Spotlight on Caitie Sue!

Caitie Sue is a hard working First Grade artist here at MCPS. She is always on task and always follows directions. In this project, the students were thinking about themselves 25 years from now and what they want to be when they grow up. Caitie Sue wants to be a veterinarian and her picture expresses that very clearly. Like all of Caitie's work, it is full of fine details and excellent craftsmanship. I am proud of the artist that Caitie Sue has become and I know she will be successful in whatever she does. Congratulations Caitie Sue!

Eric Carle Collages

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These are so gorgeous! Eric Carle is a fabulous author and illustrator of children's literature. The students are all familiar with his books so he is a great way to connect art and reading. We learned about the art technique called collage and how Carle uses this method to make the illustrations for his picture books. The students spent a day painting papers to later be cut up. The next class time, they painted the ground and sky. On the third class visit they began using their painted papers to collage their background and animal. They could choose any land animal that they wanted and they then had to put it in it's natural habitat. These are really coming along and are almost ready for display. Way to go!

Here Ye! Here Ye!

Several First Grade classes are creating their royal crowns! We have been talking about Kings and Queens and what we would do if we could be royalty for a day. Just a few of the great answers I got were, eat pizza all day, boss everyone around, and live in a castle. The students drew out their designs after we talked about giving our crown a high center and we also discussed symmetry. They were to cover their crown with patterns and shapes that they would be able to paint inside of. The classes just began painting this week and have been doing a very neat and careful job. These are just the beginning! You won't recognize them after we have made them super gaudy! I love how these have turned out thus far. Check back soon for another update on the Kings and Queens of MCPS.

Kindergarten Self Portraits!

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This is one of the few lessons that I repeat every year. Kindergarten Self Portraits always turn out so well and I am sure become a treasured piece of art for their parents. This semester, we chose to paint them with watercolors instead of tempera and they look great. The little artists did a fantastic job using the paint correctly and taking their time with their portraits. Most of the classes should finish up after intersession and we will be beginning a new project after that.

Second Grade Cityscapes

Hello Pinterest friends! If you are viewing this blog via Pinterest....welcome! This is actually my old blog from my previous school. Feel free to look around and enjoy! I also have a NEW BLOG that I try to update frequently, so please visit my new blog at www.hsesartyparty.blogspot.com

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Several Second Grade classes have been learning about architecture. We focused mostly on large cities and skyscrapers. After reading books and discussing the art of designing buildings, the kids created their own cities. We also discussed overlapping and how they can show the illusion of one building being in front of another. Once the drawings were complete, we began to talk about how we would paint these. We learned about warm and cool colors and they had to choose which color scheme to use. Warm colors are colors that give us a feeling of warmth such as, reds, oranges, and yellows. Cool colors are colors that give us a feeling of cool temperatures such as blues, greens, and purples. The cities are turning out nice and the students are really taking their time to ensure a neatly painted city. I am very proud of their hard work!

What is a Landscape?

Students in several First Grade classes have been learning about landscapes. After discussing how artists make art of outside scenes, we made our own! The kids were creating these gorgeous works of art with tissue paper and adhesives. This method is called Tissue Paper Painting and can have a beautiful affect. They first made the ground and sky with a clear horizon line. Next, they used browns, oranges, reds and yellows to create Fall trees. Some students also chose to put suns in their lovely blue skies. These paintings have a beautiful abstract quality that I just love! These will be going in the hall very soon for the rest of the school to enjoy.

Second Grade Families!

Second grade students have been hard at work on their family portraits. We discussed overlapping and how to show that one person was in front of another to create depth in their artwork. They are turning out great! Last week our question of the day was "Why are families important"? The kids gave lots of great answers to this essential question and I encouraged them to do something to "return the favor" for all the things their family does for them. That was their art homework for the week and I look forward to hearing about the kind things they did to express their thanks. The students are using watercolors to paint their portraits. Hopefully they will be able to complete these in the next several weeks. Here are some snapshots of their works in progress.

Fabulous First Grade!

Hello Pinterest friends! If you are viewing this blog via Pinterest....welcome! This is actually my old blog from my previous school. Feel free to look around and enjoy! I also have a NEW BLOG that I try to update frequently, so please visit my new blog at www.hsesartyparty.blogspot.com

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Students in First grade have been hard at work! Half of the grade level finished up their chalk pastel Self Portraits that turned out gorgeous! We spent some time talking and looking at Self Portraits before they began. Working on black paper, they outlined their pictures using Elmers Glue. When the glue dried it had a raised, shiney, black texture. The children colored their pictures with colored chalk pastels and were instructed to give their background a patterned design. I am currently working on getting all of these displayed in the hall outside of my room. Come take a look! There are several other first grade projects under way and I hope to post about them soon.

We are off to a great start!

Wow! We have had a very busy September here in the art room at MCPS. I returned from my maternity leave the last week in August and the students have been so very sweet. They always ask how "baby Charlie" is doing and always want frequent updates on his development. It is so cute! I am so thankful for the few extra weeks I had with Charlie but I missed the students here and we are back in the "swing of things" now. I hope that this BLOG will be a great way to keep you up to date with all the activities going on in the art room. I will post photos of student work and make note of the projects that different classes are involved in. I love this photograph of our classroom watercolor packs. I will often sit them in the sun outside of my room to dry out. They looked so pretty laying out there together that I had to take a picture! Enjoy this window into our little art world.