December Art Blog 2017

Transitional Kindergarten: Snowflake prints

TK students experimented creating snowflakes using a tissue paper bleeding technique. Students used cool colored tissue paper, torn or cut into thin strips. Students layered their tissue paper strips in a crisscross star design and used a brush with water to paint over their snowflakes. By washing over the tissue paper it sticks down and creates beautiful color bleeds and washes onto the background paper. 

To create an additional, layered effect, students used scratch foam to create a printing plate (stamp) of a snow flake. Students used brayers to roll blue printing ink onto their printing plates and printed their snowflakes onto their previously designed backgrounds. 

Kindergarten: Bird House Prints 

Kindergarten students were inspired by the thousands of bird houses Bill Larkin also know as "Crazy Bill" has built and is still continuing to build. He paints them in brilliant bright colors and adds lovely decor and details.

Bill's yard is filled with the sounds of fluttering wings and contented chirps. He said he plans to keep building and painting birdhouses even though he's run out of room; now he erects them across the street and deeper into the woods. 

Visitors love to stop by and enjoy the colorful display. If they inquire about purchasing a bird house Bill will tell them they are for free. He just loves creating the bird houses and making people happy. 

https://www.wthr.com/article/bills-crazy-place-most-colorful-spot-indiana

Kindergarten students created a practice sketch of their bird houses. Students used scratch foam to carve a printing plate of their drawing and used printers ink to make a print. Students used white oil pastels to draw snow flakes, stars, and other designs to decorate a frame around their lovely bird house prints. 

1st GRADE: Polar Bear Portraits

To start this lesson we did a read aloud of the book: White Bear, Ice Bear by Janne Ryder. We also researched some polar bear facts, and found out that polar bears have black skin, and a group of polar bears is called a celebration! 

Using white chalk on black construction paper students sketched a polar bear portrait. Students used the sides of white chalk to rub a round shape for the head and a body.  Two smaller circles made the ears. Students used their fingers to gently blend the chalk to remove any harsh lines that may have been created.  Black oil pastels were used to create the facial features and the inner ears.  Students rubbed a little bit with the black pastel under the head to create a bit of a shadow. Then they cut our the whole polar bear shape. With a tear and paste technique students created a background with icebergs. The final display turned out to be adorable. A celebration of polar bears!

2nd GRADE: Warm/Cool Color Imaginary Landscape 

Second grade students continued their studies of color theory working with the color schema warm and cool. With colors an artist can set a mood, attract attention, or make a statement. Color can be used to energize, or to calm down. By selecting a color scheme, artists can create an ambiance of elegance, warmth or tranquility, or convey an image of playful youthfulness. Color can be an artist's most powerful design element if learned to use effectively. 

Colors affect us in numerous ways, both mentally and physically. A strong red color has been shown to raise blood pressure, while a blue color has a calming effect.

Students learned to use colors consciously and harmoniously to create spectacular results.
Students sketched imaginary, landscape compositions and used a glue and oil pastel/baby oil wash technique to carefully color their landscape compositions with warm/cool color combinations. 

3rd Grade: Chinese Chop Seal 

Third grade students continued their practice using sumi-e ink and Chinese brushes to depict traditional imagery from Asian cultures. The final paintings were painted on rice paper and students created a “seal/chop” to print onto their finished ink painting piece. 

A Chinese seal or chop is a stamp containing Chinese characters used in East Asia to prove identity on documents, contracts, art, or similar items of importance. 

Chinese chops, or seals are used to inscribe a person's name or family name onto items such as government documents, art, and literary works. Used since the shang dynasty (s600-1046 BCE), Chinese chops were also seen as works of art. 

The original use of Chines chops may have been to help those who could not read easily identify certain characters on official government documents or even to make the documents appear official. Whether it was the emperor who could not read or write, or the people of the emperor's empire, using a chop to make a mark on a piece of paper helped everyone understand more about what they were being told. 

Since ancient times, artists sing their paintings with their chop. So did our 3rd grade students. In China, people who buy paintings often add their own chop. Some paintings from Ancient China have over 20 chop marks. The marks do not take away value from the painting but can actually increase the price depending on who purchased the parting over the years. 

4th GRADE: Robotic Bugs (STEAM)

Fourth grade students where guided in a unique arts integration opportunity to design and create three-dimensional robotic bugs. Students built a simple electric circuit with a motor to engineer a working model of a simple robotic critter.  Students worked through the challenges in altering the simple plain looking design they started with  and made a working plan. Through lots of experimentation and alteration students designed and built artistic, and unique looking bugs. 

At the end of this unit of study students had the opportunity to reflect upon their design process.  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. 

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! 

November Art Blog 2017

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 fine typed markers, 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: Tree of Life inspired by Gustav Klimt

Our Kindergarten students were introduced to the Austrian “Art Nouveau” painter Gustav Klimt (born in 1862). Klimt had created many world famous paintings such as “The Kiss” and the painting the Kindergarten students were introduced to called “Tree of Life”. Gustav Klimt painted the Tree of Life, during his Golden Era of as seen by the extensive use of the golden color on this piece. 

Gustav Klimt’s decorative art nouveau stile, with his use of colors and abstract shapes, is full of symbolism and can be interpreted in so many ways.  

The Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco is currently holding an exhibition titled: Klimt & Rodin: An Artistic Encounter. The show will be running through January 28, 2018. For more specific information please visit: https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/exhibitions/klimt-rodin-artistic-encounter

1st grade: STEAM: Exploration for Light

This 1st grade STEAM lesson focused on exploration of light. Students experimented with materials which allow light to pass through them, and with others that allow only some light through, and others that block all the light. Students explored that mirrors can be used to redirect a light beam. (Boundary: The idea that light travels from place to place is developed through experiences with light sources, mirrors, and shadows, but no attempt was made to discuss the speed of light).

Mirror Walk: Students used one small mirror held close to their faces below their eyes, to walk around classroom. Students explored the world around them through the upside-down image reflection in the mirror. Students were guided in the exploration how mirrors work. Students used artistic expressions to experiment with mirror reflection and duplication of images. 

As a grand finally, students built, and create stunning kaleidoscopes, using simple materials such as: reflective mylar, tape, translucent tissue paper, and markers to design colorful designs and patterns.

2nd grade: Peruvian Folk Art 

Arpilleras or "cuadros" are exquisitely colorful, detailed, hand-sewn, three dimensional textile pictures. Arpilleras illustrate the stories of the lives of the women of the"pueblo jovenes"of Lima, Peru and provide essential income for their families. The arpilleras tell stories of planting and harvesting potatoes, tomatoes, cabbages, grapes, corn; stories of spinning and weaving wool; stories of country life, of tending llamas, alpacas, sheep and goats; stories of weddings and fiestas.

Students picked a primary or secondary color as the main color for their arpilleras. Using white in addition to the main color, students mixed tints, from dark to light to create a sense of space to depict the Andes Mountains. Students were introduced to the concept of complementary colors to achieve effective color contrast and vibrancy between the hills and the Peruvian houses and other details. Students folded the houses for their arpilleras in an origami style. Some students experimented folding small and smaller houses to convey perspective. Students created their own narratives adding llamas, alpacas, flowers, etc. to their arpilleras.

3rd GRADE: Chinese Brush Paintings

Third grade students have been studying the amazing art of Chinese Brush Painting. Students were introduced to the Chinese prodigy artist Yani, who became famous with her whimsical depictions of monkeys, as well as other traditional Chinese plants and animals when she was only 4 years old.  

After a lost of practice, how to use a Chinese brush and ink correctly, students worked with their subject of choice. The final paintings were painted on rice paper and each student created a “seal/chop” to print onto their finished piece. 

4th GRADE: Heart-Shaped Posters 

To promote love and kindness in the world, 4th grade students designed and painted impressive, heart-shaped, bright colored, collaborative, posters inspired by the Pop artist Keith Haring. San Francisco General Hospital Foundation is partnering with 4th grade students from Bacich Elementary School in an art fundraiser. Over the next month, students' artworks will be professionally photographed. The photographed images of the heart-shaped posters will be distributed and used under the direction of the Foundation for purposes such as, marketing materials used for the fundraiser. Students' artworks may be purchased by the parent/guardian or another individual with 100% of the proceeds benefiting the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Please stay tuned for more detailed information on how/where to purchase the students' artworks.