Second Grade Monochrome Self-Portraits

 For the first class project this year the second grade students created monochromatic self-portraits. We had a review of what they learned in first grade about self portraits and then began to work. It is so great to see all of their happy little faces on the wall!

Kindergarten Cool and Warm Trees

I have an obsession with projects based around trees. I made this project about seven years ago, but this time added in a few more standards/ techniques to make it more beautiful. To introduce the lesson we had a class discussion and viewed paintings by the Hudson River School painters to introduce the idea of landscape painting.
First we began by doing a step by step drawing using lines that they have been working on since the beginning of the school year. Next we discussed cool and warm colors and painted the trees with cool color green. The kindergarten students have already learned how to mix primary and secondary colors so it was easy for them to paint the sky with warm colors.

After the trees were finished the kids rotated the paper and tree drew shadows at the bottom of the page.The class discussed shadows and looked into the science aspect of what and how they are made. Then they were ready to paint shadows in cool colors.

We also added some sunset shadowy clouds, to make it feel more balanced.

Finally they added some pine needles using brushes I made from stiff pipe cleaners and old broken paint brushes.

Some shiny Mod Podge with white paint mixed in and painted over the snow parts to complete the illusion of still snow.

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Second Grade Expressive Line Quilt

Lines are always a continuous topic in art. This year the second grade students created expressive line pieces with the intent that all of their projects would be woven together to create a quilt.

Second Grade Paper Mache Design

I am really trying to push the students this year. Every year the second grade has made a huge paper mache art installation. The theme used to coincide with the harvest / fall time of year. Recently I have expanded the theme to include a 10'x10' paper mache aquarium, kids playing in a leaf pile, and forest scenes.

 This year the kid are going to make a safari scene.
They began today with a practice activity with the possible materials they could use to create the animals. I printed out pictures of different found objects and had them arrange them to create different animals.

Flamingo

Elephant

Giraffe

Next I gave the kids the real objects and had them create the pictures they just made.

Giraffe legs

We had to do a little math to figure out how many tennis ball cans it would take to make his legs.

Learning how to make a cone form with paper

Attaching the giraffe neck

Once all of the animal structures have been constructed  we will begin paper mache.

When all of the pasting finished the students will begin painting and adding details.

Putting legs on the flamingo

Problem solving

Final product!

This has been my favorite paper mache project ever! The kids worked so hard and really showed their talents in so many areas. I cant wait to see what they will make next year.

Clay Relief Sculptures

This is going to be a really cool project! Some of my second grade students are working on making relief sculptures. First I got their parents to send in a picture of their favorite place in Athens or Watkinsville (Oconee County) GA. Next we reviewed what they learned in the previous lesson about perspective techniques, such as horizon line, diminishing size, and overlapping shapes. The students then studied their pictures to find shapes. They traces all of the shapes separately on transparencies to create stencils to use later on the clay. All of the stencils got labeled and cut out. 

Next the students will trace their shapes on clay and build their relief sculpture. 

After applying the stencils the students cut out their parts and began scratching and attaching.The finished pieces are quite impressive!

Church, Oconee County

La Parrilla, Oconee County

Oconee County Library

City, USA

Swimming Pool, Oconee County 

Church, Oconee County

Golf Course, Oconee

Next the students will paint their pieces and add any final details after they have been fired.

Before the students began painting we had a review about caring for our paint brushes and color theory. 

Silhouette Sunset

I have done this project in the past but I have decided to change it up a little bit this year. This lesson is a great way to introduce concepts such as negative space and primary and secondary colors. These are some pictures of the students painting the background or negative space with primary color to make secondary colors.

Each child had their silhouette drawn on a black piece of paper. they cut out their silhouette leaving them with their head and an organic shape that roughly resembled a tree. hidden in the trunk if the tree is also their silhouette. They painted the tree with different values of brown to make it look like the trunk and branches of a tree.