Fourth Graders: Haunted Houses and Ghostly Stories

Fourth Graders are working on their new project - Haunted Houses! We are using cardboard and glue for the basic structure of the house...lots of glue! Check out how much we've built so far. We will be writing ghost stories in Language Arts, so hopefully these haunted houses will help spark our imaginations and inspire some descriptive adjectives.

Third Graders and Radial Balance

Third Graders are creating designs that have radial balance, or two or more lines of symmetry. After reviewing lines and shapes, students started drawing their designs in the center of their papers, slowly radiating outward with a variety of lines and different shapes. We are now adding color, and the designs are starting to resemble kaleidoscopes!

First and Second Graders review Geometric Shapes.

We are working hard on our Geometric Shape review. Students first drew six different geometric shapes: circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, ovals, and diamonds. We then added texture by rubbing different texture plates. Next, we cut out and arranged the shapes to build a house, after studying a few artworks depicting sturdy architecture. We are now adding color and details to the front and back yard as well as the sky.

Welcome Back!

The 2009-2010 School Year is off to a great start! All Zilker Elementary art students are studying shapes and lines, which are part of the Elements of Design, this first nine weeks.

2009 Zilker School-wide Student Art Show

Zilker School-wide Student Art Show

5th Grade Mexican Bark Paintings

What did we do? We looked at different Mexican bark paintings. Then we chose an animal that showed movement to draw, and surrounded the animal with different plants. We created a pattern border, and used bright, imaginative colors to paint our drawings. Our last step was to outline all of our shapes with a black marker.

What did we learn? We learned how to draw an animal that showed action or movement. We learned how to fill our page and use imaginary colors. We also learned how to use pattern and texture to add interest to our paintings.

Zilker School-wide Student Art Show

4th Grade African Clay Masks

What did we do?
We looked at several different examples of African masks and talked about why people had made them. We practiced drawing four different masks of our own, and picked our best one. Then we created a base out of clay that was the shape of our mask. We added pieces of clay to the base to represent facial features. Last, we painted glaze onto our masks using the African colors.

What did we learn?
We learned how to attach clay pieces using the score and slip method. We learned how to correctly apply glaze so that the colors would appear bright. We also learned how to carve texture into the clay and transform a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional mask.

Ms. Saucedo's Class

Zilker School-wide Student Art Show

4th Grade African Clay Masks

What did we do?
We looked at several different examples of African masks and talked about why people had made them. We practiced drawing four different masks of our own, and picked our best one. Then we created a base out of clay that was the shape of our mask. We added pieces of clay to the base to represent facial features. Last, we painted glaze onto our masks using the African colors.

What did we learn?
We learned how to attach clay pieces using the score and slip method. We learned how to correctly apply glaze so that the colors would appear bright. We also learned how to carve texture into the clay and transform a two-dimensional image into a three-dimensional mask.

Ms. Russell's Class


Ms. Russell's Class

Ms. Brosko's Class

Ms. Brosko's Class

Zilker School-wide Student Art Show

3rd Grade Picasso Double Faces

What did we do? We looked at several of Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso artworks, and concentrated on Warhol’s artwork named “Picasso Double Face.” We created our own double face, using random lines and shapes to divide up the face and figure. We added bright colors inside the shapes, and then added black lines between the shapes as Picasso did in many of his paintings.
What did we learn? We learned about the art movement of Cubism and saw how Picasso influenced Andy Warhol’s own artwork. We learned how to draw a face within a face, creating a “double face.” We worked on our painting skills and color choices.

Zilker School-wide Student Art Show

2nd Grade Henri Matisse Collages

What did we do? First we looked at Henri Matisse’s paper collages. We talked about overlapping shapes, free form shapes, and color. We practiced “drawing with scissors” and cut out all sizes of free form shapes. We also arranged the shapes different ways on our papers before gluing them down.

What did we learn? We learned how to create free form shapes. We learned how to “draw” with our scissors as Henri Matisse did, cutting the paper without drawing a shape first. We learned that overlapping different lines and shapes can create an interesting composition. We also learned to use an “arabesque” black line, just like Matisse did in his artworks.