Magical Color Mixing!

We had a great week of discussing secondary color by color mixing! It is just like magic when two colors mix together to make a new one! This week I read White Rabbits Color Book By Alan Baker. Afterward, students made color wheels beginning with primary colors, of course, to mix their secondary colors. Once the color wheels were complete there was strong desire to learn how to make brown! (The rabbit at the end of the story turns himself brown) On a separate piece of paper students experimented with all three primary colors by mixing them to create brown. Some even painted the shape of a rabbit!
There is such a wonderful enthusiasm with this age about color mixing it's inspiring!

The lower level classes looked at the work of Mondrian. We discussed primary colors, vertical and horizontal lines. Students did an AMAZING job using their straight edge rulers to create these lines! Next, they used their primary colors to fill in three of the shapes they created. After they were all complete students held their work up as a class to look around and see the differences and similarities in their classmates work. It was a great day in art today and wonderful to be back from the winter break!
See the beginnings of the upper level work below....





The upper level became architects today and created buildings of their own using a straight edge. For inspiration we took a look at the work of Mondrian as well as that of Frank Lloyd Wright and Frank Gehry before they began step one of a two part project.

Shape Challenges

The Sun with a Bird

Rocket Ship

Tug Boat


Car

We are beginning our unit on shape taking a close look at how artists use shape to construct, paint and create their work. This week we started with the book Not A Box by Antionette Portis. It is a clever little book that illustrates how one shape can be many things with a little imagination. Next, we took a look at some of Sonia Delaunay's paintings that are full of many shapes. After much creative discussion students got started on their project by beginning with one simple square and constructing an image. The variations were awesome. This is a school full imagination!

Hanging Nature Bubbles

These papier-mache bubbles have been an addictive art project in our house lately. We start with a balloon. Next, paint watered down glue on the balloon and place a white coffee filter on top of the glue, then paint more watered down glue on top of that. Continue layering coffee filters with glue and leaves, colorful scrap paper, wrapping paper, sprinkles of glitter or whatever else you can think of. I have been drying them by attaching a string to the balloon and hanging it over the shower curtain rod in the bathroom. When you are certain they are dry carefully pop the balloon. It will release from the coffee filters and leave you an awesome little bubble! They make fun luminaries. However, they won't really work outside because the glue is water soluble. Of course you would not put a real flame in these but they are fun to hang in the house with the battery operated tea lights that look like real candles!

The cityscapes are finished! Students added windows by cutting newspaper and magazines and added the background colors of blue and green with tempera cakes. They did an amazing job carefully painting and taking their time with each step! Look for them in the hall!


The upper level completed their store fronts which are displayed in their room and they worked on turkeys today that had a wood block inspiration.

Cities and Store Fronts

The upper level has been working on personal store fronts. They started with pencil carefully detailing, outlined in black marker and finally will finish with colored pencil. When they are all displayed together it will be quite the shopping locale!



The lower levels are working on cityscapes. We have been discussing shape and looking at illustrations of architecture for inspiration. Students have been defining their own shapes such as, the taco (semi-circle)! They are all turning out so different! Part two of the project is next week where they will add windows and some background color! I can hardly wait!!

Monsters!

Today I read the book Monster Munchies. It's a great counting and rhyming book with very friendly and fun monster illustrations. After the story we had a wonderful discussion about shape, texture and line. The lower levels used water color and oil pastel and the upper level worked on monsters using cut paper.