Still Life Flowers

In this art lesson student learned about the famous Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh.  We discussed how we sometimes express our feelings in art and learned that the style of art that van Gogh made was called "Expressionism."

We also learned about the artistic technique of drawing and painting a still life.  A still life is when make a drawing based on a gathering of inanimate objects in the middle of a table; like a vase of flowers or bowl of fruit.  Many famous artists started with still life art before going on to more complicated artforms.  It is a great tool to gain more artistic skill.

We also learned the difference between cool colors (blues, purples, and greens) and warm colors (reds, oranges, and yellows).  You can see these represented in van Gogh's flowers (pictured above).

This was the first lesson we did where the students did their artwork on the tar paper.  I loved the way they turned out.  They started with a chalk outline and filled it in with oil pastel. 

Once the artwork was complete, I put a thin coat of acrylic varnish on top.  When it dries the chalk outlines dissapear; leaving a lot of great contrast.  The dissapearing chalk reveals the black of the paper underneath.

Owl Moon

My 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders have been working on our "Owl Moon" project for a couple of weeks now.  In case you didn't know, I persnoally adore owls.  They are my favorite animal (besides my pup Luna) and I have been collecting them in the form of jewelry, figurines, art, and anything really for years now.

In this art lesson, we read the book "Owl Moon" by Jane Yolen and assembled our own artwork of an owl on a branch with a moon in the background.

We learned about owls, their habitats, their feather colors, and the food they eat. We also learned that most, but not all, owls are nocturnal (meaning they sleep during the day and hunt and stay out during the night).  We also learned that owls can turn their heads all the way around and look behind them.  We learned that their feathers are natural colors like browns, grays, white, and blacks so that they can blend in like camouflauge.  This is so they can hide from their prey and their preditors.  We learned about barn owls, snowy owls, the great horned owl, and the burrowing owl.  Did you know that most owls don't even make their own nests?  Instead they wait for other birds to move on and they repurpose the nests for their own needs.

Here are some finished art pieces from my students.  First, they cut out a branch and glued it on the bottom of their paper.  Then they drew an owl on another piece of construction paper.  They colored in their owls with neutral colored oil pastels and added details in the form of lines, shapes, and patterns.  Next, they cut out their owls and glued them onto the branch.  To finish, they drew a moon up top!

Lascaux Cave Drawings

For this lesson, I showed students a video that was captured of the cave drawings inside Lascaux Caves in Lascaux France.  The video was made in the 1960's so that the public could still see Lascaux's beautiful prehistoric images even though the cave was closed off to the public (in order to preserve the art).

The cave drawings are believed to date back over 17,000 years; making them the oldest art known about in the entire world!  The story goes that 4 teenage boys discovered the cave in 1940 when they noticed a hole in the ground where a tree once stood.  A lightning storm had struck the tree, revealing the hidden cave underneath.  Imagine how special you might feel if you were one of the 4 lucky boys who discovered the oldest art in the world!

In this art lesson, students were instructed to draw at least 2 animals (like those seen at Lascaux: cows, bulls, deer, bears, or a unicorn) and at least 3 symbols.  After students designed the composition of their drawing on a practice sheet, they completed a final drawing and added color with oil pastels.  We used a manilla paper to mimic the look of the ancient cave.

Aboriginal Snakes

I also did an art lesson based on the Aboriginal people with my older students (3rd, 4th, and 5th grade).  One way Aboriginal people present animals in their artwork is through their "X-ray" style paintings.  This is where you can see details inside the body of the animal just as a doctor would see the details of your bones on an x-ray.  After students finished drawing their snake in oil pastel, they added Aboriginal symbols to the background to finish their composition.

Originally, I got this idea from Art Projects for Kids, but I changed it up a little by having my students add symbols to their background!

Paul Klee Castles

Ocassionaly I get a little stumped as to how can I teach a familiar objective using a new lesson or idea.  So, I turn to my best friend google to lend a hand (he never lets me down)!  Through google, I have found many other art teacher blogs, art lesson plans, cultural history, craft collectives, and the like.  One of my favorite blogs, Art Projects for Kids, has contributed many ideas to my classroom; including this one!

In this lesson, we looked at art examples from an abstract artist originating from Switzerland, Paul Klee.  Klee's artwork has been associated with such art historical styles as Expressionism, Cubism, and Surrealism.  He loves geometric shapes.  So, I took the opportunity in this lesson to help my students differentiate abstract art from realistic art and geometric shapes from organic ones.

 

 Paul Klee's painting, Castle and Sun

I did this lesson with my younger students (K, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades).  First we talked about the different parts of a castle (turrets, towers, flags, moats, drawbridges, etc.).  Then, I encouraged the students to use the ruler to help them create straight lines and geometric shapes.  I also constantly reminded students to use a lot of shapes to add detail to their artwork.  After drawing their castles onto construction paper, they colored in each shape a different color.  Lastly, they traced around each shape with either white or black oil pastel so the colors would really "pop."