A Lot of Hot Air!

As the warm weather returns to NJ (finally!), I'm feeling a little of the old wanderlust.  Here are a few hot air balloons from last summer's art camp at the Markeim Arts Center where I teach ages 5-12.  They make me feel like I'm ready to head for the horizon! We used tempera paint on blue paper for the backgrounds, and while they dried students cut balloons from templates and decorated with oil pastels.  Baskets were added and attached, and off they flew!

The BEST artist!

Kindergarten students listened to the story "I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean", by Kevin Sherry.  We then looked at photographs of giant squid, and then students created these colorful versions using a step-by-step method. They traced their pencil lines with oil pastels, and added some fun sea creatures in the background using colored oil pastels.  Then students painted with tempera cakes.  *They went a little nuts with this step, but I let it roll and they turned out amazingly!

Modigliani self portraits.

Modigliani is one of my favorite artists, so I get really excited each year to complete this project with fourth graders.  I teach the students about Amedeo Modigliani first, and stress that it was his unhealthy lifestyle choices that lead to him having such a short life.  They feel pretty grown up about the matter when I tell them that I wouldn't introduce this topic with younger students for that reason. 

I found this lesson originally on Art Projects for Kids, which suggests that you fold the paper into quarters.  This really helps the students map out the page, and it is easy for them to align the facial features and streeeetch the necks out.  

I used gray paper to give a darkish undertone to the portraits.  

Students:

1. Folded the paper into quarters and then unfolded. 

2. Colored heavily in oil pastel. 

3. Used yellow or white oil pastel to give a highlight "halo" around the head. 

4. Heavily outlined EVERYTHING in black, and smear with one finger. 

5. Signed last name in corner in black oil pastel ---- Modigliani style.

More Pop art cows...

Here are a few more of the happiest on the planet from my past post! (At least they make me quite happy).

Blazing Banyan Tree.

I found this phenomenal project in Dynamic Art Projects for Children, which someone got me as a gift when I was in grad school.  It is an extremely successful lesson!

I love how excited the fourth grade students get to learn about the The Great Banyan Tree in India.  We discuss why the Banyan tree might be the national tree there, and how it symbolizes unity to them because they gather under the shade it provides.  I also played them this video that basically blew their minds when they considered that what they were seeing was ALL ONE TREE!

Matisse Matisse, we love you!

Second graders absolutely rocked a bunch of principles with these masterpieces inspired by Henri Matisse's "The Goldfish".  First students discussed patterns found when you look at objects, both natural and man made, reeeaaaally close up. We then used these patterns as inspiration to make four of our own. Student employed one color of oil pastel in each section on a 12" x 18" paper, but they could use any shade of that color. (They mostly got that idea).

In week 2 we talked again about complementary colors (I describe it as how you might compliment a friend who has a trait that is very different.  "Ava I love how your red hair is so different from my brown hair, and I am complimenting you about it").  Students then used complementary colors to paint the sections on their papers.

In week 3 we talked a bit more about Matisse, and looked closely at his painting. We talked about how even though he was painting pretty realistically, the way he painted the four corners kind of look like our pieces.  We then drew cylinders, based on a short intro to 3D shapes, and filled them with water and fish and put them on tables.  These were cut and glued in session 4, but we also moved on to a different project that day, because these almost third graders can do that part in a flash!

I know a lot of people do something similar, but I got my inspiration from the fab Kristin Kimmell, one of the best art teachers I know!