated with mod podge, the students painted two background papers (one warm and one cool) and are now enjoying the process of printing! They are required to paint and print the plate 4 times to complete each print. They are doing a fantastic job with this!

Fourth grade artists are thoroughly enjoying creating their Clay Coil Pottery in art class! The students began the project by sketching out a couple of designs in their sketchbooks that started with the basic shape of a cylinder. They then practiced making coils and designs using play-dough. It was very interesting to see how the students adjusted to working with actual clay and approached the clay making process with their original sketches in mind. Many of the students realized that it is one thing to draw a coil vessel and another thing to make it! A lot of skills are developed in clay making, including: rolling even coils, not letting the clay dry out, properly attaching the clay together using what I call the "4 S's" (score, slip, stick, smooth), and so on. The students were asked to think about the following as they make their projects: a quality/unique design, craftsmanship, strength, a height of between 4 and 7 inches, and whether they would like a handle or a project that holds liquid. Once the students are done constructing the clay, the projects will be bisque fired, and then the students will have a chance to glaze them!

Fifth grade artists have begun working on the infamous Clay Cake Slices, which is a student favorite from year to year. The students were asked to brainstorm what type of cake they want to make and then looked up a variety of images that would inspire and guide them in the art making process. The Chromebooks have been incredibly helpful with their project since the students not only use them to refer to their cake images, but they also watch demonstration videos that I recorded for them. The "flipped videos" are SO very helpful because they allow the students to watch demonstrations at their own pace and they can pick and choose ones that apply to them.
The first class of clay making involved rolling out clay slabs and cutting pieces for the cake from paper templates. The students then designed the side pieces to show the inside of the cake, They needed to consider how many layers they wanted their cake to have AND what types of textures the inside would show. The students are now working on the favorite part which is a 3-D topper. I challenged the students to pull out all of the clay making skills they have learned over the years and put those into their design. The students were up for the challenge and I continue to be impressed with what the students come up with. So fun to watch!