Origami Madness!

Students in 4th grade are working an an Asian Art unit. We started by learning some Chinese Brush painting basics and creating a bamboo painting. Next we have been learning the Japanese art of paper folding: origami. We folded a panda to go in our bamboo painting last week. This week the students are using an app called How To Origami to create their own folded paper masterpieces! 

Fall Projects

Hello fellow art teachers or other interested parties... I decided to post some of the fall artwork we have finished recently. Enjoy!

3rd Grade: Texture Scarecrow

Students listened to the book Scarecrow Pete by Mark Kimball Moulton (Author), Karen Hillard Good (Illustrator). We did a draw-a-long and using basic shapes to create the torso, head, arms and legs of our scarecrow. We added a horizon line. We talked about space, and how somethings in our background should look close and some should look far away. Students added detail with pencil then traced with sharpie. The next class, we talked about texture. We also discussed the difference between implied texture and actual texture. Students used texture plates and paperless crayons to create implied texture, and yarn to create actual texture.

2nd Grade: Black Cat Weaving

Students started by learning how to weave. We folded out 6x9" black square in half and cut slits. Then we wove gray strips into it. Next students cut a branch out of 3x12" brown paper. We discussed that these are all NEUTRAL colors. Students glued the branch and cat body to dark blue paper. Next we made a head out of a 6x6 square I had cut diagonally into a triangle. Students cut the corners off the triangle to make cat ears. Next class, I passed out WARM colored paper and texture plates with leaves on them. Students used paperless crayons to get rubbings of the leaves. They cut them out and glued them to their branch. Last, they used black oil pastel to add a tail and paws, and white oil pastel to add a face and stars in their sky. 

1st Grade: Pumpkin in a Wagon

Students learned about mixing the primary colors to make the secondary colors. We started with a 9x12" white paper and a 3x6" purple rectangle. Students glued the rectangle near the bottom of the white paper. We drew wheels and a semi-circle for the pumpkin. Students were given primary colored tempera paint. We painted our pumpkin yellow, then swirled a tiny bit of red in for make orange. Those went in the drying rack. I then passed out white 12x18 paper. We folded it in half the long way then traced the line with pencil to create a horizon line. The students painted yellow then blue for green grass, and red with blue for a purple sky. Next class, the students cut out their pumpkin and wagon and glued it to the middle of their grass and sky paper. They used oil pastel to create a night sky and fall leaves. 

The Prairie Branch Phoenix!

Each 1-5th grade student made a feather during their first art class of the year. I put all the feathers together to create a giant bird to hang in the commons for the year. It is hung with a combination of poster strips and strapping tape. The students (and teachers) love it!

2014-2015 Bulletin Board

Had to post some pics of the bulletin board I spent all day making... love the "fly free" and "hope is the thing with feathers" ideas so made them apply to my art class. :-) I found a few ideas on Pinterest (see my Bulletin Board pins here: http://www.pinterest.com/jagnew/bulletin-boards/) including how to fold the origami bird. I made the first one from a 7x7" square stapled to the board, the second with 9x9" hung with fishing line, and the last is 12x12" also hung with fishing line. The board itself says "Welcome to Art Class" on the ribbon at the top, then "Let your Imagination Fly Free".

Here's hoping this school year will be the best yet!