Primary Color Monsters

PreK and kinder made these fun primary color monsters! We began by learning about shapes- students then practiced cutting large ovals, rectangles, and triangles. These shapes were made in the primary colors- called primary because they make up all the other colors. We read several books about monsters- Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli and Monsters Love Colors. Students looked at these monsters to get ideas for how to make their monsters- how to make the arms and legs, weird eyes and teeth, etc. We also extended this out to learning how to mix the primary colors to make green, purple and orange. A super fun lesson that helped teach the young ones all about color and shapes!

Watercolor Self-Portraits

Students in grades 4-6 began the school year with these vibrant self-portraits. We began by drawing a proportional self-portrait in pencil during the first week. These were then traced over with crayons before being painted in with watercolor paints. Students learned about all different styles of portraits- from Frida Kahlo to Pablo Picasso and Chuck Close. Students were given the option to do a more realistic portrait or one that was more colorful and expressive. We also wrote out and added names by adding textures and patterns in crayon and painting it over. I am loving the uniqueness of each piece and how it reflects each artist's personality!

Glue Shoes

International Academy students continued the year with a different type of self-portrait. We did some detailed contour line drawings of our shoes in class. These drawings were then transferred onto a large paper and then traced over with a black glue. The black glue gives objects a nice and solid black outline that also shows a nice fluid movement. Students extended the lines of the shoes out into the background and finished it off with some watercolor paint. These paintings are great because they show a great deal of the students personality, both in the style of shoe and the way it was painted.

Rainbow Rain Self-Portraits

Students in grades 1-3 created these self-portraits. We began by drawing a proportional full body self-portrait and coloring it with colored pencils. For the background, students applied drops of watercolor paint then used a straw to blow it out to create the illusion of rain. During the final class, students created an umbrella using a paper folding technique. The final result is a fun take on self-portraits that all the students really enjoyed!

Emphasis Designs

International Academy students created these designs to learn about the principles of emphasis and contrast. We drew out grids in the background and filled them with detailed patterns. Students needed to create a variety of patterns that showed a range of different values. The overlying figures were colored in with markers or colored pencils. Students needed to have one letter or number that was the emphasis. This figure needed to be made the emphasis through size, placement and color. 

Kinder Self-Portraits

PreK and Kinder classes began the year with a self-portrait project. We began the first class of the year by completing a crayon drawing. These were then mounted onto a large yellow paper. We used different shapes to create a self-portrait and drew the faces using simple lines. During the final class, students attached yarn for hair and filled some of the negative space with colorful stamps. We also attached a crayon to the hand to commemorate their drawing from the first week of school!