Seed Pods

We have been working with clay in my middle school elective class.  These seed pods were made by making two pinch pots, scoring, adding slip and joining them together.  They turned the rim of one pinch pot inward and turned the rim of the other pinch pot outward and then smoothed them together.  Lastly, they added texture with various tools.  I'll add more pictures later as some of them haven't been fired yet.  I especially love the variation in tones for the green seed pod.  This student layered different glazes and was hoping to get this type of effect...it worked!

Altered Page, Artists as Designers

The 5th and 6th grade girls are working on designing an altered page with a "spooky" mood to it.  Shown above are the steps we are taking.  First,  they were to select words to make a sentence that spoke to them about creating this spooky mood.  This was actually a really fun part because they become so enthralled into finding this perfect sentence which never existed before.  Then,  I gave them a selection of images to choose from which they were to glue onto their board/page.  Then they used the oil pastels to block out the negative space.  They could use the oil pastel however they chose.  The next step was to design a frame or border (we used the scissors with a special edge for this).  The last step is to construct a small envelope and attach it to their piece. I'm encouraging them to invent a new way to make an envelope.  We are not completely finished yet but I wanted to share the work thus far.  I like this lesson a lot because I believe every part has challenged them to a new level.  

Lines and Cakes!

The focus of this lesson was the art element of line.  During one class period, we looked at photographs and artworks and discussed how lines are all around us.  I believe kids are natural explorers and love to look around and find lines in the environment!  Next,  we made a line chart while we were on the rug.  Finally,  they went to the tables to create their own line charts.  I created more excitement by letting them know that the following week they would be learning how to draw a cake and decorating it with all kinds of beautiful line designs!  

I have to give credit to Explorations in ART the K edition.   I have found it a wonderful resource for ideas.  That's where I found the line chart lesson.  The birthday cake idea probably came to me because I was craving a piece of cake!

Animal Drawings

These are from 3rd Grade.  Their challenge was to draw an animal and create the texture of the skin or fur by repeating lines or shapes.  I placed small animal figurines at each table so they could choose which ever animal they liked. When they were done with their drawings the wrote a short poem about their animal.  I'm super happy with the results!

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This Week in Art...

This past week we have been finishing up our colorful castle paintings while learning about color mixing. We are also finishing up printmaking and drawing animals to show texture. To find out more about these lessons scroll down to see the posts.