Sunflower Still Life Inspired by Van Gogh

Sunflowers
1888
Oil on Canvas
Vincent van Gogh

First grade students studies Vincent van Gogh's Sunflowers to draw inspiration for their own still life project.  Students began their art work by discussing the position of the vase and how there needed to be enough room for the sunflowers in their composition.  Using a black crayon, students used a template to trace a vase shape and add the essential line to separate table from background.  From there, students explored color value.  We talked about how Van Gogh used different shades of yellow in his painting to achieve depth.  If we add white to yellow, it produces a lighter tint of color.  When we add black to yellow, it creates a darker shade of yellow.  We explored this concept as students painted in their vases.  Similarly, we learned how to mix turquoise for the background color.  We mixed green, blue, and white to produce teal.  If we wanted a lighter tint of turquoise, students added white and if they wanted to a deeper color they needed to add more blue. 

The second class we painted our sunflowers.  Students used brown for the centers of their flowers and then painted petals with yellow with out washing their brushed off.  This subtle mixing of yellow and brown added to the richness of their petals.  Students were also taught to make their petals by placing their paintbrush on the edge of the brown circle and then flick their wrist away to make their mark. 

The final class was devoted to cutting each sunflower and gluing them to their art work.  Students had to practice advanced cutting skills so that their flowers didn't look like lollipops rather students had to cut around each petal.  It took a lot of effort but their hard work paid off!  Lastly, students added paint and oil pastels to create stems and details to their work. 

The final results are stunning!  Great job 1st graders!!

Andy Warhol Inspired Hand-prints

First grade students began the year with art work inspired by Pop Artist, Andy Warhol.  We talked about turning the ordinary into extraordinary art with the help of repetition and bold colors. Student then folded a 10x10 piece of paper into fourths to get 4 equal squares to use.  Students then traced their hand-print four times trying to rotate their hand in a new direction in each box.  Then came the fun... we stamped their hand-prints on top!  The next week, students then practiced their painting skills by painting in the inside of their hand-prints with four different colors.  Then students moved onto painting the backgrounds making sure they switch colors to make the print "pop"!

   

   

The final results definitely, "POP!!"

Adventures in Clay

Disclaimer: These adorable clay critters are from the 2016-2017 school year.  

Pinch pot fish - 4th grade

Owl wall hangings - 2nd grade

Robot Stamping

Disclaimer: This post was from the 2016-2017 school year

First grade students had a blast making these unique robots.  We began by reading the book, Robot Zombie Frankenstein by, Annette Simon to help gather ideas about the various robot shapes we could use for the robot's frame.  Next, we began to stamp!  Students used cardboard edges and different caps to make circles, squares, rectangles and more.  

The next class, students used pastels to add color to their robots.  We discussed "smudging" techniques to help spread the color within each shape.  The final results are fantastic!

Clay Penguins

 

First grade students began a clay exploration by listening to the story Tacky the Penguin by, Helen Lester.  The class then explored sculpture by making penguins and a pool of ice and water by making two different size pinch-pots.  Students learned the technique of rolling a ball of clay into a ball and then sticking their thumb into the center.  By using their thumb and forefingers, students then "pinched" around the shape to open up the clay in to a wide bowl type formation.  This became the base of our sculpture.    The second pinch-pot started off with a ball and thumb print.  However, student then pushed the clay over their thumb to make a taller tower looking pinch-pot which then became the body for their penguin.  Students then learned about the 'Scratch & Attach" technique of how to apply scoring and slip to clay in order to attach a detail such as a wing, tail or even beak.  I'd say this group really got the hang of it!

On day two, students listened to the story Sergio Makes a Splash by, Edel Rodriguez. 

 We discussed penguin attributes and how to paint our penguins with the right color choice: black, white and a touch of yellow.  Students had a great time painting their sculptures and the results are stunning!

Apple Still Life

First grade students embarked on a still life project which began with tempera paint and color mixing.  Students shared how apples come in many different sizes and colors - red, yellow, green and often a combination of two or all three of these colors can appear on an apple.

Each student traced an apple template onto their paper to help make fill the paper.

Next, came the paint!  Students explored using two colors while painting and letting the brush blend the colors right on the paper instead of mixing paint at their tables first.

Day two was all about collage making!  Student set up the background of their artwork by gluing a large rectangle for a table, a piece of burlap for either a sac or basket, and then students were ready for their apples.  Each student then cut out their three apples and placed them on top of the burlap.  We then jazzed them up by adding leaves and stems.  The finished products are delicious!

Paul Klee Inspired Cats

Paul Klee

Swiss painter, Paul Klee, was best know for his Surrealist works of art.  His use of imagery and color truly strike a chord with children.  Blogger Deep Space Sparkle has some fabulous ideas on how to incorporate Paul Klee into the classroom.  Below is my take on Klee's Cat and Bird, painting and first grade artists.

Cat and Bird
Paul Klee
1928

First grade students began this lesson by slowing down the pace and looking deeply at the Klee's, Cat and Bird painting.  We discussed how Klee was instrumental in the Surrealist movement and that surreal meant representing dream like scenes.  We admired the cat and tried to make sense of the significance of the bird, floating circle and hypnotic eyes.  The class really got deep into the conversation!  

Afterwards, students used their sketchbooks to practice making a Klee inspired cat.  I modeled to the class how to use simple shapes and letters to draw the cat's face and how to fill the paper.  We used a "W"  for the face, a "U" for the tongue, a heart and upside-down letter "V" for the nose, and "rainbow lines" for the arches of the cat's eyes. 

The second class, students then made their final drawings.  Each students picked a colored piece of construction paper and I guided the group with the same demonstration on how to make their surreal kitty.  Klee's use of color stretches the imagination.  We explored pastels as the medium for color and how to use the pastels properly.  I demonstrated how to put the pastel on its side and use the edge of the pastel to color in the space.  Then I used my fingers to smudge the pastel and fill in the space.  Students we instructed to switch colors for each section of their cat similar to the style Klee used in his artwork.  The results are magical!

LOVE this fuchsia tongue!

Great smudging technique!