Pumpkins! Pumpkins!

I'm BACK!!! My goal this year was to post once a week and I have not made that goal. It has been a busy first quarter plus my hard drive failed and I lost everything on my computer:( However, I finally got my computer fixed and am back to blogging.

A few weeks into the start of school I was surprised with a smart board entering my room. I have been busy trying to learn the software and create lessons. I am super excited! I have to say at first I was not. I didn't want to have to learn another new technology and felt overwhelmed at the beginning of the year. I am happy to say now I enjoy using the smart board and my students LOVE it.

Every year at Thanksgiving my school has a Thanksgiving lunch on the last day before break. We all eat in the gym and I am responsible for the table decorations. This year the students are making pumpkins out of paper lunch bags and painted paper. I think they turned out beautiful.

Contour Plant Drawing

Contour Plant Drawing with DESIGNS and PATTERNS

 

 

 

This is one of my favorite assignments I do for High School art. First students need to draw the contour of the plant and pot. The pot then needs to be broken up into at least three sections in the front. After that students are to create pattern designs in every area. Designs switch when it enters a new section. An example is in the stem area. The stems are broken up by the leaves being in front. This creates sections in the stem. Each section is a differt design pattern. I also like to focus on contrast. Students need to think about thick and thin lines, straight or curvy lines, black and white, and other unique designs that create contrast. The background needs to be a continous pattern. I use sharpies for this assignment. 

BIRDHOUSE COLLAGE

COLLAGE #2

 

 

The students really enjoyed using all of the fun materials.

• First I had students paint the background paper (9x24) using blue watercolors and the rubbing alcohol technique. This technique is used by applying rubbing alcohol to the wet paint using a dropper.
•  Next the students worked on their birdhouses. I created birdhouse tracers that they could choose from. The birdhouses were traced onto scrapbook paper. The students enjoyed this. I seldom buy scrapbook paper to use in art projects. I just may start buying more.
• The students designed their birdhouse on the backside of the scrapbook paper.
• Then it was time for the FUN part. Students used buttons, scrap paper, mosaic pieces, wood pieces, and whatever else I could find in my room.
• Then construction paper pieces. This included the grass, the wooded post, and the flowers.
• Last but not least our cotton balls for clouds.

Have you ever used 3-d O's? This is how I had the students attach their birdhouses to the paper.

I did this project a few different ways this past week. On Fridays I travel to another building to teach two classes. I teach ART on the CART there. I do paint with the students (on Friday classes) but when I have the students paint we have  to head down to the cafeteria. For this project I did not  have them paint. I just used blue construction paper.

Flower and Vase Collage

COLLAGE

 

 

 

My elementary students are focusing on creating a collage out of a variety of materials. The background is a crayon resist using watercolors. The table cloth is from a sample book of curtains. If you know anyone that can get you these samples take them up on it. I have tons of these book samples. The border is made of scrapbooking paper. The vase is construction paper and construction paper crayons. The flowers are made out of construction paper and buttons.

 

 



 

Birds with Patterns and Designs

Teacher Example

All summer long the only work I did for school was pin on Pinterest. I noticed that I was pinning a lot of bird ideas. You will be seeing a lot of birds this year. I started the students off by drawing the bird. I do a lot of step by step procedures. First the students drew an egg shape for the body of the bird. Then a beak and a tail. I then moved on to the wing and belly. The eye was last. I had the students draw a large eye. After that the students drew patterns and designs inside the bird. Next a black sharpie. Students went over their pencils lines in black. Then I have them erase the pencil lines. COLOR SCHEME!!!! Students could only pick 5 colors for their bird color. The colors were also incorporated in the background. I am so impressed with the background. I think it adds something special to the work.

I couldn't wait to post so right now I only have two student projects to show you. I think my students did a fabulous job!

My art room - in the beginning

This is what I walked into on my first day back to work. I do not come in throughout the summer. I live about 45 to 50 minutes away from work. I never head that far north in the summer. It took me the 2 full teacher work days to get my room in order. I still need to do a bit more to my room. Those things are minor though. It is more labeling and things like that. In the next few days I hope to post the after pictures. I moved a few things around from last year and am pretty excited about the flow of the room. I am also working on new lessons that I hope to post in the next few weeks.

Simple Birds

This is the very first assignment my primary students will be working on. Students will use watercolors, tisse paper, and a black sharpie. I love using modge podge and did try to incorporate it to glue on the tissue paper feathers (red bird) but I think I will have to pass on the modge podge this time. The background is watercolors and rubbing alcohol. I let students decide if they would like to have a WARM bird or a COOL bird. What ever bird they pick then the background will be the opposite.