Adinkra Batiks

My sixth grade students began a project combining batik and Adinkra stamps.  I had them watch this clip about the meaning behind Adinkra stamps and how they were derived in West Africa and printed on fabric to emanate strength, power and much more.  Students remarked on how they have seen these symbols in their own context such a jewelry and even tattoos.

I gave students an list of 14 different Adinkra symbols to use in their artwork.  We talked about their African names, designs and symbolic meaning.  The goal was to create a grid and fill it with the symbols that each student perceived themselves as either having or wanted to have.  We used crayons as our "wax" and drew each symbol in black.  Students then colored in each box, hard, so that the color remained present throughout the dying process.

When students finished their grid, the next process was to age the paper so that it appears wrinkled and worn.  I had the students crumple their papers into a ball multiple times to make lines both in the wax and paper.  Next was the dying process.  Purple tempra paint works well for this project.  The pigment in the paint is strong and makes a nice affect on the paper.  Students applied a thick coat of paint and then let it dry before removing the paint to see what the results will be!

The revealing process. . .

Poinsettia Still Life

A favorite project of mine is making a still life of a poinsettia plant through collage.  Third grade students took a close look at this holiday plant and described its attributes:

* Red leaves

* Green leaves

* Stems

* Shiny pot

* Yellow centers

Perfect!  We got started. . . First up, making the foiled pot.  I have students use metallic paper and transform a rectangle into a simplified pot shape by cutting two diagonal lines from the bottom up. They glued this down on the bottom of their paper and then got going on their stems.  I asked students to cut three strips of paper about the width of their finger.  This is a great way for them to estimate and then talk about proportion.  A stem too wide would look funny and one too skinny wouldn't be able to hold a plant up. We then worked of the red leaves of the plant.  I had students fold a 4x18" rectangle into 1/8th and showed them how to cut a basic leaf shape.  I love how each leaf looks a bit different in all their work.

More pictures to come as their project begins to finish up!

Flanders Field Poppies

In honor of Veteran's Day, I had my 7th and 8th grade students read and reflect upon the WWI poem, In Flanders Fields.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly.

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Written by World War I Colonel John McCrae

I found this great poppy project idea from a fabulous resource called http://www.thatartistwoman.org/.  I had the students use washable black markers to draw the poppy flowers.  Using a washable marker allows for the ink to bleed into the painting when mixed with the water from the paint.  This makes a nice effect in the process.  I talked to the class about blending colors to create the affect of highlights.  We started with the lightest color first in our paintings by adding yellow highlights, followed by orange, then red.  By layering the colors, a most beautiful effect happens on the petals.  Students then added yellow and green to the stems and grass.  

The final touch of paint was a red splatter to symbolize the blood shed by the wounded and fallen soldiers.  

When the painting dried, I had the students cut out words from the poem and integrate the poem into their art work.  The final products are stunning!

ART SHOW!!!!

Calling all art enthusiasts!!!

  

Come one, come all 

to the 

OGPS Visual Arts Show 

on 

Thursday, January 15, from 4:00-6:00pm

Rectangles and Mondrian

What is a rectangle?  That was the lead question for my Kindergarten class.  We agreed that a rectangle must have four sides, four corners, and some can be tall, long, short and even resemble a house.  I had students look at a Piet Mondrian image and we observed how he focused on using rectangles along with primary colors.

I then gave students an assortment of rectangles to glue down onto their paper.  This was a great lesson to teach proper glueing techniques.  Small dots of glue in the four corners of each rectangle.  

Upon completing their glueing, students were then told to trace around each rectangle using black paint.  I told them the goal was to make a black line around each rectangle almost as if there was a road or maze going through the picture.

Biomes - The Savanna

My 3rd grade students are studying biomes.  The grade has divvied up the class into small groups to research the Tundra, Rainforest, Marine, Deciduous Forest, and Savannah.  My goal is to have each student make an individualized illustration to go along with the biome that they are studying.  First up, the Savanna.  Home to the Maasai Tribe, this would make a colorful and fabulous launching point for the class.

I began by having students watch this video clip of the Maasai tribe.  The video beautifully showcases the environment in which these natives live in and how they adapt to the Savanna.  I have students focus on the landscape, clothing and differences of the Maasai people in comparison to us.

Students began their artwork by making the background.  We focused on using a variety of brushstrokes to add depth and texture to the pictures.  For the grass, students tried using long "up and down" brushstrokes to practice painterly, stylized grass which resembles the straw like qualities of the grasses in the Savanna.  For the sky, students tried "dabbing" their brushes to make tiny dots with blue and then a second round with white to make the sky appear to have fluffy clouds.  They loved how the color mixing occurred right on the paper as opposed to in their cups.

Dab away!

The next day, students work on their sun.  Since students observed that the Savanna has minimal trees and mountains, the sunrise and sunsets produce large, gorgeous skies.  I had the students begin with a half circle on the top of their paper and use dotted lines to make the sun radiate all the way to the ground.

How cool is this!  Unplanned concentric circles.

The final lesson was about adding the Masai Tribe to their pictures.  This was a great way to use up printed paper I had hanging around.  I had so much left over from their hamburger collages :) Students cut simple rectangles for the bodies of their people.  They then used black paint to add a silhouette of a head, arms and legs. 

Great work!

Final display.