Kindergarten: Dale Chihuly Coffee Filters

Dale Chihuly is an incredible glass sculpture. One of his famous glass designs are these unique bowl shape forms.

 Kindergarten created something similar to these forms using marker and coffee filters. The students first used different line and shape patterns with markers all over their coffee filters, to give it their own unique look. We then hung the coffee filter or a cup and sprayed it with water. As the filters dried, the markers color ran together, and they dried over the cup in a more bowl like shape.

I then displayed them together, similar to one of Chihuly's exhibits.

7th Grade: Art Elements

This post is FAR over do, but they just turned out so great I figured better late then never. Toward the beginning of the year, 7th grade learned the importance of the art elements! We discussed each element that contributes toward every successful work of art. The students created an image to go along with each element of art.

What are the seven elements of art?
LINE. SHAPE. COLOR. TEXTURE. FORM. SPACE. VALUE

8th Grade: Scratch Board Animals

Scratch board is a medium that requires the students to take away material in order to create an image. It is great for how different textures, so the students did close ups of animals, looking closely at the fur, wrinkles, and feathers of their animals.
                 

Kindergarten: Winter Sunsets

I was SO impressed by kindergarten with this project. Every student was excellent at following directions. The students even mixed all of their own colors. We used our primary colors to mix different hues of orange and purples. The students painted the background, and then used sponges to add the snow and tree silhouettes. When I asked the class which were our primary colors I was happy to hear they remembered, red, yellow, and blue. They also knew what color we were going to get when we mixed paints! 

7th Grade: Names in two-point perspective

First off, what is two-point perspective? For those family and friends that may not know, it's a more advanced way of creating space and depth in art. Here is a photo that breaks it down a little.

This is a tough concept to get, that often times students don't learn until high school. Not only did 7th grade learn it, they learned an even more complicated  skill, doing it to letters! The results are incredibly dimensional names that look as if they could be standing up like building. 

6th Grade: Mandalas

Mandalas are a great way for students to learn about radial symmetry, as well as using the ruler and compass. These mandalas also introduced the 6th graders to monochromatic painting, which means one color in different tints and shades. Check out what a great job they did, and the patience they had to have to paint these!

4th Grade: Cartoon Expressions

I get so many requests from students that they want to create cartoons. I want to show them that more effort goes into creating a successful cartoon than they may think. To show this I had students think about show emotions through a cartoon. We discussed the different facial features that help to give away our emotions. I showed them Charles Schulz, the creator of "The Peanuts" characters. He does a wonderful job of showing the emotions of his characters. 

The fourth graders needed to create three separate cartoon faces with very different emotions as well as facial features. We started by making a list of different emotions and discussing what happens to our eyes, mouth, etc. when we feel that way. Students sketched their ideas, and then like any expert cartoonist they neatly did their final draft.