Art

Sunday, October 15, 2017

What's Been Happening in the Art Room?

All year, our Chargers are learning the building blocks of art - the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Each month in the Art Room, we study a different topic. In the case of the middle school artists, we often study many Elements together. During the month of September, students had been looking at LINE - its purposes and how it functions in art.

September and October Highlights

Kindergarten

Students were introduced to the art room and how to use materials and tools safely with environmental awareness. Here are their “I CAN” Statements:

• I can recognize and produce a variety of line types

• I can identify and create patterns

• I can identify spatial relationships

Next up: Color

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A DOT?

LINE CHARTS

NAVAJO BLANKETS

PRIMARY COLOR BIRDS

First Grade

Students explored lines in four different projects this unit, culminating in Lines at a Circus! The major “I CAN” Statement for this unit is:

• I can recognize and produce a variety of line types and directions

Next up: Shape and Space

LINES TO TOUCH

LINES AT A CIRCUS

Second and Third Grades

Students learned identify horizontal and vertical lines, how to create a variety of line types, and how

these kinds of lines to produce artworks.

The “I CAN” Statements for this unit are:

• Students can identify and produce a variety of lines, such as thick and thin, horizontal and vertical, diagonal, spiral, zigzag, intersecting and parallel

Next up: 3D Form

HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL LINES

STARRY NIGHT

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade is studying lines to create pattern, movement and shape. They have done a portrait and now a still life.

• I can use lines to create patterns and movement

• I can use lines to create shapes for a still life

Next up: Value

BAD HAIR DAY

LINE TO CREATE SHAPE

Fifth Grade

Fifth Graders are studying basic drawing by completing a realistic charcoal drawing.

• I can make 3D forms and value in a drawing

Next up: African Masks

Sixth Grade

Throughout the year, the grades will be studying the art of various world and historical cultures. Sixth Grade is currently studying Mexican folk art. This means that different forms of art are produced in various parts of the country, and not all people take part in the specific traditions. Additionally, like with folk tales, parts of the art might not be realistic. Students have learned the cultural and historical context of the Mexican celebration Day of the Dead. By working in the style of the artists, they will create their own unique drawings in contemporary settings, such as at a soccer game, baking cupcakes, going to a movie with friends, or family routines.

Seventh and Eighth Grades

The oldest students are learning how to create the illusion of space in a painting by following the rules of Atmospheric Perspective.

Next up: Portraits and a fun art history-based unit!

CONTOUR SHOE DRAWINGS

TONAL LANDSCAPES

Monday, September 25, 2017

Lines, Lines and More Lines!

All year, our Chargers are learning the building blocks of art - the Elements of Art and Principles of Design. Each month in the Art Room, we study a different topic. In the case of the middle school artists, we often study many Elements together. During the month of September, students have been looking at LINE - its purposes and how it functions in art. Here are some samples!

Kindergarten began with a reading of The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds (great books!). We then explored art-making through a lesson I call "What Can You Do with a Dot?"

The young artists then moved on the make their own Line Charts and showed me their drawing talents.

First Grade create "Lines That You Can Touch".

Second and Third Graders are taking influence from Vincent van Gogh to create their own versions of his famous work "Starry Night"!

Fourth Grade created portraits having a "Bad Hair Day"!

Fifth Graders are working with lines PLUS value! They created their own intricate sets of plumbing, and then they are shading them with values, using charcoal, to create the illusion of depth.

Sixth Grade is working on a very detailed unit. It is called My Mexican Folk Art. We began with looking at art, reading about folk art traditions in Mexico, and we practiced reading and writing strategies. The students then began to learn how to draw the human figure, using the skeleton. Since they just started the drawings, I'll post them in my upcoming blog.

Seventh and Eighth Graders gave me the inspiration to begin the year with contour and simple drawings. A few of our students are obsessed with shoes. . . who can blame them? You know I love fashion!

I'll keep you posted on how we do as we move through the rest of the month. . . I can't wait to see what develops!

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Welcome back to the Art Room!

I am so happy to have a new year ahead of us at Bethlehem Lutheran School. We are already off to an exciting start to the year in our Art Room. I look forward to seeing all my students and families, and I want the students to flourish!

Our art room is supplied for the first of the school year, and I'll be getting us some new materials as well. With some unique projects coming up, I'll ask you to look around at home to see if you can find a few odds and ends that will help us out this year:

● Magazines (preferably in color with lots of photos - portraits, landscapes, etc.)

● Out-of-ink pens for easy printmaking projects

I look forward to working with your children to see how they grow, change and create over the course of the school year. I hope you will always feel welcome in the Art Room and enjoy all the masterpieces that the 2017-2018 school year will bring!

What we're studying in September:

Kindergarten - Dots, Lines and Patterns: Many projects!