Fourth grade artists studied the work of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. We discussed how art styles changed dramatically after use of the camera became common. Modigliani chose a style for his work, making figures look elongated, using bold color, placing them in a small space, keeping lines and shapes simple, and sometimes leaving out the model's eyes! The work was very unpopular at first, but eventually caught on and over a century later is collected by museums all over the world.

I originally found this lesson here: https://artlessonsforkids.me/2009/11/15/modigliani-self-portrait-in-grade-three/

Grade 3 Artists practiced mixing color values, then using the values to show distance in a landscape painting. First, they drew five simple pencil lines across the page to represent sections of the land, seen from above. They began mixing values by starting with white, then mixing very small drops of color into it on a painter's palette. They added more and more drops for each darker tone. They painted a sections of the color's hue, or pure color. Then they tried creating shades by starting with the color and adding very small drops of black for the bottom or closest sections. Their finished work made a beautiful hallway display!

I originally found this lesson on this wonderful website: http://arteascuola.com/2011/01/paesaggi-in-gradazione-tonale/

Grade 5 folding visual art books made with Heather Marlow, who served as a student teacher in the art room during November and December. The students created the book ideas by brainstorming drawing prompts, then made rough drafts. Their final copies fold up into a sculpture.

What we've been working on:

Grade 2 studied leaf patterns this October, and noticing the beautiful fall colors against the crisp blue sky, added a study of warm vs. cool color families. They drew the leaves by starting with a long chalk line down the middle of the paper, then added sections and lobes until it looked complete. They were encouraged to create a color pattern of their own design in the leaf or mix different hot colors together if they wished. They added cool colors to the background with oil pastel, then concentrated watercolor paint, and finished it off with a smooth black outline to make it all stand out. Their work has beautifully decorated the Ocean hallway this fall.

I originally found this lesson here: https://www.deepspacesparkle.com/leaf-paintings/

What we've been working on:

Grade 4 made masks during the month of October. They studied different styles of masks from around the world and discussed their functions in different cultures. With inspiration from watching a slideshow, and from exploring materials and using their creativity, they made these awesome and exciting projects!

What we've been working on: 

Grade 3 did a drawing of an imaginary tree house. They started with chalk on colored paper to keep their shapes nice and wide open for coloring. Then they added oil pastel and were asked to color the entire page. We had discussions about different ways of getting in and out of the tree houses, and what kinds of activities you could do in there without any electricity. They came up with some very colorful and creative results!