Secondary Pumpkins

This lesson was found at www.artsonia.com, a great website of art lessons for all different ages. Kindergarteners learned about primary and secondary colors. We began by reading "Mouse Paint" and discussed the difference between primary and secondary colors. They practiced mixing secondary colors by adding a little of one primary color into a small cup of another primary color. They mixed orange and painted a 9x12 paper with it. Then they mixed purple and green and painted half a sheet of paper with each color. When dry, they drew circles on the orange paper which they cut out and glued onto the other paper with the green on bottom and purple on top. Students were instructed to overlap their pumpkins and were given thin strips of green paper to cut and glue on as stems.

Andy Warhol Style Self-portraits

4th graders learned about Andy Warhol and Pop Art. We looked at his celebrity portraits and discussed his use of multiples and variety of colors. Students began by drawing self-portraits after a review of facial proportions and how to draw features. Then they traced their drawing on two transparency sheets using black sharpie. Students were instructed to paint two pieces of white paper using warm and cool colors in any way they pleased. We then taped the plastic sheets on top of the background and glued them onto a piece of construction paper.

Paul Klee Inspired Self-portrait

Next we moved onto self portraits. 1st graders looked at the work of Paul Klee and created a drawing based on lessons I found on several different websites. I gave them an oval template to trace for the shape of their head. We discussed the proper proportions to use when drawing a portrait and how to draw facial features. Students drew themselves and outlined in sharpie. The next class we began adding tissue paper by wetting our drawing, placing a square of tissue paper down and adding water on top of that. They filled up their drawing with rows of colored tissue paper making sure to use plenty of water. When dry, the tissue paper easily peeled off leaving a stain from the color behind. This was a very easy fun process that the kids enjoyed.

Sign Language Names

5th graders created sign language name designs. We began by discussing what a font was and viewing different fonts. They used oil pastels to write their name in different fonts and sizes all over a 18x18 piece of colored paper. They then traced their hands for however many letters were in their name and cut them out. Using a copy of a sign language alphabet students shaped their cut out hands into the signed letters of their name and glued them onto the background paper. They used sharpie to add details such as finger nails and knuckles.

Name Grid

Second graders created a name grid by folding their papers into 16 squares. One letter of their name was written sequentially in each square until they were all filled in. We reviewed how to write bubble or block letters and colored them in. Black and white line designs and patterns were drawn in the background of each letter.

Name Tangles

To start of the year I did a variety of name design projects to help me refresh my memory of my 500 student's names. Third grade created name tangles, the idea for which was found here.

Students wrote their names so that the letters touched the edges of the paper. The first letter begins in the lower left hand corner touching the left side and bottom of the paper. The next letter touches the first letter and the top of the paper. The next letter touches the previous letter and the bottom of the paper and so on. I then had students paint their letters with thick black lines. The next week they filled in the negatice space with different patterns and line designs.

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