Warm and Cool Autumn Trees

International Academy students 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. 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.

Britto Style Pumpkins

The 4th-6th grade claases created these brightly colored pumpkins just in time for fall! We began by learning about the origins of pop art. Students recognized the use of bright colors and black outlines in many pop artworks. We drew out our pumpkins with thick black lines and used brightly colored watercolor paint to give them a pop art feel. We then looked at current Miami based pop artist Romero Britto and his style of brightly colored patterns. Students added simple patterns using white and tints of orange. Students were also able to recognize EVERY element of art used in this project- line, shape, space, color, value, texture and form!

Glue Shoe Paintings

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 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.

Warm and Cool Color Self-Portraits

The 4-6 classes began the year with these vibrant self-portraits! We began by drawing a proportional and realistic self-portrait during the first class. Next, we outlined the portrait with crayons and created detailed patterns for the background. Students needed to do the designs on half the page with warm colors (red, yellow and orange) and use cool colors (blue, green and violet) on the other half. We finished them off with watercolor paints and continued the warm/cool color scheme. The results are fantastic and show a lot of personality!