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.

Pop Art Portraits

These self portraits take a lot of prep work and knowledge of photo editing, but the results are worth it!

Students began by having a photograph taken in class. We drew out grids over the photos, then a larger grid onto a large paper. The information on the photo was transferred to the paper square by square, creating a perfectly proportioned portrait. The students then applied their knowledge of value to paint in the face and hair. The final touch was adding some expressive drips and splattering. The results are amazing and show a modern twist on the pop art style portraits so popular many years ago.

Glitter Fish

The Goldfish by Paul Klee

Paul Klee was born in Switzerland in 1879. He was an important artist and a very good musician, writer, and teacher. Paul Klee is a great artist for students to learn about because he loved to use bright colors and he was very inspired by the natural way children painted.

The 1-3 students began the year with a painting inspired by The Goldfish by Paul Klee. We began by creating some detailed pattern fish. These fish were painted with bright flourescent watercolors. Next, we created a moving seascape with lines and shapes similar to those found in The Goldfish. The last step was to add some extra glow with glitter and a few little thumb print fish in the background.

Everything I Needed To Know I Learned in the Art Room

Everything I Needed To Know I Learned in the Art Room
By Shawn Costello

Never say anything unkind about something a classmate has created.
Don't hog all the colors.
A picture is more interesting with contrast, movement and different points of view, so is life.
Be kind to yourself if all your pictures don't turn out, it happens to all artists.
Your most patient model is the one in the mirror...Learn from looking at yourself and be patient.
Say it with paper pop-ups, folded books, or little pasted pictures, making something for someone else can be a holy act - do it often.
Keep an open mind about different kinds of art...something unforeseen may become part of your expression some day.
Purple houses, pink grass...there's no right or wrong to color your picture. Honor your creative voice. It's what makes you unique.
Take a rest or a break during a project, solutions become more clear, ideas can grow.
Paint from the heart. It will show and others will sense it.

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up!" Quote from Pablo Picasso.

10 Lessons the Arts Teach

1. The arts teach children to make good judgments about qualitative relationships. Unlike much of the curriculum in which correct answers and rules prevail, in the arts, it is judgment rather than rules that prevail.

2. The arts teach children that problems can have more than one solution and that questions can have more than one answer.

3. The arts celebrate multiple perspectives. One of their large lessons is that there are many ways to see and interpret the world.

4. The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem solving
purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ability and a willingness to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds.

5. The arts make vivid the fact that neither words in their literal form nor numbers exhaust what we can know. The limits of our language do not define the limits of our cognition.

6. The arts teach students that small differences can have large effects. The arts traffic in subtleties.

7. The arts teach students to think through and within a material.
All art forms employ some means through which images become real.

8. The arts help children learn to say what cannot be said. When children are invited to disclose what a work of art helps them feel, they must reach into their poetic capacities to find the words that will do the job.

9. The arts enable us to have experience we can have from no other source and through such experience to discover the range and variety of what we are capable of feeling.

10. The arts’ position in the school curriculum symbolizes to the young what adults believe is important.

SOURCE: Eisner, E. (2002). The Arts and the Creation of Mind, In Chapter 4, What the Arts Teach and How It Shows. (pp. 70-92). Yale University Press. Available from NAEA Publications. NAEA grants reprint permission for this excerpt from Ten Lessons with proper acknowledgment of its source and NAEA.

Welcome everyone!

Welcome to the new Dealey Montessori Vanguard and International Academy art blog! Here you will find a variety of resources about art education in the classroom, examples of projects and updates about our visual art program. If you are interested in making a donation to the art program, the following supplies are needed:

• Rolls of paper towels


• Black FINE point Sharpies


• #2 pencils


• Block erasers


• Decorative papers (scrapbooking)


• Any book, calender or resource about an artist or culture

The art supply company Dick Blick has a great new program called ArtRoom Aid that works like wedding and gift registries. You can follow the link below and purchase any of the listed supplies. The supplies are then shipped directly to the school. This is perfect for more specialty items that are used in the Art room.

www.dickblick.com/lists/artroomaid/JBR87XHLMFOOR/publicview/

Thank you for supporting the arts in education. Here is to great year filled with many masterpieces!