November flew by! It was great to speak to so many of you at conferences. Thanks so much to everyone for donating materials to the studio! Your contributions from the Dick Blick Wish List and of recycled materials have been much appreciated by the students. As always, we are still collecting materials and baby wipes.
Many of the grades are still working on the explorations begun in November. This is what we have been working on:
Kindergarten artists have explored creating their own stamps using etching. Each student created a tree using their handmade bark and leaf stamps. In December we will continue to explore stamping. Instead of using Styrofoam, students will explore how found objects can be used to create prints. Here, we will be using many of the recycled materials that have been rolling in!
First grade artists are working on a ceramics unit! We are studying clay and exploring how it can be used. Students will learn about where clay comes from and how people have used it for thousands of years to create vessels. Each student will create a pinch pot with a detachable lid. Students will be learning about scratching and scoring to attach one piece of clay to another as they transform their lid into an animal.
Second grade artists are going to be working on a unit inspired by the later work of Henri Matisse. We will be studying how later in his life he began “painting with paper.” Students will be working independently and collaboratively to create a number of cut paper collage pieces. We will explore how compositions can be played with and changed. We will explore ideas of organic/geometric shape, positive/negative space and symmetry/asymmetry. Students will also play with scale, making tiny collages and gigantic collages. It is sure to be a ton of fun.
Fourth graders are working on a painting unit. In November, we explored color mixing and application. This month, students will be creating portraits of a family member. For inspiration and to see the different ways a portrait can be painted, students will study pieces by Dana Schutz, Alex Katz and Kim Scafuro. We will look at how artists use color and paint application to express personality.
Fifth graders are continuing to create their tunnel book showing their characters’ environments. They are studying Andrea Dezso’s tunnel books to see how paper can be layered to create depth. Students will create their environment using a number of pop-up paper engineering techniques and will include a foreground, middle ground and background. They are busy working on each layer of their piece and are eager to put it all together.
5th Grade Note: Many middle schools require students to audition for art or to submit a portfolio. Each school is different, but the general process and what they are looking for is the same. On Thursdays during 5th period recess, students applying for art as their talent in middle school are welcome to come to the studio to practice for auditions.
Studio 220 Newsletter: November 2010
November is a busy month in the art studio! Students are getting started on their second units. Make sure to check out all of the exhibits in the halls during open school week. I hope to see many of you at conferences. I will be holding an open house in Studio 220 on the second floor. Please stop in and have a look around!
Here is a preview of what will be going on this month:
Kindergarten artists have explored how shapes can be used to “build” pictures with collage. In November, we will be moving with this idea into the medium of printmaking! Students will be creating their own stamps by etching into styrofoam. They will use these stamps to create images. The theme for this unit links what they are doing in science with Miss Marsh—a study of trees. In the studio, we will be taking the knowledge they have gained about the parts of trees and how they change and exploring this through art making. We will focus our art explorations on texture and shape.
First grade artists have become collage experts! They will continue to work with paper, but will be exploring how the material can move from two dimensions to three. We will be creating a number of paper sculptures that hang and stand on a base. Students will be encouraged to explore ideas of balance and structure while using the materials. We will experiment with how different types of actions (twist, bend, fold…) change the way that the material looks.
Second grade artists are going to be working on a unit inspired by the later work of Henri Matisse. We will be studying how later in his life he began “painting with paper.” Students will be working independently and collaboratively to create a number of cut paper collage pieces. We will explore how compositions can be played with and changed. We will explore ideas of organic/geometric shape, positive/negative space and symmetry/asymmetry. Students will also play with scale, making tiny collages and gigantic collages. It is sure to be a ton of fun.
Fourth graders are working on a painting unit. During the month, students will really play with the medium to see what it can do. We will be using acrylic paint to explore thick and thin application and strokes, as well as to reinforce what we know about color mixing. Students will be creating portraits of a family member. For inspiration and to see the different ways a portrait can be painted, students will study pieces by Dana Schutz, Alex Katz and Kim Scafuro.
Fifth graders have worked hard to create an illustrated character. In November, students will take their character and create a pop-up paper environment for it. They will study Andrea Dezso’s tunnel books to see how paper can be layered to create depth. Students will create their environment using a number of pop-up paper engineering techniques and will include a foreground, middle ground and background. I am really excited to see where they will take this!
Lastly, I want to sincerely thank everyone who donated materials to the studio through the Dick Blick Art Room Aid and materials and wipes donations. I am overwhelmed by your generosity! Thank you so much for all you do for our artists!
