Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls

My 8th graders have been learning about Dia de los Muertos. The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico. The holiday involves family and friends gathering to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. In Mexican culture, death is viewed as a natural part of the human cycle. It is viewed not as a day of sadness, but as a day of celebration. I love the use of color and pattern in these pieces.

Pumpkins

7th grade did an amazing job on their pumpkins this year!  I love how they used what they've learned about shading with paint and color to make their pumpkins look so realistic!

Third grade not-so-spooky spiders

Third grade is finishing up their not-so-spooky spiders this week.  We usually paint the background with a wet-in-wet technique but with the end of the quarter workdays coming up next week we didn't have time.  I am enjoying this simple version, however, because it really showcases the spider and it's colors.  Sometimes the painted background really takes away from the spider.  We may continue to leave them this way!  We used one of my favorite mediums, crayola color sticks to color these.  

 The only suggestions I gave them were to make the legs match and the concentric circle patterns on the body match.  We draw the spider together, then they trace in permanent marker and color.  We draw the web after they've finished coloring so they can more easily see where to put their lines.

Cats on the fence in 5th grade

My fifth graders are finishing up their paintings this week.  They practiced blending in a circle for the background and we also discussed many different types of lines as we drew these together. It's always a struggle to get them to fill the page with their artwork but I think they nailed it with this project!  

4th grade Halloween houses

We are getting an early start on Halloween this year in 4th grade!  We did these Halloween houses by drawing them together step by step in white colored pencil on black paper.  We discussed all the whimsial details they could add, such as pumpkins, ghosts, curly trees, black cats, and stars.  If you have students that do not celebrate Halloween, they can leave off the ghosts and jack-o-lanterns, and just have pumpkins for fall "funhouses." I reminded students that they shouldn't be too worried about getting their houses straight, since they should look stretched and whimsical on purpose!  They are turning out great!  Here are a few for you to enjoy!