Old Bear

Students in grades 1-3 created these artworks based off of illustrations in the book Old Bear by Kevin Henkes. On the first day, we went outside to collect several different types of leaves. We then painted the leaves with either white or gold paint and rubbed them onto the black paper to create leaf prints. During the next class, we read the book Old Bear and looked at the illustrations. I showed the students how to draw a bear and how to paint in different ways to create a texture similar to fur. In the final class, students cut out the bear and added a snow covered ground and snowflakes. 

Winter Trees

Students in PreK and Kinder created these winter trees to learn about patterns, lines and shapes. We began by creating a watercolor painting. Students drew out a series of patterns with crayons. We discussed how patterns are any type of shape, line or color that repeat. We also looked at different patterns- AB, ABC, etc. More advanced students could complete more difficult patterns if they choose. These patterns were then painted over with a watered down green watercolor paint. During the next class, students cut curved lines to create a unique border for their artwork and then stamped snowflakes throughout the paper. On the final day, students cut out triangle shapes from the pattern paper and added branches with black crayons. 

Monet Style Autumn Leaves

Students in grades 4-6 created these autumn collages in the style of French Impressionist painter Claude Monet. We began by creating a watercolor painting using the three cool colors- blue, green and violet. We discussed using gentle curving lines to create the movement of water and break up the background space. To create the leaves, students used styrofoam to carve out a leaf. These were then colored in with marker and pressed onto a slightly damp piece of paper to create a relief print. When placing the leaves on the pond, we looked at some of Claude Monet's paintings and examined his use of color contrast. 

Masks of Nepal

International Academy students created these traditional style masks from Nepal. We began by learning about the country of Nepal-we looked at the native people, discussed the religions and languages spoken there, as well as the geography. We saw that 7 out of the 10 tallest mountains in the world are in Nepal, including the tallest; Mt. Everest. Students learned the uses of these masks for ceremonies and why they are so fierce and vibrantly colored. Students created sketches of several masks and choose the strongest design to create large. The masks needed to be drawn and painted symmetrically, have a third eye and sharp pointed teeth, as well as contain some type of color blending.