Garden Mural Update

Third,  Fourth, and Fifth grade artists are working hard to complete the fence mural we started last spring.  Students are painting the active figures inspired by Pop artist Keith haring with bright, vivid colors.  They are also working on adding color to the fruits, veggies, and garden insects that are depicted on the fence posts.  I can't wait to see this mural installed!  We are hoping to have it finished and up by the end of this semester; stay tuned for pictures of the finished fence!

Dias de Los Muertos

 Third and Fifth grade art students study Mexican Folk Art for the Days of the Dead, or Dias de Los Muertos, which is celebrated on November 1 and 2 in Mexico and many other Latin American countries.This is a time where families remember the people who have died, and create an altar in their homes honoring the person's memory.  Here is a display describing the holiday and the many different ways artists use art to celebrate this important cultural event.

 Third and Fifth graders each made a work using the skull or skeleton, which is a common image used by Mexican artists such as Jose Posada.

To see these beautiful works of art closer, go to the links below.

Fifth Grade http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=998281

Third Grade   http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=1007647

5th Grade Symmetrical Sugar Skulls

Fifth Grade Artists are studying the beautiful art of Dias de los Muertos, or Days of the Dead.  Celebrated on November 1 and 2 in many Latin American countries, and here in Texas, people remember the lives of their family members or friends who have died.  Some families set up an ofrenda, or altar, in their homes that includes a photo of the person they are remembering, the person's favorite food, flowers, candles, and sugar skulls.  We looked carefully at the art of the sugar skulls, and made some of our own intricate patterns in a drawing of a sugar skull.

One of the criteria for the drawings was symmetry.  Students drew one side of the skull, then had to carefully trace so that the second side was symmetrical.  Then students added color with markers.

See the finished works here on Artsonia!
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=998281

Kinder artists study TEXTURE and FREE FORM SHAPES!

Kinder art students learned all about free form shapes.  We talked about how most free form shapes come from nature, and concentrated on the different shapes of leaves.  Students did a texture rubbing of different leaves with crayons, and filled their entire papers.  The next day, students learned how to paint carefully to take care of their brushes.  Students added a different color of paint to each leaf, so that each leaf now had two different colors.  Students were amazed at how the waxy crayon leaves resisted the wet paint! Students created beautiful, abstract works of art with the free form shaped leaves!

Check out the finished paintings here on Artsonia!  
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=997760

4th Grade St. Basil's Cathedral Architecture Drawings

As the first lesson of our architectural unit, fourth grade artists are studying St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, Russia.  We looked at its unique colors and patterns, and at its signature onion domes.  Then we practiced using markers to make different values and textures, using techniques like hatching, cross-hatching, and stippling.  Finally, we got to design the outside of our own towers!

 Our last step was to carefully cut out our building and glue it to a bright colored paper. Special thanks goes out to Deep Space Sparkle for this inspiring lesson plan!

Check out more finished artworks on Artsonia, our online student museum!
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=998266

2nd Graders study TEXTURE

Second grade artists are studying the amazing Maurice Sendak and his wonderful story "Where the Wild Things Are."  We looked closely at his illustrations and had a texture scavenger hunt, and then practiced drawing textures using lines and shapes.  Students drew different wild things and chose the best one to turn into a watercolor.

Here are more amazing Wild Things on our online Student Art Museum:
http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=996439

1st Grade Paul Klee Geometric Cities

First Grade artists are studying artist Paul Klee and creating their own architecture with geometric shapes. Students experimented with triangles, creating different shapes like rhombi, squares, trapezoids, and rectangles.  Students then arranged their shapes to create buildings, and added architectural details like windows, bridges, doors, columns, as well as different types of textures with construction paper crayons.

 Check out the finished works of art on Artsonia, our online student art museum:
https://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=994524

4th and 5th Grade Abstract Pattern Designs

To start off a new school year in art Class, fourth and fifth grade artists are getting into their "artist state of mind" by reviewing the Elements of Art.  Students arranged lines, shapes and colors in a repeated and planned way to create abstract patterns.  These bright artworks will decorate the cover of their art sketchbooks, which we use all year long.

Check out all of the amazing designs at Artsonia, our online student museum!

5th Grade: http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=985881

4th Grade: http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=985870

Prehistoric Cave Art with 3rd Grade

Third Grade Zilker Artists are learning all about Prehistoric Cave Art!  We looked closely at several photos of the unbelievably beautiful cave paintings in Lascaux Cave, located in France. Students practiced drawing four different animals that were alive 50,000 years ago when the cave paintings were created, including bison, bears, deer, cows, and horses.

Students added implied texture by rubbing crayons on top of a texture plate to simulate the rough cave walls.  Then we crinkled our papers to add actual or real texture too.

Last, students added prehistoric symbols around their animals with a charcoal stick, similar to what the ancient human used: a burnt stick.

Check out every one's finished cave art on Artsonia, our online student art museum, by cutting and pasting the following link into your browser window: 
   http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?project=990231