3rd grade donuts!

This is new project for third grade this year.  They learned a lot about value and how to use watercolor to create the illusion of a three dimensional object.  We drew the donuts by tracing a can for the large circle and a bottle lid for the center.  We added a couple of lines to give them depth, then began painting, using a darker version and a lighter version of the same color.  I think they turned out deliciously!!  :)

zebra surrealism!!

This is of my favorite projects for 5th grade that I repeat almost every year.  It's great for learning about surrealism and the anatomy of the eye.  We look at artists who painted surrealistic paintings like Dali. Of course their favorite is The Persistence of Memory.  They love the melting clocks, and who can blame them?! They're so cool! 

We also discuss the parts of the eye,  what their purpose is, and why they're the color that they are.  When they discover that the pupil is a hole in their eye it completely grosses them out!  Ha!

Last, we use our favorite method of shading with analogous colors.  They use their color wheels to determine the best combinations for their stripes.  Using watercolor, we paint each part in a specific order so certain areas are dry for the next step, like the eyelashes.  No one likes an exploding eyelash. :)

I'll post finished pieces when we're done!  

Watercolor winter wonderland, 5th grade

Over the years I've done this project, I think I've finally figured out how to get students to make horizontal lines in the water.  I have them hold their brushes at a 45 degree angle and pretend it's in a vice, unable to move.  They can go side to side and up or down, but they have to move their entire arm so it reminds them to keep their lines horizontal.  The water in this year's project looked much better!

Snowy evergreen trees

4th grade learned about layering and overlapping in these snowy scenes, and I love how the sky turned out in several of them!

3rd grade Spiders

I'm a little late posting these!  3rd grade finished these last month and they turned out great!  We used color sticks for the spiders, water colors for the background, and white crayon to trace the web for a dewdrop effect. :)

Zebra eyes!

I originally found the idea for this project over on Elementary Art Fun. I do these with 5th grade each year and it's a great lesson for teaching the color wheel, watercolor technique, as well as focusing (no pun intended!) on the parts of the eye and how to draw them properly. These are always a favorite! 

Abstract sunsets 2014

I posted these last year from my 4th graders and this year I thought they turned out even better!  We started with drawing the sunset and waves, then traced in permanent marker.  Painting with watercolor, we used cool colors for the water and warm colors for the sunset.  After the paint dried, we used colored pencils to add patterns and thicken our black lines to give the appearance of stained glass.

I scream, you scream!

4th grade just finished up these yummy little treats just in time for spring break!  This year I decide to cut them down after we finished painting with watercolor.  This project is another great lesson for color and drawing.  We used cans to trace overlapping circles, then added a "ruffled" bottom to each scoop and added a cone!

Over the river and through the woods!

We are working with watercolor in 5th grade to create these beautiful winter scenes.  We discussed opacity in regards to different types of paint, and learning how we have to work from lightest to darkest with watercolor.  By letting each area dry thoroughly, we avoid unwanted "explosions" of color. More pictures coming soon! 

4th grade abstract sunsets

I know there are a lot of examples on this post, but there were so many great ones, I had a difficult time choosing which ones to post!  I could have posted them all!  They are beautiful.  We drew the abstract sun and waves, then used watercolors for the "warm colors" sunset and "cool color" waves.  Last, we enhanced our paintings with colored pencil by adding simple designs to the waves and thickening our black outlines.

Zebras!

Remember those zebras we were working on in 5th grade a few weeks ago?  Here they are! I encouraged them to use analogous colors in each stripe, but I had a couple of students that wanted theirs to look realistic, so I let them use black instead.