Fourth Grade Portraits

Fourth graders have been creating portraits of people who are important to them. We started by looking at work by Hans Holbein, Alex Katz and Dana Schutz:

We noticed how each portrait tells something about the subject. We looked closely at costume, gaze and the way that paint and color were applied.

Next, we created sketches of our own portraits. We tried to decide how we could tell something about our subjects personality using detail and color choices. From our sketch, we created an under-painting. This is a value painting that we later cover. It is like a painted sketch.

Finally, we used the primary colors and black, white and brown to mix and add colors to our work. They all came out AMAZING! Here are a few examples:

First Grade Updates

First graders finished their clay pots ages ago, but I have not posted about them! Here are tons of photos of their finished pieces.

Now, we are working on mixed media pieces. We have studied artists who were inspired by their neighborhoods. We looked at The Block by Romare Bearden and I Live in Brooklyn by Mari Takabayashi. Mari even came and told us about how she makes her art! Now, we are working on pieces about our own neighborhoods. Here is a sneak peak of the studio in action:

Sweet Gift

Got this great drawing today from a second grader:

Thanks Saomi!

New Drawings

We have been getting A LOT of snow here, so second graders did some quick self-portraits of what they look like in a blizzard. Here are some super examples:

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I am going to start this year of posting with an awesome drawing that first grader Emelia made for me. Here it is:
This has so many details that you have to look at it up close, but I love the sea monster, pirate ships, shark fins and underground tunnel! Thanks Emelia!

I have so much to share this month. Check back for the fifth grade tunnel book projects, fourth grade portraits, second grade figures in action, first grade pinch pots and kindergarten paintings. I have also begun working with the 3/4 class in the studio. We started sketchbooks. Here are a few examples of ideas beginning to sprout:


I think we are in for a great year!

Kindergarten Painting Beginnings

Kindergarten artists have been working on mixing the three PRIMARY colors--red, yellow and blue. We began by monoprinting with primary colors and now we have begun working with a brush. We learned about the parts of a paint brush and the way that we use them in Studio 220. Next, we experimented with painting. Here are some images from Ms. Ramsey's class:

Pinch Pot How To by Class 1-213

We are learning how to make pinch pots. Here are the steps:

1. Roll the clay into a ball. Make sure that there are no cracks.

2. Push your thumb into the clay in the middle. Don't make your hole all the way through.

3. Pinch the sides of your clay to make the hole bigger. Make sure you don't make the sides too skinny.

4. Smooth out the cracks with water using two fingers.

5. Put it on a piece of paper with your name on it and put it near the heater to dry.

Class 1-213

AMAZING!

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First Grade Clay Explorations

When we begin a clay unit, I give the students a full class period to simply play with and explore the material. We discuss that clay comes from the earth and has been used for many years. One of the big parts of this lesson is naming ways that you can change the shape of clay. Here is what first graders came up with:
smoosh
pinch
roll
build
sculpt
flatten
bend
twist
break
squeeze
coil/snake
press

Can you think of any others?

December Newsletter!

Can you believe December is almost here?! Here is our newsletter for the month!

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.

5^th 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 5^th period recess, students applying for art as their talent in middle school are welcome to come to the studio to practice for auditions.