October art challenges!

More art news you can use! 

First, congrats to the September "Guess the Artist" winner, Anna Kate in 4th grade! She correctly guessed Rene Magritte.

Now for the October challenges...

"Guess the Artist" - drop your answer in the purple folder in the hall by the end of the month.

October Instagram Challenge - anyone can play! Art teachers everywhere - Join us for some fall foto fun. If you are under 13, post with parent or teacher assistance, please!

Fall color in your community is the theme - don't forget your hashtags

#fallcolor #dolvinIGchallenge @smartestartists

If your parents or teacher don't have Instagram accounts, email your pics to me at knighth@fultonschools.org

Fifth graders only - there is a new art contest posted for the Johns Creek holiday card - read the post in the hall and ask me for an entry form.

And finally, the Fancy Art Word of the Month : Critique

Happy October!

5th grade gem stones

Color schemes, color values, and modeling form are part of our 5th grade curriculum and I am always looking for a fresh and fun way to teach these concepts. When I saw these crafty gems on Pinterest, I knew we had to give them a try - the kids get so excited when things look 3-D.

http://truebluemeandyou.tumblr.com/post/44808005531/diy-optical-illusion-wooden-gem-jewelry-tutorial

We began with some observational contour drawing, then the kids selected a color scheme for their gem stones. Using tempera, we mixed tints and shades and watched our jewels pop off the page as they became forms.

What to do with these in a composition? They were kind of floaty and fantasy-like on the white backgrounds, so we went with a simple landscape background for a surreal look. Surrealism shows realistic objects in an impossible setting, as in this Magritte painting, The Castle in the Pyrenees.

Students learned several skills and techniques with this lesson, and also had room for personal choices in colors, settings, and composition. They were encouraged to make personal connections through their creative choices.

We wrote artist statements to wrap up the lesson - get your copy of my artist statement format for free at Teachers pay Teachers: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Mrs-Knights-Smartest-Artists

 

 

 

 

Bird Texture Collage

Artists often find inspiration in the natural world around us, and one of nature's most beautiful creatures is the bird, in all colors, shapes, and sizes. First graders looked at a variety of birds like toucans, roosters, and parrots - we compared and contrasted their features, and we made some sketches of birds from our memories. Sketches are an important planning step for artists! We selected our favorite sketch for the final piece and planned the shapes and textures we would use for our collage. Collage requires different skills and craftsmanship than drawing or painting, since its focus is on the cutting and gluing of shapes. After the assembly of shapes, we used real textures for the background rubbing and the feathers, and visual textures for the leaves.
At the end of the lesson, we shared compliments with our classmates during the Art Walk.