Snowflakes

Mrs. Millham came into the art studio just as Mrs. Belaski's Kindergarteners were finishing up these beautiful "make-and-take" snowflakes. We decided it would be a good opportunity to get a picture of the entire class along with their finished work. I'm thankful for such perfect timing! Say "Cheese," or better yet; say, "Snowflake!" We are ready for winter!

Painting Spirals

Spirals are everywhere; from the tiniest organisms to the largest galaxies. 1st Grade students at PPS created these vibrant paintings after viewing a series of images of spirals seen throughout nature (including snails, hurricanes and fiddle-head ferns). On day one of this lesson, students drew a spiral and used it's shape to guide the direction and movement of their paintings. On the second day, students finished painting and embellished their spirals with colored oil pastels. These 1st grade artists have demonstrated immense creativity, color sensitivity, and expression through movement.

Using our Imaginations to See

If you are interested in fun and easy drawing activity to activate the right side of your brain, I've got just the one for you! Take some strips of tape and place them randomly on a piece of paper. Turn your paper around until you "see" an animal or creature in the tape. Then use a pencil to outline the animal; you can add more details with colored pencils and markers.

Why is Drawing Important?

I just wanted to share this video because it really aligns with my thinking. We all appreciate the arts, but it's important to think deeply about why we appreciate them, and why we need them...

Drawing Featheriness

Feathers make excellent subjects for drawing. Kindergarten students studied a variety of feathers today, representing them using a wide selection of materials to demonstrate their fluffy, light-weight nature. Students were able to select materials they found necessary. These materials included graphite pencils, water-soluble graphite crayons, charcoal pencils, vine charcoal, handwriting pens, metallic crayons, white cray-pas, and watercolor paints.

Drawing Means Taking Risks

This trimester we are focusing on taking risks as artists. In order to grow as an artist, a person must try new things and allow space within the art making process to make mistakes. To aid in creating that space, I have been offering students the opportunity to draw using new approaches, such as drawing without looking, drawing from photographs or drawing without knowing what will come next.

Welcome Back to the Art Studio!

This trimester we will be honing in on developing our drawing skills! Did you ever wonder how your favorite artists became so good at drawing? Practice. That's right, you don't need to come from an artistic background, or hold some sort of magical power to be a great artist. You just need to draw! The more you draw, the better you get. I promise. When you get home every day after school (or work if you're an adult), do a quick 10 minute drawing. After a few weeks, you might really surprise yourself! Try it out and let me know how it goes.