Chalkboard!!!

I would like to take a moment to welcome my new chalkboard to the art class!!!! Ain't she beautiful? I appreciate my amazing SmartBoard and nice white board but I have found that chalkboards are just about extinct, so I feel really lucky to have one!! Woo Hoo!!!

Also, I would like to thank Ms. Estrada for donating it to me and Hector for doing such a wonderful job on the install!!! Thanks Again!!

B is for Boat

Kindergartners are continuing to work on the ART ALPHABET!! This week we worked on "B" and drew a boat! This was also a great lesson to teach primary colors. First, we used watercolor crayons to draw primary color stripes on the paper with yellow in the middle. Next we drew a circle on yellow construction paper. After we cut the circles, we glued them on the red portion of the paper. Lastly, we drew a half of a circle and a triangle on a piece of black construction paper, cut them out, and glue them on the blue portion of the paper. Stay tuned to the blog for "C!"

Stained Glass- Europe

2nd and 3rd Graders are studying art from around the world! This week we finished up a lesson on Stained Glass pieces from Great Britain and other parts of Europe. We viewed many pictures and examples of stained glass. We also discussed materials artists might use when creating stained glass. Next, students created their own "stained glass." Of course, we were not able to use glass and metal, so we used black construction paper, glue, and construction paper crayons. First, I asked students to draw on the black paper with pencil. They were allowed to draw a desert scene, flowers, or an underwater scene. I demonstrated how to draw big and fill up the whole paper. It is very important to draw big with little details for the next step. The next step is to trace over the pencil lines with regular Elmer's school glue. When the glue dries clear it will show the black paper underneath and have a shiny, metal look. When the glue dries completely, students use construction paper crayons to color in between the glue lines, not over the glue. Students make sure to color the whole paper so there is no black paper showing. They did such an amazing job!!

Haiti

2nd and 3rd grade students are learning about art from around the World. First we discussed the continents and colored and labeled a map of the earth.

Our first country that we are learning about is HAITI. We were so lucky to have "Mr. J " come to our classroom to discuss his country and bring in some artwork from children in Haiti as well as artwork that he created. it was so interesting and informative. It is so important for my students to appreciate other cultures and be understanding of our differences. Herrera students were amazed to see pictures that he brought in of the daily life of children in Haiti and to see pictures of the aftermath of the tragic earthquake. After our project, we will be sending some of our artwork to the Haitian students that Mr. J works with!!!

Here are our results!!

Thank you Mr. J!!!!

A is for APPLE!!

We are starting our ART ALPHABET in art class. We started with A, of course, and we created apples from torn construction paper. Prior to class I cut rectangles for each of the colors but they had to tear them and glue them to create the apple. They used a black crayon to add seeds (I let them add as many as they wanted) and to write their names. We used glue sticks to glue everything down to the paper. First, we discussed the rules of using glue sticks. 1. Please do not twist the glue all the way when you use it, (that is how it breaks) and 2. Please make sure you twist the glue all the way down before you put the cap back on so that it does not get"smushed" in the cap!

Picasso Faces with Value!!

After Rousseau, Junior High students followed along in the timeline and studied Pablo Picasso. We also learned about VALUE (light to dark). Students were asked to create a portrait or self-portrait in a CUBIST style. They were also required to create at least 4 sections with VALUE. They were allowed to make it more recognizable or less recognizable based on their preferences. I also asked them to use patterns to make it more interesting. I am SO proud of all my Junior High Students for taking such pride in their work. You guys are AMAZING!!!!

Rousseau Jungle with Border

Junior High Students are participating in creating the art timeline. Junior High will start in the 1900's until today's contemporary art. We started with Henri Rousseau who was most well known for creating jungle paintings. He never took art classes or attended art school, instead he drew from books and brochures about jungles and animals. He loved to paint so he practiced and practiced. Now, his painting are in museums all over the world.

First, our students studied Rousseau and drew a border on their page. Next, we looked at pictures to draw jungle animals and plants. Students were able to use markers or colored pencils to complete this project. They had to fill up the whole page, use a ground line and include at least three animals.