1st Grade -- #Adinkra Symbols

1st graders learned about adinkra symbols created by the Akan people of Ghana in West Africa. Adinkra symbols are visually symbols that represent concepts or aphorisms. "The symbols have a decorative function but also represent objects that encapsulate evocative messages that convey traditional wisdom, aspects of life, or the environment. There are many different symbols with distinct meanings, often linked with proverbs." We watched a few video clips that demonstrated the dye being created, the symbols being created, and the printing of the symbols on fabric.
The first graders then created their own adinkra cloth with the use of yellow, green, red, and black construction paper. They used adinkra sponges to print their symbols and also drew out ones that wanted represented in their cloth. We used red, yellow, green, and black because those are the colors found in the Ghana flag.
Here is an example of one in progress:

 

Here are some more examples of the adinkra process:

1st Grade -- #Heart Paintings

Jim Dine is closely associated with the development of Pop Art in the early 1960's.  Mr.  Kaegi's class focused on Jim Dine's series of heart paintings.  We observed numerous paintings and discussed how he used color, line, texture, and balance.  Those principles and elements were then applied to our paintings.  Great job first graders!

KSe & KJ -- Digital Drip Paintings

Yesterday in art, Ms. Serio's and Mr. Jerkatis' classes learned about Jackson Pollock and his technique of painting.  We then created a class digital drip painting via jacksonpollock.org.
In our next class, we will all make our own action paintings with tempera paint!
(KSe painting on top, KJ painting on bottom)

Ms. Beljung's Class -- Digital Drip Painting

Today in art, Ms. Beljung's class learned about Jackson Pollock and his technique of painting.  We then created a class digital drip painting via jacksonpollock.org.
In our next class, we will all make our own action paintings with tempera paint!

Ms. Smith's Class -- Digital Drip Painting

Today in art, Ms. Smith's class learned about Jackson Pollock and his technique of painting.  We then created a class digital drip painting via jacksonpollock.org.
In our next class, we will all make our own action paintings with tempera paint!

4th Grade -- Color Scheme Paintings

Recently the 4th grade students have learned about the following color schemes:

• Analogous
• Complementary
• Warm/Cool
• Monochromatic

We began this project by choosing an animal to draw realistically.  We discussed how cropping the animal will allow us to draw it out bigger.  Each student then chose a color scheme to apply to their drawing.

1st Grade -- Wildy & Wavy Paintings

Mr. Kaegi's 1st grade class created these mixed media works of art.  We started out discussing the primary and secondary colors.  We went into depth a little further and discussed how each of those colors have numerous values. 

Hue = Color
Tint = Hue+ White
Tone = Hue + Gray
Shade = Hue + Black

The students chose one hue (blue for example) and took black and white to mix their different values.  They created abstract paintings with as much value as possible.  Once they were dry, the paintings were cut into 4 strips.  The students then glued their strips in wavy formations onto consturction paper.

 

Kindergarten -- Stuart Davis Collages

We learned about Stuart Davis and how he was an early American Modernist painter. He created proto-pop art paintings that were colorful and influenced by jazz music. The students noticed that he used geometric and organic shapes in many of his paintings. We then focused a little bit more on his painting "Ready-to-Wear" (1955).
"Throughout his lengthy career as one of the preeminent American Modernists, Stuart Davis looked to the sights and sounds of the United States for his subject matter. In this vibrant painting, Davis explored the American invention of ready-to-wear clothing, a term first employed in an 1895 Montgomery Ward catalog. The broad, flattened areas of red, white, black, and blue may represent leftover pieces of fabric, while the angular white shape in the upper-right corner suggests a pair of scissors. With its bright palette and energetic composition, the painting celebrates not only the vitality of the ready-to-wear clothing industry but also America itself."
Kindergarten students worked on black construction paper and cut our a variety of shapes from red, white, and blue construction paper. We made sure that we used organic and geometric. We also made sure that we were overlapping the shapes.
Here are some kindergarten examples below:

4th Grade -- Clay House Fronts

For this project we examined architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright and Friedensreich Hundertwasser.  Frank Lloyd Wright used geometric shapes and organic colors in his architecture, while Hundertwasser used many bold colors, curvy lines, and organic shapes.  Both architects loved to incorporate the surrounding environment with their architecture.  Our 4th grade students sketched out a design for their own house.  Some students were inspired by TV shows, by famous architects, or even their own home in Oak Park.  The students rolled out slabs of clay, trimmed out the shape of their house, and then began designing it.  They scored and slipped whenever they attached additional pieces.  They used modeling tools to carve in designs as well.  Once the pieces were bisque fired, the students then used glaze to finish their houses.

5th Grade -- Papier-Mâché Bowls

The 5th graders created papier-mâché bowls with their classroom teachers.  Mr. Zander's class was in charge of painting the bowls with acrylic paints during their art class.  The bowls will be raffled off to 5th grade students in the near future.
 

 

3rd Grade -- Op Art Hands

This week, the 3rd graders have been working on an Op art project involving lines and their hands.  We discussed a variety of optical illusions and how they can trick the brain and eyes.  From there we focused on one style of illusion, making 2D objects into 3D objects.  We traced out hands onto white drawing paper and then choose 2-5 markers to create a color pattern.  We began drawing out horizontal lines from left to right.  Once we came to our fingers, back of hand, and arm, we used a curved line to show it in a three-dimensional way.  The students then erased their pencil from the beginning.  The end result is a hand/arm looking like it pops out from the horizontal lines.

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Kindergarten -- Klee Fish

We began this project by reading a book on Paul Klee.  After learning about Klee and the style of his work, we observed his painting "The Goldfish".  We noticed how the colors really contrast each other because of the dark black water and the bold colors of the fish.  We started brainstorming as a class what lives under water..  From there the students drew their underwater scene and used oil pastels to color in their objects.  We used a black wash over the paper to fill in the background.  This allowed us to see how the oil pastels resist water. 

2nd Grade -- Family Portraits

2nd graders learned about Carmen Lomas Garza and observed many of her family portraits.  With so many examples to look at, we were able to get a better understanding of Carmen's family.  The students noticed how family members interacted with each other, how pets can be considered part of the family, and how we experience good and bad moments throughout life.  The students then thought of a moment in their lives that really had an impact on them.  We used pencil to begin our drawings on the 18" x 24" paper and also put an emphasis on drawing BIG.  The students then used crayons to color in their portraits.

5th Grade -- Silhouette Self-Portraits

We began this project by viewing many different examples of silhouettes.  We discussed what a silhouette was and how it has been an important part of art for hundreds of years.  Kara Walker is a current artist who uses silhouettes in her artwork.  The students created lists or webs to help generate things that described them as an individual.  We were focusing more on those qualities and not our outside appearance for this self-portrait.  With the use of the projector, I was able to trace out the students' silhouettes onto 18" x 24" white drawing paper.  From there the students filled up their silhouettes with ideas that described them.  We tried to draw only visual images and to avoid writing with words.  The students then used permanent markers to go over their pencil lines.  This helped add contrast to their silhouette.  They cleaned out the remaining pencil with erasers, cut out their silhouette, and then glued it to black paper.

1st Grade -- Space Invaders

The first grade students observed a current street artist with the alias "Invader".  We discussed how street art can have both positive and negative aspects to it.  "Invader" creates mosaic tiles and attaches them to buildings throughout the world.  He also creates mosaics from Rubik's cubes.  Mr. Kaegi's class created their own space invaders out of paper tiles that were 1" x 1".  Great job guys!

5th Grade Notan Designs

Notan is a Japanese design concept involving the play and placement of light and dark as they are placed next to the other in art and imagery. We viewed many examples of artists who have created Notan designs. After discussing the process to create the notan design, the 5th grade students drew a design in their sketchbooks. From there they choose a colored square, cut out all of their designs, and created the positive and negative placements.

4th Grade One Point Perspective

Perspective in the graphic arts, such as drawing, is an approximate representation, on a flat surface (such as paper), of an image as it is seen by the eye. The two most characteristic features of perspective are that objects are drawn:
* Smaller as their distance from the observer increases
* Foreshortened: the size of an object's dimensions along the line of sight are relatively shorter than dimensions across the line of sight

After the 4th grade students learned about perspective, and more specifically one point perspective, we began drawing on 12 x 18 paper. The students made a dot to represent the vanishing point. Streets, sidewalks, buildings, cars, etc all lined up according to where their vanishing point was. This allowed the city view to start out bigger and become smaller and you look further down the street. Students had many creative ideas to develop their buildings.

2nd Grade Matisse Unit Part II

For our second project based on Matisse, our students focused more on Matisse's "Beasts of the Sea." We started out by choosing a colored piece of construction paper, which was the split in half. The students then created many geometric and organic shapes to collage onto their background pieces. We discussed overlapping, contrast, curvy lines, straight lines, and movement as well. Once their two background pieces were completed, we attached them to a bigger sheet of paper to create a border for their artwork.

Kindergarten Picasso Portraits

The kindergartners started this unit by created a digital Picasso head on the internet. From there, our next step was to create an individual Picasso style portrait out of construction paper. The students learned about the word silhouette, and we used our projector to trace their silhouettes onto. The students cut out their silhouettes after they were traced. Then they glued the profile silhouette halfway to the front silhouette. From there we trimmed off the excess paper and created facial features. We discussed again how facial features did not have to look realistic nor be the correct spot. Once the pieces were attached and dry, the students took permanent markers and outline their facial features.

2nd Grade -- Día de los Muertos Sugar Skulls

"Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday, and all banks are closed. The celebration takes place on November 1, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased."

Today, Ms. Smith's and Ms. Mariani's classes learned about Day of the Dead.  We took a closer look at the sugar skulls used in the celebration.  As we examined the skulls, we noticed that they all had similar characteristics.  The skulls used many organic and geometric shapes, floral designs, symmetry, lines, and color.  After looking at many examples, the students began drawing out their own sugar skull with the use of oil pastels.  They choose what shapes to create, what colors to use, and whether or not to have their skull symmetrical or asymmetrical.  Students were encouraged to fill in their color so it was nice and bold. 
Here are some photos from today's classes: