Gustav Klimpt Trees

For this project we studied the artist Gustav Klimpt and talked about similarities between his works. We focused on the painting, "The Tree of Life." I told the students they would be designing their own version of this tree. I demonstrated drawing the tree in his swirly style step by step as they followed along. Bigger limbs were drawn first and then smaller branches were added to them. They were encouraged to come up with their own interesting patterns and shapes for decoration. Gold and black Sharpies were used to color in their patterns and brown crayon for the rest of the tree. A yellowish-gold paint color was chosen for the background, in true Klimpt fashion.

Wayne Thiebaud Ice Cream Cones

For this lesson the students studied the artist Wayne Thiebaud, who is famous for his paintings of delicious desserts. They also learned how to make different values of their paint color by adding tints and shades. Each child started with a white piece of paper with a cross drawn across it, making 4 sections. I gave each table group a different ice-cream color and then walked around to add white or black at different times and they filled in each section of their paper with a different value that they mixed. After these were dry, each section was cut into an ice-cream scoop shape. Students got to choose a background color and then created a waffle cone from paper. The last step was glueing them on top of their cone with the lightest scoop on top and the darkest on the bottom. A cherry was added for fun :)

Radial Symmetry Designs

Students learned about radial symmetry. We looked at examples of radial symmetry in nature such as snowflakes and flowers and then looked at human-made radial symmetry such as crop circles and mandalas. Students were told they were going to create their own mandala design using what they just learned, as well as their knowledge of fractions. We practiced cutting different sized colored circles into 1/2, 1/4, and 1/8 fractions. They used these pieces to come up with their own unique design. Each of their designs had to have a central point and similar patterns rotating around. Some students got the concept right away and others struggled. I just kept reminding them that for each colored shape they glued down, it needed to have a "twin" right across from it on the other side of the central point. I showed them how they could layer the colors and have fun with color combinations. The results are quite fun!

Henri Rousseau Tigers

Students learned about the French artist Henri Rousseau and studied his jungle paintings. I drew out the tiger step by step as they followed along and then gave them a black marker to outline and color in the stripes, nose and pupil of the eye. A yellow marker was given to color the rest of the eye. The next day they were given orange paint to fill in the tiger and blue for the background. On the last day of the project they were given several shades of green construction paper squares in different sizes. I showed them examples of different types of plant life to include in their artwork such as grass, leaves and vines so to create a jungle around their tiger. The idea was to show overlapping and variety in their work. They drew out each piece, cut it out and arranged it around the sides of their picture however they wanted. This project was done with 2nd and 3rd grade.

Laurel Burch Cats

Students learned about the artist Laurel Burch and her unique style of painting. I love teaching about this artist as she showed such positivity and love for life despite her bone disease. I demonstrated step by step how to draw a cat in her style while they followed along. A cat face for Kinders, and a whole cat body for the 1st graders. They added their own patterns inside of the cats and colored them in with crayons. Paint was used for the rest of the cat and the background

Kaleidoscope Name Designs

This project was exciting from start to finish. Students loved it and couldn't wait to see the results! Each child got a square piece of paper and folded it into a triangle 3 times to make 8 folds. They were also given a separate triangle the same size as the folds in their paper. They wrote their name in bubble letters inside of this triangle as big as they could, making sure each letter touched from top to bottom. I gave them the helpful hint of making sure the middle letter of their name is in the middle of the triangle. I reminded them to make sure it was neatly done as this is what will create their kaleidoscope design. They then traced their name in Sharpie on both the front and the back. This step is super important. The triangle is then placed behind their square paper, lining up with the triangle folds and their name traced with pencil on the front. The triangle will need to be rotated all the way around as they keep tracing, making sure the same letters are touching all the way around. I like to tell them to put their first letter facing the middle. If done correctly, their name will create a design which they will color in with markers. Each letter should be the same color all the way around. They are to color the spaces in between the letters in the same manner. This project was done with 4th and 5th grade. Can YOU spot their names? They are tricky to find! 

Collaborative Flower Mural

This was the mural we created at the beginning of the last school year. Each child practiced drawing types of line with oil pastel on the back on an index card and then sweeped paint across it. The index cards were cut into petals and all put together to create a fabulous flower. Leftovers were made into even smaller flowers. I was quite happy with the result!