Native American meets Georgia O'Keeffe

Students in grades 4-6 created these fun mash-ups that combine Southwestern Native American design with the skull paintings made famous by Georgia O'Keeffe. We began by looking at examples of Southwestern Native American designs on rugs, clothes and artwork. We noted the use of colors (mostly warm and natural colors with some blue accents), the geometric shapes and the use of symbols. Students then divided their papers up into sections using rulers and created similar style designs. Next, we punched holes in the bottom and students could choose different colors of yarn to weave through to mimic the textiles we were inspired by. During the final class, students drew cow skulls using highlights and shadows. This project is great for teaching about Georgia O'Keeffe, Native American art, weaving, and observational drawing.

Van Gogh Sunflowers

Students in PreKinder and Kinder created these artworks after learning about Vincent Van Gogh. We began by painting in the background with a variety of warm colors. I taught the students about color mixing so we got to see first hand how yellow and red can make orange. During the next class, we read Camille and the Sunflowers and talked about Vincent Van Gogh. Students then used brown and green construction paper to create the flowers and stems. Students then used yellow triangles to finish off the sunflowers. Van Gogh projects are always loved by students because he was so interesting and his colors were so alive and vibrant!

Fall Leaves that POP!

Students in grades 4 through 6 created these autumn inspired paintings to learn about color contrast. We began by painting an abstract cool color background as the sky. Students used white crayons to create a sense of movement in the background. During the next class, students used styrofoam to print leaves. We drew detailed contour line drawings of leaves and carved them into styrofoam. We then colored the foam with warm color markers making sure to blend the colors together. The final class was used to create textured tree branches and add the leaves in a way that fills the space for an interesting composition.

Abstract Sailboats

We began this project by learning about abstract art. We learned about Jackson Pollock and how abstract artists usually use color, shapes and/or lines to express a feeling or emotion. We then used crayons, texture plates and watercolor paint in cool colors to create an abstract painting. During the second class, artists learned about American painter Winslow Homer and viewed many of his different seascapes. We then created a blend of warm color paints- from red to orange to yellow to create a sunrise or sunset sky. The abstract painting from the previous week was torn up to create many layers of waves. The final class was used to create sailboats out of corrugated cardboard and white paper. This project was a lot of fun and covered many aspects of the curriculum-warm/cool colors, space and depth, Abstract art, seascapes and texture.

Autumn Aboriginal

Students in grades 4-6 created these enlarged leaves in a traditional Aboriginal style from Australia. We began by drawing a very large leaf form observation. Students needed to make sure the drawing came within one inch of all four sides of the composition. Next, students chose two complementary colors to paint the leaf and background- the warm color was to be the leaf and the cool color was for the background. 

For the second class, students painted a strong black outline around the leaf and some type of veins as well. We watched Aborigines from Australia painting and learned about this style of art before adding our own dotted patterns to our paintings. We stuck with warm colors in the leaf and cool colors for the background. 

This project focused on color contrast, patterns and learning about the art of another culture. Students were very successful and enjoyed decorating these fun fall paintings! 

Autumn Leaves in a Van Gogh Sky

This is a great lesson for teaching observational drawing, color contrast, watercolor techniques and art history. And the best part: almost all students succeeded  in creating a beautiful painting! 

I taught this lesson to first through third grades. We began by completing observational drawings of leaves. These were then outlined with a black glue(Elmer's glue mixed with black tempera paint). During the next class, we painted in the leaves with warm colors. I showed students how to blend the watercolor paints to create intermediate colors. For the final class, students learned about Starry Night and created lines in the background that demonstrated movement. We also discussed how cool colors are opposite warm colors on the color wheel and how placing them next to each other creates contrast. 

This is a great seasonal project that introduces so many important design principles in an easy and fun way!

Warm and Cool Autumn Trees

Montessori students in grades 4-6 created these vibrantly styled Autumn trees! We began by making a simple grid and drawing a simple tree. Students learned about pattern and contrast by creating many different designs in each square within the tree. The leaves and background were then filled in using colored pencils and/or crayons. Students needed to identify the two color schemes(warm and cool) used in the artwork to create additional contrast. This project served as a great introduction to patterns and color schemes but also introduced the art style of Cubism, which we focused on more deeply in our current mixed media project.

Watercolor Leaves

Students in grades 1-3 created these fun and festive fall paintings. We began by doing a leaf rubbing and cutting it out to create a stencil. This was then retraced onto a large paper repeatedly. I made the students aware that they would be coloring the background in black or brown so the closer the leaves are to each other the better. Repetition in art and negative space are important principles to stress and learn here. Once this is completed, students painted the leaves with the three warm colors- red, yellow and orange. I showed the students how to blend the colors from light to dark and to blend them into each other. The darkly colored background acts as a good resist so the students can be a little more free and loose with their painting.  

Fall 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 pumpkins. 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 paper. 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 received many compliments and they made for a great Autumn display!

Contrasting Color Fish

Students in grades 4-6 created the contrasting color fish. We began by creating a stencil of a fish to outline. Students were to draw a fish with lots of details- fins, tails and an interesting shape. Students then traced the fish several times on the page in a way that shows visual balance. We then added lines that mimicked the movement of water throughout the composition. The fish were colored in with  warm color markers and blended using a wet brush. Blue is opposite orange on the color wheel, so mixing different values of blue for the background created a nice color contrast to make the fish standout. Students learned how to create tints and shades of blue and again placed them on the composition in a way that shows balance. This was a great project to get students thinking critically about how to apply the principles of design to create a successful artwork.

Woven Crocodiles

Montessori students in grades 1-3 created these woven crocodiles as the final project for the 2013-2014 school year. We began by painting an analogous colored background. Students painted several circles and traced them repeatedly to form a pattern that would fill the page. During the second class, students cut out a crocodile and wove strips of painted paper through the body. The cool colors create a color contrast that makes the crocodiles stand out from the background. Last, we added eyes and teeth and placed some textured grass along the bottom of the painting. This is a great lesson to teach weaving, texture, and color contrast.

Warm Colored Lions

Students in PreK and Kinder created these adorable warm colored lions. We began by sponge painting red and yellow paint together to create orange. Once the paintings were dry, we traced the lions body and cut it out and added the lions head. I showed the students step-by-step how to draw the lions face using simple lines and shapes. On the final day, students added strips of paper to create the lions mane. This is a great lesson to teach warm colors, color mixing, and also simple patterns in artworks.