Marc Chagall Self Portraits

I've been thinking more and more about choice in the art room. I definitely try to strike a balance in my teaching philosophy and practice. After all elementary students need structure. They are still learning to use materials properly, the rules and procedures in the art room, and I have curriculum standards to fulfill.

And yet, student choice in the art room reveals a path to a wonderful variety of expression, lends itself to differentiation and increased student engagement. I am finding that when we talk about art, and artistic choices of famous artists, that students are inspired to make their own decisions in how and what they are making. This simple project turned into something magical for me and my 3rd graders as we learned about the art of Marc Chagall.

Our first look at some of Chagall's paintings observations like:
Some people are green, upside down, different sizes.
Some things are floating, or upside down.
Sometimes people or animals are shown as just a face, or their whole body.

We talk about how Chagall made choices as an artist to create his paintings in this way, and students were asked to think about the following: What can we do in our artwork to demonstrate that it is inspired by the work of Marc Chagall?
Show us three things that tell us about you
Create a self or family portrait or memory
Include people, buildings and nature (plants/animals)
Have images vary in size
Use non-realistic and bright colors
Add an unexpected image
Change the direction of objects
Floating or flying people/objects
Create a feeling of happiness
Include a favorite animal or pet

The three things that that tell me something about my students is required, and all of the other criteria work more like prompts. I don't expect every item to be addressed. Those three things are a great opportunity for me to learn a little more about each as we work and discuss our projects. The one thing I do dissuade my students from doing is writing words on their project. Some students are inclined to label things, or just write words instead of draw, so we talk about that as well.

We sketch ideas on a 4x6 piece of paper before moving on to 12x18. And then the process is pencil drawing, tracing lines carefully in sharpie, smaller areas in oil pastels, and painting larger areas in watercolor or pan tempera.

In having choices throughout this project, students care about what they creating. And when everyone's artwork is different, no one's choices are wrong. Here are some of my favorites!

Watercolor Landscapes

Students and I looked at landscapes painted by Grant Wood, and used his works to discuss foreground, middle ground and background. We then planned our own landscapes to include plants, water, rolling hills and sky. We marked the side of our paper at the halfway point, and then again one quarter of the way and three quarters of the way to act as a loose guide for spacing of each of the elements across the page. Images were planned out in pencil, and then gone over in black permanent marker. We painted with a large set of liquid watercolors for a greater range and intensity of colors. Aren't they breathtaking?

This lesson was adopted from the Apex Elementary Art Blog.

The students' works were completely inspiring! Thank you Mrs. Haake and class.

Stained Glass Inspired Self Portraits

I have a student and friend who is nearing her college years, and intends to study art. We have been working together and with my family to create some new pieces of artwork that may be added to her portfolio. Here is our first endeavor.

We took inspiration from stained glass panels to create these self portraits in ink and concentrated watercolor. We first sketched our self portraits in pencil, trying to fill the page with as much face and as little background as possible. Then with bold strokes and waterproof ink, we painted the initial outlines of our pieces. Watercolor was then used to fill areas, and non-realistic colors where encouraged. A second round of ink and watercolor wash were added, as well as waterproof markers to add details and render color areas further. As you can see the stained glass reference was loosely observed, but I think helped give us the opportunity to think in a more graphic style. Did I mention how much I love making art with others? Great job everyone!

Continuous Line Paintings: Inspired by Geoff Slater

I recently subbed in the art room and was asked if I had a one class lesson plan I would like to work on while I was there. I used this lesson that I originally saw at: kinderart.com. They have a great visual step-by-step lesson plan that you can check out.

We looked at works by Geoff Slater and saw that they were painted in one continuous line. We worked with the goal of two lines: one to fill the flower and one to fill the background. I also let them know that even if they used more than two lines that it would be fine. As long as their paintings resembled a maze, they were accomplishing the goal of a work inspired by the artist.

Students had a choice of painting a daisy-flower shape or a tulip-styled flower, which I had examples of on the blackboard. They also had the option of using realistic or non-realistic colors. This is a great lesson for watercolor technique and brush control, because the students need to use the tip of the brush and they need to have the right consistency of paint to pull their maze lines along the paper.

Sometimes it is difficult for the children to remember that you pull your paint brush, not scrub with it. And you need to add a bit of water to the pan of color and gently wiggle the brush to loosen the paint, not mash it into the pan! For this lesson too, watch carefully when they begin to paint. Some students just revert to filling in the areas with their paint brush, rather than creating continuous lines. Correct early and things go smoothly from there on!

Hokusai Watercolors

My older students learned about Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese artist most famous for his series of woodblock prints titled "36 views of Mt. Fuji." His most famous image is The Great Wave, but I gave my students a several images in the series to take inspiration from. We worked in watercolor and tried to capture Hokusai's style and attention to detail. We also had to have patience to create washes and let them dry before adding more elements to our paintings. I love the combination of pencil lines kept, and ones painted over in small brush strokes of watercolor.

More Tree of Life Inspirations

My older students created works based on Gustav Klimt's Tree of Life as well. I decided to let them work on watercolor paper and used Dr. Martin's watercolor inks. The children were amazed by how different the experience was compared to using Prang watercolor cakes and all-purpose paper. Now, don't get me wrong, I think Prang watercolors are exceptional, and great for young learners. I just wanted the older children to get a glimpse of a greater color range and paper that would absorb and stand up to a lot more use.
Their paintings became deep, rich, and organic. Although the assignment was based upon Klimt, I feel they also worked toward creating original pieces. I warned that although nicer materials in general can achieve better results, they aren't the only part of what makes a work great. The final step was the option of using metallic tempera/metallic paint markers, to mimic Klimt's use of gold leaf in his works. Some students opted for it, and others not. More evidence of confidence and creating an original piece inspired by a master, instead of just copying one. Well done!

Inspired by Gustav Klimt

My younger students created these works based on Gustav Klimt's Tree of Life. First we drew in pencil and had to think about how to create those swirly branches! After the drawings were finished, the children added bits of shape and color with oil pastels. We talked about adding only to the tree and the ground, to make a better composition and to have nice contrast which would highlight their trees. The final step was painting with metallic tempera, to mimic Klimt's use of gold leaf in his works. I think they are outstanding! Great job little artists.

Straw-Blown Cherry Blossom Trees

Recently we worked on a unit using India ink, while studying different parts of the world. One of the most fun lessons was creating a cherry tree in blossom. These trees are indigenous to eastern Asia. Countries such as Japan Korea, and China depict them in prints, paintings, and even on currency.  First we used drinking straws to blow drops of ink across the paper, until a pleasing array of branches were formed. After the ink dried, students added blossoms and leaves to their composition with a watercolor brush. The variety of images really impressed me, and the kids had a great time with such an offbeat approach to creating a image on their paper.

Watercolor Still Life on Newsprint

Here are some gorgeous paintings we created, staying with the recycled theme. Newsprint can be a tougher surface than you might imagine. It also adds pattern and dimension to these still life paintings, not to mention that is being saved from the trash. Try to use pages with all type and no images, which may detract from the final piece. I can not remember where I was inspired by this lesson, so please speak up if you know. The children first drew their subject with as much detail as possible, using black and white cray pas. Then they were asked to add color using watercolors. Brilliant!

I found the blog that inspired this lesson! It's from Briargrove Elementary. They have lots of great recycled art projects! Thanks!

Fruit Contour Drawings

I took this lesson from the Art for Small Hands website. A piece of fruit is placed on each table, resting on a white sheet of background paper. The children are then asked to observe carefully and draw the contour of the fruit, as well as any defining lines. They may sketch in pencil first and add final lines with permanent black marker. Each fruit is then cut in half, and they repeat the exercise. Repeat again as a quarter piece, and finally only a core or peel etc. When all drawings are done, the children add color to their drawings with watercolor. We used apples and oranges and the children really took to taking a closer look at things that they wouldn't usually think too much about. Plus we had a lovely snack by the end of the lesson!