It is the best part of the year! All of the amazing artwork the students worked on will be carefully bagged up in the next coming week and sent home with students. Please ask your children about their favorite projects, materials, and artists' learned about this year. The students all worked so very hard on these pieces and deserve all the recognition for their efforts. I hope you find a special place to display these pieces as a family. As always, encourage your child to be creative over the summer. Let them paint, color, and create with whatever you have around. Also, don't forget to stop and see the beautiful works of art around you as you enjoy the summer. You never know when inspiration will hit!
Have a great summer! I look forward to hearing about all the adventures in August!
Fondly, Mrs. Kurzawski
Friday, May 24, 2019
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
New Year with New Projects!
Students are excited to jump right back into the new year with finishing up the old projects and starting on some new and exciting work.
Third: Is just finishing up the metal repousse snowflakes and will be starting on a new landscape project based on Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Fourth: Has started an app smash project on the ipads using multiple apps to create a green screen animated image. This is a truly engaging lesson that no one wants to stop working on at the end of class!
Fifth: Put the finishing touches on their monster eyes and have jumped into the careers in art project. They are taking on various roles for this project and will be acting as a graphic designer to create a one of a kind keychain for their art company.
Kindergarten: Finished up the Snowy Landscapes with 3-D snowmen and started on our final winter focused project with designing a winter hat for a special snowy friend.
First: Is finishing up the science of snow project with added snowmen faces peeking into the page and will soon be starting to work on our Chinese New Year Dragons to reflect on how others celebrate the New Year.
Second: Is learning about the artist Kehinde Wiley and are making self portraits with a fancy background motif.
Fourth: Has started an app smash project on the ipads using multiple apps to create a green screen animated image. This is a truly engaging lesson that no one wants to stop working on at the end of class!
Fifth: Put the finishing touches on their monster eyes and have jumped into the careers in art project. They are taking on various roles for this project and will be acting as a graphic designer to create a one of a kind keychain for their art company.
Friday, November 16, 2018
Start of the Second Trimester!!
We are rolling right along with our art projects. We are quickly transitioning from Fall pumpkins to snowy scenes and winter friends. Keep and eye on your child's Artsonia portfolio to see what we are making!
We will be participating in HOUR OF CODE during art classes the week of December 3rd. Be sure to check out CODE.ORG for more activities at home!
Kindergarten: Just completed their clay leaf bowls! We had so much fun learning about texture around the school and pressing our found leaves into the fresh clay. I am sure you will all love these special fall leaf bowls! Up Next is a winter project focused on landscapes.
First: Just finished up with their clay owl bowls. They are quite a Hoot! I just love seeing all the cute characters coming from our artists. The first graders also made some pretty awesome BIG EYED owl drawings to go along with the clay pieces. Up Next, Snowmen at Night!
Second: Just completed a great unit on radial symmetry where they made circle mandalas. Up Next, Portraiture and technology.
Third: Just completed their Medieval architecture unit with their clay castles and Family Crest designs. Up Next, winter themed metal tooling.
Fourth: Just completed the cupcake drawings with one last fun addition of Gelli Plate printed texture papers. They are also right in the middle of making their final clay cupcakes!
Fifth: Is about to complete their macro drawings of creature eyes. This project focused on layering of colored pencils to build depth with color. They are pretty amazing to see up close! Be sure to stop in during conferences to take a peek!
We will be participating in HOUR OF CODE during art classes the week of December 3rd. Be sure to check out CODE.ORG for more activities at home!
Kindergarten: Just completed their clay leaf bowls! We had so much fun learning about texture around the school and pressing our found leaves into the fresh clay. I am sure you will all love these special fall leaf bowls! Up Next is a winter project focused on landscapes.
First: Just finished up with their clay owl bowls. They are quite a Hoot! I just love seeing all the cute characters coming from our artists. The first graders also made some pretty awesome BIG EYED owl drawings to go along with the clay pieces. Up Next, Snowmen at Night!
Second: Just completed a great unit on radial symmetry where they made circle mandalas. Up Next, Portraiture and technology.
Third: Just completed their Medieval architecture unit with their clay castles and Family Crest designs. Up Next, winter themed metal tooling.
Fourth: Just completed the cupcake drawings with one last fun addition of Gelli Plate printed texture papers. They are also right in the middle of making their final clay cupcakes!
Fifth: Is about to complete their macro drawings of creature eyes. This project focused on layering of colored pencils to build depth with color. They are pretty amazing to see up close! Be sure to stop in during conferences to take a peek!
Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Moving on to the second project....
Most classes have completed their first art projects of the year and have jumped right in to the second.
If you are in the building, please take a moment to walk the halls and see the amazing artwork our artists have created.
Please contact me if you are not connected to Artsonia so that I can assist in setting up your family accounts. This way you will never have to wait to see what the students are making. 😊
Kindergarteners are focusing on controlling a variety of mark making tools and learning 14 different types of lines. Next, they will be learning about the artist Yayoi Kusama and will be making their own neon pumpkins. If you are interested in learning more about Kusama be sure to check out WNDR Museum in Chicago. She has a special exhibit running right now!
First graders have shifted gears and will be spending a little time in our WT Garden to observe and draw the pumpkins that are growing. They will then be making their very own pumpkin patch at night showing space with overlapping objects. They will also be learning about Vincent VanGogh's painting Starry Night.
Second graders will be working a little more with mixing paints as they use tints for their own night sky. After the paint dries they will be adding trees and nocturnal animals to their work. We will also be reading a favorite book Night Animals.
Third graders are just finishing up their printmaking project and will be starting their Medieval Castle unit.
Fourth graders are pulling together all of the drawing skills they have practiced and added in some iPad photography for the cupcake project. Once they have finished putting all the different parts of this unit together we will celebrate with a Clay Cupcake making party!
Fifth graders are at the last stages on their life drawing unit. This week they worked on observing figures in motion and quickly capturing that movement in a gesture drawing.
If you are in the building, please take a moment to walk the halls and see the amazing artwork our artists have created.
Please contact me if you are not connected to Artsonia so that I can assist in setting up your family accounts. This way you will never have to wait to see what the students are making. 😊
Kindergarteners are focusing on controlling a variety of mark making tools and learning 14 different types of lines. Next, they will be learning about the artist Yayoi Kusama and will be making their own neon pumpkins. If you are interested in learning more about Kusama be sure to check out WNDR Museum in Chicago. She has a special exhibit running right now!
First graders have shifted gears and will be spending a little time in our WT Garden to observe and draw the pumpkins that are growing. They will then be making their very own pumpkin patch at night showing space with overlapping objects. They will also be learning about Vincent VanGogh's painting Starry Night.
Second graders will be working a little more with mixing paints as they use tints for their own night sky. After the paint dries they will be adding trees and nocturnal animals to their work. We will also be reading a favorite book Night Animals.
Third graders are just finishing up their printmaking project and will be starting their Medieval Castle unit.
Fourth graders are pulling together all of the drawing skills they have practiced and added in some iPad photography for the cupcake project. Once they have finished putting all the different parts of this unit together we will celebrate with a Clay Cupcake making party!
Fifth graders are at the last stages on their life drawing unit. This week they worked on observing figures in motion and quickly capturing that movement in a gesture drawing.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Beginning of the year projects!
The Artists are diving right in to their work to start the year.
Kindergarten: has been reading books about color mixing with the Primary Colors to make the Secondary Colors. They also learned about the artist Alma Woodsey Thomas before using markers and water to create a color mixing science experiment. The special rainbow paper is being used to create a cut paper scrap monster!
First Grade: has learned about the artist Pablo Picasso and his Cubist style portraits. Students then played the fun dice game "roll-a-picasso" to create one of a kind cubist portraits of their own. To finish off the project, they are adding chalk pastels in the tertiary colors.
Second Grade: has been painting up a storm for their robot designs. They started out making a background paper, then added metallic paint for their personal design. Next they will be adding drawn details to complete the work.
Third Grade: has been exploring Japanese Gyotaku printmaking with rubber fish and real leaves from around the Wayne Thomas school grounds.
Fourth Grade: has learned about the artist Wayne Thiebaud and has begun the process of learning to draw 3-D forms with value and shading. Soon they will be working on drawing sweet treats using their newly practiced skills.
Fifth Grade: has begun their life drawing unit focused on artists Leonardo DaVinci and Nick Veasey. Students are using ebony pencils and a variety of different erasers to draw bones in realistic ways. This is a more self guided, student interest unit which allows students to have freedom to explore and learn based on their own interests.
Kindergarten: has been reading books about color mixing with the Primary Colors to make the Secondary Colors. They also learned about the artist Alma Woodsey Thomas before using markers and water to create a color mixing science experiment. The special rainbow paper is being used to create a cut paper scrap monster!
First Grade: has learned about the artist Pablo Picasso and his Cubist style portraits. Students then played the fun dice game "roll-a-picasso" to create one of a kind cubist portraits of their own. To finish off the project, they are adding chalk pastels in the tertiary colors.
Second Grade: has been painting up a storm for their robot designs. They started out making a background paper, then added metallic paint for their personal design. Next they will be adding drawn details to complete the work.
Third Grade: has been exploring Japanese Gyotaku printmaking with rubber fish and real leaves from around the Wayne Thomas school grounds.
Fourth Grade: has learned about the artist Wayne Thiebaud and has begun the process of learning to draw 3-D forms with value and shading. Soon they will be working on drawing sweet treats using their newly practiced skills.
Fifth Grade: has begun their life drawing unit focused on artists Leonardo DaVinci and Nick Veasey. Students are using ebony pencils and a variety of different erasers to draw bones in realistic ways. This is a more self guided, student interest unit which allows students to have freedom to explore and learn based on their own interests.
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
FINAL PROJECTS!
We are all starting the final projects of the year. Soon we will be packing up all of our artwork and bringing it home safely to be shared with our families!
Here is what each grade level is working on to close out the school year...
Kindergarten: They just finished up making clay pinch pots and decorating them with textures.
Next, they will be reading the book Beautiful Oops! and turning watercolor paint Oops! paintings into something amazing!
First Grade: Just finished up their Alexander Calder wire fish mobiles, (I love seeing all the creative fish hanging in the window outside the art room, stop by and check it out!)
Next, they will be learning about 2 artists, Henri Rousseau and Levon Biss to make a inspired jungle insect drawing. Check out the Microsculpture site!
Second Grade: Is just finishing up their clay coil pots and will be starting their Henri Matisse fish bowls soon!
Third Grade: Just finished up their flower paintings and are diving into the fiber arts with WEAVING!
Fourth Grade: Is working hard on their optical Illusion cubes and will be starting a fun clay pencil keeper project to end the year.
Fifth Grade: Has just finished up glazing their Garden Gnomes and Bobble Heads and will be finishing the year with a choice of different one- point perspective projects. Be sure to check out the 5th grade page to see more tutorials about this lesson.
Here is what each grade level is working on to close out the school year...
Kindergarten: They just finished up making clay pinch pots and decorating them with textures.
Next, they will be reading the book Beautiful Oops! and turning watercolor paint Oops! paintings into something amazing!
First Grade: Just finished up their Alexander Calder wire fish mobiles, (I love seeing all the creative fish hanging in the window outside the art room, stop by and check it out!)
Next, they will be learning about 2 artists, Henri Rousseau and Levon Biss to make a inspired jungle insect drawing. Check out the Microsculpture site!
Second Grade: Is just finishing up their clay coil pots and will be starting their Henri Matisse fish bowls soon!
Third Grade: Just finished up their flower paintings and are diving into the fiber arts with WEAVING!
Fourth Grade: Is working hard on their optical Illusion cubes and will be starting a fun clay pencil keeper project to end the year.
Fifth Grade: Has just finished up glazing their Garden Gnomes and Bobble Heads and will be finishing the year with a choice of different one- point perspective projects. Be sure to check out the 5th grade page to see more tutorials about this lesson.
Friday, March 16, 2018
Spring is here!
In the art room projects have shifted from winter and snow to a more warm and flowery theme!
Kindergarten is currently working on painted papers for a fun collage project based on the book Mr. Tiger Goes Wild!
First Grade is currently working on brightly colored stamped castle paintings based on the artist Paul Klee and his work Castle and the Sun!
Second Grade is finishing up their portraiture unit after celebrating February's Black History Month with the unveiling of two new Presidential Portraits for the National Portrait Gallery by the artist Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley.
Third Grade is studying the paintings of female artist Georgia O'Keeffe and is making their own abstract watercolor flower paintings.
Fourth Grade is continuing their exploration of Modern Art by focusing on Optical Illusions in Art.
Fifth Grade just completed the wrapped woven basket unit and is preparing for the clay figurine lesson in which they can create a bobble head or a garden gnome.
So many fun projects going on! Be sure to ask your children about what they are learning!
Kindergarten is currently working on painted papers for a fun collage project based on the book Mr. Tiger Goes Wild!
First Grade is currently working on brightly colored stamped castle paintings based on the artist Paul Klee and his work Castle and the Sun!
Second Grade is finishing up their portraiture unit after celebrating February's Black History Month with the unveiling of two new Presidential Portraits for the National Portrait Gallery by the artist Amy Sherald and Kehinde Wiley.
Third Grade is studying the paintings of female artist Georgia O'Keeffe and is making their own abstract watercolor flower paintings.
Fourth Grade is continuing their exploration of Modern Art by focusing on Optical Illusions in Art.
Fifth Grade just completed the wrapped woven basket unit and is preparing for the clay figurine lesson in which they can create a bobble head or a garden gnome.
So many fun projects going on! Be sure to ask your children about what they are learning!
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
January Happenings....
Hello Families!
We have been keeping busy in the cold month of January in art class.
Kindergarten: Finished up their Ancient Egyptian Amulets with beaded patterns then started a fun Warm and Fuzzy Hat project for a winter friend. For this project they designed hats and painted a penguin or a polar bear to wear their new hat.
First Grade: The students learned about the science of how snow forms and drew their own designer snowflakes. They added the "cool" colors to their designs with both oil pastel and spray water color paints! To finish off the whole scene, they added a collaged snowman peeking in to the page.
Second Grade: The students learned about various cultures who make mandalas. They also learned about the different materials used for making mandalas. Next, they designed their own mandalas on cardboard pizza rounds and added bright colorful designs in marker.
We are currently working on learning about portraiture and are using the iPads to help in making a self portrait.
Third Grade: The students are just finishing up their unit on kindness with clay animation. In small groups, the classes worked with the app Clapmotion on their ipads to animate a short 10 second moment of kindness complete with paper cut out scenery, clay characters and their very own story. During this unit students learned about storyboarding, set design, animation, and editing. Be sure to ask your students to share their projects with you on their Chromebooks!
Fourth Grade: The students have been learning about the living artist Jen Stark and have been working with layering cut paper to create a 3-D wall sculpture.
Fifth Grade: The students have been researching about different art careers, then switching roles and taking on the role of business owner and graphic designer. They are creating a 3-D design for a company keychain and a company logo using Tinkercad and Sumopaint on their chromebooks. We will be working with the 3-d printer to have their final designs printed.
We have been keeping busy in the cold month of January in art class.
Kindergarten: Finished up their Ancient Egyptian Amulets with beaded patterns then started a fun Warm and Fuzzy Hat project for a winter friend. For this project they designed hats and painted a penguin or a polar bear to wear their new hat.
First Grade: The students learned about the science of how snow forms and drew their own designer snowflakes. They added the "cool" colors to their designs with both oil pastel and spray water color paints! To finish off the whole scene, they added a collaged snowman peeking in to the page.
Second Grade: The students learned about various cultures who make mandalas. They also learned about the different materials used for making mandalas. Next, they designed their own mandalas on cardboard pizza rounds and added bright colorful designs in marker.
We are currently working on learning about portraiture and are using the iPads to help in making a self portrait.
Third Grade: The students are just finishing up their unit on kindness with clay animation. In small groups, the classes worked with the app Clapmotion on their ipads to animate a short 10 second moment of kindness complete with paper cut out scenery, clay characters and their very own story. During this unit students learned about storyboarding, set design, animation, and editing. Be sure to ask your students to share their projects with you on their Chromebooks!
Fourth Grade: The students have been learning about the living artist Jen Stark and have been working with layering cut paper to create a 3-D wall sculpture.
Fifth Grade: The students have been researching about different art careers, then switching roles and taking on the role of business owner and graphic designer. They are creating a 3-D design for a company keychain and a company logo using Tinkercad and Sumopaint on their chromebooks. We will be working with the 3-d printer to have their final designs printed.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Hour of Code! 2017
Wayne Thomas is participating in Hour of Code once again in Art class!
Younger students will be using ipads to practice block coding on a variety apps. They will also be able to bring a drawing to life using augmented reality and the app Quiver!
The older students will be using Makey Makey units to connect circuits and make a game board, using Ozobots to create code pathways, and Snap circuits to make electrical connections.
We will also be using the website Code.org to access more individualized coding opportunities.
Here is a link list for the various resources we are using this week! I hope everyone finds time to code outside of class!
Code.org
Makey Makey
Simon Says on Scratch
Quiver
Monday, November 13, 2017
Fall Projects
It has been a colorful fall in the art room at Wayne Thomas. The students have been hard at work exploring and creating.
Kindergarten: Learned about the modern Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama and studied her use of line in her pumpkin artwork. Students learned 14 famous lines and used their favorites to make a neon pumpkin painting.
First Grade Learned about Vincent Van Gogh and his painting Starry Night while working with the warm and cool colors to make a pumpkin patch at night.
Second Grade Learned about tree silhouettes and made a wonderful night sky showing monochromatic color mixing and painted nocturnal animals in silhouette.
Third Grade Learned about Medieval castles and the art of heraldry while designing their own castle luminaries from clay. Students also designed their own family crest to hang in the halls of Castle Wayne Thomas.
Fourth Grade Finished up the 3-D drawing unit and celebrated their hard work with a fun filled clay cupcake celebration, all the fun without the added calories!
Fifth Grade has been working on a mythical creature macrophotography drawing project using pattern and texture to create one of a kind eyes. They truly are amazing!
Kindergarten: Learned about the modern Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama and studied her use of line in her pumpkin artwork. Students learned 14 famous lines and used their favorites to make a neon pumpkin painting.
First Grade Learned about Vincent Van Gogh and his painting Starry Night while working with the warm and cool colors to make a pumpkin patch at night.
Second Grade Learned about tree silhouettes and made a wonderful night sky showing monochromatic color mixing and painted nocturnal animals in silhouette.
Third Grade Learned about Medieval castles and the art of heraldry while designing their own castle luminaries from clay. Students also designed their own family crest to hang in the halls of Castle Wayne Thomas.
Fourth Grade Finished up the 3-D drawing unit and celebrated their hard work with a fun filled clay cupcake celebration, all the fun without the added calories!
Fifth Grade has been working on a mythical creature macrophotography drawing project using pattern and texture to create one of a kind eyes. They truly are amazing!
I look forward to seeing you over conferences. If I miss you when you are at Wayne Thomas please leave word with the office and I will set up a conference as soon as I return from my other building. Have a wonderful holiday!
Monday, September 25, 2017
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
First Projects!
September Update
Hello Families!We are in full swing in the art room! All of the classes are fully involved in their first projects.
Kindergarten is working on learning the Primary Colors. The students have read the books Mouse Paint, and Monsters Love Colors, as well as watching the OK Go Primary Colors video. For the project the students used the 3 primary color markers to color on diffusing paper then we added water to watch the secondary colors mix and appear! It was amazing! We are currently working on our cutting and gluing skills to turn the tiedyed paper into color monsters.
First grade is living the Cubist life! They learned about the artist Pablo Picasso and his cubist style portraits. They then played a dice game to make wacky mixed up portraits. For the final project they are working XL to create a huge cubist style head and coloring in with chalk pastels in the Tertiary colors.
Second grade has been tinkering and problem solving with our Robots! We are lucky to have 8 new Ozobots in the art room, thanks to our Artsonia fundraising and the WT PTA! The 2nd graders used them to kick off our robot unit. They then worked on a writing component where they designed a robot that can adapt or change to do something helpful for us. Each artist is designing their own special robot plans and illustrating what they would want in their own personal robot.
Third grade has been working with the Japanese style of printmaking called Gyotaku. They have used rubber fish to make fish prints and even gathered leaves from around WT to make nature prints. Soon they will be cutting apart their prints and combining the two into one final nature print display.
Fourth grade is working on drawing math forms from careful observation. They learned about the artist Wayne Thiebaud and will be using their new observational drawing skills to draw a realistic cupcake!
Fifth grade has been working on realistic bone sketches in the style of Leonardo DaVinci and living artist Nick Veasey. Students are guided to research and learn about what is interesting to them. They can then decide on composition and areas of focus in the true renaissance style of learning. For the drawings students are using photocopies of the skeleton, drawing mannequin skeletons, and even real x rays for their observations.
Artsonia Update!
We will again be using Artsonia as a digital online gallery at Wayne Thomas. Please be on the lookout for a flyer coming home shortly explaining the process. If you have not given permissions for your student to participate in this wonderful private online resource, please consider it. The students love being able to share their artwork with you!Friday, August 11, 2017
Welcome Back!
Thursday, April 20, 2017
April in the Art Room!
During the month of April many fun and exciting things are happening. Please be on the look out for the Kids Kreations items to be coming home this week. All items were placed in the children's lockers Wednesday evening.
Kindergarten- Noodle Pots! We made pinch pots out of clay and added "noodle" decorations by pressing in real dried noodles! Fish Weaving: Students are working on learning the art of paper weaving. We are talking about patterns during this project focusing on Over- Under- Over - Under!
First Grade- Insect drawings: The students used the artist Levon Biss' website Microsculpture to create detailed drawings of insects. Next, they added bright colors using oil pastel. The students are quite the little entomologists! Eiffel Tower: To begin our journey into studying the art of artist Henri Rousseau we took a quick trip to Paris! Students drew their own Eiffel Towers and illustrated what their family would do if they got to take a trip to Paris and see the tower.
Second Grade- Self Portraits: Students completed the self portraits to start out the month.
Clay Coil Vessels: We are currently learning how to build a pot using coils.
Third Grade- Georgia O'Keeffe Abstract Flower Painting: We finished up our water color paintings of flowers. The walls are filled with our beautiful blooming gallery!
Mayan Weaving: Students are just getting into weaving with yarn on a loom. Each week we will learn 2 new weaving techniques to add to our looms.
Fourth Grade- Origami Math Mandalas: Students just completed an origami project where they worked on 4 different folds and created paper mandalas showing either radial symmetry or linear symmetry. They even added clues using fractions to connect with the current math unit of fractions and decimals.
Fifth Grade- Clay Figurines: We are studying the clay traditions behind garden gnomes and bobble heads this month. Students have learned about the history of both and are making personal clay figurines. Be on the look out for sneaky gnoming neighbors!
Kindergarten- Noodle Pots! We made pinch pots out of clay and added "noodle" decorations by pressing in real dried noodles! Fish Weaving: Students are working on learning the art of paper weaving. We are talking about patterns during this project focusing on Over- Under- Over - Under!
First Grade- Insect drawings: The students used the artist Levon Biss' website Microsculpture to create detailed drawings of insects. Next, they added bright colors using oil pastel. The students are quite the little entomologists! Eiffel Tower: To begin our journey into studying the art of artist Henri Rousseau we took a quick trip to Paris! Students drew their own Eiffel Towers and illustrated what their family would do if they got to take a trip to Paris and see the tower.
Second Grade- Self Portraits: Students completed the self portraits to start out the month.
Clay Coil Vessels: We are currently learning how to build a pot using coils.
Third Grade- Georgia O'Keeffe Abstract Flower Painting: We finished up our water color paintings of flowers. The walls are filled with our beautiful blooming gallery!
Mayan Weaving: Students are just getting into weaving with yarn on a loom. Each week we will learn 2 new weaving techniques to add to our looms.
Fourth Grade- Origami Math Mandalas: Students just completed an origami project where they worked on 4 different folds and created paper mandalas showing either radial symmetry or linear symmetry. They even added clues using fractions to connect with the current math unit of fractions and decimals.
Fifth Grade- Clay Figurines: We are studying the clay traditions behind garden gnomes and bobble heads this month. Students have learned about the history of both and are making personal clay figurines. Be on the look out for sneaky gnoming neighbors!
Friday, March 3, 2017
February and March Happenings
February & March in Art
We are currently working on the following projects....
Kindergarten- We read the story Mr. Tiger Goes Wild! and made Mr. Tiger drawings using various different painting methods.
First Grade- We are learning about the artist Alexander Calder and his mobiles. We are using colorful wire to form our own fish mobiles.
Second Grade- We are working with iPads to create the modern "selfie" in the style of modern artist Chuck Close.
Third Grade- We finished up our metal repousse project, some classes made snowflakes and 1 class made flowers. Our next project is well underway. We are studying the paintings of artist Georgia O'Keefe and are using the iPads to help us change our perspective of a chosen flower for our different compositions.
Fourth Grade- We just completed our long study of Optical Illusions connecting math and art. The students made 3-d cubes with 6 different optical illusions drawn. We are currently working on a paper sculpture project based on the artwork of modern artist, Jen Stark.
Fifth Grade- We are all wrapped up in our current weaving project. Students are learning about the woven basket and are eagerly constructing their own functional baskets from jute twine and colorful yarns.
February is National Youth Art Month.
We celebrated this year with our district level art shows.
Kindergarten- We read the story Mr. Tiger Goes Wild! and made Mr. Tiger drawings using various different painting methods.
First Grade- We are learning about the artist Alexander Calder and his mobiles. We are using colorful wire to form our own fish mobiles.
Second Grade- We are working with iPads to create the modern "selfie" in the style of modern artist Chuck Close.
Third Grade- We finished up our metal repousse project, some classes made snowflakes and 1 class made flowers. Our next project is well underway. We are studying the paintings of artist Georgia O'Keefe and are using the iPads to help us change our perspective of a chosen flower for our different compositions.
Fourth Grade- We just completed our long study of Optical Illusions connecting math and art. The students made 3-d cubes with 6 different optical illusions drawn. We are currently working on a paper sculpture project based on the artwork of modern artist, Jen Stark.
Fifth Grade- We are all wrapped up in our current weaving project. Students are learning about the woven basket and are eagerly constructing their own functional baskets from jute twine and colorful yarns.
February is National Youth Art Month.
We celebrated this year with our district level art shows.
Wayne Thomas students had artwork on display at both the District Office and at The Art Center in Highland Park.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
January Fun!
Happy New Year! We have started the new year with lots of new learning opportunities.
Here is what we are up to...
Kindergarten- Snowmen at Night- We read the book about what our snowmen do at night and then created our own clay snowmen with added real stick details for the arms.
Fancy Mittens (We read the book The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen) and created our own mitten design in oil pastel.
Printmaking lesson (We learned about the artist Jim Dine) and started our printmaking exploration with mono-prints and will later add styrofoam heart prints to our work.
First Grade- Snowmen Is making snowflake designs in oil pastel and adding watercolor spray paint to make a resist style background. Next we will be making a snowman from paper scraps.
Second Grade- -Winter Tree Silhouette Paintings with nocturnal animals. Students learned how to mix tints of a paint color and used these to paint a moon lit sky. Next, they added their own winter tree and hid a little night animal friend. We read the books Owl Moon and Night Animals.
Mandala design- Students are learning about various cultures who make mandalas from sand and are working to better understand symmetry in design. They will be creating their own meaningful mandalas after a little more group exploration.
Third Grade- Animation Unit- Students used the iPads and the Crayola Animation Studio to design and animate a short clip with their characters.
Designer Snow (Repousse metal working)- Students are in the process of designing and working with thin sheets of metal to create a symmetrical snowflake using the repousse metal tooling processes.
Fourth Grade- Optical Illusion Designs- The students have been working hard on learning a variety of optical illusions and adding them to their cube designs. Students have even taken on inventing their own illusions now that they understand how this art form plays tricks on the eye.
Fifth Grade- Careers in art computer design unit- Student have taken on 3 different roles during this project. First they worked as 5th graders to research various jobs in the field of art. Next, they became entrepreneurs and made their own company that would be hiring for one of their researched art jobs. Finally, they acted as graphic designers to create a logo for their company using the Bamboo drawing tablets and the online art program SumoPaint. To pull all of these parts together they designed a one page Want Ad hiring for their corporations needs.
Here is what we are up to...
Kindergarten- Snowmen at Night- We read the book about what our snowmen do at night and then created our own clay snowmen with added real stick details for the arms.
Fancy Mittens (We read the book The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen) and created our own mitten design in oil pastel.
Printmaking lesson (We learned about the artist Jim Dine) and started our printmaking exploration with mono-prints and will later add styrofoam heart prints to our work.
First Grade- Snowmen Is making snowflake designs in oil pastel and adding watercolor spray paint to make a resist style background. Next we will be making a snowman from paper scraps.
Second Grade- -Winter Tree Silhouette Paintings with nocturnal animals. Students learned how to mix tints of a paint color and used these to paint a moon lit sky. Next, they added their own winter tree and hid a little night animal friend. We read the books Owl Moon and Night Animals.
Mandala design- Students are learning about various cultures who make mandalas from sand and are working to better understand symmetry in design. They will be creating their own meaningful mandalas after a little more group exploration.
Third Grade- Animation Unit- Students used the iPads and the Crayola Animation Studio to design and animate a short clip with their characters.
Designer Snow (Repousse metal working)- Students are in the process of designing and working with thin sheets of metal to create a symmetrical snowflake using the repousse metal tooling processes.
Fourth Grade- Optical Illusion Designs- The students have been working hard on learning a variety of optical illusions and adding them to their cube designs. Students have even taken on inventing their own illusions now that they understand how this art form plays tricks on the eye.
Fifth Grade- Careers in art computer design unit- Student have taken on 3 different roles during this project. First they worked as 5th graders to research various jobs in the field of art. Next, they became entrepreneurs and made their own company that would be hiring for one of their researched art jobs. Finally, they acted as graphic designers to create a logo for their company using the Bamboo drawing tablets and the online art program SumoPaint. To pull all of these parts together they designed a one page Want Ad hiring for their corporations needs.
Monday, December 5, 2016
December 5-9th students at Wayne Thomas School will be participating in computer science education week in the art room. We will be using the Hour of Code website to guide our learning on various devices. Students will have the opportunity to further their understanding of coding and computers. I hope everyone extends their coding time past this one hour in our classroom. Happy coding!
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
November Updates!
We are in full project mode in the art room. Students are creating and exploring materials and having quality art discussions.
November project focus includes...
Kindergarten- Famous Lines and pattern for pumpkins and Ancient Egyptian Amulets
First Grade- Warm and Cool colors for a Van Gogh inspired pumpkin patch and Fall leaf plates from clay.
Second Grade- Robot innovations, being a designer/ thinker/ problem solver in the art room.
Third Grade- Medieval clay castles and family crest design.
Fourth Grade- Clay cupcake containers and Optical Illusion drawings.
Fifth- Leonardo DaVinci bone drawings with a focus on student choice.
November project focus includes...
Kindergarten- Famous Lines and pattern for pumpkins and Ancient Egyptian Amulets
First Grade- Warm and Cool colors for a Van Gogh inspired pumpkin patch and Fall leaf plates from clay.
Second Grade- Robot innovations, being a designer/ thinker/ problem solver in the art room.
Third Grade- Medieval clay castles and family crest design.
Fourth Grade- Clay cupcake containers and Optical Illusion drawings.
Fifth- Leonardo DaVinci bone drawings with a focus on student choice.
Upcoming Special Events: Week of December 5th HOUR OF CODE 2016!
Thursday, September 1, 2016
First Projects of the year!
We are beginning our first projects of the new school year this week!
Each grade level will be introduced to a new artist or art form to guide their learning.
Kindergarten: The students are learning about the primary and secondary colors. They will be reading many books about color and seeing the artwork of Alma Woodsey Thomas.
1st grade :The students are learning about Cubism and the artists Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. We are also learning about the intermediate colors.
2nd grade: The students are learning about the artist Paul Cezanne and Janet Fish and will be looking closely at still life paintings. We will be using the NGAKids app on the iPads to construct some fun compositions and then work on improving our drawing from observation skills.
3rd grade: The students learned about the Japanese art of Gyotaku. We then worked on understanding and identifying the different parts of a fish. We will begin making our own nature prints in the coming weeks.
4th grade: The students are learning about drawing forms from observation. We will be looking at the artwork of Wayne Thiebaud to guide our own artwork in the coming weeks.
5th grade: The students will be choosing a favorite artist and artwork to recreate in a miniature painting. We will be discussing how a change in perspective (size) changes the way an artwork is received by the viewer.
Each grade level will be introduced to a new artist or art form to guide their learning.
Kindergarten: The students are learning about the primary and secondary colors. They will be reading many books about color and seeing the artwork of Alma Woodsey Thomas.
1st grade :The students are learning about Cubism and the artists Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. We are also learning about the intermediate colors.
2nd grade: The students are learning about the artist Paul Cezanne and Janet Fish and will be looking closely at still life paintings. We will be using the NGAKids app on the iPads to construct some fun compositions and then work on improving our drawing from observation skills.
3rd grade: The students learned about the Japanese art of Gyotaku. We then worked on understanding and identifying the different parts of a fish. We will begin making our own nature prints in the coming weeks.
4th grade: The students are learning about drawing forms from observation. We will be looking at the artwork of Wayne Thiebaud to guide our own artwork in the coming weeks.
5th grade: The students will be choosing a favorite artist and artwork to recreate in a miniature painting. We will be discussing how a change in perspective (size) changes the way an artwork is received by the viewer.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Welcome Back!
Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year! We are all very excited to get started with our art making. This year I will be using the art room twitter account to share moments of inspiration from our art room. Please follow us @WTArtRoom.
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