Sunday, October 20, 2013

A Mystery in the Art Room

Yeah, I decided to go ahead and post tonight instead of resting and waiting till tomorrow. I'm a geek...sorry :)

So, lots happening in the Art Room. Starting with the K4! We just finished our second project this past week. I can't believe how great these projects look! Every project I have given the K4, they have exceeded my expectations. Makes me a happy art teacher. I have one of the finished ones to show you today. I will be taking pictures of all of the students' art this coming week to share.


The K5 started a new project this week based on the work of George Rodrigue. I worked with students on Wednesday and showed them step-by-step how to draw his famous "Blue Dog". They really did a nice job! At first, there were several students that were concerned that their dog "didn't look like yours, Mrs. Chance!" I really stressed to them that the wonderful thing about art is the differences. Art shows how unique and special they are. After that, I was happy to see that students started adding some of there own touches. (Sorry about the picture quality. I do not have the best lighting in my house.)





On a side note, I did NOT forget about posting the pictures of the finished K5 ice cream cones. I PROMISE! These artworks are about 2 1/2 feet long and every picture I have taken, I have hated. I don't want to share these in a way that takes away from how well students did. I have another experiment that I will be trying out tomorrow. Cross your fingers that this one works.

About 75% of the first graders have finished their first project. We will be wrapping those up this week, so pictures will be coming soon. To hold you over til then, here is a sneak peek!


I do not have pictures of the 2nd or 3rd to share with you this week. They are so close to finishing. I will hopefully have pictures to post by the weekend of the finished artworks. (Sorry if this post is sounding like a broken record. Seems like everyone got done at the same time!)

The 4th grade has been playing with metallic markers this week. I was a little disappointed that I could not find any metallic colored pencils...ANYWHERE!!! It wasn't long ago when you could go to any store and find stacks of them. Now they are gone...poof....nothing. I was lucky to find some metallic markers. I wish that the color was a little more clear (they all look a little on the silver side), but I think that they added a lot to the students' art.


5th grade also finished their artworks this week. We will be placing them on a construction paper background this week and then they will be ready for their close up!

Now...what you all have been waiting for...drum roll please....The Art Room Mystery!

If you have been following my blog, you know that the 6th grade has been working on Greek Vases. We began by applying oil pastel to a drawn vase and covered it with acrylic paint after it had been colored solidly. The idea was to have students etch a design into the acrylic paint using a toothpick to reveal the oil pastel underneath. Essentially, scratch art.

Here's the deal, I did this project 3...YES 3...times this summer. I do not do projects with my students that I have not tried out first. I want to make sure that it works. I want to know and understand some of the problems that students could possibly have. So, I made three examples. I used the same exact materials as the students used. In fact, I didn't have any black paint, so I went to school in June and grabbed some out of the closet.

Well, students began etching their design Tuesday and pretty soon eyes were shooting up at me. Hands started appearing in the air. What I saw next absolutely stunned me. The paint was peeling off of the oil pastel like melted cheese in huge sheets. WHAT?!?!?! I apologized to students several times. I felt awful. I am still confused. How could it work so great three times for me this summer with no signs of peeling and not work at all with the students this week?



It just goes to show that you can't plan for everything. There are occasions where art has a mind of its own. After discussing it in length with students, we decided to scrap our vases and start again using tempera this time instead of acrylic. Just crazy.

Anyway, as I have pointed out throughout this post, everyone is finishing at the same time with their projects...even the Art Club. Over half of the students are finished with their Romero Britto inspired paintings. We will be starting a new project very soon (my goal is by the first week of November). The one I am sharing with you is almost done!







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