Terrariums by 1st!

Terrariums are a trend these days!  I love having them in my home as they are happy little gardens that brighten my day.  My students didn't know what they were so I showed them lots of photos and made quite a few science connections.  Then I showed them some beautiful illustrations of terrariums I found on pinterest and etsy.  I even showed them a "How to make Terrariums" video from Martha Stewart's website.

I did two different processes with my groups of classes, mostly to see which worked best.  I like them both!  All classes practiced drawing jars first (I had a reference for them to look at).  They chose their best jar to draw on large paper with sharpie.  Then they drew a line for dirt and some rocks.  Here's where some of the process was different:

1.  Some groups did the wet on wet technique to create "flowers" and they had so much fun watching the colors spread and mix.  Once dry, they were encouraged to find these "flowers" and outline them with sharpies.. the shapes were beautiful and organic.

2.  Some groups just drew the flowers with sharpie and then painted them.

Lastly, the students watercolored the background in a single color.  I was pleased with the outcome, the students enjoyed the process, and they were sent home in time for Mother's Day.  The project took 3 class periods.  Success! ;)

Folk Art Landscapes by 2nd Grade

Very much inspired by Painted Paper's Folk Art Landscapes,  my 2nd graders drew a 3 dimensional shaped house or barn in a patterned landscape.  It took one day to draw and nearly two days to paint.

Students had the option to draw the house first in the foreground, or last in the background.  I showed the students two step by steps, however they filled in the patterns on their own.  They used a variety of of pan watercolors: basic, glitter, metallic, and florescent.

I adore the vibrancy of them!  I feel this is a simple, yet successful project that students very much enjoyed!  These make a pretty display down the hallway.

lovin' lions

First of all, i got my 2nd graders excited about lions after looking at these photos.  And watching this video.  Talk about melting your heart!  (Learn all about Christian the lion here.)


I used this drawing tutorial and did it along with them in pencil.  On day 2 we watercolored them with a limited palette.  I actually did the lesson with each 2nd grade class a little differently just as an experiement and I will be posting more photos soon.  The overall lesson was about symmetry.  I just love the expressions on the lions faces!

kinder portraits on a whim

i'll be honest, i don't spend as much time on portraits as i wish i could (time- the teacher's biggest dilemma!).  portraits are ultimately my favorite works of art by children!  this was on a whim, and i only did this with one class because they happened to be a day ahead of the rest.

kiddos picked a piece of construction paper, looked in the mirror (just to help them understand the process of self portraits), and painted what they "saw".  

kinda adorable, huh?

p.s. i got the idea here!

boys vs. girls (and ink monsters)

by 3rd grade girls

today i tried out a fun little activity with my 3rd graders based on Stefen Bucher's Daily Monster.  He makes ink monsters by blowing india ink with a straw and turning the blot into a monster with sharpies.  After sharing a few of his videos, i turned the kiddos loose.  (well not really! i was actually quite bossy.)  The kids LOVED this.  But i would have to say, the boys did so much more!

by 3rd grade boys

i mean look how much more detailed they are!  And they're so dark and deranged!  It's hilarious compared to the girls' monsters with their eyelashes and smiles.  Oh, the minds & imaginations of 10 year olds!

Why is Blue Dog not always Blue??

    

    
  

 

Third graders loved the entertaining book "Why is Blue Dog Blue?".  Using inspiration from George Rodrigue, an artist from Louisiana, students had the choice to use the famous shape of Blue Dog or choose another dog to draw with sharpie and then watercolor.  I experimented with size: some classes used 9x12 (watercolor paper)  and others used 12x18 (sulfite paper).  Some classes chose a warm or cool palette for the dog and an opposite color scheme for the background.  Other classes had free range with the colors.  Sometimes I get bored with the exact same assignment for each grade and change it up a bit!  I'm curious how many other art teachers do the same thing!

Posted by Valerie

Cardinals in Snowfall by 2nd Grade

Cardinals are a popular subject in elementary art education, aren't they?

Last year I did the step by step version...  I find it difficult to defend step by step artwork to other teachers.

I've read the debates between art educator's and their views of step by step (guided drawing) vs. drawing from observation.

Personally, I see value in both.  However, I lean towards students needing practice drawing observationally. For this project, students chose from an array of photos that were displayed on the smart board.

  At first they practiced on a half sheet of manilla (6x9) using pencils and no erasers, sketching one on each side.

My verbal prompts included:  Notice the organic shapes and lines.  How would you draw the texture of the short soft feathers on the belly?  What would the lines look like for long tail and wing feathers?

Then I passed out watercolor paper (9x12) and ultra fine sharpies. This part of the lesson took one class period. (The top left one cracks me up!!)

The next class period, students had palettes of liquid water color:  only red, orange and magenta. I did a quick demo on how to use only a tiny bit on the tip of the brush for more control.  I wanted the colors to blend at times, but I also didn't want them to overwork the colors... it's nice to see all three individually, and sometimes blended too!.

 Lastly, students painted a snowy sky in honor of winter.

I adore the individuality and personality of these little guys!  Something I would never experience from a step by step drawing of a cardinal.  

I hope you enjoy looking at these adorable birdies as much as I do!  

(Here are a few great articles on the pros and cons of "how to draw" books and guided drawing.)

Posted by Valerie