Second Grade Finished Birch Tree Landscapes

As I posted earlier my second grade students have been studying Gustav Klimt and landscapes. Second grade students had a lot of fun picking warm or cool colors for the background of their landscapes. We learned a lot about how different colors in artwork can make us feel different ways.

When we cut our Birch trees out we made sure to keep the edges of our Birch trees curvy just like the Birch trees we viewed in Gustav Klimt's artwork.

One of my awesome second graders even brought in a Birch tree branch he found on a hike with his family! I thought it was awesome he connected what we are doing in art class to the outside world.

We used liquid Elmer's glue and sponge brushes to paint on the glue.

Each table had a separate tray of warm or cool colored tissue paper. Students were able to pick their color family.

Finished!

Students also had the choice of overlapping and/or crossing trees over one another.

Also, students had to add a shadow. We discussed how the shadow had to stay consistent as we glued our trees down so it would be apparent where our sun was in the sky.

Kindergarten Wayne Thiebaud Cupcakes

Kindergarten students learned about the artists Wayne Thiebaud by studying his "yummy" paintings of sweets including cupcakes. After viewing his paintings we had a discussion about the difference between 2D artwork and 3D artwork and then proceeded to transform Thiebaud's paintings into our own  3D cupcake sculptures using model magic. We discussed how a 3D shape is solid and can be viewed from all sides, verses a 2D shape which is flat and not a solid shape.

To create the sculptures students had to first create a pinch pot for the base of the cupcake. We then created a coil (or snake) for our icing. The kids had a lot of fun seeing how long they could make their coils. The kindergartners did end up needing some assistance putting the icing on top of the cupcake.

Finally (and I think this part was the students' favorite) we got to decorate our cupcakes with sprinkles, stripes, and even a cherry on top.

Finished product!

Finished product!

Finished Product!

 

Just some of our cupcakes safely stored away. I have some of the cupcakes displayed in our wonderful display cases right outside of our cafeteria.

 

 We spent one class discussing Wayne Thiebaud and creating our pinch pots. I loved having colorful pinch pots around my art room for a week before my kindergartners finished their cupcakes their next art class.

Putting the final details on our cupcakes! We love our sprinkles!

Happy Valentine's Day!

All students were given the chance to create their own heart. The heart making was simple-the students just had to decorate them any way they desired. What the hearts were used for is pictured below. After all of the hearts were made, I put the hearts in to four different larger hearts. The four hearts are now hanging at the entrance of our school building wishing everyone  a happy Valentine's Day!

Kindergarten Learns About Dry Brush Painting

Kindergarten have spent their last two art classes creating their dry brush snowmen. We first discussed what snow feels like, in order to begin a conversation on texture. We also read the book "Snowmen At Night", By Caralyn Buehner. While reading we used our "artists eyes" to really look at the colors on the snow at night. Finally we began painting and creating texture with our dry brush painting.

We are in the process of adding scarves, as well as pattern filled hats to our snowmen. My favorite part is the fact that our snowmen at night are also looking up at the sky-they want more snow!

Second Grade Keith Haring Finished Projects

I hope everyone has been staying safe in all of the snow we have been getting! Second grade did an awesome job finishing up their Keith Haring symbol projects (even with an on again off again schedule). I am so proud of them! This project took a lot of patience and a lot of careful line making. Second grade learned about symbols, using line to create movement, as well as seeing negative space in artwork.

Always A Work In Progress

As DPS artists finish up their last projects (and before we move on to the projects pictured in the post below), I wanted to post pictures of how our last projects have been finishing up. I think it is always very useful to photograph and document the process of creating artwork.

First grade artists enjoyed learning about urban verse suburban areas, as well as the artist James Rizzi and his "silly skyscrapers". At the end of our James Rizzi project we discussed museums, and completed a "museum walk" to view all of our classmates' artwork. As students walked around the "museum" they had a museum ticket in their hand. The students were required to give someone another skyscraper that was not their own sky their museum ticket, and explain why they thought that particular skyscraper was given a ticket. The museum walk was not only a chance for students to practice an "art talk", but it was also a chance for students to show each other a small act of kindness. :)

I have to say the kindergarten owls turned out to be adorable and eye catching. Students learned about owls (notice our owls are hanging out in a night sky with stars because we learned about animals that are nocturnal), trees, texture, painting an even background, and collage work with this project (whew!). I even had a kindergarten teacher tell me that she was just discussing a particular book's illustration with her kiddos that happened to be all ripped paper illustrations. What a perfect connection!

Notice the owl on the very end on the left hand side-one of my favorites!!! This student wanted his owl to look as if it was taking off! Awesome! :)

Hard at work!

This project really took some patience on the kiddos' end, but they are so proud of their results!!

Our Next Projects

As kindergarten, first, and second graders finish up their last projects I am in the midst of planning our next exciting unit of painting.

Kindergarten will be reading the most beloved book, "Snowmen at Night" by Caralyn Buehner. We will then learn about shadows and dry brush technique to create our watchful, nighttime snowmen. Considering all of the snow we have been getting lately I think this project will really be a hit with my creative kindergartners. :)

First grade will learn how to break down everyday objects to simple shapes. After we learn how to identify shapes in everyday objects we will be able to paint beautiful red cardinals in snow.

Second grade will learn about the components of landscapes. We will then paint our beautiful birch tress against a warm or cool tissue paper collage background. Second grade will also study Gustav Klimt's "Birch Forest" in order to learn more about Birch trees, as well as landscapes.

 

Kindergarten Snowmen At Night

 

 

 

First Grade Red Cardinals

 

 

Second Grade Birch Trees