Great news! I have been published in the Summer issue of School Arts magazine. I wrote an article about artwork my students made after learning about the art of contemporary artist Justin Vining. You can read the article here. I wrote a blog post last year all about this project: Inspired by Artist Justin Vining. I love Justin’s artwork and you can see pictures of his artwork on his website.
For Earth Day, my 4th & 5th grade class drew endangered trees and birds using oil pastels. The entire lesson took about 3-4 class periods to finish. The students each used a picture of their tree or bird to recreate on a piece of 9″x12″ paper. We talked a little bit about layering and blending colors with the oil pastels. We were able to go outside on Earth Day to enjoy the sunshine while drawing. Our Earth Day committee came … Read more…
This project was a huge hit with my 5th/6th grade classes. There’s something about the feel of sand through your fingers that is soothing. I’m telling you, every kid was very engaged. I got applause after one of my demonstrations. Applause! When was the last time you had your class cheer and applaud after a demonstration? We used Sand-O Adhesive Boards and X-Acto knives to make our pictures. First, we drew the design with pencil. Then we carefully cut one … Read more…
With all the fancy projects an art teacher can find on Pinterest, sometimes it’s good to go back to the basics. Simple drawing and painting of familiar subjects. This week my students drew art manekins. You could see much more concentration in the students than while doing other projects. I was looking through the folders on my computer and found these animal watercolor paintings my students had made last year. For more watercolor lessons, check out these old posts: How … Read more…
Hello! Today I am going to catch up on some of the clay projects my students have been working on. The last few weeks we have been busy learning clay techniques, building and glazing. We weren’t able to use regular clay for the past year since the kiln was out of commission, so my students were itching to work with clay! The 5th/6th grade classes made Clay Castles. We connected a clay unit to their study of the Middle Ages. … Read more…
I got this project idea from the Art Teachers group on Facebook. A teacher had posted a similar personal grid lesson from high schoolers with stunning results! I loved the concept and adapted it for my 4th and 5th grade class. The first step is to divide your 12″ x 18″ paper into 3 inch squares using a ruler. Then you fill in each squares with drawings and designs that are personalized to tell something about yourself. The catch is … Read more…
Today is Veteran’s Day. A day to remember our history and the people who fought for our freedom and safety. Every year my students create Veteran’s Day posters that are displayed at the Senior Center for their Veteran’s Day ceremony. My fifth/sixth grade students go on a trip to the program and sing a few patriotic songs and participate in the ceremony. You can see some of the artwork made in year’s past and read more about this lesson in … Read more…
