CREATE collaborative upper elementary mural

Jamestown Upper 3rd-5th graders are working collaboratively on a collage mural to decorate our new classroom! What better word than "CREATE!" They are reviewing value as they cut out magazine pieces for the extra large board! We will be working on it on and off as kids finish up other projects and have extra time. We can't wait to see it completed and hanging on our wall!

Fourth grade Mary Cassatt self portraits

Fourth-grade artists studied the portraiture of Mary Cassatt. We noticed how she was inspired by children and decided to do our own self portraits. We also focused on how to create value using only our pencil!

Learning goals:

I can discuss the life and work of Mary Cassatt.

I can identify Mary Cassatt's impressionistic art.

I can create a value scale.

I can draw my self portrait.

I can create light and shadow in my portrait.

Fourth grade form pandas

Fourth grade artists are studying the art of Asia in our schoolwide Asian art unit. We looked at how pandas are the national animal of China. We enjoyed sketching these adorable pandas before talking about the differences between shape and form. We then were able to create these 3-D pandas. We read the book, "Zen shorts" and gave our pandas a little umbrella just like the panda in the book!

Click here to see our slide show!

Fourth Grade Landscapes

Fourth Grade artists started this project by each receiving a laminated landscape and worked with a friend to find the foreground, middleground, backgrounds, and horizen lines in each piece. 

We did several sketches and then chose our best ones to transfer to the large paper. We worked hard to use lines and patterns in our work to make them interesting and unique.  

We even had a prize drawing for those of us who could get these answers correct!

The results are beautiful aren't they?

Learning Goals:

I can identify the foreground, middle ground, background and horizon line in a photo or artwork.
I can use size and overlapping to show space in my artwork.
I can use warm colors to make some things pop out and cold colors to make some thing recede.
I can use patterns in my work.

Fourth Grade Graphic Design Wrapping Paper

The 4th grade artists brainstormed about what type of careers that they could have if they decided to become an artist. One of the jobs we discussed was that of a graphic designer. We watched a slide show about what graphic designers do and noticed that they also design things like wrapping paper! We see a lot of wrapping paper this time of year so we created our own stack of presents with uniquely designed wrapping papers. We talked about using color schemes to make the presents stand out from each other. 

Learning Goals: 

* I can describe what a graphic designer does

* I can list some options for art careers

* I can use color schemes to make my presents stand out from each other

* I can use pattern

* I can use overlapping to show space

Free art day!!

Our students look so forward to our Free Art Days! Once their class moves all the way to the end of our the Free Art Day Game board (by earning spaces for respecting themselves, each other and their school, for being good listeners, and for working quietly) they get a day to create and play in art! Here's a snippet of some of the fun we have!

Fourth grade Edgar Dégas and Jackson Pollock figure drawing

Fourth grade artists reviewed the artist that they learned about last year, Jackson Pollock. We talked about how his art is abstract and is more about the action of painting than the representation of what is painted. We used his style of painting to be the background for our Edgar Degas figure drawing project. 

First, we had fun dripping paint onto our papers and then blowing through a straw to push and mix the paint around on our papers.

We also reviewed warm and cool color schemes by painting one half of the paper with each color group.

Next, we watched a movie about Edgar Degas and wrote down our favorite 5 or 6 facts on a bookmark to put on the backs of our artworks. They use these facts to share with their families what they have learned about this project when they get to bring it home. We had a few kids volunteer to model some poses for us to practice our figure drawing. We tried to focus on having poses that included diagonals so that we could see more movement in our artworks like Edgar Degas did.  

We carefully cut out our figure drawing silhouettes and glued them to our warm/cool papers.

On the back of the artwork, students wrote six facts that they knew about the artist.

Learning Goals:
I can recognize the art of Edgar Degas.
I can recognize the art of Jackson Pollock.
I can tell some facts about Degas and Pollock's life and art.
I can paint in the style of Pollock.
I can draw a human figure with the correct proportions.