September Art Update!

Hello and welcome back to the art blog!

It has been a joy getting to know your kids better the first month of school. I am excited to share what we have been working on and where we are headed in art class this year.

I have adopted this year's school theme at Westlawn, "Finding JOY in the Journey" into our art class! We talked about the journey we will be taking in art this year, learning about new artists, art styles, cultures, art making methods and more! Just like any journey though, it will have its twists and turns, ups and downs... but even in the challenges we will make it a goal to persevere and find JOY along the way!

To get us started on our journey, the students created their very own passports! Inside is a self portrait they drew along with some fun personal information (name, grade, favorite place they have traveled, where they would like to travel, and their favorite form of transportation). The students enjoyed starting off with a fun and easy project. We will occasionally revisit the backside of the passport where the students will add stamps from the different parts of the world we will travel to! With travel being our theme this year, I am making it a goal to teach the students more about art throughout the world. There is SO much to see and appreciate!

In combination with our passport making, we played a BINGO game the first couple of classes in which the students learned and reviewed important features of art class and the art room. Establishing those routines and expectations from the beginning is very important, but of course it is MUCH more effective to do it in a FUN way! The students placed markers on the image I was referring to and when they had enough to make a "W" for Westlawn, "T" for Thorson, and "P" for Parkview they got Bingo! They could then choose a silly prop for me to wear (the flamingo hat was very popular ;).

Then we were onto our first project... sketchbooks! This year all students are designing their sketchbooks to resemble a piece of luggage! Our suitcase sketchbooks are turning out so FUN and ORIGINAL! :)

We started with the same design of the body being created from a paper grocery bag (THANK YOU Piggly Wiggly for once again donating bags for ALL of our students)! The students glued the cut pieces together and added 3 features inside (a pocket, a "Golden Checklist" for drawing prompts and inspiration, and a criteria "cheat sheet"). 

The following class, the students were asked to add COLOR and TEXTURE to the outside of the sketchbook so that it resembled a suitcase they would want to own! They had many art materials available to them (especially our older students). For the younger students, we had fun with texture plates and tempera paints to fill up the space with color and texture! The kids (even the older kids) always love seen the texture appear on the surface by rubbing hard with "naked" crayons (the younger artists especially get a kick out of that term). 

The next art lesson, we added a fun feature to the outside of our suitcase! Kindergarten and first grade learned how to add straps and buckles with paper bag scraps, cardboard, paint, and marker caps. The second through fifth graders saw two additional demonstrations of an outside pocket and decorative corners. The students were encouraged to add a feature that would enhance their suitcase sketchbook design, while also making use of recyclable materials! Win-win!

Next art class, we will be designing our own stickers to add to the outside of the suitcase sketchbooks so that the students' personalities can really be captured! I can't wait to see what the students create and hopefully they will cherish these one of kind art pieces for a long time. They will be one of our most valuable art tools this year since we will be using them in so many ways (brainstorming, practicing, exploring, reflecting, imagining, observing, enJOYing... the list goes on)!

Take a look at some pictures from each of the grade levels below. I will do my best to show a variety of students throughout the year, because I know how much fun it is to see your own artist at work! The next art update will picture students creating their first official art project following the suitcase sketchbooks, so stay tuned for that! Although I aim to post on the first of each month, November 1st is my due date, so we shall see when it actually happens! 

Kindergarten

First Grade

Second Grade

Third Grade

Fourth Grade

Fifth Grade

May Art Update!

Hello artists and families!

Here we are, at the END of the 2021-2022 school year! The end has flown by, as it always does, and our last month together was jam packed with some great projects and events. I was particularly excited to hold TWO 5th grade Fine Arts Nights (one at Thorson and one at Westlawn). What a special way to showcase all of the talent, hard work, and growth by our soon to be Middle Schoolers. Even though they are moving on to the next adventure, I sincerely hope they will be lifelong artists in their exploration and appreciation of the arts!

What a pleasure it was to see ALL of the students grow this year. I hope you enjoy looking at our last set of photos and descriptions and also take the time to appreciate each work of art that your child comes home with!

Have a WONDERFUL summer and I will see you in the fall!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Miller

Kindergarten artists finished up their Robot artwork by creating a second robot as a crayon rubbing! A white piece of paper was taped over their Robot relief sculpture and the student enjoyed seeing their robot shapes appear as they rubbed with the side of a "naked" crayon!

The young artists then moved on to our last project, My Brave Year of Firsts Self Portraits! These are a personal fav of mine as I love to see what students write down for their three things they did or tried for the first time in kindergarten. We began the project by reading the book "My Brave Year of Firsts" by Jamie Lee Curtis and Laura Cornell. The little girl in the book shares many new experiences, some fun, some scary, some hard, some funny... but in all the new experiences she shares how "first things first happen, when she's brave, true, and strong." The kindergarteners reflected on what was new for them in kindergarten and then wrote three things down. 

The students also created a self portrait from colored construction paper, drawing, and painting. After adding the head, and finger shapes, the students go to choose a hair template (they had 12 different styles to chose from) and then they enjoyed accessorizing to make their portrait more like the unique person they are!

 

Kindergarten Robots AND crayon rubbings!

Students creating their "Brave Year of Firsts" Self Portraits. The students had lots of fun adding details to make their artwork unique to them.

Precious keepsakes! They all turned out great!

First grade artists completed their awesome Kimono self portraits! The complex artwork had many different pieces to them, such as the tree painting and cherry blossoms in the background (the blow painting with a straw was a favorite), the watercolor dyed coffee filter Kimono, the accordion folded fan, hand drawn Japanese symbols, and all of the extra cut pieces and drawing. Although challenging to teach with each student having a different vision, it was so great to see the artists put forth their best effort to make their artwork meaningful to them. Hopefully this one can be matted and put in a frame at home! :)

Beautiful Kimono inspired artwork by first grade artists!

Mrs. Carpenter's Class on display!

Second grade artists wrapped up their Pop art Paint Tubes and had a BLAST with every step. The mixed media project taught the students art history, relief printing, paper mache sculpting, painting, and hand shaping clay! I love the variety in colors and positioning of the paint tubes, as well as the variety of designs in the background prints that were inspired by Pop artist Romero Britto. If you look closely at the paint tubes, some of the students got creative with the names! Some of my favorite included: fire, ice, rose, apple, ocean, and grass. So creative!

Pop Art Paint Tubes from Mrs. McClone's Class

Some close ups of the 2nd grade art creations.

Mrs. Abrahamson's class on display!

3rd grade artists completed their amazing Radial Weavings on a Ceramic Loom! In between working on their weavings, many of the students also had time to create Mother's and Father's day cards which were so special and cleverly crafted. I especially enjoyed teaching some classes how to make an Origami Tie for a Father's Day card! :)

As you look at the weavings, you will notice students learned how to switch colors and string on beads. The students learned and practiced the basic weaving skills of "over, under, over, under," how to tie a knot, and switch colors. There was also a WHOLE LOT of problem solving and perseverance when students realized what happened when they skipped a warp thread and goofed up the pattern of over, under, over under. Overall, I would say the students LOVE weaving and once they got a hang of it the weaving was finished in a flash!

Making Mother's Day cards and creations!

Creating Father's Day Cards!

Radial Weavings on Ceramic Looms from Mrs. Leja's class.

Westlawn 3rd grade artists adding more yarn and beads to their weavings!

Wrapping and packing up all of our artwork!

Fourth grade artists were super excited to finish their Sew Stuffies! One of the objectives of their artwork was to "Envision and plan a sewn stuffie that expresses the student's personality" and they all nailed it! Since the students were excited about their art creation they naturally took on the challenge of sewing, which was new for most students. The students learned a "whip or edge" stitch to sew their fabrics together. Following the sewing and stuffing, the students were able to add color and detail with watered down Acrylic paint and sharpies. After the projects were complete, the students made Seesaw posts and then had their artwork on display for other students to see. There were many compliments, especially about the characters they recognized (I on the other hand did not, so I guess I am going to have to be more in the know with 10 year olds)!

Mrs. Burke's class painting their Sewn Stuffies!

Westlawn 4th grade artists painting and adding details to their Sewn Stuffies!

Amelia and her fantastic Seashell Sewn Stuffie! We made a "beautiful oops" out of the smudged paint on the fabric side of stuffie by sewing on some sequins for added color and texture!

Reflection sheets and Seesaw posts!

Some completed Sewn Stuffies on display!

Westlawn Sewn Stuffies featured in the cafeteria showcase for all students to see!

Fifth grade artists completed one of their favorite projects of the school year, Clay Cake Slices! The students seemed to enjoy every phase of the project, from the designing, to the clay making, to the painting and embellishing. A couple of the studio habits that come to mind when thinking about the creation of the clay cakes are: "Stretch and Explore" and "Express." The students stretched themselves artistically and attempted new techniques in order to come up with a design that was in their head. They also were invested in the artwork up until the end when they thoughtfully selected a cake stand to present their work.

Following the Clay Cakes, the fifth graders used their GORGEOUS leftover handmade paper to create an Accordion Book! Sadly we ran out of time and weren't able to design the inside together, so I gave the students creative freedom to design the inside as they wished! My only request was that they make the inside meaningful and do their best work!

Here are some ideas of how they could design the inside of their Accordion Book:

• Photo Album
• Concert ticket collage
• Travel scrapbook
• Comic book
• Flip book or transformative drawings
• Journal/sketchbook
• Gift to a family member (Father's Day)?

How would YOU design the inside? Check in with your artists to see what their plan is.

THANK YOU to the students and families that attended the Gallery Walk at the 5th Grade Fine Arts Night! For our first year, it was a success! I wish the 5th graders well as they embark on their next adventure and hope that they come back to visit sometime in the future!

5th grade artists painting their Clay Cake Slices!

Mrs. Kahn's class adding finishing touches to their cakes!

The 5th grade artists completed Artist Reflection Sheets as part of the Gallery Walk!

Every. Single. One. A one of a kind work of HEART!

Students were required to bring in their own stand as part of their final presentation for the Gallery Walk!

Some students had enough time to sneak in a Father's Day card with Origami tie :)

The handmade paper the students made earlier in the school year was turned into an Accordion Book! The students had creative freedom to decide how they wanted to design and decorate the inside. The only requirements were to make it meaningful and do their best work!