Computer station

We now have three Macintosh computers set-up for the students to use. A drawing program called KidPix Deluxe is on all three of them. They are connected to the internet, so they will soon have interactive art websites for children on them.

Collaborative City Mural

Three students worked together to create this action-packed mural of a city. Can't you just see their brains buzzing with ideas? The two photos attach to form the whole mural.

Jungle mural

Two students collaborated on this oil pastel jungle mural

Morgan's non-objective

Morgan worked three class periods on her non-objective composition done with markers.

 

Stick puppet

 

Stamping station

A mini-station was set up for 1st, 2nd, and multiage students. Here they find stamps made by the teacher from artgum erasers and from printmaking rubber slabs. Stamps purchased on the internet have been added, but so far the students prefer the teacher-made ones. The students add color with markers, so one stamp can have multiple colors. Students have been creating frames with pattern, and pictures using the shapes.

Cardboard Construction

The cardboard construction station has been opened for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. They were shown a slide show of two contemporary artists who work with cardboard: Andre Villers and Eric Strawcynski. The students were given only cardboard tubes and pieces of cardboard and glue to work with. Scoring carboard was demonstrated so that they could get a good corner. The students who chose this station immediately started building three-dimensional forms, which was amazing, since the two artists that had been introduced worked primarily with flat pieces, making large figures and masks.

The next time that the students came to art many more interesting forms and fasteners had been added: brads, wire, hole punches, tacky glue, glue gun to be used by the teacher if a student had tried everything else, small boxes, many small plastic containers, film canisters, prescription bottles, plastic lids, and some sheets of mylar. One student, Cody, created an octagonal shower with a very realistic water heater attached! He and some other students are creating a large house together. Another boy in two class periods created a two story house complete with stairs! These students are amazing! I thought that I would have mostly boys interested in this station, but in one class, all girls were working there. A lot of boys are busy currently doing very detailed drawings of dragons, or cars, or working collaboratively on a mural with a complete story line.

One-piece sculpture

Using all of one-piece of tagboard and creating a form by cutting, bending, and connecting with slits was demonstrated.

Paper Sculpture

Students have learned many ways of making paper forms

The Fourth Station - Paper Sculpture

The fourth station was opened this week for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students. Methods for using paper or card stock to create three-dimensional forms were demonstrated, as well as displayed on a poster. This station is supplied with staplers, tape dispensers, masking tape, a long-reach stapler, scissors, glue, corrugated cardboard for bases, colorful card stock, and multiple pieces of tag board. We had a discussion of using the forms to create something recognizable, as well as making non-objective sculptures.

When some of our new supplies arrived, stick puppets were added as an option for multiage, 1st, and 2nd.

Still Life set-ups

Students use objects from our still life table as inspiration for drawings and paintings.

Cody's Bridge

Cody visited the Royal Gorge in Colorado during the summer. He has made a series of drawings and paintings on this theme. Artists get their ideas from their experiences.

A ferris wheel at night