2nd Grade- Van Gogh Chalk Pastel

We read and discussed "The First Starry Night" written and illustrated by Joan Shaddox Isom. The book is a fictional account of the artist Vincent van Gogh's real life short stay in Arles, France.

Isom's illustrations for her book were inspired by Van Gogh, and so were ours. We used short lines and overlapping colors to create movement in our artwork.

Van Gogh often painted his emotions. He used bright yellows, oranges, and gold to express happiness (see "Sunflowers"), and many shades of blue were used to express a calmness or sadness (see "Starry Night").

Vincent van Gogh painted hundreds of paintings, including three versions of "Starry Night" and countless "Sunflowers", but he only sold one painting during his lifetime.

Oh, he also cut off a piece of his left ear in a fit of rage. Yikes!

1st Grade - Torn Tissue Paper Poinsettias

With the holidays quickly approaching, we're preparing ahead of time in the art room so that we can have our artwork out for everyone to see by the Winter Break.

In first grade, we're learning about Poinsettias. Before we began our artwork, on first day of our project, we watched a video adaptation of a traditional Christmas Mexican tale that explains where Poinsettias come from. In this fictional story, a little girl named Dedita learns a valuable lesson about giving your all to something you care about.
To watch the folk story, check out this video:


On the second day of our project, we watched a short documentary about where Poinsettia flowers really come from. Even Mrs. Kingsolver learned something new in this one! Did you know that the red parts of the Poinsettia plant are not flower petals, but leaves? Check it out:


Our artworks are made with torn tissue paper, papier-mâché paste, and oil pastels. Aren't they festive?!

First Grade- Textured Perspective Pumpkins

First graders are getting excited about Thanksgiving and all the festivities involved. For this project we used a major symbol of Thanksgiving- the pumpkin- to learn about perspective and texture.

Perspective can make the same object look different, depending on what angle you are looking at it from. For example, the top of a pumpkin looks much different than the side view.

Texture is all around us. It is the way something feels. Texture is important because it can show us how something feels before we touch it. Texture can even help protect us because if we are able to use visual clues to see the different textures of porcupines and bunny rabbits, for example, we will know which one we'd rather pet.

Once our textured perspective pumpkins were complete, we cut them out and glued them to layered paper to create a still life collage.

Parents, you can learn more about perspective here: http://www.artic.edu/aic/education/sciarttech/2d1.html

And art students can learn more about still life here: http://www.theartgallery.com.au/kidsart/learn/stilllife/

1st Grade- Textured Perspective Pumpkins

After learning how pumpkins grow and where they come from, we practiced drawing them from different viewpoints.

When we look at a 3-Dimensional object, from various angles, the same object looks different depending on how you look at it. This is called perspective.

Next, we used crayons and texture rubbing plates to give these pumpkins the appearance of texture. Then, we used either cut paper or watercolor paint to make a background for our artwork. Finally, we cut out our textured pumpkins and glued them on top of the background to create a collage.

Happy Thanksgiving!

1st Grade- Mixed Up Wild Things

We read and discussed the book “Where the Wild Things Are”, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak.

We learned that the three primary colors- Red, Yellow, and Blue- can be mixed together to make three new colors! So, using crayons, we did just that! The new colors- Orange, Green, and Violet- are called secondary colors.

Isn't it amazing how all we need are those three colors layered together to produce all the other colors of the color spectrum?!

Our Wild Things come in many shapes and sizes but they would never eat us up! They just like to have fun.

“Let the wild rumpus start!”

4th Grade- Symmetrical Cut Paper Names

These fourth grade artworks are symmetrical. They are exactly the same on both sides.

Can you find the names hidden in them?

ACE Art Club- Papier Mache Animal Masks

In Kindergarten through 2nd grade ACE Art Club, we learned about the art of mask-making from many cultures and time periods. There are four main reasons that societies make masks. They are used for story-telling (plays, movies, etc.), celebrations, wars, and religion.

Our masks are animal-themed and are ideal for story-telling. Aren't they fun!