5th grade ceramic bowls

This project has taken longer than expected. A week and a half before winter break I dropped a blender on my toe, broke it AND got 6 stitches. I know.. Who does that?! Anyways... I missed 3 days of school and so we got a bit behind on this project:(. I am really loving them, however.  Most have been fired and ready to glaze. We will finish them after winter break.  

3rd grade ceramic leaves

These turned out amazing! Third graders learned how to use a rolling pin to roll out the clay. They used a leaf template to cut around to make their leaf. The leaf was put into a bowl to dry, taken out and then fired in the kiln. We used glaze to paint them then they were fired again. 

5th grade Pop Art

1st grade Picasso

4th grade Picasso faces

Coming soon

3rd graders are making fall leaves out of clay.....

Coming soon.....

1st grade pinch pots are being made!!!

3rd grade Reflections of Fall

The 3rd graders learned the watercolor technique wet-on-wet. They got the bottom half of their paper wet a little at a time and got their watercolors wet. Using a small brush they touched the wet paint on the wet paper and the color "exploded" around the paper. They used cool colors to resemble water.

Two trees with bare branches were drawn on the top half, painted and folded in half to create a print or "reflection" on the bottom half of the paper. 

1st grade pumpkins!

The 1st graders used orange, yellow and white paint to paint an entire piece of paper. Once dry they cut out a pumpkin and glued it to black paper. Using white oil pastel we drew curved lines to make our pumpkin look round. We cut out a stem and made vines for the top of the pumpkin. We mixed yellow and blue oil pastel to make our leaves. Finally we drew stars, vines and a moon!

1st grade Piet Mondrian

The first graders continued the concept of lines in artwork while learning about the artist Piet Mondrian.  Mondrian used vertical and horizontal lines in his art. We also talked about Mondrian's use of Primary colors.  

1st grade snails

The first graders reviewed lines, shapes and patterns with this project. This was a great way to review previous knowledge and use multiple supplies. 

2nd grade - where the Wild Things are

In 2nd grade art class we read the book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Sendak was not only the author but the illustrator as well. Sendaks story is about a little boy causing mischief who was sent to his room and imagined that he sailed away to the land of the Wild Things. These monsters in the story are funny and playful. We looked at the design of these monsters and created our own monsters that resembled the ones in the story. They were drawn on brown paper and colored in with oil pastels then cut out.  They are just as playful and even more fun than the ones in the book!

Square 1 fundraiser!!!

It's here!!!! Square 1 packets have arrived and will be sent home Monday, October 21! Look for info in folders tomorrow, Thursday the 17th with all the details. 

Please help support art at Alcott- every purchase you make supports the fantastic pieces of art we make and the supplies needed to create those projects. Thanks in advance for your continued support of the arts!!

Square 1 fundraiser!!!

It's here!!!! Square 1 packets have arrived and will be sent home Monday, October 21! Look for info in folders tomorrow, Thursday the 17th with all the details. 

Please help support art at Alcott- every purchase you make supports the fantastic pieces of art we make and the supplies needed to create those projects. Thanks in advance for your continued support of the arts!!

5th grade statue of Liberty

The 5 th graders learned about the history of the Statue of Liberty and then did a step by step drawing of the statue. We drew in pencil, outlined in Sharpie and painted the statue and water with watercolors. We mixed green with a bit of brown for the statue's color. 

The background could either be a cityscape or a flag. We used oil pastel, marker and crayon for the background. This was my first year incorporating the choice of a flag. I love the results!!! They were great!!!

3rd grade warm and cool weaving

The third graders reviewed warm and cool colors by doing two deprecate paintings - one in all warm colors and the other in all cool colors. We started by drawing concentric circles in white crayon then painted over with our colors. The warm colored paper was cut to make our loom and the cool colored paper was cut into strips to weave into the warm colored paper. This was not only a great review of color but a great review on weaving as well. 

2nd grade Kandinsky circles

The 2nd graders followed up their study of lines with a study of colors. We looked at the work of Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky.  Kandinsky was known for his purely abstract art consisting of lines, shapes and colors.  We recreated Kandinsky's circle painting by using the following color themes: primary, secondary, warm, cool, complementary colors and then the last set of circles were "their choice." We learned proper painting techniques as well as our color schemes. Oil pastels were used in the background of each set of circles. 

2nd grade paper sculptures

The 2nd graders reviewed various kinds of lines such as vertical, horizontal, zig zag, wavy, spiral and curved. We talked about how lines are everywhere and make up everything. We learned that a sculpture has form and is 3D. We created a sculpture using strips of colored paper to represent different kinds of lines. We said that our sculptures reminded us of roller coasters! 

3rd grade Picasso cubism face

The 3rd graders learned about the life and work of the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. We particularly focused on his cubist paintings. Cubism is a style of art that looks like pieces of geometric shapes in a puzzle that are not put together correctly! 

We drew a face realistically, drew 5 lines through it and then colored in each section or piece. After the face was cut out, we cut it into 8 pieces and put it back together, leaving just a small space between each piece. They turned out well and the kids enjoyed seeing their face transform from realistic to abstract!!

4th grade petroglyphs and pictographs

The 4th grade is finishing up a project about Native American Rock Art. The Native Americans created petroglyphs (rock carvings) and pictographs (painted or drawn images) which tell stories with pictures and symbols. 

The students drew an animal on tag board, cut it out and taped it to brown paper. Using a beater, they rolled ink over the animal. When the animal was pulled off an outline remained. We used oil pastels to draw Native American symbols for our pictographs.  

The kids enjoyed this and the projects turned out great! Many are already on display in the 4th grade hall way! 

Square 1

It has been busy around the art room already!! Aside from our amazing class circle paintings ( see previous post), all of the students grades 1-5 are working on a project for Square 1.  Square 1 takes student art and puts it on products that parents can purchase.  Who doesn't want a phone case with their child's art on it? They offer all kinds of products - from mouse pads to coffee mugs to key chains. The best part? The money made goes to purchase needed supplies and materials for our art room! It's a win -win! Look for more information to arrive in Friday folders soon!
There are some examples of some exceptional Square 1 projects- a few from each grade - hanging in the 5th grade/ art hall. This year, each child will have one project hanging on display - with over 600 students, please be patient - I will get to each child, I promise. A little certificate will arrive home when your child has something displayed!
Have a safe and happy long weekend!

Collaborative paintings

All my classes are currently working on a group painting. We looked at paintings done by lots of people under the instruction of artist Hiep Nguyen. Nguyen has people come together and paint circles. A circle can represent unity, the circle of life or simplicity and it is recognized by all....and anyone can paint one!! Look for these masterpieces at curriculum night!

Welcome back!!

 Welcome back to Alcott!!! We are already in full swing in the art room, starting our year with Square 1 art. Square 1 is an amazing fundraising company that can put student artwork on products that can be purchased.  They offer coffee mugs, I pad cases/I phone cases (so cool!) as well as key chains and much more!!! More info will be sent home for you to review. This is a fundraiser to help raise money for the art room for more supplies and needed materials. 

  We have started our art for square 1 and it's going really well! 5th grade is doing a self portrait that is turned into a ceramic tile by square 1. I then make a mural out of them and Mr. Hoffman hangs them up- come see past 5th grade classes that are currently hanging in the 5th grade hall!!

2nd grade Eric Carle peacocks

The 2nd graders looked at the art made by author and illustrator Eric Carle. We discussed how he would paint paper and the cut the shapes needed to create his pictures. We talked about collage as well as warm and cool colors. The students painted a warm colored paper and a cool colored paper. They used those papers to create the feathers for their peacock.

2nd grade Kente cloth

The 2nd graders learned how to weave with paper strips while learning about Kente Cloth from Ghana. Kente cloth us a hand -woven ceremonial cloth worn by the Assante people of Ghana, Africa. The cloth is made into clothing that is various colors and designs. Kente cloth us worn during special social and religious occasions.

5th grade tessellations

The 5th graders learned about the artist MC Escher who was well known for his tessellations. A tessellation is a pattern made of identical shapes that fit together with no gaps and no spaces. The students learned two ways to make a tessellation: translation which fits one next to the other and rotation which rotates the shapes in a pattern of 4. The results were outstanding.

What a show!

The Alcott art show was a huge success. With over 900 pieces of art on display, Alcott was filled with color and creativity! I am always filled with such joy when I see what all my students have accomplished!
Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Choo, Mrs. Stepp, Mrs. Schroeder, Mrs. Dinan, Mrs Lesmerises and Mrs. Labbe for mounting/or hanging art on the day if the art show.
A very special thank you goes to Mrs. Hayashi for her countless hours mounting work, setting up the pinch pots for display and for her dedication to making this show fantastic!!!
In coordination with Mrs. Kuhar, we were able to raise money for the leukemia/lymphoma society! The third grade class canvases were a big hit and we raised over $350! Thank you for your support!

3rd grade Egyptian portraits

The 3rd graders began a unit on the art of Egypt in art class. We looked at ancient drawings and writing on the inside of pyramids. We talked about how the Egyptians painted people in a side profile view yet the body was facing forward and the head was to the side. We noticed that the eye of the portrait was always drawn from a front view even when the face was a profile view! Even though this is incorrect we drew portraits of Egyptian kings step by step and we too drew the eye from a front view. We outlined them in black Sharpie and then painted them. They turned out really nicely!!

1st grade self portraits

The 1st graders learned how to properly draw a face by using guide lines. These guidelines help us to put the eyes, nose, mouth and ears in the correct place. The kids were amazed to find out that our eyes are actually in the middle of our face! These were really fun and the kids did an amazing job!

ART SHOW!!!

The annual Alcott Art Show is quickly approaching. It will be TUESDAY, APRIL 16TH from 6:00 - 7:30 pm.  Like last year, all art work will be hung in the halls outside the classrooms or on tables outside the classrooms. This year I am teaming with Lisa Kuhar, a former Alcott third grade teacher, to support her campagin for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).  They are the world’s largest voluntary health

organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and

patient services.  To assist Mrs. Kuhar in her campaign, I have decided to have our Alcott 3rd graders create class projects that will be auctioned off at the art show to raise money for this foundation. Please stay tuned for mor information to come.

If you are available to help mount work for the art show, please e-mail me! JohnsonL@westerville.k12.oh.us This involves glueing the artwork to construction paper to make a double frame around it.  I could really use your help!

2nd grade Aboriginal art

We learned about the Aboriginal people who are the native Australians. We looked at the art that they made and what made it stand out from art from other places. Aboriginal art is distinguished by the animal subject matter and line and dot patterns. They would often paint on the bark of trees.
We drew two animals and focused on the use of lines and dots in patterns. We colored with crayon in patterns, created a pattern border and painted over with brown watercolor.

4th grade value hearts

The 4th graders learned about value in art and how to create different values by just adding white. The students traced a heart 3 times, overlapping each one slightly. They picked a color, painted one section of their heart that color and then added different amounts of white each time to each section creating different values.

4th grade cardinals

The 4th graders study Ohio history and Ohio animals in the classroom. In art class we looked at photographs of Cardinals, our state bird (also my favorite baseball team, but that's beside the point) we looked at male Cardinals with their bright red feathers and how they stand out particularly in the winter with a white snowy backdrop. We drew a cardinal and branches on turquoise paper, painted with tempera and added snow using white oil pastel. They all turned out great and the staff has been impressed with just how fantastic the are. :)

Happy February!

Stay tuned for some fantastic heart inspired artwork this month!!

1st grade winter landscapes

First graders reviewed the concept of foreground, background and horizon line with this one day painting lesson. They painted the small grey trees in the background at the top of the page and the larger black trees in the foreground at the bottom of the page. We talked about color mixing with black and white as well.

1st grade Grandma Moses paintings

The 1st graders looked at artwork by the American folk artist Grandma Moses (1860-1961) Moses told stories about her life through her paintings. We learned about landscapes and talked about foreground,background and how to draw people The students drew and painted either their favorite season or holiday.

5th grade Pop Art

The 5th graders learned about the artist Andy Warhol and the style of art called "Pop Art.". Students looked at an everyday object - something unexpected as the subject of an art piece - and drew it realistically. I made 4 copies of their drawing. One copy had to be colored to look like the real object whereas the other 3 copies were to be completely abstract in color and design. Pop Art was about repetition of an object, bright unexpected colors and making everyday objects the subject of art.