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!

March Art Update

Thanks for stopping by the Westlawn Art Blog!

During the month of March, all students (grades 5K through 5th grade) began working on a very special project, a FISH project! Jake Knox, a Westlawn parent and woodworker extraordinaire, is currently at work on a NEW location of St. Paul Fish Company that is scheduled to open in Mequon this May. Jake reached out to the Cedarburg and Mequon elementary art teachers and asked if our students would be interested in creating fish artwork to be part of the interior design! Of course we were all thrilled to be part of such a unique opportunity and got right to work on creating fun and eye catching fish projects with our students. In addition to working on other art units, each grade level is currently designing and creating their own original fish. Check out some pictures and description of the projects below. Stay tuned for more information about when the fish market opens so you and your family can visit!

5th grade artists are designing and creating watercolor fish! The students used their Chromebooks to find a fish that appealed to them and created a realistic sketch of their fish in their sketchbooks. Perhaps the greatest challenge of the project (for all grade levels) was to make the fish large enough on their 3 in. X 5 in index card. We talked about using the WHOLE space and making markings on our paper to map out the size and shapes before adding details. Next, the 5th graders will be learning how to paint the fish in stages to achieve the realistic paintings their are going to create.
The 5th grade students paused their printmaking project to work on their fish. So far they have created a background to their artwork by designing, carving, and printing a linoleum block. They had a blast with this and we are looking forward to the second phase of the printing project when the fish are complete! Also during the month of March, the 5th graders completed their paper making which will be used for the cover of their sketchbooks and the cover of their E&P Accordion Books. Busy month for these kids!

4th grade artists are learning how to do scratch art for their fish project! Like the 5th graders, they began the project by choosing and sketching a fish in their sketchbooks. Many of the students doubted themselves at first, but once they learned some tips (such as making markings on their paper and then connecting them like a game of connect the dots) they had great success! So much of art is a mind game and requires you to be mentally strong and think you CAN! Next, the students will be tracing their fish on scratch art paper and beginning to scratch away the white areas (which will turn into color since the scratch art paper is multicolored underneath the black layer). Once again, the project will test the students' focus and commitment to make the fish look like they are wanting them to.
While the 4th grade students work on their fish projects, their self portrait drawing unit is on hold. I look forward to finishing their realistic self portraits when the fish are complete!

3rd grade artists are creating fish mosaics! It has been quite some time since I have done a mosaic project with students, but after learning that Ms. Ingham's class did a mosaic art activity earlier in the school year, I thought this would be a very fitting project for 3rd grade! The students chose and sketched a fish of their choice in their sketchbooks and then traced their drawings onto the small index card. They then lightly shaded the fish using colored pencil so that they would have a guide for where to put the colored pieces of cut paper. The students are now cutting and gluing colored paper to imitate the colors seen in the fish pictures. They are starting to get a hang of how a mosaic is created and are also learning what not to do in the art making process. Thanks so much to those families that donated paint samples earlier in the year! They are coming in super handy!
While the 3rd graders create their mosaic fish, their clay canopic jars are being fired in the kiln. The students will be so excited to paint them after completing their fish!

2nd grade artists completed their Kente Cloth Inspired Paper Weavings at the beginning of March so starting the fish project came at just the right time. I enjoy connecting art units of study to some of the topics students are studying in their classrooms. With the Kente Cloth project we made a connection to the African unit, and now we are learning about Brazilian artist Romero Britto (connecting to the 2nd grade unit on Brazil). Romero Britto is a famous artist know for his "Pop Art" style of art using bold colors and designs. The students used Britto's art as inspiration and incorporated his use of bold designs and bright colors into their fish artwork! After drawing a fish from observation, the students added their designs and made them colorful using colored permanent markers! They look SO great!

1st grade artists will be starting their fish projects this week! They are currently enjoying creating a new project (and a personal favorite of mine) VanGogh Inspired Sunflowers! The students have created about half of their project and with each step they work on they always make it a goal to study VanGogh's painting and imitate his style. We have been working on color mixing and painting like an impressionist painter with the visible brush strokes and painting on thick ("impasto"). I am always amazed at the quality of work that the students bring to this project. Never underestimate what a child can do!

Kindergarten artists are making fish in the style of famous artist Piet Mondrian! The students learned about Mondrian last year in 4K when they made butterflies in his style of painting. This year, I thought it would be fun to make fish in the same style! The students chose one of six fish templates I created and painted sections of the grid with the primary colors, red, yellow, and blue. They will then trace the black lines with sharpie to darken them and will finish their projects by cutting out their fish. The project is simple, fun, and eye catching!
The kindergarten students also completed their awesome Robots during the month of March! This was a first time project that aimed to help the students to grow in their knowledge and creative use of shapes! The students had a blast designing their unique robots with the help of rulers, stencils, tin foil, colored construction paper, glue, and colored sharpies!

4K artists completed their Piet Mondrian Inspired Butterflies this past month. Since the butterflies have vertical symmetry, the students were able to make a dot of paint and fold the butterfly to see the same color appear on the other side! Although the act of folding the paper to create a mirror image is a simple art technique, to a four year old, it appears like magic! After making dots of red, yellow, and blue paint in the sections of the grid, the students then practiced their quality painting by filling in the rest of the shapes. The butterflies are by no means "perfect" like Mondrian's paintings appear, but they are beautiful and colorful, and the students had fun learning and creating during the art making process!
The wonderful Kandinsky Circle Paintings are currently on display at Westlawn outside of the art room! They brighten up the hallway and cause many people to stop and admire the students' work!

Here are some pictures from the student art show that is going on right now at the Cedarburg Cultural Center. Over 40 Westlawn artists were represented at the art show! Way to go Dolphins!

February Art Update!

Woah! Where did February go? The end of the shortened month always creeps up on me!

Well, we're continuing to enjoy creating in the art room and are excited to share with you some pictures and descriptions of art creations that have been in the works!

4K art students finished their colorful Kandinsky Circle Paintings last art class and also started a new project inspired by another famous artist! After adding a final set of circles to their Kandinsky paintings, the students were asked to trace lines on a butterfly that is in the style of artist Piet Mondrian! Mondrian is famous for creating paintings with straight black lines and blocks of primary colors (red, yellow, and blue). The next time we meet, the 4K students will be adding paint to their butterflies using the primary colors, and in the process, will discover what happens when you add paint to one side of the butterfly and fold it in half! Check back next month to see how their butterflies turn out!

Kindergarten art students recently finished their Self Portraits by adding a border made of yarn! The border was a great addition to the artwork but definitely proved to be a challenge! The kinders are now creating their next art piece which focuses on SHAPES! They will be designing robots made entirely of shapes and will enjoy being creative in their approach. They have already made a background for their artwork by drawing and tracing gears with oil pastels, and painting over the gears with black watercolor paint. The project will help students to practice observational drawing, shape recognition, creativity, and craftsmanship in their work.

1st grade just completed their Kimono Portraits, that finally came together after working on many different parts! Most recently, the students practiced drawing Japanese symbols and then added a few symbols to their artwork that represented something important to them (such as friendship, family, life, etc.) The students also created a fan and positioned their person's arms so that it appeared they were holding the fan. In addition to learning a variety of art techniques, as well as a bit about Japanese culture, the project taught students how to be a good problem solver if they got behind on the project or needed to fix a mistake. The students will soon be starting a NEW art project inspired by one of my FAVORITE impressionist artists!

2nd grade students are in the process of finishing their Kente cloth Weavings, which is a complex and time consuming project involving many steps! The students recently completed their designs using sharpie. They were asked to create their own designs inspired by Kente cloth. Wow... once the students added the designs, it's amazing how it tricks your eyes into thinking the artwork is real cloth! So cool! The students are now adding yarn to the bottom of their artwork to create fringe (giving the weavings tactile texture... texture that you can feel). They will also be weaving some yarn into the artwork in order to add more texture AND continue practicing weaving techniques!

3rd grade art students paused their Clay Canopic jars to complete two important AND fun art assessments! The first art assessment tested the students' creativity! The one-day art test is called "Think Outside the Square." It asks students to choose one colored 6"X6" square and transform it in some way. With the use of a variety of materials (colored pencils, hole punchers, scissors, glue, etc.) the students aimed to impress me and themselves with their creative square transformations! I would say the outcome was a success because no two were the same!
The second and final art assessment, was a still life drawing of two objects (a bottle of liquid and a little purple monster creature). This art test took a look at how well the student could draw from observation. Once again, the students worked hard and many were pleasantly surprised with how accurately they were able to draw the objects.
Now that the two art assessments are complete we will jump right back into creating our Clay Canopic Jars!

4th grade students also took two art assessments, in between finishing up their Clay Coil Pottery! The art assessment that tested the students creativity was the same as 3rd grade ("Think Outside the Square"). The second art assessment was slightly more challenging that 3rd grade... rather than drawing 2 objects from observation, the students drew a still life of 3 objects (a ceramic bear, a wiffle ball, and a ceramic shoe). The students were encouraged to show the following in their drawing... a nice composition on the paper, accurate proportions, texture and details, and craftsmanship.
In addition to the two one day art tests, the students were able to glaze their fabulous Clay Coil Pottery, that will soon be on display outside of the art room!

5th grade art students just started paper making! The handmade paper will be used as a cover for their Elements and Principles Accordion Books. The students had blast choosing a color scheme and tearing paper, as well as adding crayon shavings to their pulp! The process from beginning to end is rather enjoyable and the paper that has been made so far looks fantastic! The Elements and Principles Accordion project has in some ways felt like a marathon, BUT the project teaches the kids SO much AND gives them many choices. It also requires students to be good managers of time, which has been a struggle for many students. I will be inviting any students that are behind on this project to come into the art room Friday mornings at 8:00 for Art Work Time! Please ask your child how they are doing on the project, and if they are not yet done, I would be happy to work with them to complete it!! :)

January Art Update!

Welcome back to the Westlawn Art Blog! So glad you stopped by!

Check out what Westlawn students have been up to during this COLD month of January...

4K art students enjoyed part two of the Kandinsky inspired art project! The students revisited Wassily Kandinsky's painting, entitled "Squares with Concentric Circles" in order to figure out what our next steps of the project might be. They guessed right... add more CIRCLES and COLORS! This time, instead of using blocks to print, the students used paintbrushes and tempera cakes to add circles. Not only does the action of painting circles allow students to practice their fine motor skills and control of the paintbrush, but it also gives students a chance to explore a variety of colors, including what colors work well with others (or don't work well). For example, red paint on a red background, does not show up well, but green paint on red paint does. A lot of exploring went on in their young minds and the students had lots of fun adding circles to their paintings.

Kindergarten students spent the month of January creating a self-portrait project, that I hope will be treasured for a long time. The students made a portrait that was quite different from the background of their artwork. The background is super colorful, made up of tissue paper squares that the students laid down with mod podge. The portraits, on the other hand, are very simple line drawings traced with black permanent marker. The students thought about what makes up a portrait drawing and were thoughtful in adding all of the necessary features (everything from facial features to what clothing they might wear). I just LOVE the contrast between the portraits and the backgrounds, and I especially LOVE how genuine and youthful the portrait drawings are. The students and I are now taking on the challenge of adding a sewn border with colored yarn. I say challenge, because teaching an entire class of kindergarten students how to sew, is more difficult than I anticipated!

First grade students are in the process of making Kimono portraits! The students have already completed the background of their artwork which is a branch of a cherry blossom tree against a blue sky. The students looked at pictures of cherry blossom trees and attempted to imitate what they saw. They especially had fun making the branches, since the painting technique they used was blow painting! The students laid down little puddles of paint/ink and used air pressure from the straw to spread out the paint/ink into smaller branches.
After making the background, the students enjoyed "dying fabric" (painting coffee filters with liquid watercolors) that will be used for their Kimonos. They turned out so cool and unique! We are now in the process of putting together all of the features of the Kimono portrait. The students wrapped their person in the Kimono "fabric" like a burrito, and are beginning to add other features that represent what a Japanese person would wear for a special occasion.

Second grade students spent a handful of art classes completing their sketchbook cover designs! Each grade level has a theme for their sketchbook cover, and second grade's theme is cursive! The students practiced writing their name (and the word "sketchbook") until they got a hang of it. Of course the foreign style of writing came naturally to some more than others, but all persevered and showed lots of improvement! In addition to adding their name and "sketchbook" to the cover in cursive, the second graders designed a picture frame and drew a self portrait.
The students are now beginning a NEW project that focuses on African culture. After reading the book, "The Spider Weaver: A Legend of Kente Cloth" by Margaret Musgrove, the students chose a color scheme for their paper weavings they will make to imitate real Kente cloth! The introduction to weaving will teach the students some terminology such as "warp" and "weft" and it will also involve patterns and some problem solving when they face challenges. The students are loving the process so far and will be even more excited to see the final products soon!

Third grade students designed their own alphabets during the month of January, and then used their letter designs to add their name and the word "sketchbook" to the cover of the sketchbooks! For their alphabets, students were asked to do a combination of observational drawing (looking at letters they liked and copying them), as well as imaginative drawing (coming up with their own creative letter designs). Between the two, the students were able to come up with some awesome and unique Alphabets! In addition to adding letter designs to the cover of their sketchbooks, the students also designed their own picture frames and drew a self portrait. Soon, the students will be starting a new project! Check back at the end of February to see what it is!

Fourth grade students have been enjoying working with CLAY during the month of January! The students are in the process of creating clay coil pottery that could be in the form of a mug, vase, or another container. In order to get their creative juices flowing, they sketched a design in their sketchbooks showing what they would like their clay pottery to look like. The students also practiced making coils with play-dough before using the clay. This helped the students to become familiar with with the motions and techniques used to make quality coils (to their surprise... it's harder than it looks, especially when using the clay)! The fourth graders are now a few classes in and their projects are growing! Not only do they need to be conscious of the height (between 4 and 7 inches tall is the goal), the students also need to be thinking about the strength (which is determined by the "4 S's"... ask your child what they are), the craftsmanship, and the creativity of their design. There's a lot to balance, but also a LOT of fun to be had for this project. Soon, the students will be able to glaze their projects after they have been fired in the kiln.

Fifth grade students have been hard at work on their Elements and Principles Accordions! For this in depth project, the students chose a symbol or theme that would be represented 14 different ways. On one side of the accordion the elements of art will be seen (line, shape, color, value, texture, space, and form). On the opposite side, the principles of art will be seen (balance, contrast, emphasis, pattern, unity, movement, and rhythm). The project is enjoyable for students for the fact that is allows them (and encourages them) to be CREATIVE. It also allows students to explore a variety of art mediums (I am essentially opening up my whole art room to students for this project... they can be as creative as they want with art mediums and techniques). One of the CHALLENGES that the project brings is time management. Since there are 14 panels on the accordion, students need to be productive during class and think about not only quantity (getting multiple panels done each class) but QUALITY (putting forth their best effort on each one and showing quality work). I look forward to putting the finished projects on display when they are done, but first we have a lot more work to do!