Monet Mixed Media Masterpieces

      I have been having camera issues lately, so I have not been staying on track with what is going on in my classroom.  So….I thought I would share a lesson I did a few years ago with a 2nd/3rd class and then last year at my current school with 4th grade. 

    My first art job was teaching at a school that used the High Scope Philosophy of teaching.  In a High Scope classroom Active Learning is very important.  Students are given choices in their learning.  I found that this philosophy worked well in the art room and fostered creativity. 

    For this Project I introduced students to Monet’s waterlily paintings.  (If any one know how to share PPT on blogs I would be happy too.  I have lots of PPT that go with my lessons).  After looking at Monet’s art we used bleedable tissue paper and cover a 12x18 piece of paper with tissue paper and water.  The next class we took the tissue off and had a really neat background. 


   Then I showed students the above poster.  I told them that their project had to have the following elements: A waterlily, lily pad, something that popped off the page, and supporting details (grass or water detail ).  The students got to choose how their materials. 
Below are some different student interpretations….

Egyptian Profiles…

Egypt is always a fun art topic.  The kids seem to enjoy learning about Egyptian history.  I like telling them about the mummification process. This year with 4th grade we created Egyptian Profiles. I modified a lesson found in the book Art Matters.

First, on 18x24 paper I traced each student’s silhouette using the overhead as my light source.  While I was working with each student, the rest of the class had an Egyptian packet to work on (draw a mummy case, how to write in hieroglyphics, ect…).

Next, we drew in the face together.  We looked at Egyptian pictures and discussed how the eye often appears to be a front view even though it is a profile.  Then I demonstrated different headdresses and students added their choice.  We also added a collar.

Then we began to paint.  We used a set of multicultural colored paints for the face and hair.  The rest of the colors where mixed with Pearl It and or Glitter It Crayola mediums. 
 

When the painting was done, students used oil pastels to define designs and facial features. Then the cut their profile out and clued it on to a large piece of construction paper. 

They added final touched with glitter, sequence, and rhinestones.  They were also encouraged to add Egyptian inspired designs in the background if time permitted.

Good Job 4th graders! 

When I have a few extra minutes, I like to share this SNL video.  The kids enjoy the silly song and dancing by Steve Martin. 
Saturday Night Live - King Tut - Video - NBC.com

Warm leaves in the Cool wind...

Today my 2nd graders finished this lesson. I was really happy with the results. We started by making leaf rubbings and then painting them with warm colors. I was able to review the term texture that we discussed last year. Next, I showed the painting Starry Night, and we discussed what Van Gogh's swirls represented. The students used cool colored oil pastels and made swirls on 90lb. white paper. We used tempera cakes (with lots of water) to finish the background. Finally, on the last day, we cut out the leaves and glued them onto the background. Some students added green leaves by printing with cardboard and tempera. This was a fun fall project that reinforced art elements learned last year.