Scratchboard Portraits

International Academy students created these whimsical scratchboards in the style of Gustav Klimt. We began by looking at several artworks by Klimt including The Kiss, taking note of the realistic figures and the abstracted, ornate clothing and backgrounds. Students created scratchboards by coloring a piece of tagboard completely with oil pastels. We colored using stripes and the more color the better! We then painted over the pastel with a thin and even layer of black acrylic paint. Once this is dry, you can use a pin to scratch away and reveal the beautiful color underneath. We used a full figure image from a magazine and placed it on the scratchboard. After tracing the figure, we glued the skin to the board and cut the clothing away. Students then drew patterned clothing and backgrounds that showed a great amount of detail. This is a really fun project to do and yields fabulous results!

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.

Pattern Name Designs

Students got to create a painting using their names as the design! We began by learning about calligraphy and looking at different styles of lettering and fonts. Students then drew two curvy lines to break the space up on the page. We wrote our names in any style lettering (lower case, upper case, cursive) but every letter needed to touch the top and bottom of the section it was in. I let the students choose which part of their names to include. Once finished drawing it out in pencil, students outlined with black tempera paint and left them to dry. During week two, students added a unique pattern to every separate section of the artwork. I gave students many examples of patterns and let them choose to copy or create their own. I did enforce many DIFFERENT patterns and colors. The final week was spent painting in each section with watercolor paints. 

Be a Rainbow!

Students in PreK and Kinder learned about the color wheel and Roy G. Biv to create these wonderful artworks to welcome spring! We began by looking at rainbows and comparing them to the color wheel. We noticed that the colors are in the same order- so when students used watercolors to paint they followed the wheel from red to violet. During the second class, students mixed black and white paint to create clouds and cut yellow paper to make a sun. This is a great lesson for teaching basic color relationships and also for younger students to practice cutting with scissors safely.