Chuck Close Self-Portraits

Students in 7th and 8th grade completed these self-portraits in the style of American painter Chuck Close. We began by drawing a 1/2 inch grid over top of a photograph and a 1 and 1/2 inch grid over a large piece of paper. Students then transferred the information to create an accurate and proportional drawing. These were then filled in with oil pastels. Students used light and dark values to create a three-dimensional looking person. The background was then filled in using analogous colors to create a sense of unity throughout the artwork.

Shape Art

PreK and Kinder have finished their very first artwork of the year! We began by cutting out different shapes and using them to create objects like houses, people, flowers and more. Students used crayons to add details and complete the artworks. We then added a pattern around the border to frame our work of art!

Cherry Blossoms

Cherry blossom festivals are celebrated all over the United States and Canada in the spring. These festivals began because Japan donated many cherry blossom trees to cities all over North America to signify a growing friendship between the nations. These festivals are particularly popular in Washington D.C. and Vancouver.

Students in grades 1-3 created these cherry blossom paintings to learn about color, lines and printmaking. We began with using curved lines to break up the space and create a cool color watercolor painting. Next, students printed the branch and cherry blossom flowers using cardboard and crumbled up pieces of paper. During the final class, students added details with oil pastels and also created a name block print for the corner of their painting. We loved this project and students were very happy with the results!

Ladybugs

Students in PreK and Kinder created these collage ladybug artworks in the style of author/artist Eric Carle. We began by learning the different types of lines (straight, curvey, zigzag) and created the ground and grass in the artists choice. Next, students cut out circles to create the ladybugs. These were then completed by adding spots, heads, legs, and antennae using black paint. We read the story The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle to be inspired by the artworks as well!