What We Are Working On

1st Grade-  Students are working on drawing dinosaurs step by step.  They will give their dinosaurs the feel of scales by adding texture to them.  They will be cutting out and gluing the dinosaurs onto a watercolor paper and painting a realistic background.
2nd Grade-  Students are drawing their shoes from observation.  They are working on getting a realistic shape and adding details.  They place the shoe in a background, and add three things that are magnified in size.  They are using a combination of colored pencil and watercolor paint to add color to their piece.
3rd Grade-  Students are learning about typography.  They are spacing and designing lettering, and creating a stencil of their first name.  They use the stencil to print their names multiple times.  When they print, they are learning about repetition and overlap.  They add color using a shading technique called modeling, where they show light, medium and dark tones and blend them.  In addition to their individual piece, we are printing everyone's stencil on a class poster.
4th Grade-  Students are creating a postcard that represents their community.  They are combining lettering with a setting.  The landscape they create should show a clear foreground, middleground and background.  They are outlining their drawings using pen nibs, which they dip into ink.  We use them because they easily create bold lines and thin lines.  We will be exchanging 35 postcards with an I.B. school in Kenosha, Wisconsin and comparing and contrasting the results.  This will give us an opportunity to learn about their community and look at the style of their postcards.

Welcome Back

It feels good to back, and we are ready for another great year in the art room.  We have a different schedule this year.  Art has changed from a 40 minute period to a full hour.  They still come once every 6 days in the rotation, but I've already noticed the difference the extra time makes.  The class feels less rushed, and as we get into making projects they will have more time to work.  I think it will be especially beneficial when we are doing 3-dimensional artwork.  This week, the students have been creating sketchbooks.  It is important for an artist to keep a sketchbook for practicing drawing, preparing for projects, and working on ideas.  If a student is interested in art, I would encourage them to keep a sketchbook at home as well.  It can be an excellent outlet for their creativity.

"Comic Panels" 3rd Grade

Third graders learned about the artist Roy Lichtenstein. He enlarged comic panels and painted them. He used Ben Day dots to create a color field that filled the shapes. He used word bubbles in his paintings to create interesting scenes.
Roy Lichtenstein
The students created even 1 inch borders using rulers. Inside their panel, they drew a close-up of one or two characters. They created word or thought bubbles. They used colorful dots in at least 3 spots on their panel, and flat color in the rest. When they were done, they had created an image in the style of Roy Lichtenstein.

Bus Contest Winner!

Congratulations to Simis student Kylie Stenke for winning the Valley Metro Bus Contest! Third graders from all over the valley entered the contest, and Kylie's design took first place and will be featured on the cover of the Valley Metro Calendar. Valley Metro visited Kylie's class and took them on a ride around the neighborhood on a city bus. She also received a prize pack and a pizza party for her class. Thanks to all the Simis students who entered and worked hard on their illustrations.

"Construction Vehicles" 2nd Grade

2nd Graders have been creating paintings of bulldozers and cranes. We took our inspiration from the cafeteria construction site next door to the art room. They worked on using thick lines for the main shapes of the vehicles, and thin lines for the detail. They drew their vehicle on yellow construction paper and cut it out and glued it onto watercolor paper. Then they drew their background, and used watercolor markers to add the color. They learned 3 shading techniques (hatching, cross-hatching, and scumbling) and filled in their background. When they brushed water over the watercolor marker, it filled the rest of the space with color.

"Bus Contest" 3rd Grade

It's time for the annual Valley Metro Art Contest again. 3rd grade artists can participate by creating an illustration of a bus or the light rail. I have sent home entry forms and paper to students who wished to participate, and have already started to get some back. If you would like me to send you're child's piece, return it me by September 30th. If you would like more information, follow the link to Valley Metro's website. You can also view last year's calendar and see our three winners.
Contest Info and Rules

Welcome Back

We have started a new school year in the art room. This year, we will be focusing on famous artists, and look closely at the work they created. We will take our inspiration from them and explore different mediums to create our projects. Check back for updates on each grade to see what they are making and who they are learning about.