Winding Perspective Drawings

Our grade seven class is completing an interesting project using one point linear perspective. Linear perspective is a system of drawing in which the artist attempts to create the illusion of three-dimensions on a two-dimensional surface. The invention of linear perspective dates to the early 1400s, with the Italian Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi's experiments in perspective painting. Click here for a bit more about him from the National Gallery of Art.

Here our artists chose five shapes whose sides had to converge on a central vanishing point. They had to wind a thread-like object of their choice through the “floating” shapes and create an environment or setting for them. Click on any image to see more drawings.

Of Butterflies and Mathematics

April is the month when spring really begins to show its lovely side, with warmer temperatures and longer days taking hold. But did you know that April is also Mathematics Awareness Month? To celebrate, our 2/3 class completed a fun spring project that reinforced the important math concept of symmetry.

Butterflies are perfect examples of Reflection Symmetry, where one half of the object is the mirror image of the other. After studying some images of real butterflies, the students learned how to create their own. They folded a sheet of 12” x 18” drawing paper in half, then drew one half of their butterfly at the folded edge with black crayon, being careful to press down hard. Students were encouraged to be creative, adding any designs or patterns to their butterfly they chose.

Next they refolded the drawing with the crayon side facing inward. When they rubbed the backside of the drawing with a craft stick, the black crayon transferred to the other side of the paper. Open it up and you have a butterfly with perfect reflection symmetry! To add color to the butterflies the students painted them with watercolors. Again, color choice was up to each artist, the only rule was to color the wings the same on both sides to maintain the symmetry concept.  The students amazed me with how well they “got” the idea, geometry here we come!

Our butterflies are currently perched on a tree limb in the art room, but you can view them all close up by clicking on the image below.

Hats - in 3D!!!!

Our kindergarten class had a lot of fun working on this project, turning pieces of tissue and construction paper into a three-dimensional collage. Then cut, staple and add some yarn for a tie and you've got yourself a pretty sharp looking hat. I love how proud they are of their work, don't you?

Yarn Baskets

Recently as I was considering what art project should come next for our grade 6 class, I realized our materials stock included a large supply of brand new bottles of white pvc glue. I wanted to work on something three dimensional for a change after the class had spent a lot of time drawing their wonderful mandalas, and the glue seemed like a place to start. We also have a wonderful suppy of yarn I've been wondering how to use, hmm... what could we do with those two materials? 

One of the joys of the internet for art teachers is the incredibly easy access to a wealth of lesson inspiration. After a little searching, I discovered a way for students to learn a new technique and develop their skills working in three dimensions while making good use of existing materials in our classroom. These baskets were made by briefly soaking yarn in glue, then wrapping or applying the yarn to a mold. When the yarn was dry the mold was removed and we had baskets! The project took a while to complete and was pretty messy, but the students learned a new technique, got to make some interesting design decisions and ended up with a pretty cool product, don't you think? Clicking on any image gets you to the picture gallery. I'll be adding more images next week.

Everyone Loves Vincent

These last few weeks three of our classes have been exploring the work of Vincent Van Gogh, an artist most children really enjoy. I think his bold brush strokes and gorgeous colors attract them to his paintings, and for me there is a child-like innocence and energy that radiates from his work that I adore.

 "Sunflowers" 1889

Since spring is in the air, we looked at Van Gogh's sunflower series of paintings and each class recreated this one together. We first painted the background in tempera paint on 24" x 36" paper. We noted Van Gogh used large brush strokes and often "mixed" his colors directly on his canvas. I printed out a copy of his original painting and cut out the vase, which I applied to our painted background. After looking closely at sunflowers in our classroom to understand their structure, each child created one of their own flowers using crayon or crayon resist and watercolors. We made our stems from tissue paper, attached them to our flower heads and arranged them in our vase. After their painting was completed, each child signed their first names only, just like Vincent. I think they are as gorgeous as the original. Click on any to get to our sunflower gallery.

 

Princes and Princesses

Since it can sometimes be hard for young students to get started on a drawing, I gave our first graders a crown as a starting point for a self portrait. We practiced making a "U" shape under the crown, talked about the different parts we needed to include in a self portrait and where those parts were on our faces. When they completed their drawings they decorated their crowns to complete their self portraits. Click on any image to see more princes and princesses.

 

Valentine Love

Our first graders learned a new technique while expressing their feelings about their love of family. After they drew a crayon heart and wrote some words they connected with Valentine's Day, the students had some extra fun completing their project. They covered the drawings with tissue paper, then "painted" water over the tissue. The color from the tissue paper was absorbed by the drawing paper everywhere they hadn't colored with crayon. The results are beautiful and colorful Valentine sentiments for some lucky family members. Click on any image below to see the rest of the valentines.

More Mandalas

Sixth and seventh grade classes are completing their versions of mandalas, the traditional circular, symmetrical design with Buddhist and Hindu origins. I love how they follow the "rules" for mandala design but are unique reflections of each student artist's personality. Click on any image to get to the picture gallery.

 

Doodlebugs

It’s always amazing to me how the process of making art takes place. These are “doodlebugs” created by our kindergarten and first graders. Each child began with a blank piece of paper and a variety of crayons. I gave them step-by-step instructions on what to draw such as “four straight lines starting at one edge of the paper and going to another edge,” and “draw five circles anywhere on your paper.” The children interpreted the instructions individually (no looking at your neighbor’s doodle!) and came up with these beautiful and unique creations.

When they were complete we viewed each doodle and discussed how art allows us to express our own talents and abilities, and helps us appreciate each other’s individuality and vision. Aren't these wonderful? Clicking on any image brings you to the gallery and lots more doodles.

 

Mandalas

To explore art from other cultures and understand radial symmetry, students in grades six, seven and eight have been creating mandalas. Mandalas have their origins in Buddhist and Hindu cultures, in fact the word "mandala" means "circle" in Sanskrit. Each student is designing their own mandala, the only rules are they must be circular, show radial symmetry, and be unique to each artist.

The mandalas shown here were done by grade eight, aren't they terrific? If you click on any image you'll go to the picture gallery and see more of them.