Hands in Clay (in progress)!

Here are a few of the hands during construction time.

I love them all piled up in the kiln when bone dry.  Ready to be fired!

Hands in Clay!

Fifth grade students discussed the use and significance of hands in artwork, and viewed artwork by artists such as Michaelangelo, Albrecht Durer, and M.C. Escher. 

Students then created their own hands out of cone 05 white or red clay, beginning with the palm, and then adding the fingers.  We let them dry in rings of twisted newspaper so that the fingers stayed elevated.  We really concentrated on successful glazing with this project, and I think it definitely payed off. A lot of students wanted to give these as Mothers' or Fathers' Day gifts!  

Zentangle Hands!

I started off the year with fourth graders in a Zentangle frenzy.  Last year I did this project closer to the middle, but I got a new art room this year and there were no tables, so being the flexible art teaching acrobat that I am, haha, I decided that Sharpies and 80 lb. paper were enough materials for students sprawled on the floor (although I then went with Kindergarteners and paint, but more on that later).

I showed some Zentangle videos from youtube (kids love the betweed pattern  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h0XuK95omE), and printed out a packet of sample patterns.  I stressed the notion that "ANYTHING CAN BE A PATTERN".  I once had a student do each section in the repeated name of a NJ town.  If a student is stumped, I hint for them to think of things that they like (slices of pizza, baseballs).  Anything can be a pattern!!

I always encourage students to overlap hands and have hands or parts of hands going off the page.  This is a built-in extension because certain students (you know who they are!) will definitely say they are done after half a class session, and others will take 3 classes and still say they need more time.  

I will post more examples soon...