Woven Goldfish

PreK and Kinder students created these fishbowls to learn about shapes, patterns and weaving! We began by making a fishbowl- students used crayons to draw seaweed and rocks in the tank. This was then painted with blue liquid watercolor paint. Next, students created a fish and learned how to cut and weave strips through to create a pattern. As a final touch, students used cut out squares to create a mosaic style table for the tank to sit on. 

Optical Illusions

These optical illusions were designed by the artists in 7th and 8th grades. We began with a lesson on perspective so students would understand how to use lines to make their drawing go back and forth in space. I then showed the class how to draw several different types of optical illusions step by step. Students could choose which optical illusion they wanted to draw for the project. Once a sketch was completed and done accurately, students drew a larger version. We then talked about atmospheric perspective and how colors appear brighter up close and duller as they get farther away. Students used this in the coloring to enhance the illusion. 

Stencil Paintings

Students in grades 4-6 created these Jasper Johns inspired stencil paintings. We began by choosing a letter, number or symbol and repeating it throughout the composition. Students were encouraged to make a good use of space and to incorporate visual balance with their design. Next, students chose three analogous colors and began to blend using oil pastels. The backgrounds were painted in using a color from their analogous color scheme. As a final touch, students used cardboard or bubble wrap to do some unconventional printmaking. This is a great project for teaching the principles of space and balance but also keeps a more loose and abstract style so all students can succeed.