Van Gogh Sunflower Field

Van Gogh, a staple of the art room projects. For my interpretation of this magical man, we do a field of sunflowers. I start by reading my 1st grade the book "Van Gogh and the Sunflowers". We talk about what they see in the books design and how he was treated by the people. I actually read parts over the course of the project for it is a big long for 1st to hear in all one setting. 

But as we go through the project, I first have the students create a big sheet of yellow and red swirls. When it mixes it makes an orange and the swirls relate back to Van Gogh. We talk about his brushstrokes and not over mixed colors. 

Next we do the paper for the field itself. Pretty much the same as the orangey paper ( they do it on 18x12 white paper) but starting with blue and white that they paint onto the top half of paper folded hot dog style. We discuss horizon line and the paint not over mixed again. Once they are done with the blue I add some yellow for their grass. To add some texture to it with the help of a fork they scrap into the surface of the bottom half of the paper. 

Once all dry we get to cutting! I show them a couple of pictures of landscapes and ask them what they see happening to the size of objects in the picture. So I have them start with circles near the horizon line and get bigger as they get closer to the bottom. Last they can add some brown centers and white poofy clouds with the help cotton balls they rub over the surface. 

I found this project really fun and interesting to do near the end of the year and I used it as my final focus of my SLO (working on hand eye coordination). Hard part is really getting the students to cut the small circles, might try to have them use hole punches for the smalls. Works those muscles. 

Bug Prints

On the continue quest to integrate classroom content. The last project I did with  my 2nd was about bugs! Now because bugs come in multiples a lot, went with printmaking!

Now part of this has changed from year to year to make it easier. It will change again next year. But what I do is show them some pictures of bugs/insects and have them tell me what they notice about the body. The goal being them notice the symmetry of the bugs body. So what I have them do is take their foam piece and trace it onto their paper. Then fold the paper in half and draw along the fold with only half the body. Then trace it with sharpie and let it bleed through. This year I introduced tracing paper and doing it that way. But once traced I have them draw it one more time onto the foam with the foam underneath and pushing it through the paper. 

Next the fun part. PRINTING! We do proofing first to make sure it looks good and they made their lines deep enough. Plus this gives them practice of how to use the bayers and ink. Problem this year was my 2nd was kind of a full class so bayers got mixed up and such. 

Once practiced and proof, we do color and I demonstrate to them that they can double print or triple print if they would like to. 

I like doing this project for many reasons. One being my joy of printmaking and it really is the only time I did it this year. Darn time. But I will be changing the method of how to get their design onto the plate and design it in general. 

Chihuly Danglers

I don't know many art teachers who don't know about Dale Chihuly and use his work in some way. With that said, I do this quick project with my 4th after the lengthiness of the one-point perspective This little project is about two to three classes.

So to start I show them a Dale Chihuly video on youtube and ask them to describe what they saw in his artwork. I try to get them to focus on color and light. From there we go into warm and cool colors and how these colors work good together. Along with shape of his work and flow of it. Next we start the project. I have them get at least five pieces of transparent paper and a pre-traced spiral and have them trace the spiral onto the transparent paper. Next I give them a choice between warm OR cool. And simply tell them to color it in. Now some students go about this order however they wish. Either tracing all and coloring or tracing and coloring one at a time. 

Once all colored, they cut them out along the spiral and hole punch the middle. Then taking a pipe cleaner, they use beads and construct the dangler. I tell them to put a bead at the bottom and twist the pipe cleaner around it and then layer the beads and spirals. I say bead x2 then spiral works good but no more then five beads between spirals. 

 A NEAT trick a student last year figured out was if you trace on one side and flip it over. You do not have to worry about smearing the colors. Pretty ingenious if I must say. 

Once done, I hang them up in the hall like so for about a week. I do like this project a lot for it is a nice little break and has problem solving and design challenges (what if the hole punch breaks the transparent paper). For next year I plan to re film my demo videos to include some tips and tricks such as the flipping it around. 

Bottle Bobble Heads

BOBBLE HEADS!! So this project has evolved over the years. It original started as scientist but with the grade levels curriculum change focusing on animals and their adaptions. But I original got inspired by my teacher while I was student teaching who did bobble heads and modified it into this amazingness. 

SOO. I am cheap, like most art teachers but clever as a lever. (Not sure what that means but just go with it.) I had the students use recycled bottles for the body and to help weight it down, rocks (it is actually kitty litter but I tell them rocks. It is tidy cats dust free 24/7 and a 25 lb takes care of one class just about).  Then they take a piece of wire and have to wrap it around a ball of newspaper and paper mache the body and head. Over the years this has changed a bit to make it easier because the head is the hardest part. 

We first do a layer of newspaper, not covering the very bottom of the bottle and the wire part of the neck. Then we do white and I show them that if you fold and layer the paper, it will create a bump. I also show them how to add pipe cleaners for other parts like arms, legs, wings, and etc. Some kids really go with it and I ended up needing two days just to get this part done for how intense some got.  

INTENSE!

Now before they can paint, they need my approval of a design. Now it is an animal they are studying in science so they know how this animal looks and adaptions they could add. But just in case they forget the colors or what more detail. My school is lucky enough to have chrome books for them to look up their animal. They know how to use them already due to using them for animal research. But they are required to write down what adaptions their animal has and if they added it or not. Along with describe what they plan to do. I give them the tip to do a base coat of paint then do details the next day. (Similar to the bottle banks, I use bottles and paper mache' a lot in 3rd. Such a  horrible thing.)

Once students are done, I introduce them to the idea of a self-assessment. Just a simple few questions asking about how they feel they did, what they would change, what grade do they give themselves, and about their animal and what they included. 

I love this project and look forward to it every year. It is so open and has such possibilities. Every year this is a challenge though so adjustments are made. I think for next I will change my demo video for how to add the head again. It is such a challenge to do. 

Superhero Poster

Superheros are all the rage right now. But this project I have been doing for, well since I student taught. And it is one of my favorites. It has changed over the years but still great to do.

I start this project off in a very fun and interesting way. By letting my students climb my counters. THERE IS A REASON! I teach them gesture drawing. I first demonstrate how to draw a person in a pose really quickly using scribbles. I tell them this is the one time to scribble. I have them observe how I move my arm and the direction of the scribbles themselves. So from here they practice. 

After a day of just learning how to draw people. We move onto the creation of the character. I have them write down 5 things they are good at. ANYTHING AT ALL. Burping the alphabet even. And from there they create a character built around that skill. I use the superhero idea as a way to explain you are creating a character and a story. And the examples I show them have the character as that main focus and demonstrating their skill. I let them use chrome books to look up picture references for poses or items they want to include. I use picture references so silly not to let them. Just go over copy right laws so they understand they are not coping or making a fan poster of a sports player. 

Now about mid way through their final, I did a mid-process critique. So got out post its and had them go around the room and leave notes, comments, or advice to their classmates. I think it really helped some and had them understand the process more. 

Once all done, we did large group critique. By this point my 5th are pros at it. 

All up for everyone to enjoy their final work as elementary students. 

One-Point Perpsective Cities

One-point perpsective. A challenge in its own to even say. To teach, is a whole other ball of knots. I have taught one-point perspective for 4 years now. Every year, I change and adapt to the technology I have to do it better. This year was probably the best yet. 

So to start, I actually do a study on just the vanishing point and understanding that those diagonal lines go to the point. So we just do shapes the first day. And I show them how to cut them off before they get to the point. Which leads us to day two, city time. I go step by step on how to draw a city using one-point perspective as a group. 

Third day is where the fun really begins and I feel a huge jump in quality happened. CHROMEBOOKS! Thats right, I flipped the second half like a pancake. I put all my demo videos on screen-cast and provided a link to the students. This way, they can pick up where they need help on their own and go at their own pace or re watch steps over and over. Now this didn't solve all the problems but it helped. I love screen-cast because it also allows you around that whole youtube thing. 

But students got to use it for their sketching and then chromebooks again if they wanted to add references to items. 

Lastly, because these are cities they worked hard on, I had them do some writing on them. This time, rather then me trying to teach them and get them to write in art. I asked their teacher to do writing with them. Just gave the basic info on what I was looking for in it. SOOO MUCH BETTER! And finished off with critique! 

At the end I even had these kids self-assess themselves with rubrics and give me notes for next year. One said to just go for the chromebook videos first. Might use that advice to see how it turns out. 

Yes, it has been done before but the reason I am deciding to post this project is due to my technology usage.