Wilting Colorful Sunflowers by Fifth Grade

These were inspired by some beautiful sunflower art I found online. I love the way they came out. The fifth grade artists did a great job blending the oil pastels together.

Fall Birch Trees by 2nd Grade

     The second grade created these great birch tree paintings this fall. They had a lot of fun. First they painted the white stripes for the tree trunks. When they were dry, they added yellow paint for the leaves, and added in a bit of orange to add interest. Finally, when the paint had dried, they used black crayon to add details to the bark and outline the trees.

Welcome Back!

All last week, the students in my art classes worked on a whole school project. I originally saw this idea on the blog, smART class, http://elementaryartfun.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-ideas.html.
Each student created a monochromatic (one-color) or two-color self-portrait. We discussed how they could use different shades of colors in the same family (sky blue, navy blue) or different values of the same shade (by increasing or decreasing the pressure on the crayons etc...) They were given crayons, art sticks, and markers to create their portraits. We had a short lesson on portrait drawing before they started theirs. Each portrait then became part of a whole school mural displayed downstairs by the office. Many of their personalities shone through their work!

If you are a parent coming in on Parents' Night this Thursday, take a swing down the hall by the office/8th grade and check it out!

Also, thanks you to my helpful parents! (Mrs. Tremblay, Mrs. O'Hare, Mrs. Flomp, Mrs. Conway, and Mrs. Cunningham) I could not have completed the display without you!! They were the best staplers and tapers in town!

And so It Begins...

Well, my room is just about ready. It is always a work in progress as I move through the school year, but it is ready for students next Tuesday.

This year I was inspired by all the great art blogs I follow. They all had so many great posters and displays. So I set about creating my own.

I found the best set of simple rules ever, thanks to,
http://teachkidsart.blogspot.com/2011/08/rules-to-live-by-both-in-and-out-of-art.html

I then set about creating an information wall for my students to use throughout the year. I'm pleased with the way it turned out.

Also, I am working on lessons about Van Gogh for my middle school classes. I'm working on setting up an area dedicated to artists we study.

This year I hung spirals of paper over each table. The students will be sitting at either the red, yellow, or blue table! I'm pleased with what I see so far! It's exciting to be back getting ready for a new year. Our school has had about 40 new students enter the school this year through all grades, K - 8. I'm looking forward to meeting them! It's always fun to meet new people, especially art students.

I also bought some new books to develop an art-themed library in my room. I have a whole dream list of books, but here are some picture books and drawing books I will be beginning my collection with this year.

I know many teachers have already started and I hope they have had a great start to their year. Good luck to all the teachers, students, and parents out there starting school soon! Have a wonderful year!