Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!  Students completed a variety of types of projects this week:  Some began their architecture-related project to tie into Odyssey through the Arts; others put the finishing touches on their previous projects or a special Halloween project.  All in all, students did a great job!

Special thanks to our classroom volunteers this week, Ms. Mendes and Mrs. Murphy!  We are grateful for your presence in the art room.

Kindergarten

Kindergarten, having created "Shape Cities" inspired by our Odyssey through the Arts presentation, moved on to learning about Matisse and his love of all kinds of shapes.  Along with traditional geometric shapes, Matisse, in his "painting with scissors," enjoyed creating irregular and organic shapes.  Students, then, created Black Cat collages in the spirit of Matisse, with various types of shapes pasted onto the background.  Great work, Kindergarten!

Here are last week's Shape Cities!

First Grade

First grade students participated in a range of activities related to positive and negative space this week.  The first class needed to finish up their leaf paintings; afterward, they sponge-painted around a cat tracer to create a black cat silhouette.  Early finishers drew Day of the Dead designs on small cat heads.  The second class, having completed the leaf paintings, participated in a guided drawing lesson of how to draw a cat.  (Some students elected to create a different animal of their choice.)  Then, students cut and pasted both the animal and the background to show it in the positive and in the negative.  Finally, students drew Day of the Dead designs onto their pasted images.

Second Grade

Second graders caught up to the other grades in having their Odyssey through the Arts presentation on Architecture from the late 18th to early 19th Centuries.  Thank you to our parent volunteers for sharing your time and talent with us!

Third Grade

Third graders wrapped up their Chuck Close portraits this week.  Students finished drawing unique designs and shapes before applying watercolor in a variety of hues.

Fourth Grade

Fourth graders finally finished their Contour Backpacks this week!  Students went on to work on a Halloween-inspired Pumpkin Batik project.  Take a look at some finished backpacks, and see students working on their batiks.  Check back soon to read more details of how the batiking works!

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade applied their understanding of analogous colors to their knowledge of architects Daniel Burnham,  Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright this week!  Students chose an architect whom they admire and created a drawing of a building reminiscent of that architect's style.  Then, students at their table groups were assigned analogous colors to paint on the buildings.  Next week, when the paint is dry, we will use analogous colored oil pastels to add more detail to their images.  Finally, we will cut out the buildings and assemble them into a rainbow city!

Sixth Grade

Sixth grade students completed their Foreshortened Portraits after a minilesson in value.  Many students applied knowledge of value in adding darker and lighter parts to their drawings.  This resulted in the appearance of dimension.  Early finishers extended their knowledge of value by creating "Nighttime Pumpkins," with moonlight shining on top, and part of the pumpkin in shadow.  This was a relaxing and fun process using paint, oil pastels, scissors and glue.  Great job, 6th graders!

Seventh Grade

Seventh grade learned about relief sculpture, in which a sculpture emerges from a flat plane surface.  Students can name the differences between bas relief and alto relief.  Students then began the creation of a variety of cardboard cityscape sculptures applying different levels of relief.  This project allows students to experiment with scale and construction.  It is very hands-on!  Next week, students will apply black paint.  The final step will be to add detail in oil pastels.

Eighth Grade

Eighth grade students completed their second of two collograph prints this week.  Students also backed their first prints on construction paper "frames."   We are excited to move on to our next project after this fun activity!

See our finished work hanging in the front hallway of the Hill Street campus!


Stay warm and dry this Halloween!

Celebrating Architecture with Odyssey through the Arts

Students in grades K-8 (except grade 2*) celebrated Odyssey through the Arts: Architecture this week with help from our amazing parent volunteers!  Students participated in rich discussion using the language of the arts in all grades.  Students discussed work of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when architects Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright "made no small plans" for our city, following the Chicago Fire.

A tremendous thank you to our parent visitors this week!  Please view the PowerPoint online at the Art class webpage in the Parent Portal.

Students in Kindergarten exercised knowledge of Shape in responding to discussion, as well as in creating Shape City collages due to their longer class period. Great work, Kindergarten!  Check back soon for photos!

*Second Grade students in Ms. Garcia and Ms. Malaney's class finished up their fall-themed collages this week.  (Mrs. Bordens and Ms. Donahue's class did not meet because of the Choir Builders concert.)  Students created pumpkins larger in the foreground and smaller in the background to show perspective.  Some students even painted the pumpkins darker on top and bottom to show value!  Fantastic work, Second Grade!

Also, Thank you Mrs. Ryan for volunteering in the 2nd grade!

Second grade students will have their Odyssey through the Arts discussion this coming week.

Studying Shape

Students in grades K-2 studied shape this week, while students in grades 5-8 studied color, perspective, and texture (grades 3-4 did not meet because of Columbus Day).  Read on to see a variety of projects students completed.

**This week, we are grateful for art room volunteers Mrs. Duffy-Rostan, Mrs. Mueller and Mrs. Hakala!  Your time and presence in the art room are much appreciated!**

Kindergarten

Kindergarten learned about different shapes, such as the square, triangle and circle in our lessons this week.  Students participated in the reading of a book in which they spotted shapes in famous artwork!  Then, to celebrate the upcoming Halloween holiday, students created spooky "Shape Monsters"!  Students practiced using scissors and glue in this fun activity.

First Grade

First grade used organic shapes in printing with leaves and sponges this week!  Great work, first grade.

Second Grade

Second grade continued the creation of their Scarecrow Collages by pasting various materials to their watercolor backgrounds.  Students used cotton balls, tissue paper, glitter glue and more in this very tactile activity.

Third and Fourth Grades

Third and fourth grades did not meet because of Columbus Day.  I look forward to meeting with students soon!

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade began the study of analogous colors, or colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, with a fun activity drawing zebras.  Students had the choice to draw zebras free hand or to trace on the window.  Then, students began coloring the stripes in analogous colors -- for example, blue, blue-green and green.  Students will return to this project after next week's Odyssey through the Arts presentation! Check back to see the updated, colorful zebras!

Sixth Grade

Sixth grade students began the study of foreshortening in perspective.  Foreshortening is how long an object appears to be based on its angle; it can also involve objects closer to the viewer appearing larger than those far away.  This is a challenging abstract concept that can become more concrete to students through a drawing activity, such as that of our foreshortened self-portraits!  Students will wrap up this project shortly after finishing our upcoming Odyssey through the Arts architecture unit.

Seventh Grade

Seventh graders put the finishing touches on their projects this week.  Should they wish to add more, they are very welcome to do so at home!    These bird's-eye aerial view cities are just incredible!

Eighth Grade

Eighth graders continued making texture prints from their collograph plates.  Students enjoyed watching the "inverse" of what they had created being printed onto paper with ink.  Great work, eighth grade!

See you next week!

Gearing up for the long weekend ...

Students had a great week in Art this week, culminating with a fun Thursday at Hill Street with two student principals for the day!  These students devised quite the campus holiday, with fun activities and games.  The spirit was contagious.  Read on for details and updates on all our grades!

**Special thanks to our classroom volunteers this week, Mrs. Renker and Mrs. Patton!  Thank you for making our art classes extra special in grades K-2!**

***Also thank you to Mrs. Noble for sharing her art history expertise in a private guided tour of the Surrealism on display at the Art Institute for eighth grade students!  Students loved learning about Magritte and the messages he intended to convey through his art work -- certainly we had to think "outside the box" for this experience.  We are grateful for you sharing your knowledge and passion for art history!**

Kindergarten

Wednesday's Kindergarten art class met this week, but Friday's did not because of the long weekend.  Students did a lesson extending their knowledge of line to use of pattern in a special Princess and the Pea lesson.  We did a read aloud of a poem format of this traditional children's fairy tale before participating in a guided drawing lesson, helping us to create an oil pastel drawing of a stack of mattresses under the finicky princess.  Students used all types of line before painting in soft watercolors.  Great job, Kindergarten!

 

Such intent focus!

First Grade

First grade finalized their Mondrian creatures by finishing careful coloring before cutting and pasting these unique animals to a black background.  To the eye, dark colors appear to recede and light colors appear to pop out.  This added extra drama to these lovely drawings, which use vertical and horizontal lines to break up the space on the inside.  Students used primary colors and balanced them throughout the image, just like Mondrian!

Second Grade

Second grade continued to work on their Scarecrow collages for fall.  We will continue to add elements to the background next week, from tissue paper to glitter glue to cotton balls for clouds in our skies.  Check back soon for updates!

Third Grade

Third grade began learning about Chuck Close, a modern artist who suffered many challenges in his life.  He rose above the discouragement he received and turned his challenges into his strengths.  When he could not recognize faces, he learned to break them into grids to make large scale paintings of faces.  These unique paintings took off and garnered much attention.  Now, he is one of the most famous painters alive!  Like Close, students made self portraits and began breaking them into parts. They drew unique designs into the different parts and soon they will apply paint in stunning colors.  Great work, third grade!

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade continued to apply bleeding tissue paper to their contour drawing backpacks.  Students added water to their backpack drawings before setting strips of the tissue paper, which hold dry paint.  Then, they applied more water to let the paint "bleed" onto their compositions.  Students are doing a great job on this long-term project!

Fifth Grade

Fifth grade students continued to explore organic line and shape with a leaf printing/sponge painting activity!  This very tactile project was great fun for students, who created many lovely compositions that warm our school halls.

Sixth Grade

Students finished their "Zentangle" still life drawings this week.  Early finishers outlined their hands and zentangled them in color for contrast to the black and white background.  Students enjoyed this quiet, relaxing work time!

Seventh Grade

Seventh grade continued to work on their aerial 1-point perspective cities.  Students who had ensured their rectangular prisms were drawn accurately moved on to adding value.  Students imagined a light source from a certain direction and where it would strike the buildings.  Where it did not strike a face of the prism, students shaded in dark to enhance the 3-D quality of the drawing.  Amazing work, 7th Grade!

Eighth Grade

Eighth grade students enjoyed a field trip this week that combined art with architecture (math) and poetry (language arts)! These concepts will converge upon our upcoming project with the same cross-curricular connections.  As an additional activity to tie into a previous unit on Surrealism, students participated in a tour of the Magritte exhibit on display through Oct. 13 at the Art Institute.  What a special opportunity!  Students reflected on the experience during art this week after completing their collograph plates.  They also played a drawing game popular among the Surrealists.  Students who had finished their plates took turns printing.  This is a great way for students to distinguish real, physical texture on their collograph plates from implied texture in their final prints.  Here is a look at our work so far!

Also, here are a few images from our trip to the Architectural Museum and the Art Institute!  Also be sure to visit the Middle School Instagram page for more photos.

Enjoy the long weekend and our beautiful fall weather!  As always, be in touch with any questions, concerns, ideas or more!