Thursday, February 4, 2016

A Multitude of Pinch Pots



The 6th Graders are in the process of making textured pinch pots.  They are glazing them with underglazes and after they are fired they will be embellished with wire and beads.  I will post photos when they are finished!








Drying on the shelf.  Chinese New Year medallions in the background.

Waiting to be loaded into the kiln.
Me getting ready for a long day of clay. 

Tribute to Paris

For Paris

The Berry 5th graders recently completed a watercolor/sillhouette project dedicated to the people of Paris, France in response to the November 13th terrorist attacks.  I wanted to allow the students to speak about this tragic event through their own visual art. It is difficult to understand why things like this happen and sometimes it is easier to make art about how we feel than it is to talk about it, and this can help us heal.  
This project idea came from the blog by wonderful art teacher and blogger extraordinaire,  Cassie Stephens.  Thanks, Cassie!  
We started out by learning some French words and wrote them on white paper.  I selected a list of words that surrounded the topic of surviving a tragedy and that were uplifting. The words were provided for the students to copy in French.  The students painted their backgrounds with liquid watercolors.  The colors of these paints are very vibrant, and the students were required to use either cool or warm colors.  We sprinkled salt on the wet paint and when it dried the salt crystalized, creating a beautiful effect.

The next step was to cut out our silhouettes.  There were three parts to this:  the Paris skyline, a monument and something in the sky.  I gave the students a choice between the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffle Tower. They also had a choice of what to make in the sky.  
The flag gives this one a feeling of majesty. 
I gave the students a demonstration for folding the paper and drawing half of the object and cutting it with the paper folded.  This way they get a symmetrical design.  This technique was used for the Eiffle Tower, Arc de Triomphe, the Paris skyline and the hot air balloon.  
I love the reflection here!  
           






Elements of Art Accordion Books

 Opening up the Elements

Recently the 6th graders each completed an accordion book about the elements of art!  This great project idea was gleaned from the blog A Day in the Life of an Art Teacher.  Each page of the book illustrates a different element of art.   The students were able to choose from four different painting techniques to create the cover for their book: sponge painting, blending colors, splatter painting (oh my!) and water color/salt technique. This resulted in a variety of book covers that proved to be an array of visual stimulation! The following week, when the covers were dry the students wrote the title of their book including their name which gave the books a more personal touch. The books allow me to assess each student's understanding of each art element.  
































Landscapes inDEPTH

Chalk Landscapes

The berry sixth graders are creating landscapes that have depth.  The students have been learning about how artists show depth in landscape paintings.  Back in the fall they completed a one point perspective landscape with a barn.  Several techniques were used to show depth including size difference, the height/placement of objects on the paper, atmospheric perspective and one point perspective.  

This chalk landscape is the second in a series of landscape projects the sixth graders are doing this year.  The students show their understanding of atmospheric perspective and include a background, middle ground and foreground in their own vibrant chalk landscapes.  The next landscape project I have planned will be of silhouettes using more atmospheric perspective and overlapping.

Please leave a comment and tell me if you have a good landscape art project!  I would love to hear about it!