September Art Update!

Hello and Welcome back to the Westlawn Art Blog!

If you are visiting for the first time, I am so glad you stopped by! On the blog you will see monthly updates, including pictures and descriptions of what is happening in art class!

During the month of September ALL Westlawn students (in grade 5K-5th grade) took part in 3 special art activities including:
*A Where's Waldo themed collaborative art project that we titled "Where's Mrs. Ramos?"
*Sketchbook making!
*An entire class dedicated to exploring Free Choice Art!

Take a look at the picture collages below!

Where's Mrs. Ramos?

Once the display was complete, the students were challenged to find Mrs. Ramos in the sea of Waldo look-a-likes. Each of the staff members were also added to the display! Some students are still looking for Mrs. Ramos in addition to their own self portrait! If you are visiting Westlawn come and take a look in person!

Sketchbook Making!

Some Kindergarten and 1st graders with their sketchbook covers! Students designed the covers by drawing a self-portrait and writing their name. They also spent time adding color and designs to the picture frame and letters on the bottom.  

2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students created sketchbooks from Piggly Wiggle paper bags! THANK YOU Piggly Wiggly for donating paper grocery bags!! The students learned how to transform the grocery bag into a sketchbook (WITH handles!) and then added pages, along with a sketchbook inspiration checklist and a pocket! Throughout the school year, the students will use their sketchbooks in a variety of ways, but of course the primary purpose is to grow in their drawing abilities and ENJOY drawing! We spent time looking at sketches from famous artists as well as different types of sketches to INSPIRE and MOTIVATE ourselves to draw, draw, draw!😄

Above the pocket of the sketchbook are the 5 things students know to do when completing a sketchbook entry. I like to remind the students that it will be so neat to see their growth from the beginning of the school year to the end AND someday look back at their drawings from elementary school! Please encourage your child to draw outside of school whenever they get the chance!

Free Choice Art!

The students spent an entire art class exploring art activities at the Free Choice Art Station! To help guide the students in their art making, I created a menu of options (pictured above). We talked about how it is unhealthy to only ever eat the same foods day after day, and how our minds are just like that. Instead of only using the same art materials time and time again, I encouraged the students to try NEW things at the FCAS and experiment with different materials and methods!
The students spent the art class exploring ONE feature of the FCAS and then reflected on what they enjoyed about the art activity with their classmates. It was SO COOL to see what the students created and how they used their creative minds in the art making process!

Here are some of the art creations from Free Choice Art...

Magnets!

Art Memory!

Colored Shape Blocks!

Straws and Connectors!

Foam Building Blocks!

Mixed Media!

Origami!

Check out what is happening in each grade...

4K students started their very FIRST art class reading the book "Beautiful Oops" by Barney Saltzberg! In the book, Barney shows how you can take a mistake and turn it into something BEAUTIFUL or AWESOME or even FUNNY! After reading the book I showed the students a variety of "oops's" I found in the art room recycling bin (either mistakes students had made, I had made, or some I made up 😉). Together we brainstormed what we could make out of the mistakes! They had some FANTASTIC ideas, very ORIGINAL! You can see in the pictures above, the two artworks we made (pieces of crumbled tissue paper turned into flowers and s smear of yellow paint turned into a parrot... we named him "Rainbow Parrot")!

Afterwards, the students chose their own oops from a big pile of oops's and used their own creativity to make it into something! Although some of the final products weren't the most polished looking artworks I had ever seen, the thought process that went into making each of them was PRICELESS! From the youngest students to the oldest, the ability to problem solve and view mistakes as an opportunity to GROW is SO VALUABLE!!

5K students read the book "When Picasso Met Mootisse"as an introduction to their next art project! The fictional characters are based on famous artists, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse! The students played a fun art game called "Roll a Picasso" as a way to learn how to draw a portrait in Picasso's Cubist style. The students made their portraits into PUMPKINS! The next class, the students painted paper with green and yellow, and orange and yellow. Soon, the students will be turning their painted papers into Picasso style PUMPKINS like their drawings!

1st grade is learning about Henri Matisse in art class! Like the kindergarten students, they read the book "When Pigasso met Mootisse" as an introduction to their project! They then looked at the artwork of Henri Matisse and studied the colors and shapes that he used in his artwork. The students are now in the process of mixing LOTS of different colors that they will be using to make into their Matisse Inspired Mobiles!

2nd grade is continuing a project they started last school year, VanGogh Inspired Sunflowers! The students are continuing to study VanGogh's style of painting and are gradually adding the features to make their artwork complete! Once all of the petals and cut and glued (and oh my does that take patience and perseverance), the students will add final details with oil pastels. They look forward to showing off their final artworks SOON! :)

3rd grade is starting one of my FAVORITE art projects, Creative Color Wheels! The students are in the midst of painting their color grids that will then be transformed into a unique color wheel! It is not as easy as simply painting paper, the students need to hand mix the secondary and tertiary colors on the color wheel. They are learning all kinds off cool facts about color in this unit and will be putting their knowledge about color to the test!

4th grade students are creating Fall Tree Paintings! They are learning how to draw trees and branches and will then be turning their drawings into paintings! The students are well aware that the project is a challenging one, but are doing a good job showing grit and perseverance in the process. Already their has been so much growth in the students' ability to draw trees! I cannot wait to how much further they come in their drawing and painting abilities and look forward to seeing the breathtaking fall tree paintings in the end!

5th grade students are reflecting about what is important to them and what makes them unique by creating a collage of drawings in the form of a self-portrait silhouette! The NEW Chromebooks are being put to good use in helping the student look up ideas and draw images from observation. The students were asked to make a list of at least 15 things that represent their personality and then turn those 15 things into drawings. It has been fun to learn more about the students and what types of things are important to them (this year I have been hearing a lot about Fort Night 😉... not even sure if that's how it's spelled, haha)!

May/June Art Update!

Hello everyone!

Well... the 2017-2018 school year is a wrap. The students and teachers have worked hard all year and now we are all exhausted (well at least I am 😉). I was telling someone recently that the end of the year feels like you just hosted a big party... it's crazy and fun... and then everyone leaves and you are left exhausted with so much to clean up, haha! But... just like a great party, it's well worth it when you see the results and know how much everyone enjoyed it. So... I hope your kids truly enjoyed art this year and are proud of the artwork they brought home (in one piece I hope)!

A big highlight from May was the first Westlawn Family Paint Night! Mrs. Chivinski (a WL parent) was the real organizer and driving force behind the whole event. So thank you to Annie Chivinski for putting it together! It was a great success and we had so much fun painting! It was SO great to see parents and kids creating artwork together. Check out some pictures below!

Abstract Paint Pour!

Mountain Landscape!

Check out what WL students were up to during May and the start of June!

5th grade completed the highly anticipated Clay Cake Slices! Just as I expected, the students wowed me with their creativity with the cakes! More importantly, they seemed to enjoy the clay making process and also learned a lot along the way. The project involved many clay making techniques that the students have learned over the years. This project really ties a lot of those skills together (slab making, joining clay together with the 4 S's, coil making, shaping and pinching clay, etc. On top of all that the students were required to add their artistic flare and creativity by making their clay cake slice unique! Check out some of the Clay Cake Slices below!

4th grade glazed their clay coil projects after their initial bisque firing. Each of the projects were so unique, and like the 5th grade Clay Cake Slices, the coil projects involved a ton of clay making techniques (primarily coil making).
Following the Clay Coil Mugs and Vases, the 4th graders had some time to make Father's day cards! You may see some of these soon! If you do, act surprised!

3rd grade LOVED completing their Weavings on Clay Looms for their last art project of the year! Of all the times I have taught this project, this particular group of 3rd graders were the most natural in picking up the art of weaving. The greatest challenge for many was tying two strings together when switching colors. The ability to tie a knot may seem insignificant to some, but is a handy tool in life! If you are wondering how to display the finished weavings at home, I would thread a strong string (even fishing line) through two of the hold and hang it one a picture frames hook on the wall!

2nd grade completed their Kente Cloth Weavings at the end of May and then Mrs. Huber's class had a little time to create paintings inspired by Romero Britto (Ms. Ganz's class was a little behind on the weaving project and then missed a class due to an assembly. The weaving project ended up being one of my favorites from this year! I even had people commenting on how eye catching they were and wondering what fabric they were made out of! No fabric! The students created an illusion of fabric with colored construction paper and Kente Cloth inspired designs using permanent marker!

1st grade sadly ran out of time with their VanGogh Inspired Sunflowers, but will be completing the beautiful projects in 2nd grade! The complex art project involves a series of steps including, painting a background, painting/cutting/gluing a vase, painting/cutting/arranging/gluing flower features AND adding additional details with oil pastels, WHEW! We got to the point of cutting out the flower features. The goal of the project is to imitate Van Gogh's style of painting while creating a breathtaking arrangement of sunflowers! The students favorite word that they learned during the creation of the project is "Impasto" which means painting on thick (like VanGogh did).

Kindergarten created an artwork based on the children's book, My Brave Year of Firsts, written by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Caura Cornell. We are titling the projects, "My Brave Year of First Self-Portraits! I worked with the students to come up with three things they did for the first time this school year. The students then created a self-portrait with the goals to resemble their facial features, skin color, and hair color. They enjoyed picking out a hair style from the variety of templates I made!

4-K students finished up their last art class at the end of May! The students created butterflies in the style of artist, Piet Mondrian! The one day art lesson taught students about primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) since those are the colors Mondrian used in his paintings, types of lines (horizontal and vertical), and symmetry (like a butterfly has in it's wings)! The students enjoyed making the wings symmetrical by painting one side of the butterfly and then folding it in half to make a print. Even though it's a simple concept, it still amazes students how that can happen! Unfortunately, I was so busy working with students I forgot to take pictures!

Happy summer everyone! See you next school year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Miller

April Art Update!

Hello! Welcome to MAY!

Did you hear?? Westlawn is holding its first PAINT NIGHT on Thursday, May 24th! No, it doesn't include wine, BUT it does include quality time with your kids, which is even better! I am so excited to paint with Westlawn families and hope to see lots of you there! Hurry and sign up, because there is limited space. You have two paintings to choose from and I would personally hang up either one 😀
Here's a link to the flyer if you missed it! Family Paint Night

Here's what took place in art class during the month of April...

5th grade has been enjoying a PRINTMAKING unit! The students created Self-Portrait Relief Prints on a foam sheet and are now in the process of making a background for their portraits in the form of linoleum printing! The project allows the students to use two different methods of printing. For both the foam and linoleum the object is to create a raised surface and a lowered surface create a relief. The lowered area on the foam is created by pushing down with a pencil or wooden stylus, and the lowered area on the linoleum is created by carving away with gouges. I have heard the word "satisfying" from many students as a way to describe the printing process. They just can't get enough! I can totally relate. Printmaking is up there as one of my favorite types of art!

4th grade has been having LOTS of FUN with CLAY! They are in the process of making Clay Coil Pots. The students first sketched out their ideas in their sketchbooks and practiced making coils with play-dough. After a handful of classes, the students are now getting pretty good at making coils and using the 4 S's (score, slip, stick, and smooth). The 4 S's are the clay making techniques used to join two pieces of clay together. Although lots of fun, the coil projects are a challenge and require that the students make a strong pot that is also creative and pleasing to look at. Next month you will see the finish projects!

3rd grade spent the month of April completing their Warm and Cool Collagraph Prints AND their BONUS print (which included any color palette of their choice). The Warm and Cool Prints were cut into strips that the students then glued onto a template with 16 columns. This process led the students to create an "Agamograph" which is a type if kinetic/moveable art inspired by Israeli artist, Yacov Agam. The students basically folded the template into an accordion pattern and glued it into another piece of paper. The finished products looks SO awesome! 😃

2nd grade students began a new project during the month of April... Kente Cloth Paper Weavings! We began the project by reading the book, The Spider Weaver" which the students read earlier in the year during their African unit in 2nd grade. The students learned the art of basic weaving and the patterns that are involved. They learned terms such as "warp, weft, loom, and beating the weft." The students are now in the process of adding designs to their weavings inspired by actual Kente cloth! The products are turning out great, and luckily the students also seem to be learning a lot in the process (especially how to persevere and problem solve when facing challenges)!

1st grade are wrapping up their Kimono Portraits! After completing the Kimono self-portraits, the students enjoyed creating backgrounds inspired by real Japanese Cherry Blossoms! The process of creating the branches was the MOST fun, since the students got to experience painting with a straw! I suppose the technical term for this art making process would be "blow art." The students spread the ink/paint mixture around using air through a straw to see the branches grow. We had to be careful to take breaks since blowing through the straw was much like blowing up a balloon and can make you light headed! The students then added the cherry blossoms by painting five petals radiating from the center.

Kindergarten just completed their Creative Shapes artwork! The students stretched their imaginations by transforming a shape into an object. They then stretched their creativity even further by creating a background for their object. The students enjoyed using crayons, tempera paint, and oil pastels for their projects. Very soon we will be beginning a new project! Stay  tuned for the next update to see what it is 😊

4-K students completed their Clay Flower Bowls this past month! The students used oil pastels to color their flower and then painted over and around the oil pastels with tempera paint. We talked about the relationship between the oil pastels and paint by calling the oil pastels "bossy!" The oils pastels say to the paint, "Don't go here paint, I was here first!" I had the kids say it with some attitude and sass. They enjoyed that very much (I have a feeling some have had some practice at home 😉). The finished flowers are BEAUTIFUL and FRAGILE! Hopefully all made it home in one piece. If not, feel free to send it back to school and I can fix it.

March Art Update!

Happy Easter and Happy Spring Break!

If you are traveling, I hope you are having a fabulous time and are somewhere warm! If you are having a "stay-cation" like me, I hope you didn't put away your winter coat, and are at least enjoying some quality time with family and friends.

This month's highlights included TWO student art shows... one at the Cedarburg Cultural Center (on display until Sunday, April 22nd) and one at the Cedarburg Art Museum (on display until Thursday, April 19th). If you have not yet gone, and have a chance, take the kids and go check out some awesome artwork! 😊

Here are links to the websites as well as the addresses for each building:

http://cedarburgculturalcenter.org/

Cedarburg Cultural Center

W62 N546 Washington Ave, Cedarburg, WI 53012

https://www.cedarburgartmuseum.org/

Cedarburg Art Museum

W63 N675 Washington Ave, Cedarburg, WI 53012

Westlawn display at the Cedarburg Cultural Center

Naomi, wearing her future artist shirt! 😉

Westlawn display Cedarburg Art Museum

Art room happenings during the month of March...

5th grade is in the process of completing their Elements and Principles Accordions! The complex project requires that the students represent the 7 elements and 7 principles of art using their chosen symbol. One of the most exciting aspects of the project is the wide range of art media that the students are allowed to use. Practically the entire art room has been opened to the students, giving them MANY options in what art mediums they would like to use as they represent the elements and principles. Take a look at the accordions in progress! We will be wrapping up this project this month and moving on to our next project that will utilize one of my favorite art mediums... PRINTMAKING!

4th grade finished their Realistic Self-Portraits at the end of March! All of their hard work on portrait drawing paid off! The students learned how to use chalk pastels to complete their drawings. They transferred the chalk onto their portraits using cue tips and cotton balls. They also learned how to mix colors of chalk to create accurate skin tones and hair colors. Although MESSY, the students seemed to enjoy using the chalk pastels to complete their IMPRESSIVE self-portraits! Currently on display at Westlawn is Mr. Noel's 4th grade class!

3rd grade had fun creating Warm and Cool Collagraph Prints during the month of March! What they don't yet realize is that the two prints will be transformed into an "Agamograph" (a type of "movable" art)! As the students were in the process of making the warm and cool colored prints they were able to decide how to position their collagraph plate. It was so neat to see some of the designs appear after the students printed their plates 4 times. When the students return from spring break, they will be creating a BONUS print, in which they can choose any colors they want (not needing to fit any certain color scheme). We will then begin the Agamographs!

2nd grade completed their Clay Picture Frames during the month of March! The students had so much fun working with clay and coming up with a unique picture frame design! During the clay making process, the students learned how to roll out and cut a slab, use the 4 S's (score, slip, stick, and smooth) to add clay to the picture frame, and incorporate texture by pressing in a variety of objects. The students then glazed their picture frames to complete the process! Mrs. Huber's class is currently on display at Westlawn!

1st grade students are continuing to make Kimono Self-Portraits! The students are enjoying creating the different features of their Kimono people, including the "fabric," the obi (sash), hair, and other features. Perhaps the most challenging feature of the project is the Japanese symbols! The students chose a few symbols to represent their personality and practiced drawing them in their sketchbooks. They then drew the symbols on a slip of paper that will be added to the final artwork! When the students return from spring break, they will make a colorful background and tie the project all together!

Kindergarten completed their Clay Cupcakes this past month! The projects are simply adorable! The students practiced the art of making clay pinch pots. The pinch pot on the bottom was pressed into a silicone cupcake liner to imitate the texture of a real cupcake. The students then learned how to make clay coils by using the palms of their hands to create a "snake-like" piece of clay. I helped the students swirl the clay into a spiral to look like frosting! The students learned the 4 S's of clay making (score, slip, stick, and smooth) to add the cherry on top! After firing the clay projects in the kiln, the students had a chance to paint their cupcakes!

4-K students also worked with clay for their latest project, Clay Flower Bowls! The students learned the word "texture" to describe how something feels. They enjoyed pressing a variety of objects into their clay to create visual and tactile texture. The students also attached a little clay circle to the center of their flowers using the clay making methods of "scoring, slipping, sticking, and smoothing." The students were amazed at the difference the 4 S's make when trying to stick clay together. Their prediction of simply pushing the clay together didn't work! The students completed their clay flower bowls by pulling up the petals and shaping them to resemble a real flower! Next class the students will be painting their bowls!