Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Mixed Media Owls-Second Grade





This lesson was done with my Second Grade classes in September. I usually read the book "Little White Owl"
Little White Owl

This a wonderful story about being unique and accepting others no matter their differences. I like to start the year off with this story and I save it for second grade. Each year I try a different owl lesson. This time we used different materials and made a collage.

I always review lines with my first lesson, k-2. We reviewed lines and how they could be used to create a pattern to decorate our owls. This was done with oil pastels and water colors.

Next class time the owls were cut out, and collage was discussed. We used different materials for the background such as brown bag paper, tin foil, poster board, oil pastel, and black constrution paper.

The owl was glued last.

These look grade in our school hallways. I love the size of the owls, and the contrast of the bright watercolors,  dark background and shiny foil.

I beleive students enjoyed using different materials with the lesson, and understood a mixed media process.

Monday, October 22, 2012

5th Grade Zentangles

  

 I'm back. It has been along time since I have posted anything. We are working like crazy in the art room, but there hasn't been any time to sit and post something new. I am so tired when I come home and school is the last thing from my mind. How many of you can relate?

Anyway this lesson is great. Thanks Art Moments for the inspiration. http://elementaryartmoments.blogspot.com/2011/09/5th-grade-zentangles.html
This is 5th grade's Art To Remember lesson. The student's loved, loved doing this. There is tons of information out there about zentangles. Show much fun information to teach and show.
I will say that I started the lesson showing the students a short video on U Tube (see below), to get them inspired. These patterns were done with a fine sharpie and an ultra fine sharpie. I would defiantly suggest using both for contrast.
Borders were added last. They are truly original!







Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Framed Self Portraits


 This lesson was inspired from one of my favorite blogs, Panther's Palette. Here is the link to this lesson on that site. http://pantherspalette.blogspot.com/2012/04/1st-grade-self-portraits.html

We discussed self portraits, and that we were going to learn how to create a realistic self portrait of ourselves. I used my document camera and we did this lesson together. I showed them all my "tricks" on how to draw facial features, and how make the portraits proportional. I think they turned out great.

Super cute story. At the end of one class's drawing lesson, a little boy raised his hand and said "Mrs. Murphy it looks (and pointed to his art work) like a real boy!" He got it!! This just made my entire year and made me smile so much my face hurt. Needless to say I have included that story in every portrait lesson I've taught since, and will probably always will.
 I put these up on on a small bulletin board outside my art room. Simple but says it all. Be yourself. An original is always worth more than a copy.
 These paper frames were precut by me, and student's used silver paint to add swirlys and wavys (lines) to embellish it.






Monday, May 21, 2012

Glass and Glaze

 Have you ever melted glass in your kiln. Fabulous idea that I know most art teachers do, especially my fellow art teachers in my county. I tried it this year for the first time and the results are amazing. The student's were amazed and thought these looked beautiful. Especially these second grade slab bowls. By far one of the best projects I've done all  year. I purchased the glass flat beads, large and small from the dollar store. I had to visit there a lot because we kept running out.
 These are in display in the case outside of my art room along with lots of other stuff. As you can see some glass did not make it all the way across some of the bottoms. Which is okay. Each piece I thought was unique.


 Side ways view from bowl at top. It's hard to see but the sides were stamped before these were put on the mold.

 I really like the free form of this pottery. I encourage the students to lay the slab (after they rolled it out) on the mold and to NOT cut it in a circle.

 These are ready to be fired in the kiln. You can see they each picked out three colors of glass. Just enought to melt all the way across,on most.
 Bone dry bisque and ready to be fired in the kiln.
 Great pic of stamped sides and bottom. These slabs were laid on a styrofoam bowl, as a mold. We used slab sticks, rollers to get the correct thickness of clay. Then they were stamped with various stamps I made last year. Then they were carefully picked up and laid on mold. They were to gently push down slab to form it slightly around mold (bowl), but not to much. Names were put on these last with needle tool.
 Fourth Graders even picked one piece of small glass and put inside their face pottery for a pop of color. I like to do this lesson with clear glaze.It shows the details in the clay better. These student's could choose clear if they wanted, if they didn't want the color inside.



 Glazing with three coats, time for a glass bead!!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Animal Pinch Pots



 These cute little animals were made using a pinch pot. My third graders had a lot of fun chosing their own animal and building it with clay. I had a chart on board of several types (maybe 15?)of animals they could choose from. I had several that created an animal off the chart, like a penguin, bird, which was great!! These were glazed with cone 4 speed ball glaze. The bowl above is a bunny, which was made before Easter, I call it her bunny bowl.
 Puppy
 Frog
 Horse
 Pig
 Tiger
Turtle
 These are examples before fired in the kiln. I use low fire clay, cone 06