Sunday, April 10, 2016

5th Grade Cacti Still Lifes

Artwork by Shannon

I wanted my 5th graders to create an artwork that combined many different art elements and principles in one work, so I came up with this still life of cacti.  Unlike a true still life which would have included the subject set up in front of them for observation, I chose to let them compose their own cacti, requiring that they think about balancing their cacti in the pot.  The inspiration for their patterns (and the reason we left our pots in high contrast black and white) came from a quick study of the pottery of the Acoma Pueblo people of New Mexico.  Students paid special attention to form by using curved lines on their cacti and around their pots (some also used shading), and the subject of cacti gave them a chance to practice creating implied texture with their cactus spines and in their gravel.  Some students also specifically employed differing color values in their backgrounds.  (Art teachers, note that the cacti and pots were drawn separately and glued onto a previously painted background.)  I think the students did some beautiful work, and in our discussions they really showed a great understanding of the elements and principles they've been learning about for the past several years!

Artwork by Landon

Artwork by Megan

Artwork by Morgan

2nd Grade Mad Scientist Color Mixing

Artwork by Kate

This project gave our 2nd graders more exposure to drawing 3d forms both through the use of curved lines (on the containers and the bubbles) and with highlights (on the bubbles).  It was also another way for them to "experiment" with color mixing: each container is painted with a mixture of two different primary colors in order to create all three secondary colors.  The containers are drawn and painted on a separate sheet then cut out after they're dry.  These are glued to a sheet of black construction paper, and bubbles are added using circle tracers and oil pastels.  Students were really happy with how their bubbles came out!  I only wish I had more pictures, but I was lacking my usual camera, and most that I took with my phone were not good enough to post:(

Artwork by Brandon