This week First Grade Students will be practicing their Clay Monster Faces. Students practice for a week before we do the lesson for real. These little monster faces from our littlest artists are going to be so cute! I haven't done the lesson live yet, so this video should have some changes to it by the end of the week.
Cra! Cra! Beginning of the new year!
I don't know about you but the beginning of this year has been a 100 yard dash! I feel like I have been running 90 to nothing without rest for weeks now! I have a crazy schedule that has been quite a struggle to wrap my head around and I am two weeks from starting clay with 1st graders! That's right, clay with 1st graders within the first 5 weeks of school.
The past week and a half students have been learning about classroom procedures and exploring materials to be used in the art room for the next year. Students get to play a little bit with the different mediums we will be using in the art room over the course of the next year, then 2nd - 4th graders review how to upload their artwork to ARTSONIA.
I keep all artwork throughout the year, so the only way parents and family members can see a student's work is through their online portfolio through ARTSONIA. This way, students have all their original artwork to choose from when it comes time to select what will be displayed for the End of the Year Art Show.
1st Graders
This week 1st graders will learn how to upload their artwork that they completed last week to ARTSONIA. Students explored many of the materials we will use this year in art class with a short lesson on Mark Making. I got the idea from a fabulous art teacher I follow on Instagram.....problem is, I can't remember which one I got the idea from. I have a bad habit of taking screen shots of all the awesomness I see from #artteachersofinstagram cropping them before I write down the amazing teacher that the idea originated from. 😊
2nd Graders
This week 2nd - 4th graders will be exploring line and shape. 2nd graders will be studying the War Shields of the Asmat people
Students will learn a little about the Asmat culture and the shields they carry in battle with them. The Asmat people live in an area of New Guinea. Their shields represent and are named after the owner's ancestors. Shields are carved from the root of a mangrove tree and is formed into a plank. Symbols of wild boar tusks, flying foxes, tails of kangaroos, and whirlpools decorate the shield. Typical colors are orange, brown, ivory, and black. Deep Space Sparkle Asmat Shields Lesson
3rd Graders
3rd Graders will explore the dream like world of surrealism and Marc Chagall. For this lesson, we looked at Chagall's use of color in a few of his paintings, especially Le Mariee. We also read the book Journey on a Cloud by Veronique Massenot and Elise Mansot. We discussed the differences in warm and cool tones and pointed out how the paintings are primarily a dominant cool with the elements of the warm to contrast as the focal point. The book, Journey on a Cloud, is a perfect illustration to this concept of selecting a dominant warm or cool color palette and the using touches of the oposite color palette for deep contrast. Deep Space Sparkle Marc Chagall Art Lesson
4th Graders
Sometimes the simplest objects, enlarged to a grand scale, can be the most beautiful. Georgia O'Keeffe was a master at this style of painting. Her up close paintings of flowers are some of the most recognizable images in the art world. These close up citrus fruits are a beautiful example of just that! Drawing the fruit from observation is a key part of this lesson. Help your students slow down and really draw what they see as they look at the details of the citrus fruit.
Radial symmetry is part of this lesson as citrus fruits are naturally symmetrical. Value plays a role as students paint their citrus fruits with various tints of color. Using light and shade to show depth and complexity to their painting.
We connected this lesson to the artist Dennis Wojtkiewicz (and do not ask me to try to say ol' Dennis's last name! My southern twang can not wrap itself around all those consonants.) Dennis creates large scale oil paintings of fruit slices and flowers that are hyperrealistic. Visit Dennis Wojtkiewicz website to see some really amazing artwork Deep Space Sparkle Up Close Citrus Art Lesson