2nd grade bug prints

The second graders had so much fun sharing what "bugs them!"  We drew bugs/insects in styrofoam and printed several times. After choosing the best print, it was mounted twice and students then drew their bug around the print. It was mounted again and then students wrote what bugged then around the entire thing. We talked about printing technique, mounting, symmetry, good composition and writing.  These were so fun!!!

2nd grade birch trees

The second graders made these gorgeous collage/paintings of birch  trees. We painted the background with abstract colors and lines- filling the space with color but bring careful not to get our colors muddy looking. Next we painted our trees with black paint on another paper. While the paint was wet we used a small piece of cardboard to scrape the paint over to resemble the bark of a birch tree. These turned out awesome! 

1st grade collage

The 1st graders learned about free form or "made up" shapes. We looked at collages by French artist Henri Matisse. He cut out free form shapes that often resembled sea weed or plants. We talked about proper cutting and glueing technique as well. 

4th grade value study

The 4th graders drew 3 hearts that overlapped slightly. In each "section" students painted different values of the same color. They picked one color then added white to create various tints and black to that color to create various shades. Each section had to be different and they had to use proper brush techniques to create clean lines and even mixing. 

We talked about color in nature and color around us everyday. Value is a part of how we perceive color.