Insects- One Subject, Many Media

Insects provide an engaging subject for study and expression.

1st grade artwork, yes, 1st grade!

When we work with one concept but change the medium, we give ourselves the opportunity to deepen our understanding and make new connections.  

Kindergarten and 1st grade paintings

Kindergarten artwork

Meet the Paintbrush

Kindergarten  children have been exploring the paintbrush and painting.   They've learned different strategies for controlling the brush and for painting. In some images you will see an exploration of the blob and the outline technique along with different brushstrokes: curved, zigzag, straight,  etc.   The following week they painted an owl using the strategies learned.  Check out our video below to see the artists at work. 

Painting with Kinder from Gabriela Elizalde on Vimeo.

Birds

Sebastian, 4th grade

Natalie, 4th grade

Kinder-3rd grade artists

4th grade artists

Kindergarten artist

As you can see in some of my previous posts, we've been using a lot of paint lately as we are exploring color and tint making. Although various classes are exploring this, I enjoy posing a different  project or challenge throughout the week.
The challenge was to draw a bird, whether make-believe or realistic and paint it with tints.  The second day we didn't add white paint to our palette as the pure hues would contrast against the tints.  Patterns were added on the third day with markers or paint.

Tints+Chalk

 

The effect of chalk on top of paint is so soft, they almost glow.

3rd and 4th grade artists

3rd and 4th grade artists


The first day we drew the compositions and learned how to make tints by adding white paint to any color.
The second day we added chalk by blending it lightly with q-tips.  

Making Tints

 

One of the objectives for this lesson was to understand how to make tints.   The palette included the secondary colors plus white.  They could paint any type of plant life they imagined as long as it was large.
 The last day we added gold paint to the background which I feel added an ethereal quality to the paintings. 

Beyond Invented Insects

This was an amazing lesson-
Inventing Insects

As they were painting,  I encouraged them to name their insect, based on the characteristics.    I decided to tap into their musical intelligence by having them compose a sound for their insect.  How could that sound be symbolized?
 They could map it! (video above) One thing that blew me away was seeing the collaboration among students.  Transcending any limitations of spoken language, the map became the tool of communication.  And in its use, students traveled from the abstract to the concrete and back again.  What a journey!

Inventing Insects

1st Grade Invented Insects

I think insects are such an engaging subject for study.  Did you know there are nearly 1 million known species? Ah, but this lesson is not about the known species, it's about the unknown species.
To deepen our understanding of this amazing part of life,   I'm planning on doing a few lessons on insects but just vary the media .  




great insect source here

We started by discussing how artists often find inspiration from nature.  We looked at images of parks and forests and talked about what you might hear or see there.  This led us to the world of insects. Adult insects have the following characteristics: 6 legs, 2 or 4 wings,  a segmented body including a head, thorax, and abdomen, antennae, proboscis and eyes.
 I demonstrated painting the 3 body parts first and then going back to add eyes, antennae, legs, wings, etc.  A  wonderfully challenging  part of this lesson is for the kids to free themselves up and create a new species of insect.  Many of the students also gave their insect an amusing name.


This is one of my favorite sites: Encyclopedia of Life

I Give You My Heart

Don't you love how K and 1 students just throw themselves into their art?
   It was all smiles and anticipation as soon as the kids saw the enormous Jim Dine heart on my screen.
 Today they were going to paint a heart for someone special.

 

link to Jim Dine source


 Process:

1. For Kinder, I lightly drew a heart to get them started.
2. We looked at Jim Dine's Month of June Hearts and noticed how each heart was just flooded with colors.
3. I demonstrated how to paint  in a sort of "scribble scrabble" method  to fill in the heart and then the background.  
4. Wait for them to dry about 5 minutes  (the kids just kind of waved their pictures around).
5. Use the chalk over the paint and blend with your fingers.  

Tips:
Limit the colors to about  3, otherwise they may get muddy.
These are 9x12 on watercolor paper.
A wonderful thing about this lesson is exploring the potential of materials.  With that said,
use paper that can take a beating because they will keep going and going and...



  

Nighttime Paintings

These beautiful nighttime paintings were done by 2nd graders.  We first looked at Henri Rousseau's Carnival Evening (see below). I asked the kids what time of day they thought this way.  As the conversation grew, we discussed what colors made it seem like night, what objects did we see, and what the season may be.  The students also shared  stories of their own nighttime experiences.  We used oil pastels to draw and color in their pictures and  then painted over the entire picture with black paint.  I gave them a second sheet of paper to press over the black paint, smooth with their palm and then "peel" away.  This removes any extra paint and helps to reveal the magical nighttime scene underneath.

Tips*

• If they take too long with the black paint it will dry.  Demonstrate how to paint over the entire picture quickly (almost with "scribble scrabble" strokes).  I also had them do the scribble scrabble motion in the air with me beforehand just to practice.
• Some kids will apply too much paint. I walked around with a paper napkin to help them remove any extra paint.  
• Make sure they use medium pressure with the oil pastels or else the colors may not show up well.

These are 9x12 and took one 45 minute session.

Printing Complimentary Colors and Negative Space

Printing with a cardboard tool is always one of my favorite lessons.  The simplicity is what makes it so open to diversity.  I cut pieces of chip board into about 2x3 or so.  Place one color of paint onto a plate and let the designing begin.  After about 10 minutes I added the complimentary color (I gave them a new piece of chipboard ).   We talked about seeing the energy between the two colors .   About the last 10 minutes of class I passed out small paint brushes and added magenta paint to their plates.  We talked about filling in the shapes or the negative space.  I love the results and my  students did not want to stop...always a good thing!

Happy Birthday!

 

These wonderfully delicious cakes were done by Kindergarten students.  Scroll down to see more about this lesson on a previous post!  I just had to add this new collage of pictures because I love the way they turned out!

Animals and Creating Visual Texture

Here, we were still exploring the art element of visual texture.  Previously, the students made "texture plates" exploring various ways to create tactile texture.   Their challenge in this lesson was to show the animal's skin texture through repetition of certain types of lines or shapes.  I placed little plastic figurines at each table to help them with the drawing.  I think it helps to see the animal in front of  you as opposed to trying to remember  what it looks like.  That way too,  you also get so much variation with the animals they draw.  Lastly, they added a patterned border to bring focus to their animal.

Colorful Castles and Color Mixing

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

In this lesson we explored the art element of color.  We talked about how colors help artists tell their stories.  When the students are thinking and working as artists, they too can use their art to tell stories that are make-believe.   We looked at Paul Klee's Castle and Sun and talked about castle walls, towers and roof tops.  What shapes could each part of the castle be? What colors could they mix from only red, yellow and blue?   They were also to include themselves in the 'story'.