Still Life Abstracts

Fifth graders have recently completed their unit on Still Life Drawing.  I added a twist to the idea of drawing still life objects, allowing kids to only draw a portion of several objects, 'fusing' them together to make some form of abstract composition.  Have not done this project in a very long time...and seeing the results, I'm glad I brought it back this year!!!  They look amazing!!!

Students drawing with their eyes and not their brains to draw still life objects.

Top row artworks created by: Caroline Cloud, Ava Storch and Taylor Bustamante
Bottom row artworks created by: Emily Stokes, Emerson Trapp and Aiden Kersten

SHOWCASE

I just LOVE putting new artworks in the CIS art showcases.  Today I filled it with LOTS of 6th Grade Independent Painting Projects.  

It won't be long before I have to shuffle some of these projects around to make room for the hundreds of ceramic projects currently in the process of being fired, glazed and painted!

THE MR. WELLER COSTUME!!!

Converse?  Check.

Blue Jeans?  Check.

Plaid Shirt?  Check.

Gray Beard?  Check.

Paintbrush or pencil in ear (or in this case hair)?  Check.

Yep!  That's a Mr. Weller costume!!!  :)  

ART TO REMEMBER!

This week, students who have art during the first semester will be bringing home their Art to Remember order forms for the annual Creekview Intermediate Visual Arts fundraiser.  All money raised from the fundraiser goes directly to the CIS art room for materials and supplies such as ceramic clay, paintbrushes, or technology items like iPads and Art apps.  There is no obligation to participate, but I do very much appreciate your support, should you choose to order anything.  Here are the three options for you to choose from when looking through your envelope packet:

Option 1: Fill out the order form on the back of the envelope.  Place the money for your order inside of the envelope (checks made out to Creekview Intermediate) and have your student return it to the art room!!!  Orders due by Friday, October 30th!!!

Option 2: Go online and log onto ArtToRemember.com; click the green "Shop" button and enter your student's individualized Online Order Code.  This code is located on the back of your student's envelope.  Order and pay for your items online, and return nothing to the school.  Online orders due by Friday, October 30th!!!

Option 3: If you wish not to participate at this time, simply discard your envelope.

If you have ANY questions regarding the Art to Remember program, please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience.  I'll do my best to answer any and all questions you may have.  Thanks so much for your consideration into this wonderful fundraising program.  Your student should have their envelope for you to browse through by the end of this week.

FINALLY...an UPDATE!!!

6th Grade Ceramics Projects...the long and tedious drying stage...

I love working with clay and having the kids create clay projects, but it is SO time consuming that the blog has kind of been a 'back burner' item for a few weeks.  My fifth graders are starting clay this week, so I may be hit and miss for another week or so.

Anyway...sixth grade ceramics projects for the first semester are complete!!!  I taught the kids how to make a clay coil, and a variety of techniques on how to build with coils.  The kids then had the creative freedom to make/sculpt/build anything they wished...as long as everything started out as a coil!  I love watching the kids create art as they go through that process of solving their own art making challenges.  It's such a thrill and I wish there were more time in the year to do more clay.

These projects will dry for about two weeks to allow the water to fully evaporate from them.  I'll then 'fire' them in the kiln at 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit at which point the kids will choose to either paint or glaze their projects (...of course we'll let them cool off for a bit before handling them, lol...).

My fifth graders are making "Dr. Seuss Houses" which I haven't done in YEARS.  But just after the first day, I'm already loving the excitement and creativity!!!  Pics of those coming soon...

Happy Wednesday!!!

6th GRADE CLAY WEEK!!!

They may not look like much now...but by the end of the week these bags of coiled clay will be wonderful student masterpieces!!!  My 6th grade students will spend the next two art classes enjoying the process of creating ceramic sculptures of whatever they wish...as long as it is all built with coils!  I taught a semi-extensive lesson on several types of coils...and now we'll see what interesting creations they come up with.

CLASSROOM HELPERS!

It's nice when kids stop by the art room to ask if I need any help.  Today, these two wonderful sixth graders helped clean up paint, color pencils, paintbrushes and then help set the room up for the first sixth grade clay day by passing out clay mats and clay tools.  They spent their entire recess in the art room...just helping out.  It was very nice of them, and I'm so appreciative to have such caring and thoughtful students!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!

Ya Say It's Your Birthday?!?

The lesson of the day is this: If you come to the art room proclaiming it's your birthday...you'll end up wearing some form of ridiculous head gear for the remainder of class.  :)  ...love birthdays in the art room!!!...

FINISHED PIXEL MAGIC!!!

Pixelated Batman by Mrs. Taylor's class

Pixelated Pacman by Mrs. Latham's class

Pixelated Donkey Kong by Mrs. McDaniel's class

Pixelated Mario by Mrs. Bentz's class

Four of the eight pixelated characters are done and hanging in the hallways!!!  They are SOOOO AWESOME!!!  I'm so proud of them and so proud for how well the kids completed them!

I'll have the final three coming soon...

MORE PIXEL MAGIC!!!

Mrs. Taylor's Pixelated Batman...work in progress...

..can you tell I'm SUPER EXCITED about this project?!?!

PIXEL MAGIC BEGINS!

So, last Thursday I introduced you to an idea that I came up with over the summer after watching the movie "Pixels"...

...and then seeing these incredible Post-It Note artworks!!!  I simply decided I must do something like this...and we have begun!!!

Last week, each of my fifth grade classes received a random pop culture character (most were from video games...with a Minion thrown in for good measure).  Today we began to collage on the grid that they made last week and man...am I EXCITED to see this project being done.  It's taking a TON of prep work on my end as I have to cut each 1 1/2 inch square on my paper cutter before the classes come in, but it's going to be totally worth it, I can tell!

Mrs. Hutchinson's class hard at work on their Mega Man Pixel Magic project!

Eventually I'll be able to show off some finished work and trust me...they will be posted right here on the blog when they're complete because this project is going to ROCK!!!

BATMAN...I mean...SUPERHERO DAY!!!

I love spirit days at Creekview...just LOVE THEM!!!  For today's Superhero Day I decked myself out in my Batman hat, mask, shirt, belt, cape, socks and shoes and tried to take as many pictures with other "Batboys/Batgirls" as I could!!!  I mean...he's clearly the greatest superhero ever created, right???

I even found a ROBIN!!!

And had a fun DC vs. Marvel confrontation!!!

All in all, spirit days are a great way to have some fun with the kids and get to know them a little better then just through making art.  And hey...we did our artworks as well...and we'll showcase those more again next week!  But today...belonged to the superheroes!!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!
GO BUCKS!

PIXEL MAGIC!

My fifth graders are starting a group project this week that I call "Pixel Magic".  I won't lie...the idea came to me after watching the movie Pixels this summer along with seeing some incredible Post-It note artwork.  The project went through quite a few 'modifications' in the planning stage over the summer...AND even some gentle modifications this week as kids started working on the project.  But that's art...finding solutions to problems during the art-making process.  It's one of the most fun things to teach...finding success through making mistakes!  I'm VERY excited to see how this project shakes out.  I cannot wait to display them in the very boring and bare Unified Arts hallway!!!

Happy Thursday!  (...sorry for the absence of blog posts on Tuesday and Wednesday...but looking at my blog stats...I'm not sure many of you missed it. ;) )

MORE LEGO SELF-PORTRAITS!

Top Row: Allie Anderson, Lincoln Witt, Hanna Hogan, Torri Bright
Bottom Row: Dorin Lawless, Isis Beswick, Joel Alexander and Caitlee Hill

Here's some more fantastic Lego Self-Portraits created by the sixth graders!!!  The first projects are officially finished (well...there are still some stragglers that will have to finish at recess...) and we moving on to new projects tomorrow!!!  WHOOHOO!!!

MORE KEITH HARING!

Top Row: Jadyn Plummer, Stella Amrine and Emerson Trapp

Bottom Row: Tyler Sprague, Alyssa Rodman and Haylee Huffman

So the blog is going to get littered with finished artwork over the next few weeks as kids begin completing the first projects.  Here's another small sample of some great "I'm a Keith Haring" projects created by my first semester fifth graders!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!  GO BUCKS!!!

COMPLETED ART WORK!!! WHOOHOO!!!

Finished "I'm a Keith Haring projects left to right: Riley Ellington, Gabe Doebert, Abriana Schmutz and Brennan Nichols

Finally getting some classes finishing up their first projects of the year.  The fifth graders are completing their Keith Haring projects while the sixth graders are finishing up their Lego Self-Portraits.  

Finished Lego Self Portraits left to right, top row: Emma Ingle, Andrew Bentz, Natalia Cymbal and Krista O'Shelski
bottom row: Logan Stowers, Victoria Engle, Cooper Palermo and Emma Menge

As more kids finish their projects this week and next, I'll be sure to share some here on the blog!  Have a great Thursday!

PAUSE...

A brief pause from today's regularly scheduled Art Blog in recognition of today's late start and today's nonstop art room schedule.  The Art Blog will resume tomorrow at its normal time.  Thanks for your patience and understanding.  :)

QUIRKY THINGS IN THE ART ROOM pt. 3: THE GOLDEN THRONE

There are a lot of interesting odds and ends within the walls of my classroom...none more odd than maybe the golden toilet, or as it's more affectionately called..."The Golden Throne".  The history of the golden throne starts 14 years ago, during my second year teaching at East Elementary.  And while the story has lots of interesting twists and turns...the ending is that it was donated to me (brand new!) for inclusion in our fourth grade musical, "The Emperor's New Clothes".  Since then...the throne has sat in my classroom and has been used for a variety of purposes over the years...none of which would be the most obvious (I mean...it's not even remotely hooked up to plumbing!)

Twice each semester I hold a "Message from the Golden Throne Day" where one lucky (or unlucky) student reaches inside the golden throne to read a message that usually allows classes the opportunity to earn bonus Weller Bux for the day.  It's fun coming up with new and exciting messages for the kids to reach in to read...wow...only in typing this do I really realize how interesting my classroom must sound.  Well...the kids love it, and it's just one more example of the the 'quirkiness' of the CIS Art Room!!!  Happy Tuesday everyone!!!

QUIRKY THINGS IN THE ART ROOM pt. 2: WELLER BUX

For the past few years I've paid my classes in Weller Bux based on how well they follow the rules in the art room.  The art rules are fairly straightforward with an 'art room twist'.  

Ninja Time asks students to enter the room quietly and find their seat; Gimme 5 asks students to get quiet in five seconds and listen to art making direction for five minutes; Quiet Questions asks students to raise their hands to ask questions in the art room; Rock and Goal asks students to achieve daily art making goals; The Artometer (my noise meter) asks kids to work and talk at a comfortable level; and RESPECT asks students to be nice to one another and use art materials appropriately.  Students earn Weller Bux for how well they follow each of the above rules as well as cleaning up and lining up at the end of the day.

Classes can also lose Weller Bux if they say "I Can't" when working on their projects, or by saying an "S.U." (...shut up...) during art class.  At the conclusion of each class, we look at how well the class as a group managed to follows these art room expectations and then Weller Bux are paid out to them.  Over the course of the year, they have options of spending some of their Weller Bux if they wish...but the ultimate goal is to win the end of the year art room pizza party by saving more Weller Bux than every other class!

Former pizza party winners!

It's a good system for the art room and the kids respond to it very well.  And it's just one of those wonderful, quirky things about the art room that make it interesting and unique!

...MORE QUIRKINESS ON MONDAY!!!...

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!