Week 7 in Review

GRADES 1-3 DAILY "BELL WORK" FOR WEEK SEVEN

Rufino Tamayo 

Sandías (1955)
http://www.mexonline.com/history-tamayo.htm

 

        Rufino Tamayo 

      Duality (1964)

Rufino Tamayo 

Fruit Bowl with Apples (Frutero con manzanas)

(1981)

UPCOMING "BELL WORK" FOR WEEK EIGHT

   

Claude Monet

Study of Five Boys

(1864)

https://www.boijmans.nl/en/collection/artworks/57547/study-of-five-boys

Claude Monet

 Vase de Pavots (Purple Poppies--1883)
https://www.boijmans.nl/en/collection/artists/12499/claude-monet

Claude Monet

Tulips in Holland

(1886)

http://www.monetpaintings.org/tulip-fields/

All students complete "bell work" at the start of each class before any other instructions are given.  As soon as students are seated, they are to immediately put pencil to paper and begin drawing the image projected before them;  no questions, no comments; no distractions.  

****(Kinder will begin doing bell work near the end of second quarter)

All attention is focused on looking carefully and recording what students SEE.

This is SILENT work time.  Students are working independently, although I often interject with some guidance and state simple parameters.  Students are graded primarily on their efforts and participation, not entirely on the outcome of their drawing.

After drawing, we have a brief class discussion to learn more about the artwork.  We make some guesses at to what the work may be about; what the story may be behind the work.  We THINK about how the artist used line, color, shapes, etc. to communicate meaning and emotion.  We discuss how we may not all respond to the art work in the same way.  

The final step in our Bell Work exercise is to ask ourselves more questions about the art work.  We WONDER what the artist intended to communicate.  This is where Ms. Northway may need to do some research to share what she learned about the artist and her/his life experiences.  

 I typically show students three artworks by the same artist.  In this way, they become familiar with the style of a particular artist, and often can recall the artist's name. All of the children's drawings will be glued into small weekly/bi-weekly books to bring home.

PLEASE KEEP YOUR CHILD'S WEEKLY BOOKS IN A SAFE PLACE (and ordered in a BIG 3 RING BINDER) SO YOU CAN SEE GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.  

K-3  PROJECTS:  WEEK 7

After bell work, students use sketchbooks for more extensive, ongoing projects.

KINDER

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Color

We continued to learn about the difference between organic and geometric shapes. 

Students learned how to draw an octagon.  But first.......We imagined ourselves as birds flying over the building pictured below:

What shapes would we see?  A circle surrounded by a triangle...a square...a rectangle??? 

Nope, none of the above, but an octagon.  I love how kinders get so exited about learning to draw shapes with such interesting names. :)

After a few practice sketches of octagons, we copied from the photograph below to make a colorful crayon drawing with shapes, and of course, a bird flying above. 

Dome of the Rock--https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/west-and-central-asia/a/the-dome-of-the-rock-qubbat-al-sakhra

FIRST

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Color 

Students continued working on their drawing of a bee with honeycomb.  
We actually spent most of the class time working on bell work drawings this week.  

The upcoming sketchbook project this week will be a self-portrait focusing on proportions of the face and the correct placement of facial features. 

GRADE 2

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Color, Space

We are continuing to fill in the butterfly shapes with oil pastels.  Once complete, they will be cut out and a black backing glued on. Every butterfly will be attached to thread and hung from ceiling of my classroom. 

Second graders did this last year as well and I love the idea of this being THE second grade project that the first graders look forward to doing.  They are just lovely to look at as they slowly turn in the breeze of the air-conditioning ;)

 Andy Warhol
Butterflies (1955)

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/warhol-happy-butterfly-day-ar00249

GRADE 3

Elements of Art - Line

Students continued to work on Blind Contour Drawings of their hand, face and neighbor's facial features.


I am really taking this drawing exercise slowly this year to ensure that students really grasp this concept of blind contour drawing.  It requires a lot of trust in their teacher and self-discipline.  Students are learning the meaning of making a "drawing study" and how practice is necessary to "warm up" as if playing an instrument. 


{ I have witnessed quite a few "light bulbs" start to flicker and turn on.....very satisfying :) }


A seriousness and focus is beginning to develop with each small successful line study, as well as a sense of accomplishment..........as I continue to talk on and on of the beauty in imperfection and the sensitivity and thoughtfulness of a delicate line.  

A line drawing hand study will be made this coming week.  It is my hope that students will be up for the challenge and have matured in their understanding of their own artistic and personal development.    

Leonardo Da Vinci
Study of a Woman's Hand
https://www.leonardodavinci.net/study-of-arms-and-hands.jsp

Week 7 in Review

GRADES 1-3 DAILY "BELL WORK" FOR WEEK SEVEN

Pablo Picasso

Le Gourmet (1901)

Pablo Picasso

Guitar (1913)

Pablo Picasso

Guitar (1912-1913)

GRADES 1-3 DAILY "BELL WORK" FOR WEEK EIGHT(upcoming)

Rufino Tamayo 

Sandías (1955)

 

        Rufino Tamayo 

      Duality (1964)

Rufino Tamayo 

Fruit Bowl with Apples (Frutero con manzanas)

(1981)

All students complete "bell work" at the start of each class before any other instructions are given.  As soon as students are seated, they are to immediately put pencil to paper and begin drawing the image projected before them;  no questions, no comments; no distractions.  

****(Kinder will begin doing bell work near the end of second quarter)

All attention is focused on looking carefully and recording what students SEE.

This is SILENT work time.  Students are working independently, although I often interject with some guidance and state simple parameters.  Students are graded primarily on their efforts and participation, not entirely on the outcome of their drawing.

After drawing, we have a brief class discussion to learn more about the artwork.  We make some guesses at to what the work may be about; what the story may be behind the work.  We THINK about how the artist used line, color, shapes, etc. to communicate meaning and emotion.  We discuss how we may not all respond to the art work in the same way.  

The final step in our Bell Work exercise is to ask ourselves more questions about the art work.  We WONDER what the artist intended to communicate.  This is where Ms. Northway may need to do some research to share what she learned about the artist and her/his life experiences.  

 I typically show students three artworks by the same artist.  In this way, they become familiar with the style of a particular artist, and often can recall the artist's name. All of the children's drawings will be glued into small weekly/bi-weekly books to bring home.

PLEASE KEEP YOUR CHILD'S WEEKLY BOOKS IN A SAFE PLACE (and ordered in a BIG 3 RING BINDER) SO YOU CAN SEE GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.  

K-3  PROJECTS:  WEEK 6

After bell work, students use sketchbooks for more extensive, ongoing projects.

KINDER

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Color

• Discussion/Review of Shapes from our project last week.  
• Photographs of Matisse working in studio:  drawing on walls with chalk; Cutting paper shapes;  Ceramic wall mural
• Photographs of seaweed---Matisse's inspiration for shapes due to his stay by the seaside (as we read in the story)
• Organic/ Geometric Shape Review
• Finished cutting shapes and Painting shapes

They all did a great job with taking this cutting and painting their organic shapes. 

 The kinder students from all four classes will combine their cut out shapes to create a collaborative wall collage painting after Matisse's "La Gerbe." (below)

I am looking forward to having them paint these and put up for a room display next week. 

A few of these will be on display in hallway and another arrangement of their shapes will remain on classroom/studio wall  

FIRST

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Color 

We continued drawing hexagons to create a honeycomb pattern.  Afterwords, we cut out a pre-printed equilateral triangle and folded in the three corners to make a hexagon.  This was then glued into the students' "bell work books" to bring home. 

After looking at many images of bee hives, we observed how sometimes the overall form of a hive can be very organic and irregular, in contrast to the interior geometric components of the structure.



(This last pic is actually waffles....just to see if kids are paying attention.....)

Students continued drawing hexagon shapes in sketchbook, this time, filling an entire page.  On top of this pattern, we began drawing a honey bee.



In between drawing exercises, I shared some personal stories about growing up next door to a bee keeper/gardener.  This was an elderly man who was a stand in for my grandfather.  I shared my story of how one of my chores was to keep fresh water in the bird feeder for the bees.  I quickly discovered that I could flick the bees into the water and then rescue them by letting them walk up onto my hand and arms.  Walking around my backyard, with arms outstretched, I could wait for them to dry off and fly away.  My point being, that bees are beautiful, important little creatures that we shouldn't be scared of.  :)

GRADE 2

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Color, Space

Each second grade class was assigned a butterfly to draw using black acrylic paint for the outline areas and oil pastels for the colors.

-  Pipevine Swallowtail

-  Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

-  Painted Lady

-  Monarch 

The initial pencil drawing of the shape is made symmetrical by a simple monotype technique of painting over the lines from one side of paper, with black acrylic paint and then folding and pressing the paint onto the opposite side.

We have started to fill in the butterfly shapes with oil pastels, and will continue in the coming week. Once complete, a black backing will be glued on; butterflies attached to thread and hung from ceiling of my classroom.

Second graders did this last year as well and I love the idea of this being THE second grade project that the first graders look forward to doing.  They are just lovely to look at as they slowly turn in the breeze of the air-conditioning ;)

 Andy Warhol
Butterflies (1955)

GRADE 3

Elements of Art - Line

Students continued to work on Blind Contour Drawings of their hand, face and neighbor's facial features.


I am really taking this drawing exercise slowly this year to ensure that students really grasp this concept of blind contour drawing.  It requires a lot of trust in their teacher and self-discipline.  Students are learning the meaning of making a "drawing study" and how practice is necessary to "warm up" as if playing an instrument. 


{ I have witnessed quite a few "light bulbs" start to flicker and turn on.....very satisfying :) }


A seriousness and focus is beginning to develop with each small successful line study, as well as a sense of accomplishment..........as I continue to talk on and on of the beauty in imperfection and the sensitivity and thoughtfulness of a delicate line.  

A line drawing hand study will be made this coming week.  It is my hope that students will be up for the challenge and have matured in their understanding of their own artistic and personal development.    

Leonardo Da Vinci
Study of a Woman's Hand

Week 5 in Review

K-3 DAILY "BELL WORK" FOR WEEK FIVE

Paul Gauguin  
Tahitian Landscape (1891)

Paul Gauguin 
Fleurs dans un vase 

Painted in 1886-1887 and 1893-1895

Paul Gauguin

The Beautiful Angèle (1889)

K-3 DAILY "BELL WORK" FOR WEEK SIX

Pablo Picasso

Le Gourmet (1901)

Pablo Picasso

Guitar (1913)

Pablo Picasso

Guitar (1912-1913)

All students complete "bell work" at the start of each class before any other instructions are given.  As soon as students are seated, they are to immediately put pencil to paper and begin drawing the image projected before them;  no questions, no comments; no distractions.  

****(Kinder will begin doing bell work near the end of second quarter)

All attention is focused on looking carefully and recording what students SEE.

This is SILENT work time.  Students are working independently, although I often interject with some guidance and state simple parameters.  Students are graded primarily on their efforts and participation, not entirely on the outcome of their drawing.

After drawing, we have a brief class discussion to learn more about the artwork.  We make some guesses at to what the work may be about; what the story may be behind the work.  We THINK about how the artist used line, color, shapes, etc. to communicate meaning and emotion.  We discuss how we may not all respond to the art work in the same way.  

The final step in our Bell Work exercise is to ask ourselves more questions about the art work.  We WONDER what the artist intended to communicate.  This is where Ms. Northway may need to do some research to share what she learned about the artist and her/his life experiences.  

 I typically show students three artworks by the same artist.  In this way, they become familiar with the style of a particular artist, and often can recall the artist's name. All of the children's drawings will be glued into small weekly/bi-weekly books to bring home.

PLEASE KEEP YOUR CHILD'S WEEKLY BOOKS IN A SAFE PLACE (and ordered in a BIG 3 RING BINDER) SO YOU CAN SEE GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.  

K-3  PROJECTS:  WEEK 5

After bell work, students use sketchbooks for more extensive, ongoing projects.

KINDER

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Color

• Discussion/Review of Shapes from our project last week.  
• Matisse story
• Organic/ Geometric Shape Review
• Finished cutting out stars
• Students traced around four different organic shaped templates in their sketchbooks.  
• Once the shapes were traced with a pencil, students used markers to make a more bold line....this time, not using a template.  They were instructed to work very slowly and trace their own pencil line with the marker.
• In learning how to cut out these complex forms, they were shown how to trim off all extra paper surrounding the form; continuing to use only straight cuts to come closer and closer to the shape.  
• Finally....students were allowed to cut out the "curvy lines" with "careful cutting".  
• I instructed students to make their scissors holding hand "heavy like a rock" on the table and allow only the hand holding onto the paper to move.  

They all did a great job with taking this cutting project slowly and methodically to achieve a cleanly cut out form.  

 The kinder students from all four classes will combine their cut out shapes to create a collaborative wall collage painting after Matisse's "La Gerbe." (below)

I am looking forward to having them paint these and put up for a room display next week. 

FIRST

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Color 

• Students are now finished with their Roman Mosaic Tiles. 

• These will be on display throughout the year as a border for our classroom bulletin boards. 
• We celebrated by taking some time to visit with neighbors and work on coloring sheets while some other friends finished up their tiles.

• In my Friday class, we drew hexagons to create a honeycomb pattern.  Afterwords, we cut out a pre-printed equilateral triangle and then continued to fold it into a hexagon.  This was then glued into the students' "bell work books" to bring home. 

GRADE 2

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Form, Value, Color, Texture, Space

Each second grade class was assigned a butterfly to draw using black acrylic paint for the outline areas and oil pastels for the colors.  

The initial pencil drawing of the shape is made symmetrical by a simple monotype technique of painting over the lines from one side of paper, with black acrylic paint and then folding and pressing the paint onto the opposite side.

In the coming week, we will complete the black paint outline and begin filling with oil pastels.

We chose the following butterflies: 

-  Pipevine Swallowtail

-  Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

-  Painted Lady

-  Monarch 

GRADE 3

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Form, Value, Color, Texture, Space

Students continued to work on Blind Contour Drawings of their hand, face and neighbor's facial features.


I am really taking this drawing exercise slowly this year to ensure that students really grasp this concept of blind contour drawing.  It requires a lot of trust in their teacher and self-discipline.  Students are learning the meaning of making a "drawing study" and how practice is necessary to "warm up" as if playing an instrument. 


{ I have witnessed quite a few "light bulbs" start to flicker and turn on.....very satisfying :) }


A seriousness and focus is beginning to develop with each small successful line study, as well as a sense of accomplishment..........as I continue to talk on and on of the beauty in imperfection and the sensitivity and thoughtfulness of a delicate line.  

A more lengthy "partner portrait" continuous line drawing will be made this coming week, and it is my hope that students will be up for the challenge and have matured in their understanding of their own artistic and personal development.    

Week 4 in Review

K-2 DAILY "BELL WORK" FOR WEEK FOUR

All students will complete "bell work" at the start of each class before any other instructions are given.  As soon as students are seated, they are to immediately put pencil to paper and begin drawing the image projected before them;  no questions, no comments; no distractions.  

****(Kinder will begin doing bell work near the end of second quarter)

All attention is focused on looking carefully and recording what students SEE.

This is SILENT work time.  Students are working independently, although I often interject with some guidance and state simple parameters.  Students are graded primarily on their efforts and participation, not entirely on the outcome of their drawing.

After drawing, we have a brief class discussion to learn more about the artwork.  We make some guesses at to what the work may be about; what the story may be behind the work.  We THINK about how the artist used line, color, shapes, etc. to communicate meaning and emotion.  We discuss how we may not all respond to the art work in the same way.  

The final step in our Bell Work exercise is to ask ourselves more questions about the art work.  We WONDER what the artist intended to communicate.  This is where Ms. Northway may need to do some research to share what she learned about the artist and her/his life experiences.  

 I typically show students three artworks by the same artist.  In this way, they become familiar with the style of a particular artist, and often can recall the artist's name. All of the children's drawings will be glued into small weekly/bi-weekly books to bring home.

PLEASE KEEP YOUR CHILD'S WEEKLY BOOKS IN A SAFE PLACE (and ordered in a BIG 3 RING BINDER) SO YOU CAN SEE GROWTH THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.  

In recreating the painting below, students learned about the watercolor technique of "glazing"......and I illustrated this technique by comparing glazed donuts vs. frosted cake donuts.......thin watercolor paint vs. thick oil paint :)

Small pieced of watercolor paper were used to draw a simple pencil outline showing the boundaries of the contrasting colors and the shapes that are created. 

Helen Frankenthaler

Canyon (1965)

 
Image of  the Grand Canyon 

For the second work by Helen Frankenthaler, we used conte crayons in primary colors.  The red- oranges and yellow-oranges were created by blending yellow and red with a cotton swab. The darker value of blue was achieved by adding a layer of graphite on top of bright blue. 

Helen Frankenthaler

Orange Mood (1966)

Image of the Grand Canyon 

PROJECTS:  WEEK 4

After bell work, students will be using sketchbooks for more extensive, ongoing projects.

KINDER

Elements of Art - Line, Shape

• Discussion/Review of Shapes from our project last week.  
• Geometric Shapes
• Organic Shapes
• Story read aloud in class:  Henri's Scissors

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9atTgTpUa4

• After reading the story, we learned how to draw a star on a small square piece of paper.
• These stars will be cut out this upcoming week and hung from the ceiling in the art studio and in the hallway.

FIRST

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Color 

• Students are nearly finished with their Roman Mosaic Tiles. 
• These will be on display throughout the year as a border for our classroom bulletin boards. 

GRADE 2

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Form, Value, Color, Texture, Space

Students continued to work on a small
"foldable" illustrating the 7 Elements of Art

Each second grade class was assigned a butterfly to draw using oil pastel--upcoming for week 5.

We chose the following butterflies: 

-  Pipevine Swallowtail

-  Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

-  Painted Lady

-  Monarch 

GRADE 3

Elements of Art - Line, Shape, Form, Value, Color, Texture, Space

Students continued to work on a small
"foldable" illustrating the 7 Elements of Art

• Students also began learning about:


• Blind contour drawing-- Observational drawing of hand 
• Continuous contour drawing -- Partner Portrait drawings

Upcoming -- Bellwork for Week 5:

Paul Gauguin  Tahitian Landscape (1891)

Paul Gauguin Fleurs dans un vase 

(Painted in 1886-1887 and 1893-1895)

Paul Gauguin

The Beautiful Angèle (1889)