PreK Lines and More Lines!

The PreKindergarten students work on a few projects dealing with line.  For this project, we reviewed the horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines as well as thick and thin lines.  We then looked at all kinds of swirly, wavy, zigzag, and dotted lines.  The girls used Sharpie Marker to draw lines on their paper, and then added color with water colors.  They kind of have a Kandinsky look to them!

Mondrian and PreKindergarten

 The youngest of my students, the PreKindergarten girls, are so excited to come to art.  It makes my job so fun!  We begin the school year with the first art basic, LINE!  The girls and I look at some Mondrian art work.  They have some great perspectives on "Broadway Boogie-Woogie" (above) when I ask them how this can be his idea of a city.  Their views give me additional insight into the work! 
The girls and I then look at vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines in Mondrian's work as well as around the room. 
For their art project, they select up to 6 strips of black paper in varying sizes and widths.  After trying a few designs on their paper, they glue down the strips.  The girls use crayons to add some color to their work.  They surely love those glitter crayons!

 

 

School is back in session!!

 The beginning of a school year is so special.  The girls are eager to learn about their new grade, new teachers, and of course, to do more art!  I had to take a picture of the clean, white sneakers that will soon become scuffed and dirty.

Thank you Pinterest for the door decoration idea.  This was fun to make!  Ready to start paintin' and creatin'!

Anderson Ranch Art Center - sculpture

I love spending time at Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass, Co.  This year, I took on a challenge, and enrolled in a ceramic sculpture class... wayyyyy out of my element.  It was a blast.  The class was based on the animal form.  Not only did I learn more about sculpting, but a ton more about glazes  and other surface treatments.  Still a lot to learn, but I feel more comfortable with the process.  Above is my class, let by Russell Wrankle from Utah.  He is second from the right.  Every student was wayy talented.  Unbelievable work.  It is always good to be a student when you spend so much time being a teacher. 

Fish Sticks by Primer and KIndergarten

Can art be funny? I hope so! In the Primer and Kindergarten classes, we talk a little about humor in art. They love making these fish sticks, partly because they get to use clay, and partly because the get the "fish sticks" pun. What kid has never had fish sticks? They love to tell their parents that they made fish sticks in art! They painted the fish with watercolors and I sprayed a clear varnish over them since they are outside and exposed to the elements.
The girls did a great job adding texture to the clay as they were creating their fish, and using patterns when painting the fish.

Does the fish above have a mohawk for a fin!

The fish would go out by the pond we have at school, but we are having a big Fine Art Festival this weekend and they are out in front to help advertise the event.

Roller Coaster - PreKinder

The Prekindergarten students first watched roller coaster videos on the smart board and then read this book about roller coasters. Some of the classes really got into screaming during some of the the videos! It is amazing how you can get a good feeling of the speed and steepness of the rides.

The girls used two pieces of paper for the track, and made all kinds of swirls and dips. They took a 2D line and made a 3D sculpture! The next class, they had a car to add, and used tissue paper and markers to create the amusement park enviornment.

This one has a very steep curve, I love how the car is on that big drop!

This ride requires you to get wet at the end!

I got the idea for this project from a teacher's presentation at the Texas Art Education Association Conference many, many years ago!

Feeling the love..

If a student finishes early, she has some free choice options, one of which is drawing. At the end of a class, I may end up with several pieces of paper telling me how much the artist loves art. Some may end up on this file cabinet in the room. I wonder how music or math teachers know they are loved - little songs, well done math problems? When I first started teaching, it took me years to clean out all of these papers! Not quite so long now!