December 2016 Art Blog

TK: Winter Landscape with Bluebird

With this winter landscape art project Transitional Kindergarten students explored texture painting for the bark and branches of birch trees. Students practiced scissor cutting, as well as gluing skills. Students created the blue bird out of one circle, cut in half, four and eight parts.  Using colored pencils, students added details to their personalized birds. 

The Bluebirds are sometimes confused with other blue birds, but they can be distinguished without difficulty. The western bluebird has a blue (male) or gray (female) throat, the eastern bluebird has an orange throat, and the mountain bluebird lacks orange color anywhere on its body. It has a stocky build, and a thin straight beak with a fairly short tail.

Its posture consists of perching upright on wire fences and high branches. The western bluebird pounces on the ground when looking for food, such as worms and berries. It also flies to catch aerial prey, like insects, when available. The western bluebird consumes water from nearby streams and commonly used bird baths. 

Kindergarten: Winter Scene inspired by Grandma Moses

It has been feeling like winter all around our campus, and our Kindergarten students have been working on their Winter Landscape paintings. 

Students were introduced to the life and works of the American Folk artist Grandma Moses. Anna Mary Robertson Moses (1860-1961), known by her nickname Grandma Moses. Having begun painting in earnest at age of 78, she is often cited as an example of an individual successfully beginning a career in the arts at an advanced age. Her works have been shown and sold in the United States and abroad and have been marketed on greeting cards and other merchandise. 

Students used different kinds of art tools, such as brayers sponges and paint brushes to paint their winter landscapes. Following Grandma Moses’ style combined with basic sketching, drawing and coloring skills, students created their own interpretations of familiar and cherished family traditions that are celebrated during the winter months.

1^ST GRADE: Henri Matisse Paper Cut-Outs

Henri Matisse (1869-1954) gave up a law career to take up art. While Matisse’s early avant-garde style was quite conventional, his later work became more abstract, characterized by flat shapes and controlled lines, with expression dominant over detail and a fondness for bright colors. Later in life, a serious illness confined Matisse to just his bed and wheelchair. Amazingly, from there he created some of his finest works-- the enormous and breathtaking paper cut-outs. 

Students were introduced to the book Henri's Scissors by Jeanette Winter. After reading the book, students experimented "drawing/painting with scissors".  Students cut free-form shapes, lines and movements of an imaginary garden out of bright colored collage paper. Students composed and overlapped their cut-out shapes and clued them onto a white background. To complete the paper cut-out collage students designed black silhouette 
shapes depicting animals, or plants for their imaginary gardens. 

2^ND GRADE: Owl Moon/ Light and Shadow Study

Second grade students read the picture book Owl Moon written by Jane Yolen, illustrated by John Schoenherr.  Inspired by the book, students created a mixed media winter landscape using a dry medium (soft pastels), and a wet medium (tempera paint). Students used their fingers to blend cool shades of soft pastel for the night sky. With a sponge texture technique students applied the tempera paint onto moon, and snow areas.The trees were crated with a printing technique on a separate paper, later cut out and pasted onto the background  

Students were introduced to the basic art concept of light and shadow. Students carefully looked at the illustrations in the book and pointed out shadows. Students noticed that the moon (light source) illuminates the trees (subject) and the trees (subject) cast shadows on the surface of snow. The location of the moon (light source) determines the location and the directions of the shadows. 



 To complete these eye catching, beautiful piece students added a silhouette of an owl. 

3rd GRADE: Constellation Illustrations

The constellation of the Little Bear-also known by its Latin name Ursa Minor contains an easily recognizable group of seven stars called the Big Dipper. In their science class, third grade students were introduced to the most common constellations seen in the northern sky.  During art class students were introduced to the basic artistic background of how artists have illustrated constellations in the past and in the present. Using the ipad app “star walk” students were able to view constellations in the sky in an interactive way.  

Students were asked to chose a constellation they felt drawn to and excited about. Using white sketch pencils students carefully mapped out the exact number of stars in their constellations and sketch the mythological figures and creatures around them. For finishing touches gold start stickers were put in place. 

4th GRADE: Robotic Bugs Final

Fourth grade students continued their collaboration work with guest artist/scientist Modesto Tamez from “Sausalito Arts Festival Foundation, Artists Teaching Art”. Students finished the construction of their robotic bugs and creatively beautified their critters showing great, innovative, artistic ideas. Students reflected upon their process in verbal and written form. Students described challenging parts, enjoyable parts, and highlighted some changes they made to their structures/designs. 

Some students made their critters do some artwork for them! Students fastened q-tips to the legs of their critters. They dipped the q-tip legs in paint and let their bugs run on a large paper canvas to create an interesting, abstract painting. 

As a grand finale students enjoyed play time in letting their bugs/critters move across the classroom floor all at once! What an amazing experience! Thank you Modesto Tamez for teaching us how to create our very own robots,