The Mitten Tree

Winter in Maine requires mittens! Students in kindergarten and first grade listened to the book The Mitten Tree. The Mitten Tree is a story of an elderly woman who secretly knits mittens for children who don't have them. She hangs them on a tree at the children's bus stop. After they heard the story the kindergarten used found objects to make a pattern on a piece of construction paper. Their learning target was "I can make a clear print using found objects." The students used pieces of cardboard, q-tips, and marker caps to print their patterns. Once the patterns were dry the students used stencils to create the mitten shape and texture rubbing plates to add interest to their backgrounds.

First graders listened to the same story, but their learning target was "I can create tints of a color by adding white." They used their tints to create a page of patterns. Once their pattern was dry they cut out the mittens and added interest to the background with textured rubbing plates.

Lines, Lines, Everywhere There's Lines!

Line is one of the elements of art. In this lesson, first graders discussed their learning target "I can create a variety of lines with different media." We brainstormed different lines they knew. Among the lines that were discussed were straight, dashed, dotted, zig-zag and wavy. Students used strips of cardboard and toilet paper tubes cut in half to print lines with tempera paint. Once they were dry students added color with crayons.  Great job first grade!

All Aboard!

     All aboard! Amtrak has started offering passenger train service close by in Brunswick, Maine. In celebration of this exciting new way to travel from Maine, our kindergarten students created a piece of art about trains.
     Our first learning target for this lesson was "I can use lines to create shapes." In kindergarten we use a variety of materials to create lines and shapes. We learned that when lines meet they make shapes. After reading the book Color Train by Donald Crews, our young artists used strips of cardboard to print lines that turned squares into squares and rectangles, and then into trains. The wheels were made by printing empty tape spools.
     The following week, we added a new learning target: "I can explore and identify different art media." Students were introduced to a new art media: oil pastels, or craypas. They discovered they were squishier than crayons, they smudge and you can paint right over them. The oil in the craypas repels water, so watercolor flows right over the top of your drawing.
The students' active lines and bright colors convey the excitement of trains rolling down the tracks!

Line Prints

 

In this Line Prints lesson, second graders used two forms of media, styrofoam printmaking and craypas, to create a beautiful multi-media piece. We are using learning targets in art his year. A learning target is a statement is a "I can" statement telling students what they will be learning during their art lesson. The learning target for this lesson was "I can use a variety of media to create lines." Line is one of the seven elements of art. A wonderful artist, Walter Anderson, had a philosophy that if a person knew how to draw seven basic lines (straight, curved, zig-zag, wavy, spiral, dotted and dash) they could draw anything. To practice creating lines, students were asked to draw the seven lines on a piece of styrofoam. They were encouraged to experiment with repetition a varying the lines. 

After they had incised the styrofoam plates, we printed! Students enjoyed using the brayers and ink to ink to prepare the plates and printing them. Once they were dry, the lines of the print were extended to the edge of the page and filled in with craypas. The results were gorgeous!

This lesson was inspired by an image seen on the art educational site Artsonia.

Artist Inspiration: Romero Britto

Artists are often inspired by other artists, either contemporary or from the past.  Our third and fourth graders drew inspiration for a multi-media project from artist Romero Britto (http://www.britto.com/), a self-taught artist from Brazil.  Mr. Britto's artwork was inspired by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.  His work combines cubism and pop art creating images that have "warmth, optimism and love."
Students noticed that Mr. Britto divided his background into shapes, similar to broken glass.  Patterns were found in each section of his work.  Students were asked to use these basic elements, fractured plane and pattern, to create a multi-media artwork.
Using the same printing objects they used in Framed!, students divided their 12X12 white paper into at least four sections and printed a pattern in each one with tempera paint.  When the paint dried, students used markers to add color to the patterns.  The collage for this artwork was inspired by fall.  Pumpkins!  Students were reminded of how to fold and cut a symmetrical shape out of orange paper.  Then, they sliced up their pumpkins and glued them back down as a puzzle on black paper, letting black lines show in between.  Since Halloween is near, some students chose to create jack-o-lantern faces on their pumpkins. They used green paper to create grass and a stem.  The final touch was cutting out the pumpkin, leaving a black outline around it, and gluing it to their patterned background.  Voila!  Striking, colorful, inspired multi-media art!

Framed!

At the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Benn asked me if I could have the students make frames to hang their photos in in the classroom.  Thanks to the recycling center, I had small mat board frames that would work perfectly for this project. 

Third and fourth graders used found objects to print patterns and designs around the frames.  We used old small and large marker caps, receipt rolls, toothpicks, q-tips and small pieces of cardboard to make our prints.  Students started the lesson by tracing the frames and practicing their patterns on paper.  Once they had decided on a design they liked, they used black and white paint to print patterns on their frames.  We let them dry until the following week when bright colors were used to embellish their designs.  The results are fantastic!  Look for them in your third or fourth graders' classroom!