Let's Sculpt!

My second grade students and Mr. Angelo's class have been learning about warm and cool colors and how they are used in art.

Using only warm  or cool colors, students were asked to create a small scale paper sculpture. We discussed and experimented with different ways to bend, fold and cut paper and how to use these forms to create an interesting sculpture. We talked a lot about how sculptures are meant to be viewed from all angles and students were encouraged to continue to turn their pieces as they worked and to look from above, below, far away and close up.

As students worked they took breaks to circulate the room and look at their classmates' artwork. We also studied the metal sculptures created by local artist, Albert Paley.

Albert Paley, Cross Currents

We discussed how Paley plans his work in paper and students were excited to see how similar their small scale paper sculptures looked to the large scale artwork of a successful artist!

I can't stop talking about how much I LOVE these pieces! Check out the use of shape, form and composition and how unique and interesting each of these sculptures turned out!

These students really took my idea for a project and ran with it, making it evolve into their own creation! I heard talk of how these sculptures looked like roads, playgrounds and obstacle courses, and students even added things like vehicles and figures and discussed plans to use their pieces with toys they had at home. Taking art outside of the art room and making it your own? I couldn't be happier!

This project also began the option of free sculpting, having students use extra time they may have at the end of a project to create their own independent sculpture. While many of us enjoy drawing from imagination, consider sculpting as a means of artistic expression in your free time!

Is This a Dream?

Earlier this year my fifth grade classes studied realism and surrealism and saw how artists can use different styles to convey meaning in their work. We discussed how surrealism distorts reality and how wild and interesting surrealistic artwork can be!

Students were then asked to select a dream or memory to translate realistically or surrealistically through collage. They spent an entire class brainstorming and writing down or sketching all the details that they remembered about their dream or memory. At this point there were a lot of wild ideas circulating around the room! We then took a look at some collage art and discussed different methods that artists use to create imagery through collage. Using magazines, students began selecting images to use in their pieces and began laying out their collages. Students were able to select the scale of their pieces and also had the option to focus on creating either a realistic or surrealistic collage or both.

Check out this student's realistic...

...and surrealistic...

...collage depicting the same memory!

I am SO impressed by the creativity in these pieces and the imagery that students created is really interesting and inspiring!

Crayons!

My fifth graders just finished a drawing from observation unit and the results are amazing! We started out learning how to use quick small drawings called thumbnail sketches to help plan a dynamic and interesting composition. Students then selected crayons to draw and arranged them in an interesting way. After their thumbnail sketches were complete, students selected their favorite composition and began to lay out their final drawing on black paper. We spent a lot of time discussing how to achieve realism in our drawings through observation. Students were encouraged to really study the crayons that they were drawing. As they sketched and refined their drawings we talked about scale and proportion, measuring in our drawings, and how to check for accuracy. I am always fascinated by how much visual information we miss in everyday objects and how much we can learn by really taking the time to observe. 

Students used oil pastel to add color to their drawings and practiced layering colors, blending, adding highlights and shadows as well as refining details in their work.

Check out this artwork!

 

Drawing from observation can be really difficult and often challenges the way our brain perceives visual information. I am so proud of all of my students for taking on this challenge and putting in their best effort!