Thursday, August 18, 2011

Dive into a Great New Year! 2011/2012

This is the theme for our brand new school year. All bobcats k-5th will be collaborating one huge project. We are going to transform the hallway into an ocean. The mural should be up by the end of next week. Everyone is excited and most of the classes loved getting to paint on the first day of art! Here is the break down on lessons grade by grade:

k-fish
1-sea turtles
2- octopus
3-submarines
4-sailboats
5- ocean and help with display


Friday, April 1, 2011

Home Stretch...

Wow - I counted up the number of times I see each class Monday of this week and was shocked. On average I only see each class 10-14 more times depending on field trips and A/B/C rotation. It sent me into a tailspin! That is no way enough time to squeeze in all the art projects I have in mind. This late snow has played a mean trick on me - here I was planning as if I still had 5 months left of school... Quick update on Grade Levels and sorry I havent kept my new year resolution for visuals yet (Bad Mrs. Hegeman). I need a digital camera that stays at school to aid me in that resolution... 6th - Your student should have brought home one or more finished sock creatures. It was a really fun unit and one I think most students enjoyed. We did a quick still life recently to review and apply the concept of value. These should be going up in the hallways shortly. We are now getting ready to begin the "Hand" project. An eagerly anticpated project to leave their mark on Langston Hughes. We will focus on creating harmonius and contrasting color schemes. 5th- 5th graders are finishing up a unit on body proportion. They created an action pose to draw realistically keeping proportion true. We finished this project with a quick intro/review into complementary colors. Clay is on deck next..... 4th - Are hard at work on self portraits and wow they are working hard. This is a new project for me inspired by artist Aminah Robinson. After self portraits are completed we will explore her website "Aminah's World" to start preparing our final compositions. Students will incorporate fabric, sewing, buttons, and found objects for the final project. 3rd- Are finishing up a lesson exploring the element of line and using it to create the principles of unity, rhythm, and pattern. They are really enjoying this project as it is their first time to work with metal in art. They are tooling metal to make their 2-d designs come to life three dimensionally. These should be coming home soon. 2nd - Hats with 3 types of Symmetry is coming to a close. Look for these funny pieces in the hallways. To support/reinforce math concepts students created collages using 3 types of symmetry (flip, turn, and slide). These collages turned into crazy hats for 3 expressive faces. Next is art for Earth Day and the 2nd grade music preformance. We will be creating art using "trash" in an attempt to re-use and be earth friendly. 1st - Line direction. Students have been introduced to the 3 line directions and are using them to create paper plaid shirts. They will then explore the art of self portraiture and draw themselves wearing their plaid shirts. If students wear plaid to school on an art day they become a plaid model and walk the runway! We also have been ending class with a quick "Line Direction Game". Ask your student about this and play at home! It will help them possibly become "Line King" or "Line Queen" for a day. Kdg- Bugs on Rugs. After a recent assessment it became apparent students needed a refresher on the different types of lines. THey created rugs using these lines and will create collaged bugs next. They will have choice of creating a 2-d or 3-d bug. Im really excited for the next project - recycled weavings - more to come later. Im having trouble formatting this post - it doesnt want to show the paragraphs Ive created. Instead its all strung together in one big blurb...sorry! Ill try to figure this out if possible!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Happy New Year

New year resolutions? One of mine should be to update this blog more often! Also I need to investigate into the legalities of posting kids artwork online, because really whats an art blog without visuals?!!

Quick update of whats going on in your childs grade:

k- Exploring the art element of texture and color. Currently we are working on cool and warm colored texture rubbings. Look for a valentine/Jim Dine inspired project to be appearing in the halls at the end of next week

1 - Texture (visual and tactile - can your child tell you which is which?). First up collage with visual textures and then clay hearts with tactile textures to follow.

2 - Art History focus on Claude Monet. 2nd graders are creating their own impression of Monet's famous waterlillies paintings. We will finish it up by contrasting the 2-d of painting with a small 3-d origami boat on the water. Monet loved water and boats and was inspired by Japanese art, so origami ties in nicely to this lesson.

3- Art History focus on Claude Monet. 3rd grade has been challenged to bring the paintings and images of Monet's water garden to life in the form of a paper sculpture.

4th - Art History focus on Gustav Klimt. Inspired by the shapes and patterns found in Klimt's art nouveau art work students are creatings their own take on the famous painting "Baby".

5th and 6th - SOCK CREATURES!!!! Almost never have I seen my darling 5th and 6th graders as happy as they currently art, sock creatures have begun. Students will be using socks to create stuffed animals out of. This project stresses competency and craftsmanship. By the end your student should be able to thread a needle, overcast stitch, and tie a knot, as well as bring home a most memorable stuffed animal.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Wow!!

The 2010/2011 school year is starting out to be one of the best ones ever if you are judging by the look of the hallways. Every student has or has had a piece of art on display already and it all looks great. I hope parents get a chance to see the great art in the halls sometime soon. Currently on display:

Kdg- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Trees. We looked for inspiration from one of our favorite books and really exercised our fine motor skills. Kinders practiced tearing, cutting, glueing, and stamping!

1st - Abstract Names with Color Theory. 1st graders were inspired by the art work of Stuart Davis. They abstracted their names by rearranging letters, overlapping, making letters a variety of sizes, etc. Then after a quick intro to color theory and mixing, students mixed up the secondary colors using the 3 primary colors (plus a little white!)

2nd - Crazy Cactus. 2nd graders worked on creating the art principle of rhythm by repeating lines, colors, and shapes on their crazy cacti! The best part - homemade puffy paint!!!!

3rd- Blast off to a Great New Year! 3rd graders worked on combining simple shapes to make the complex shape of a space shuttle. They reviewed and practiced proper painting techniques. Then they collaged their shuttle on top of a painting of "blast off".

4th - Group Non-objective Paintings. These are spotlighted on the cork board in the mainhall. The paintings are stunning and according to one 4th grader "the most fun project Ive ever done in art!" We worked hard on learning new vocabulary words and using them to talk about the paintings.

5th - Linear Landscapes with Watercolor Techniques. If you are the parent of a 5th grader, get ready to frame some art. These are amazing. They practiced with 4 diff. watercolor techniques - salting, glazing, sponging, and wet on wet.

6th - Color Theory Review and Creating Rhythm. 6th graders reviewed color theory and choose 4 color schemes to recreate ala Kandinsky. They then were introduced to the principle of rhythm and cut up their designs to create new rhythms.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Welcome Back Bobcats - "RRR"oar!!!

I love the start of a new school year! As an art teacher it is so exciting to have a summer to dream up new ideas, tweak old ones, and feel like you are getting ready to start the best year yet!



The first few days we are doing alot of "RRRoaring" in the art room and in general at Langston. All bobcats are going to be "Ready, Respectful, and Responsible". We are taking time to talk about what that looks like in the art room.



Im looking forward to a great year full of fantastic art. Check back to hear more about specific projects and grades.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Art Room Happenings

Here's an update of what your kids are up to in art:

k- TOP SECRET clay slab project....details to come in the next week when your surprise arrives home. BUT you child should and can tell or show you how they roil coils and spheres!

1st- just finishing up repeating line designs, using the 3 line directions. This reinforces the line directions we worked on when we did self-portraits in plaid shirts. We are getting ready to start pinch pots in clay and talk about functional vs. non-functional art.

2nd- is working on a Laurel Burch inspired cat project. This project focuses on the principle of pattern (random and planned) and introduces neutral colors. Now when we sort colors at school your child wont have to stress out about where the browns and blacks go!

3rd- finishing up our clay cupcake boxes. These really do look good enough to eat. We are getting ready to begin a unit on Victorian Architecture to compliment their upcoming Old West Lawrence walking tour.

4th - Illuminated Letters done in metal. This lesson provides a little more background knowledge into the medieval ages for the kids and lets them explore a new medium.

5th - Are in the middle of a clay rose project. We revisited how to make a coil and tweaked the process to turn them into roses. While our clay roses are fired we are exploring one point perspective. WE LOVE ONE POINT PERSPECTIVE!!!!

6th - Just finished their sock creatures and WOW they are great. These should be coming home shortly after they are shared with their book buddies. We are know starting to create 3-D clay castles. These should be done around the time of their medieval feast. The kids and I are SUPER EXCITED about this new slab project.

We are busy busy busy in the art room trying to cram in as much fun, exploration, and learning as we can in the next 5 weeks before schools out!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

4th and 5th grade clay projects begin

If you are the proud parent of a 4th or 5th grader you might notice a spring in their step over the next few days. Clay projects are beginning in art and kids are happy!

5th graders have eagerly been awaiting the creation of coil pots. Earlier this year they were introduced to Maria Martinez, a famous Native American potter. They created 2-d pots adorned with colors and patterns inspired by Native American pottery. All students will be working with clay coils for this project just like Maria Martinez did to build her pots. However, students have the option of smoothing their coils or leaving them visible and also have some choice in how they underglaze their pots. So everyone will be working in the same style their will be a variety of looks at the end - some obviously inspired by Native American art and some more original pieces.

4th graders will be creating clay gargoyle heads in art. They will learn about the history and functions of gargoyles from the middle ages. Students will also view many gargoyles from Europe to inspire their own design. Then they will use multiple hand building techniques to create their own gargoyle. Later in their classes, they will use their gargoyles to inspire a writing project!