First/Second Grade Georgia O'Keefe Inspired Flowers

Before beginning this project the class looked closely at different flowers and observed the flower paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe.  Then we talked about cropping and how making the flower fill the page can create a dramatic, abstracted design.  After making two or three practice drawings the students picked one to transfer onto watercolor paper.  Black glue was used to trace over the pencil lines and left to dry.  The next week the students used watercolor pencils and watercolor washes to add color.

Third Grade: Picasso/Mattisse

Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse were two of the most well known artists of the 20th Century. Both artists adopted many different styles throughout their careers.    Matisse used patterning and wild colors.  Picasso distorted and rearranged the features of his subjects. For this project the class compared the art of both artists and then created portraits influenced by a specific style of either Picasso or Matisse.

Picasso

Mattisse

Using watercolor pencils to add color

Adding water to activate the watercolor pencils

Fantastic Fossils!

Sand Cast Fossils

The second grade classes were studying fossils.  We made our own "fossils" by making leaf and shell impressions in sand and then pouring plaster into the imprints.   When the plaster hardened the students "excavated" their fossils by cleaning off the extra sand with brushes.

Colorful Abstract Fossils

Fossils make great abstracts!  We looked for the elements of art in pictures of fossils and then made several sketches looking closely at the lines and shapes.  The object wasn't to copy the picture exactly but to use the lines and shapes they observed to make an abstract drawing inspired by the fossils.  Each student chose one drawing to trace onto a neutral dark paper and then outlined the pencil lines with black glue.   The following week pastels were used to fill the entire paper with brightly colored patterns.  They turned out to be quite beautiful!

Sketch fossil lines and shapes

Transfer drawings to pastel paper

Outline with black glue

Fill in shapes with colorful pastel patterns

First Grade: Color, Line, Pattern

Adire Cloth Inspired Wax Resist

The first graders learned about line and pattern by looking at the artwork of other cultures.  For their first project they learned about the wax resist dye process used in Adire Cloth.  We began by discussing the many ways that lines can be used to create patterns and then practiced making patterns.  The next week we used crayons to create Adire inspired patterns on paper.   The wax in the crayons "resisted" paint when it was applied.

Aboriginal Dream paintings

The next project was inspired by the Dotted Dream Paintings of the Australian Aborigines.  We began with a pre-painted snake which represented the Rainbow Serpent of the aboriginal mythology.  Then the students added dotted outlines.  After a discussion of symbolism and how art can be used to tell a story the students added aboriginal symbols to their work and then shared their stories with other class members.