doodles&noodles

Rousseau Jungle Landscapes

This is an oldie but goodie for my 3^rd graders. I find the years that I decide to embark on this landscape adventure, 3^rd graders love it and have such pride in their completed artwork. This is important for the effectiveness of an art lesson. I have certainly tried other ways to teach depth but I always come back to this one. I love that Henri Rousseau is a well-known Folk artist and I think it is pretty neat that he was never to a jungle yet he painted jungles based on pictures. This is a fact that most 3^rd graders can relate to … not many have been to a jungle.

The focus of the project was to show depth using many techniques from dividing our space into foreground, middle ground, and a background to overlapping and size variation. We even touched on how the appearance of colors and details lessen with greater distances. Another thing we noticed with Rousseau’s jungle landscapes was the vast variety of plant life. We also saw the rainbow of greens any how this variety makes the artwork much more interesting.

After some visual thinking strategies involving Rousseau’s art, we began by carefully observing and drawing a variety of plants. Then we got to drawing some landscapes.

Surreal Perspectives

Rulers really do make all the difference. 4th graders discovered this when drawing in 1 point perspective to show depth. Though, drawing to give the illusion of space wasn’t the only thing we did. We discovered the fantastical world of Surrealism, where visual artists and authors use juxtaposing objects or ideas. Why? Well, to cause the viewer to ask, “why.” When viewing Surrealism, people often create a story that is inspired by personal experiences and feelings to make sense of what they see. Look at 4th grades’ surreal perspective drawings; try it … you’ll see.

The artist Rene Magritte is a well known Surrealist. This painting and others inspired our ideas.

Ugly Jug preview

I was too excited to wait... these are going to rock!

What an "ugly" bunch of ugly jugs and mugs. I can't wait to see what these look like after they are glazed.

Sweet Treats

In 2nd grade we learned from one of my very favorite artists, Wayne Thiebaud. He paints things to look so delicious and REAL. How did he get his yummy looking pastries and treats to look so ... yummy? Well, this is how we began our adventure ... wondering this very thing.

French Pastries - Wayne Thiebaud

As a class we came to some insightful conclusions. 1. He drew 3-D shapes (forms). 2. He added cast shadows and showed value. 3. He made the paint and decorations look like icing.

After sketching some forms we were able to draw all sorts of things from cupcakes to brownies to ice cream cones. Knowing how to draw forms gave use the skills to draw many things. We took it to the next step and designed our own layer cake for a special celebration. We painted them with value and added decorations, a cast shadow, and a space. I looooooooooooooooove these!

a little reminder...

A kindergartner said this with such gusto and excitement that everyone in the whole class heard him proclaim, "Nobody is perfect!" What a wonderful thing to remember.

Imaginary Creatures

I mentioned these Kindergarten collages on a previous blog post and I figure it is time to share them. They are wonderful! I have to give credit to the PTA for inspiring me to excitedly pull these from my closet; they were looking for art to feature in our school directory. So Creek View friends, keep your eyes open.

Stories are a great way to start an artwork. In this case, Kindergartner's listened to the famous story written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things are. We talked about the illustrations. Kindergarten noticed the feathers, scales, and fur, which opened the door to the element of art, "texture." Aside from texture, we talked about and used geometric and organic shapes but most importantly, we had fun creating something from our imagination.

What do you see?

Holton Rower Relief Sculpture Drip Paintings

5^th Grade made these relief sculptures. They explored how gravity can play a part in what we make, how colors can mix and swirl and how a lack of control in what we do can sometimes give us happy and inspiring surprises.

Questions that led the way………………………………………………………>>>>

· Who is Jackson Pollack? Who is Holton Rower? Compare and contrast their artwork.

· What is a sculpture and how can I create one?

· What elements and principles of art will I consider when planning out my design? Show me.

· Be inspired. How can I use my 5 senses to share my personal vision?

Holton Rower

Thank you 5th graders for cleaning up and making it look spotless. Needless to say, I figured out a way to avoid this messiness for my other 5th grade classes. Live and learn.