Owl Moon

These owls were created by the artists in Pre- Kinder and Kinder. We began by painting a patterned background with blue and purple. I reviewed the different types of lines with the students (straight, wavy, zigzag) and let the students choose what kind of line they wanted to create. During the next class, we drew out an owl step by step, outlined it in crayon then painted with watercolors. During the final class, we read the story Owl Moon by Jane Yolen. Owl Moon was a Caldecott Award winner so the artwork inside is amazing and will inspire some great art from the kids. We then cut out the owls and a tree branch along with a big, silvery moon made from aluminum foil.

Realistic Giraffes

Giraffes are my absolute favorite animal, so every year I have to pull in at least one giraffe project. This was inspired by a photograph I came across recently. I began with a step-by-step drawing of the giraffe starting with the nose. Once the drawing was complete, students outlined everything with either a black or brown crayon. We later used watercolor paint and attached some leaves for a little 3D effect. This was definitely a standout project that was a success for every student! 

Personal Color Wheels

These color wheels were made by the artists in grades 7 and 8. We began by creating a design that showed radial symmetry. This design needed to contain 12 equal parts to show all the colors of the color wheel. Students needed to include the three primary colors (red, yellow and blue), the three secondary colors (orange, green and violet), and the six intermediate or tertiary colors. This gave students the opportunity to learn about color theory and relationships while gaining experience with mixing. Once completed, the students outlined their designs with black sharpie. 

Islamic Tile Designs

Students in grades 7 and 8 created these symmetrical Islamic tile designs. We began the lesson with a talk about Islamic art- mainly how it is primarily decorative and rarely represents people. Students created a square design that incorporates geometric and organic designs. This design was then repeated throughout the page the same way a tile would be repeated on a wall. Students colored them with marker and outlined the design with sharpies.

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.