The Abstractions Are In!

As my second grade classes complete their non-objective Kandinsky inspired projects, I have to say that I am loving the results!

Students used non-objective shape and line while listening to classical music and drew to the music. We then added watercolor to enhance our drawings and add focus and unity.

I love the bold and creative use of line, sense of movement and bright splashes of color that students achieved in these pieces!

 

Drawing abstractly can be a challenge and I am so proud of all of my students for the effort that they put into the process and their sense of pride in their finished paintings!

Let's Rock!

Mr. Angelo's class has been busy learning all about Australian Aboriginal Rock Art and trying their hand at making some of their own rock related art.

We learned how this type of art was often used to tell stories and we saw first hand how much you can learn about a culture by looking at their artwork.

Using some of the same symbols and colors that were used in this ancient art form combined with their own drawings, students selected a part of their school day to illustrate with oil pastel and paint washes on brown paper. They then wrinkled up their drawings to add texture and give them the look of old rocks.

I love how mysterious these pieces are while giving us just enough realism to guess what the artist might have been thinking, just like the ancient rock art that they were inspired by!

Students then brought in rocks and used permanent marker and acrylic paint to illustrate a portrait of their family doing something important to them.

It is really interesting to see how the texture of the rocks and the use of the full color wheel adds interest and modernizes the finished pieces.

We ended the unit with a collaborative class project. Just like the creators of this Aboriginal Rock Art left their mark...

...we gathered as a class to create our own collective artistic hand print!

I wonder if someone will find these pieces many years from now and guess what we might have been doing!

Paint to the Music!

Second grade classes have been learning all about non-objective art, or art that uses only shapes and lines, as opposed to realistic imagery.

Students completed a collaborative drawing to brainstorm all different types of lines and shapes. As we passed our drawings around the room and added onto eachothers', it was so interesting to see our drawings transform before our eyes!

We then viewed the paintings of artist Vasily Kandinsky and searched for non-objective shape and line in his work. We discussed how his paintings were inspired by his passion for music which really shows in his use of line, shape and color.

 

 

Students then did a non-objective drawing of their own while listening to classical music. It was so cool to see how different these drawings were while using the same music as inspiration! Stay tuned to see the finished painting!

Leaves, Leaves and More Leaves!

Fall leaves have officially fallen into the art room!

Students in Mr. Angelo's class had a chance to examine leaves up close, explore the use of line in leaves and feel the textures created by those lines.

Students began by sorting through and selecting leaves to draw from observation. After a quick talk about compostion, they then painted on the backs of these leaves to create prints over their drawings. The detail students achieved in these prints was truly amazing!

Students went on to create leaf rubbings to see how texture can be translated visually.

I really loved getting to see the different leaves and color schemes students picked to use in their art!

Go Portfolio!

Students have been working hard on their first project, creating portfolios to store all their work for the year.

We have explored different lettering styles like bubble letters using organic line, geometric three-dimensional lettering and transforming letters into creatures.

Students then personalized their portfolios by adding things that are important to them, used line to add pattern and texture, and added color and a splash of paint.

I have loved beginning to learn about everyone through their art and getting to see how everyone works!