We scream for Ice cream (and Cupcakes!) with Wayne Thiebaud!

I can't believe it, but I forgot to post about my one of my favorite art lessons from last year where we did the cakes! I'll get to that later...let's stick to this year. We just finished making Wayne Thiebaud "3 Ice Cream Cones" themed art in our own style and "3 Cupcakes". I showed students this clip of Wayne Thiebaud talking about his art. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_QJ5D9Qm8

For the ice cream waffle cones, we traced a triangle on brown paper 3 times. Then took a brown crayon to make "X's" for the ridges in the waffle cone. Cut out and glue the first cone's point touching the middle bottom. If you do that than you helped manage the even spacing for the other cones! Glue the other 2 on.

Now it's time to start using up those painted paper scraps! What flavor can you make? Start tearing small pieces to make a torn paper collage. Single scoop? Double scoop? Different flavors? Add detail with cutting small sprinkles and garnish with different fruits or toppings!



We're going to spread some glue on the tops if students want, and then add some sprinkles!

CUPCAKES with FAKE FROSTING!:) 

 

For the cupcakes, I premixed silver paint/water mixture and painted a bunch of gray pieces of paper, dried them, and cut them up for individual "cups" for the cupcake. I showed students outline with black crayon and how trim the paper.  Cut out and glue all 3 cups on your long 12x18 paper. At each table I had a different pre-mixed joint compound mixed with paint. We used popsicle sticks as spreaders. I got this amazing concept from http://elementaryartroom.blogspot.com/2011/01/wayne-thiebaud-creations.html . Then it's time to add some sprinkles before letting them dry. Add sequins for added dimension or 'candy pieces'.

Dr. Suess' Lorax and Truffula Trees

1st graders learned about the Lorax and the need to save nature and the Truffula Trees in Dr. Suess' Lorax. I wanted to read the whole book, but, it was very long for one art class to focus, and then to have them refocus on the project, that wasn't super easy in the first place. So I thought of another route. I showed them the book and some illustrations, and then showed a clip that summerized the book and movie. How convenient that the movie was coming out. The students were already excited. I explained the movie was based on the book and carried the same concept of how we need to put greed aside and care about nature and take care of our trees. I actually got this idea from http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/search?q=truffula . How neato!!! I had to do it with my students. I tweaked it a bit, but this is an accurate tutorial.

Students got to pick from the Truffula tree colors: cotton candy pink, bright yellow, bright orange and purple. I had these colors of yarn to make the trees at different tables. I also had fine bristle brushes (from the Dollar General store), 3x4" pieces of cardboard, and scissors. Follow the tutorial in the link listed above.

When students were finished fluffing their Truffula tree, they went to the trunk station. I have bright colored straws to choose 1 for a trunk. Then I had permanent black markers to make Dr. Suess' signature style zig zags as seen in the illustrations in the book. Students then came to Miss Oetken at the hot glue gun station, where I glued their Truffula tree top onto the trunk. Then they went to the last station, the Lorax station to get a copy, color it in with colored pencil , cut out, and use a piece of scotch tape to tape it on top so it looked like the Lorax was holding onto the tree. The students LOVED them. 

Some even  made more art based on the book! I left the book out to look at and read when they were finished. Lots of them were very interested in the story!



Cool and Warm color family Snowflake Watercolor Snowmen!

 

 Once again we did the cool and warm color family snowflake snowmen. We talked about the color families and then chose 2 colors from the family of our choice. Students reviewed the dos and don't of watercolor painting and how to do the wet on wet technique to get beautiful blends! After a class of them drying, we cut out our tracers of the small circle for the head, the medium for the middle, and the big one for the bottom. Then traced them onto the dry watercolor paper.

 I showed students how to fold the circle in half, then in half again for a 'pizza slice' and how to cut a few triangles out with scissors on each side. Then unfold and glue down on your paper. Beautiful! Use metallic crayon for the details like the eyes, scarf (if they chose), hat, arms and more. Then I showed students how to make a glitter scarf. I have a glitter system. I have box top trays with a small container of glitter. I tell the students to draw with glue, put your art in the tray, use the pinch and sprinkle technique to sprinkle on the glitter on the glue, and then keep inside and tap off the excess. THEN they can remove it from the tray. I also showed how to make a 'scribble scarf' so that way the scarf won't be a big gluey mess. I also mentioned to the kids by keeping the excess glitter in the box top, we can reuse the glitter and have more glitter for other projects! Yay! More glitter for us!

If students finished early, I showed them how to write a story about their snowman to take home and enjoy!

Kindergarten & 1st grade Winter Wonderland Mural with guest art teacher Stephanie Lase!

Miss Lace, an area art teacher and art education friend from college days at UNI (oh how I miss our painting classes together!) observed our classroom (more like helped the entire day!) and created the background for our amazing Winter Wonderland mural! Kinders helped make and decorate trees, 1st grade made hand polar bears and detailed penguins! We used painted paper scraps for the details on the penguins. We did this as a bonus activity after we finished our cat and dog pattern sweaters.

When students were finished they could also do some other winter fun theme activities! Like a snowglobe made out of the center of a plate! Turn it into an ornament?

....or make a stamper patterned wrapped gift? Then glue on a strip of yarn for a bow around the gift.

Grinnell College's Gallery visits with Kara Walker Silhouette explorations!

Tilly Woodward, amazing photo-realist style artist and director of art outreach/community like programs, came with a student from the Grinnell College Falconer gallery to show a 1st grade class and kindergarten class, all about Kara Walker! Kara Walker is famous for her controversial themed  black cut paper silhouettes.

Students really enjoyed a change of pace and what was even better, was that they finally got a chance to talk about their art with the class. I LOVED that part. It's hard to find that time in the classroom to have everyone sit down and share! We need to do that more often.

Students first drew with white chalk a simple drawing. Then cut out and glued the sihoette 'chalk face' down, so you could only see the black paper. They attached it to an interesting background.

students look at a photo copy of a famous Kara Walker

Students got a kick out of talking about their art and what made their 'Kara Walker' unique!

Last year Tilly and her volunteers came in to talk about Japanese woodcut prints with the students and then 4th graders got to work on making their own prints with foam tray print making! The students were so wowed by the ancient book of Japanese woodcut prints and LOVED using all the bright inks, authentic barens, bright tissue papers! Japanese woodblock printing is ancient artform and everything from the inks, to the process, to actually making a registration...is a very respected and intricate, delicate process.