Native Pottery

I used this lesson as an introduction to Native American pottery. We began by looking at the different styles of pottery made by Native Americans. It is important for students to understand that these usually serve a practical purpose such as storage. I gave the students lots of examples so they could see the different designs, patterns and symbols Native artists would use. After completing several sketches, student drew them out on manilla paper. The designs were outlined in black and then colored with markers. I had the students leave some of the pottery uncolored to keep that natural clay look. After the marker is complete, we used black and white chalk to create some very subtle highlights and shadows. This shading along with the placement on the black paper can create a very effective 3D effect. Once these were finished, we began creating some real clay pots!

Glue Line Pumpkins

This is a great project for teaching wet-on-wet painting techniques, color blending, and how to use space in an artwork.

We began by doing sketches of real pumpkins. I prefer to use the mini pumpkins because they are cheaper and easier to move. I made sure students used contour lines while drawing and focused on details like vines and leaves. Once students were comfortable sketching the pumpkins, they then transferred that drawing onto a large piece of tagboard. The students had to be very comfortable with the drawing, because the large drawing had to be done with glue! I did not let the students use pencil because once the glue dries, it becomes clear and the pencil drawing would become visible. These were left to dry overnight. The next day, I had the students use an ultra fine sharpie and outline all of the glue lines. It can be very difficult, and sometimes you may need to tilt the paper to be able to see where the glue is. Finally we were ready to paint! I showed the students how to use a wet-on-wet technique to spread color quickly, as well as how to blend analogous colors. You have to be sure to NOT paint over the glue lines, the glue does not resist the paint and can be very hard to remove.

These painting were very fun to do and extremely successful! I recieved many compliments and they made for a great Autumn display!

These were the PreK and Kinders first project of the year. We began by creating a drawing using only the three primary colors. These were then put onto a larger sheet and we created a self portrait using basic shapes and lines. The final touch was a little yarn for hair and some fun stamps too!

Fall Leaves

Students in 4-6 created these amazing leaf designs. We started by experimenting with a few different watercolor techniques to blend warm colors. We later used this painting to create a variety of abstract leaf designs. Students then cut these out and were given the option of using some different patterned papers.