Folk Art Spanish Guitars

First grade learned about Spanish culture through Folk Art and music working together! Music and art are a vivid part of Spanish Culture! We made our own bright colored painted paper and turned them into a variety of Spanish Guitars! 1st graders also looked at some brightly painted folk art guitars for inspiration. I got this wonderful lesson from another blog, "There's a Dragon in my Art Room". It inspired me to do this wonderful art lesson about Spanish culture!


Miss Oetken's Spanish Folk Art Guitar

First students made texture and painted paper to mimic the painted Folk Art guitars. We used 2 sheets of heavy 12x18 white drawing paper and put our NAME IN THE MIDDLE ON BACKwith our class number ON BOTH. SO important management wise to get it in the middle (for cutting out later, the name would disappear and get cut off!) For painted paper I have all different colors of paint: A different color at each table with a a texture roller and a texture stamper. 

a student applying paint with a paintbrush to the roller texture tool

Students get to pick 2 different colors. 1 color for the base color (coat the entire piece of paper) and then a different one for the texture roller/ or stamper on top. I also gave the option of putting a color completely on top and then using a comb to comb through it so the other color shows through underneath ("Brush your paint's hair"). We talked about how to apply paint with a paintbrush to the foam texture roller fast and also apply fast paint to the texture tool. The reason for that is if you don't, students either want to dunk it in the paint and then smoosh it all over their paper-that defeats the purpose of the texture it rolls on the paper. I also talk about barely applying pressure with the foam texture roller when rolling it across paper. I tell students the tools stay at the station...the stations "stays".  When I have paint stations I have students push in their chair to encourage standing around stations so they can easily find a free brush.


texture stamping on top with a new color



look how cool the comb texture effect is! Pink was the base color, then tourqoise on top,
then combed through when wet





yellow and tourquoise on top combed through



yellow and yellow-orange dot texture with roller



The next art class when both papers are dry, we looked at and talked about the different parts of a Spanish accoustic guitar: The headstock (the end where the tuning pegs are), the neck (the long part), the body (the big, main part of the guitar), the soundhole, the bridge, tuning keys, strings, and pegs. I drew a diagram on the board labeling the parts, and then the steps of the project.

Turn both papers over so the name side/white side is up. Decide which piece is going to be the for the body, and which piece is going to be for the neck, headstock, and bridge is going to be on. 

On one of the pieces, draw a LARGE rectangle for the headstock, a small rectangle for the bridge, circle for sound hole, and a long line along the edge for the neck. 

On the other piece on the white side up, I told students to make a large oval on the bottom stretching to all the sides. Then draw another smaller egg sitting on top. Now that both are drawn it's time to cut out! Warn students not to cut through the middle of the body by accident! Oopsies-there's always tape:)



the name and class stay in the middle when you cut out:)



 

Now it's time to glue and assemble, once everything is cut out! The headstock creates a "t" at the top of the neck. I also encouraged students to bring up scraps to put in a box incase they wanted to pick another color for the bridge...just to create some contrast and color!

large buttons for the ''tuning keys/pegs"

For the strings, I talked about how to measure the yarn. It's always smart to stretch the yarn to measure and cut it too long. You can always trim it later. Then with the piece that was measured correctly, hold it up to the other pieces of yarn, and cut 3 other pieces the same length. We also talked about making a "swimming pool" for your yarn to lay in. I showed how to make 4 small 'pools' on the headstock where the strings will lay in. Also 1 'fret' of glue in the middle of the neck (a line of glue) to help secure the strings. That way, the glue will dry around solid keeping the yarn intact. Then bring the other end to the bridge to a glue pool on that end. While still wet, glue down buttons for the tuning pegs on the headstock. Sequins for the pegs "holding the strings in place".

Then for final touches, add a couple buttons for detail and decorate with paper, sequins,and more!

Look at my students amazing guitars! We are so going to have to play some spanish guitar music to strum to once they're finished!

.....and some students who have finished!...............

 



Miss Oetken likes to rock out too!



Modern Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa as a wild west bank robber on the run! WANTED with a reward of $1,000!

4th graders finished up Renaissance art with a pop quiz all about what we've learned and made our very own Modern Mona Lisa's! We reviewed what we have learned about the Renaissance, Da Vinci, and his most famous masterpiece- The Mona Lisa! Students were instructed to make their own individual Mona Lisa. What will Mona Lisa be doing in your drawing? Think about careers. Maybe she's a vet, in a clinic. What do you see at the vet clinic? What could she be doing in history? Is she a princess in her kingdom? What would she see around her? Maybe she's an astronaut. What new planet is she discovering? Are there any lifeforms? What do they look like?

Mona's a guardian angel at Heaven's gate!

I stressed that the background and detail was most important in this lesson. We also address proportion and what it was. How long are your arms? How far do they come down on your legs. Shoulders and torso, how long and how big are the hands? Pay attention to proportion! We first used pencil to draw all detail in the drawing so we could easily erase. Then used colored pencil to add the color and demention. I explained colored pencil is a great choice so they can highlight detail and can easily get in the small areas to color, yet still see the pencil drawing. We spent 2 class periods on this and students worked hard to do a nice 4th grade job coloring in! Impressive. Here's just a few of some of the amazing Modern Mona's students made. So creative in their approach!

Mona Lisa's a farmer!

Mona Lisa's a Rockstar in a rock band playing guitar!

 



Painted Paper Pumpkins!

Miss Oetken's Painted Paper Pumpkin!

Kinders had a great time getting messy and learning how to make painted paper! Miss Oetken had different stations with yellow ochre, yellow-orange, orange, and red paints at different tables. First I had put students names IN THE MIDDLE on the back. Then students could go to a paint station and paint on their paper with that certain color and told to paint until they heard the signal (my fun bird whistle!). After about 2-3 minutes, I blew my bird whisle (it tweets!) then students were instructed to find a new color table with a brush that wasn't in use. If in use, find another table. Hurry though! Only 3 minutes for that color! Then after they got all the colors and their paper was saturated, they go to the texture station where I made my own 'combs' to comb through the paint (made by taking old credit cards or plastic card hotel room keys) to make a pattern and texture. Then painted a small piece of paper with 2 colors of green (yellow-green/dark green). Time for the drying rack! After finished students brought them to the drying rack to dry for the next class time.

For the second class, students looked at the back with their name. I showed students how to make a giant oval/circle that stretched to all the edges of their paper. Students then cut on the line to cut out the shape of their pumpkin. We talked about how to hold scissors, and how the scissors are like a shark's mouth and it needs to be wide open to eat that pencil line. I have fun show the students how to cut slowly turning the paper and make the 'Jaws' theme song as I cut up and down. We laugh as we learn. I also showed students how to cut out a stem, and if you have left over paper, you could make a green leaf as well-using 'baby dots' of glue to glue down!

                            Check out these amazing painted pumpkins made by students below!

Analogous Colored Pastel/ Glue Pumpkins

Drawn with glue on black paper-dry-then pastel chalk



2nd graders learned about the order of analogous colors on the color wheel. We're going to be using this order on a fall pumpkin scene made from drawing with glue?! Think of analogous colors like this(look below at the color wheel): yellow orange fades to orange, then to red orange. Red orange is the product of red (it's on the right side) mixed with orange and yellow-orange is the yellow mixed with orange. Here's the porcedure!

color wheel with analogous color order


First students draw with pencil. A wavy line for the ground for the pumpkin to sit on. Then I showed how to draw a 3-Demensional pumpking. For the pumpkin, I told students to draw a tall skinny oval to start the center of the pumpkin. Then add ovals on each side to finish the pumpkin. Give it a stem and or a leave. Then a large circle for the moon in the sky along with bats and or clouds. Then it's time to trace over with glue!



trace over pencil line with white glue

 Next time the drawings should be dry and the glue will have left a black, raised outline. Now it's time for chalk pastel analogous color order! 

We showed how first you divide each of the pumpkin sections in 3 different colored sections. First yellow-orange, orange, and then red-orange. Then blend with finger! The kids are sooooo wowed how the color blend into one another! For the stem yellow-green, green, blue-green/dark green. Then for the sky, starting near the grounde, red-violet, purple/violet, and blue-violet/blue. Blend throughly with clean fingers.



Students using their color wheel/ color crossword





Just need to finish the yellow moon:) Looks great!