2nd Grade: Matisse Flower Vases

The Matisse Exhibit is underway at the Art Institute of Chicago right now so I thought it would be a great time to show his work to my second graders and give them a chance to use pattern.  It also happens to be close to Mother's Day, and I think moms would love to have these flowers for their day!  We start by looking at Matisse's The Purple Robe.  I have students point out the different patterns they see repeating in this painting- there are a TON.  Next we pick out two different color papers (9x12), and fill each page with a different type of pattern using markers.  They have to fill up the whole page.  Next, I show them how to create the vase- I stress that all vases will turn out different and that is good!  We fold one of the patterned papers in half like a "hot dog", then draw the letter 's' starting at the top and working down to the bottom of the "hot dog" page.  I remind students that the folded paper should be like a book (fold on the left side, opening on the right).  Once they draw their 's' then they cut it out to get their vase.  Next, they glue their "tablecloth" (the other patterned page) onto a 12x18 white paper- turned portrait style, not landscape.  Then their vase is glued on top of that close to the bottom of the page.  Next we add several dots of glue above the vase, stick on layers of pre-cut tissue paper squares, let them dry for a few minute, crinkle them up with our fingers, and finally- draw green stems from the flower to the vase with a green marker. Voila! Beautiful flower vases!

(my demo, unfinished)

(finished demo)

4th Grade: Modigliani Self-Portraits

This is one of my favorite projects.  There's something amazing about 4th graders being able to capture the expressive faces of Modigliani.  Students LOVE saying his name too, by the way.  First I show a bunch of work by the artist in a PowerPoint.  We talk about elongated features- long neck, long nose, small eyes, small lips, and rich colors used.  Then we fold our papers (steps shown below) and use our fold lines for guidelines.  I tell the students to look at the rectangular shapes made by the folds, as "quadrants"  The face takes up the first two quadrants, neck goes in the third, and shoulders in the bottom quadrant.  The line down the middle helps keep the face centered.  Eyes go on the top fold, bottom of nose falls midway in the second quadrant.  We start with a light pencil sketch, then color all skin tones first, hair and clothing second, and finally outlining every pencil line in either black, brown, or navy blue. The very last step is coloring the background.  I have them choose two analagous colors (next to eachother on the color wheel)  and blend together above the head. 

First, fold like "hot dog"

Next, fold "hot dog" in half

Lastly, fold that in half once more.  When open you should see 8 small rectangles.

4th Grade: Complimentary Color Wheel

This is something I have my students work on if they finish a project early.  First they divide the paper into 8 triangles (make one vertical line, one horizontal line, and two diaganol lines with ruler).  Then, they have to find 3-4 objects anywhere in the art room to trace onto their paper- they like hunting for unusual things.  Then they use my classroom color wheel to start filling in color triangles with color pencils.  My color wheel is a 12- color color wheel, so I tell them to pick 8 of the 12 colors to fill in, and they must be in color wheel order. Finally they fill in the art object shapes with the complimentary color (or as close as they can find to it).
This is a fun challenge for those students that are always ahead of everyone and need something to do!

1st Grade: Spring Chicks

For this project we talked about how many things artist create come from simple shapes.  We also talked about visual texture, and how to use a sponge to get the "fluff" look of a chick.  Using sponges and white and yellow tempera (mixed together and watered down), we made circles for the heads.  We used triangle sponges for the nose, and the back of a paintbrush for the eye dots, feet, orange hair, and grass.  I tried to teach "profile" with the kids- and some of them got it! Pretty cute!

Adaptive Art: Sunset Sailboats

I have seen several other blogs post this lesson, and wanted to give it a try! I pre-cut the triangles and trapezoids for the students.  We started by folding a 13x13 white paper in half and painted the sky with large sponge brushes.  I let students mix red and orange tempera onto their paper and repeat "back and forth, back and forth" for them to fill up the entire half.  Then we unfold paper and turn the sky away with the blank half closer to us.  I let them mix light blue and dark blue to paint the water.  We used the back of the paintbrush for the waves, and popsicle sticks for the masts.  I had extra wallpaper with a wood grain pattern on it for the boat bottoms, and used bright colored construction paper for the sails.  They turned out cute!

Earth Day Recycled Crayons

I made these in my oven with some old crayons I have been saving.  I thought they would make a really cute Earth Day gift!  I have made these before using all colors for my special needs students to color with.  This time, I just chose blues, greens, and whites to get the "earth" colors.  I've also thought about using the used cupcake papers for a flower project, since they also come out so cool!!  So, first I break up the crayons into small pieces, then place them in the cupcake papers in the pan, bake them at about 200 degrees for about 20 minutes.  I usually use a straw to swirl the colors around before I take them out.  Once they cool the paper peels right off, leaving the crayon.  These are great for special needs students to use.  Some of them color with them, some do rubbings with texture plates, and some just stack them like building blocks- they are multi-purpose! :)

1st Grade: Monet's Bridge

For this project, we began by learning about Claude Monet and his gardens.  We looked at the story Linnea in Monet's Garden and watched the video too.  The video is great- it goes into detail about Impressionists, shows real photos of Monet in his garden, teaches some French words, and even discusses how Monet was influenced by Japanese art.  We started out with a step by step crayon drawing of the bridge, added flowers, vines, lilypads, lillies, and clouds.  Finally, we finished with a watercolor wash of blues, purples, and teal.  The kids LOVE the wax resist!

3rd Grade: Sea Turtles

We started off looking at tons of images of sea turtles, both photographs and works of art, learning all about these cool creatures and their environment.  I had students close their eyes (with lights out) and imagine that they were swimming deep down in the ocean- I describe various things (seaweed tickling their toes, tropical schools of fish swimming by, etc.) Then, I say- all of a sudden a giant sea turtle swims right pass you!  I have them imagine what it would like close up.  I have them open their eyes and we talk about the shell and scutes, the designs on their flippers and heads, and then we begin to draw.  We used oil pastels with a watercolor wash, sprinkled with salt.