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Black Line Paintings

Using only black paint, fifth grade students learned how line and shape interact to create a composition. They then extensively explored color mixing and how colors can respond to each other and transform a painting. Students were inspired by artists such as Kandinsky, Van Gogh, & Haring. Additionally, students were required to use only uniquely mixed colors, rather than using premade or “bottled” tones.

Landscape Collages by Fourth Grade Students

Continuous Line Self-Portraits: An Exploration of Line, Color, and Emotion

Fourth graders were introduced to the concept of contour line drawing through artworks by Alexander Calder and Pablo Picasso. They practiced creating a portrait of this style and were “not allowed” to lift their pencil off the paper. Students were then given a slip of paper that listed a randomly selected emotion, and were challenged to create a self-portrait expressing that emotion- using only one continuous line. The unit was completed with a discussion on the connections between human emotions and visual color. Liquid watercolor was used to enhance the expressive nature of the artwork.

It’s Fall Y’all! Cutting Leaf Stencils & Exploring Chalk Pastels

Second graders began this unit by imagining walking outside on a sunny autumn day. “What colors do you see? How does the sunshine look shining upon the trees?” They examined leaves and discussed how unique leaf edges are. Students learned what a stencil was and drew their own unique leaf shape. They then learned specific cutting techniques to help create the leaf edge they were aiming for. Lastly, students were introduced to chalk pastels. They learned how to apply and spread the pastel colors around their leaf stencil, leaving behind the beautiful “sunny day” leaf gestures you see here.

PUMPKINS: Observe… Draw… Paint!

First grade students started this year off with an introduction to observational drawing. Students examined and discussed the various sizes, shapes, textures, and colors of our classroom pumpkins. After drawing the pumpkins, students created a background design of their choice. They then learned about Warm & Cool colors, and applied those concepts to their artwork.