September Art Update!

Hello Westlawn and Thorson families!

Welcome to the art blog "Mrs. Miller's Makers" (previously titled "Westlawn Art Blog"). After taking a year off from my art blog in order to focus on the essentials as we all navigated our way through life with Covid and craziness, I am happy to be back! 

This year I have the privilege and unique opportunity of teaching at Westlawn and Thorson Elementary, so for any families who have a child in my art class, this blog is intended for you to stay in the know with all of the happenings in art class!

Amidst the long list of to-do's as an art teacher, I consider parent communication to be among top priorities. I desire that you not only know how your child is learning and growing as an artist, but also that you can come along side them in your shared excitement of the arts! 

At the start of each month, I will plan to post pictures and descriptions of what took place the month prior. That way you won't have to wonder when I will post, and I will even send you an email as a reminder! :)

This first month of school, we have of course packed a lot in, including necessary things like seating charts and reviewing classroom procedures, but the big topics this month included: making sketchbooks and learning the eight "Studio Habits of Mind."

This summer the other two elementary art teachers and I did a book study on "Studio Thinking from the Start" by: Jillian Hogan, Lois Hetland, Diane Jaquith & Ellen Winner, Illustrations by Nicole Gsell. Link HERE 

Here's a little summary...

STUDIO  THINKING: "We believe the arts are vitally important for educating students to be good thinkers. More than 10 years ago, the authors of Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Art Education (2007) set out to systematically investigate what it is that visual arts teachers in arts-based high schools teach in their classes, and how these classes are organized. From there, the Studio Thinking framework was born and is now used in classrooms at all grade levels, all over the globe."

STUDIO  HABITS: "The framework shines a light on those broad thinking dispositions, or habits of mind, that visual arts teachers teach in their classes. These eight Studio Habits of Mind, which emerged from the original research study, include the following."

Develop Craft (Technique & Studio Practice)

Engage & Persist (Finding Passion & Sticking with It)

Envision (Imagining & Planning)

Express (Finding & Showing Meaning)

Observe (Looking Closely)

Reflect (Question & Explain and Evaluate)

Stretch & Explore (Play, Use Mistakes & Discover)

Understand Art Worlds (Domain & Communities)

My students (as well as their community) are beginning to realize that art is SO much more than making a nice looking artwork to put on display. There is a great deal of thinking and learning that takes place in art class, along with the opportunity for students to create a piece of artwork that they can connect to and feel proud of. I am excited to see how our young artists grow (even more) as we focus on these habits of mind and apply them to all areas of our life. These traits will help them to become more independent, confident, and curious learners, which is ultimately what we want to see from future members of our society. One of the GREATEST benefits of focusing on these habits of mind is that students are encouraged to find JOY in the making, and learn that mistakes are part of the PROCESS, which is just as important as the product! 

Let's take a look at the students during their first month in art class!

As a fun and engaging way to review important features of art class, we played Art Bingo! If the students made a "W" for Westlawn or a "T" for Thorson, they got to either make me wear a prop or they got to wear it themselves. That added a fun flair and some laughs to our first day back!

All students (kindergarten-5th grade) were given sketchbook pages with each Studio Habit printed at the top inside of a KEY. We tied in this years school theme, and in art class the students learned "The KEYS to Unlocking My Success as an Artist" (as printed on their cover page). For each studio habit we did an art activity that demonstrated how that skill is important for us as artists.

Observe: Students chose an object in the art room and drew it from observation.

Reflect: Students reflected on 3 questions (My favorite thing about art is... This year I am hoping to grow as an artist by being able to... Something others should know (or find interesting) about me is...).

Understand Art Worlds: Students looked at artwork by the artist and art style that would be their inspiration for their sketchbook cover designs. Each grade learned about a different artist and style.

Stretch and Explore: Students played around with art making processes that imitated the style of the artist they were studying.

Envision: Students brainstormed a list of ideas that would make their artist inspired self portrait unique and representative of their personality.

Express: Students created a sketch of their ideas so that their artwork would express their individual personality and have personal meaning to them.

Develop Craft: Student began to create their final artist inspired artwork after having time to explore the tools and artist techniques.

Engage and Persist: Students identify areas of making that give them trouble and frustration and reflect on ways to problem solve and push forward, while being inspired by other artists and individuals that have persevered through hardships. 

Check out some pictures from each grade level!

Kindergarten...

Kindergarten artists engaging in art activities on their "Studio Habits of Mind" sketchbook pages.

Students practice printing in the style of Piet Mondrian on their "Stretch and Explore" page.

Kindergarten artists making their sketchbooks from paper grocery bags! They also created a pocket and glued on a "Sketchbook Inspiration Checklist" (the "Golden checklist)"!

Students "developing craft" with their grid printing in the style of artist Piet Mondrian. The students first partnered up to draw horizontal and vertical lines using a ruler!

First Grade...

First grade artists learning to draw like Pop Artist James Rizzi on their "Stretch and Explore" pages!

Students learning about "Developing Craft" as they create their final James Rizzi inspired self portrait for their sketchbook covers.

After adding in the "Sketchbook Inspiration Checklist" (or "Golden" checklist) into our sketchbooks, we drew one together! We decided on #2: Design Your Own Birthday Cake!

Second Grade...

Second grade students learning to create a self portrait like Surrealist artist, Leah Saulnier! In the self portraits the students are wearing fantasy hats that represent their personalities. 

Second grade artists enjoying making a sketchbook entry from their "Sketchbook Inspiration Checklist." Here they are turning their drawings (Something that Starts with "G") into a game where another student has to guess what they drew!

Third Grade...

Third grade artists practicing the studio habit "Stretch and Explore" as they learn about contour line drawing and attempt to create a self portrait using that drawing technique.

Third grade artists creating their sketchbooks from a paper grocery bag, as well as additional features including: a pocket, a criteria cheat sheet, and the "Sketchbook Inspiration Checklist" which they all had a part in making!

Third grade students "Developing Craft" as they draw their final contour line self portraits (either blind or modified). The style of art was unusual for many students, Some loved the unique look and expressive style, but others were bothered that it didn't end up looking just like them. 

Fourth Grade...

Fourth graders taking part in the "Observe" and "Reflect" art activities in order to understand the two Studio Habits of Mind. Students could also decorate and design their pages and keys however they wished.

Fourth grade artists practiced the studio habit "Stretch and Explore" by learning figure drawing in order to draw their own action self portrait inspired by artist Keith Haring.

Once the students put their sketchbooks together and glued on their "Sketchbook Inspiration Checklist" (also referred to as the "Golden Checklist"), we enjoyed drawing a sketchbook entry together. The two drawing prompts represented above included "Draw an abstract piece of art" and "Draw a still life."

Fourth grade students demonstrate the studio habit "Develop Craft" as they refine their action figure self portraits inspired by artist Keith Haring. Students chose an action that represented their personality and learned drawing techniques to properly portray a figure.

Fifth Grade...

Fifth grade artists taking part in the "Observe" and "Reflect" art activities as they learn the first two Studio Habits of Mind.

The fifth graders were introduced to the world of caricature art, and played around with the art style on their "Stretch and Explore" page of their sketchbooks.

The students brainstormed ideas of topics they would want to see on the "Sketchbook Inspiration Checklist" in order to maximize excitement for drawing in their sketchbooks.

Fifth grade artists continuing to practice the art of caricature drawing, while trying to capture their likeness in their self portrait.

Students at work on their caricature self portraits. A variety of resources were used in the learning process including: a demonstration video recorded by a friend of mine who is a professional caricature artist, caricature help sheets from a caricature drawing book, and mirrors so the students could study their features. 

Well that's it for now! See you for our next art update at the start of November!

February Art Update

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

February has been a busy month in the art room, and March is about to get even busier! During the month of March, we look forward to another student art show (our biggest art show, taking place at the Cedarburg Cultural Center from March 13th - April 19th). I will also be very busy starting to pack up the art room for the big move AND making plans for my long term substitute Kris Sapinski when my maternity leave is estimated to begin the Monday after Easter. Mrs. Sapinski recently graduated from Cardinal Stritch with an elementary education degree, and has an art background as a graphic designer. She is not only a talented artist, but also loves working with kids and is really excited for the opportunity to work with our Westlawn students. I am grateful to have someone as hard working and dedicated as Mrs. Sapinski, and hope she feels welcomed by our Westlawn students and families.

Now for a look into art room happenings from this past month. Please scroll through to see pictures and descriptions from each grade level.

Kindergarten artists are in the midst of finishing their Clay Cupcakes by adding lots of color with paint! The students were shown how to mix colors and paint neatly by using the proper size brush to carefully filling in all of the deeper areas. They are having so much fun painting their cupcakes, but perhaps the biggest challenge is being gentle with them! We've already had a few breaks, which is of course the downside to making adorable little ceramic creations. Hot glue to the rescue!
After completing the clay cupcakes, the students will be revisiting their Shape Robots! They have already begun the background of their artwork which is made up of gears. The students traced circles of all sizes and then designed the inside and outside of the circles to resemble gears. Soon, they will be tracing the gears with oil pastels and then painting over them with watercolor. Following the background will be the creation of the robots... my FAVORITE part!

First grade artists spent the month of February creating Kimono Portraits, which are nearly complete! They had previously made backgrounds made up of a cherry blossom tree and a moon. The artists are now putting together their Kimono which they "hand dyed" with liquid watercolors. The students learned that real Kimonos are made of either woven fabric or dyed fabric, so it was fun for the students to come up with their own color scheme when dyeing the coffee filters.
The art project involves many steps and a variety of art making skills. Since there are so many parts to the project, there are lots of opportunities for problem solving AND making their artwork uniquely theirs. Once the Kimono portraits have been glued onto the background we will add finishing touches including: a fan, Japanese symbols, and other finishing details.

Second grade artists have been enjoying making their mixed media Pop Art Popsicle projects! After completing the colorful backgrounds to their artwork using the relief printing process, the students began focusing on making the popsicles made from recycled toilet paper rolls! The students learned the art technique of paper mache and as I predicted, students either loved it or hated it... there wasn't a whole lot of in between. The slimy paper mache paste allowed the paper towel strips to take shape around the stapled cardboard tube, causing it to resemble a popsicle. After the popsicles dried, the students painted them with four different colors to create contrast against their background colors. Soon, the students will be gluing down the popsicles and sticks to complete their Pop Art inspired masterpiece!

Third grade artists recently completed all 3 of their collagraph prints! The warm and cool prints will be transformed into an "Agamograph" which is a type of kinetic art, in which the image changes depending on what angle you look at it. The bonus print the students created was mounted onto white paper and Ms. Reilly's class was put up on display! The artists especially enjoyed making the bonus prints since less rules applied... they could come up with their own color scheme as long as they used the same process of printing their collagraph plate 4 times. 

In addition to completing the Collagraph prints, the 3rd grade artists also demonstrated their creative and technical art abilities in the form of two art assessments, each taking one class period. The creative assessment had the students design a logo around the word "school" like the Doodle for Google contest. It was fun to see the students come up with such unique ideas to transform each letter of the word school. The technical art assessment asked the students to draw two still life objects as accurately as possible. They were asked to think about such things as the composition of their drawing, craftsmanship, proportions, and details. 

Fourth grade artists enjoyed finishing their Clay Coil Creations during the month of February! After the projects were bisque fired in the kiln, the students then glazed them with between 1 and 3 colors of their choice. The students were so excited to see them once they were fired in the kiln a second time, since the glazes turned into a glossy and smooth coating. To complete the art unit, they filled out a personal reflection and scored themselves according to criteria that had been discussed throughout the making of the ceramic projects. The opposite side of the self reflection was a vocab quiz made up of ceramic terms. The students blew me away with how well they knew the vocab words! They sure know how to make an art teacher feel good with showing how well they were listening and learning!

Like the 3rd grade students, the 4th graders also completed two art assessments including a creative and technical drawing. The creative assessment was the same as third grade, "Doodle for School." The technical assessment was an observational drawing of 3 objects (a ceramic bear, a plastic white wiffle ball, and an ornate ceramic shoe). The students did a nice job with this and many impressed themselves with what they could accomplish when they focus and put forth their best work!

Soon, the students will be starting a NEW unit of portrait drawing (one of the most challenging, yet rewarding art units they will experience)!

Fifth grade artists are in the midst of finishing their one of a kind, Clay Cake Slices! After being bisque fired in the kiln, the students were invited to paint their clay cakes with tempera and acrylic paints. They were encouraged to not only paint neatly, but to also use painting techniques they have learned over time, such as color mixing, adding texture, value changes, etc. Thankfully, I don't have to do much demonstrating or motivating prior to the painting process. The students naturally come up with fantastic ideas and put forth their best efforts in making their clay cakes AWESOME!

After finishing the clay projects, the 5th graders will return to their Elements and Principles Accordion Books! Pictured below are the assembled books (waiting to be designed on the inside) and the Elements and Principles planning sheets and vocab sheets. The students were given the task of planning out their E&P Accordion Book by making thumbnail sketches to represent the 14 elements and principles. The students have all chosen their theme, they now need to figure out how to use their chosen theme to illustrate the elements and principles of art. This will require the students to KNOW the art words, be CREATIVE in their designs and ideas, AND demonstrate their understanding of different art media (as they will be asked to use 5 different mediums). 

See you at the beginning of April for the next art update! That is if I don't have baby Miller before that time!

-Mrs. Miller

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!

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!