Supposedly, if you double up on something, spend MORE time with it, it can be enough until you have a chance to see it again. Right? Maybe not, but I like the logic anyhow; and because of it, I introduce to you...PORTRAITS!!!
In just a few weeks we will be approaching one of the toughest moments in a teacher's career: Saying goodbye to all the beautiful faces we have the joy of seeing every day from August through June. For me, that is almost 600 faces! Almost 600 hundred amazing individuals I get to meet every week; hear their thoughts, watch them create, see them shine! It will most definitely be a shocker when that all changes on June 13th, though I heard there might be a way to make it easier. Supposedly, if you double up on something, spend MORE time with it, it can be enough until you have a chance to see it again. Right? Maybe not, but I like the logic anyhow; and because of it, I introduce to you...PORTRAITS!!! Portraits of various styles have now graced the halls of Delta Center Elementary, doubling the amount of student faces in our building. Just about every grade has studied what a portrait is and just how to get those pesky facial features like ears and noses in just the right spots. First graders practiced with oil crayons and just loved looking in the mirror ("Mrs. BellDean, I'm so HANDSOME!"); 2nd grade dived right into theirs with a David Hockney inspired water portrait; 3rd graders learned that legos could be personalized even if they lack ears and noses; 4th graders spent some time reflecting on their hopes for the summer; and 6th graders finally had a reason to have a phone in class (paper phone that is). The results are fantastic!
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Sometimes you just have to take the art outside of the traditional four walls and the experience is one you'll never forget! Fourth grade students recently learned about famed street artist Keith Haring and his famous style of bold colors, simple style, and action lines. Haring used his art to not only and capture people's attention but also to get them to react positively and with purpose. Students had a chance to do their own Keith Haring inspired drawings staying true to not only his style but also to his choice of medium when he first began creating street art (chalk). 4th graders prepared the week before, forming teams, trying out action poses, and drawing them in their sketchbooks. Thankfully the rain held out and the results were wonderful exciting. Not only did students create fun art on pavements, they turned themselves into colorful masterpieces as well (on accident of course)! Did you know that most artist are illusion masters? If you walk into a gallery or even just open a magazine, you will have an image. It could be any image: a famous landscape by VanGogh or an advertisement for Kraft Mac and Cheese. All of it is an illusion. It is not real, you cannot touch it or hold the real object. It was all created through artistic understanding of value, space, color, and much more. Delta Center 5th graders learned about how artist use two specific art elements (think ingredients) to create illusions in their work: Space and Value. By focusing on these we can define where objects are and whether they are 2D (shapes) or 3D (form). Some artist use these to create pretty pictures. Others use them to melt your minds! 5th graders put together their understanding of space (one point perspective and positive/negative) and value (lights/darks) to create very fun optical illusions. Study the pictures above; are you able to make out the spiral vortex? Can you see the face...Or is it a vase? Maybe it's both!
After making their, we looked at artists such as: M.C. Escher, Oleg Stuplack, Briget Jones, and Julian Beever. I love it when students have a chance to connect their understanding to other works and make connections. I love it even more when afterwards they are jumping at the chance to practice other illusions in their sketchbook, or, discover that they've hit the library immediately afterwards to look for more! Our carnival was a huge success! I throughly enjoyed being able to participate with the face painting and I loved hearing how quickly the student designed art kits, as well as the statues were received as raffle prizes at the auction. And let's not forget about Rhonda! Rhonda made her big debut right near the front doors and I hear she was quite the sight to see. So who/what is Rhonda? Rhonda is a bike I used to ride. One day she ended up at the school and was momentarily forgotten until she found her way into the art room unexpectedly. Though not great for riding it was soon clear that Rhonda could make an interesting art piece and what way could be more exciting than practicing an art form not typically seen in the classroom. Introducing YARN BOMBING: a street art form that uses yarn as its choice in medium. Do you love a good dunking? Like photo booths, raffles, games and face painting? If you answered "yes" you should come check out the Delta Center Elementary Spring Carnival this Friday, May 12th, from 6-8pm! This year, the art room is proud to participate in the ever popular face painting event (yours truly will be there, paintbrush in hand). We have also been busy at work and thanks to a few of our 4th, 5th, and 6th grade volunteers, we also have some amazing "Art Kits" and sculptures to provide as raffle prizes! Last but not least, the carnival will also be the debuting of our dear friend Rhonda! See how the kids transformed her from a functional work of art to decorative through the means of the street art known as Yarn Bombing! Students are recognizing just how unique they are as they begin a study on self-portraits. Even our twins (and we have a lot of them!) are discovering what little details make them...them. I love hearing students study themselves or study each other and highlight each other's characteristic. As one of my first graders said while gazing into a mirror, "Mrs. BellDean! I'm so handsome!"
Check out a few of the finished portraits done by our 1st, 2nd, and 4th grade! It is hard to believe that summer is just around the corner. Pretty soon, we will be knee deep in sunshine, blue skies, and fun activities! One of the things I love most about the summer is the chance to be active and creative. It is amazing how well the two go hand in hand. A walk in the park could inspire a subject matter for a new clay creation; night watching fireworks on the water could be the foundation for the next color scheme; an adventure with friends the backyard could yield to the subject matter for a new painting! Whatever the outcome, summer is a great time to flex those creative skills. Check out the list below for some amazing art related summer camp opportunities. Students will have a chance to create again with clay, try their hand at fiber arts, and discover just how fun and important the "A" in STEAM can be. Don't wait too long to sign up, they're filling fast! Summer Art Camp Opportunities
Craft Ledge Lanes
REACH Studio
Arts Unlimited
Lansing Art Gallery and Education Center
The Broad Art Museum
Collaboration is contagious! Art created by a community creates an impact that is impossible to ignore. It sends a huge message that this is a community that CARES. That this is an issue that is IMPORTANT. That this is a community that is SUPPORTIVE and full of LOVE!
Inspired by our collaborative work where students reached out for kindness, the art room paired with the special education department to create this growing work regarding Autism Awareness. Students learned more about autism, how the puzzle piece stands as a unique symbol for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and how connected our community is with our autistic friends. These students continue to make me proud everyday with their kind words, open hearts, and inclusive thoughts! If you haven't seen it yet, please stop by the library and see this growing display in the hall! WOAH! Let's take a moment to slow down and reflect. When teachers tell you that after spring break time flies by, they weren't kidding! It seemed just yesterday that we were finishing our alligators with 1st grade or building the foundations for our ducks with 4th grade. As it turns out a lot has happened since then! 1st Grade: Not only has 1st finished their alligators but they have also have had a chance to learn all about clay. Students learned how to build and roll with clay to create structure; to add texture for interest; and how to tell when a clay body is ready to go into the super HOT oven (kiln). As we wait to bake and paint our structures, 1st graders also had a chance to create a home for their fishy friends! 2nd Grade: Robots grades the halls as students concluded their study on Leonardo Da Vinci and his work as both an artist and an inventor. Students had the chance to design and build their own robot remotes as well as practice two different methods of printmaking. 3rd Grade: Weaving with Warps and Wefts! 1st graders learned how to weave with paper wefts and 3rd graders had a chance to kick it up a notch with circle weavings. Students learned how to create their own looms on a CD, weave in a pattern, identify different forms of wefts, and create patterns. These turned out beautiful and so much creative thinking. Check out the out-of-the-box Pokemon weaving! 4th Grade: Ducks, ducks, everywhere! I love the outcome of these funny little birds! Students learned just how involved paper mache can be but were very patient through the entire process. We reviewed primary and secondary colors; learned how to mix tertiary colors, and discovered how contrasting colors can create visual interests. The results: STUNNING! Be sure to check out the Grand Ledge City Hall starting this week where a few of these exciting birds will be on display (a few can be seen in our DC office too!). 5th Grade: I love it when a project can fit multiple themes such as Reading Month in March and Earth Day in April. 5th graders learned about the art of metal tooling using Dr. Seuss as inspiration. Not only did we learn how to emboss and create texture on a metal surface but we also learned how to create whimsical landscapes! 6th Grade: Just like our first graders, 6th graders had a chance to learn all about the art form known as ceramics. We studied the 5 different stages of clay, its various properties, looked into the different ways to create with clay, and finally had a chance to build our own clay structures. What did we build you may ask? BOBBLE-HEADS! Stay tuned to see these painted. In the mean time, enjoy these wonderfully finished One-Point Perspective Collages. Students learned how color schemes can be found everywhere from schools to stores to personal outfits. We took a color look at color schemes used in art such as analogous, complimentary, monochromatic, and triadic.
It is time to think warm thoughts as we get to our manuver our way into April. Although, I am not sure warm is not quite the right term for what is going on in our art room and there sure seems to be a lot of scales and string! 1st and 3rd have been busy with weaving practicing this fun tongue twister all the while: "I learned to weave with warps and wefts!" With this practice we learned that both warps and wefts can alter in appearance even though their function is the same. There may no longer be lions in the art room but it sure looks like something big has been playing with some string. Or perhaps not big at all...In fact it looks more and more like hundreds of hands getting their chance to engage in the street art known as "Yarn Bombing". Students learned about street art, how a street artist's canvas and materials either are similar or different from ours in the classroom and much, much more. 4th and 5th grade students were the first to get the opportunity to "yarn-bomb" our dear friend and my bicycle: "Ms. Rhonda" (Think of "Help me, Rhonda" from the Beach Boys). Our goal is to have every grade level participate in Rhonda's transformation in yet another DC collaboration effort. To see the final result, check into the DC spring carnival where Rhonda will be put on display!
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Nicole BD
Life long learner and art enthusiast. Follow along as I delve into the world of teaching elementary art! Archives
September 2018
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