Eric Carle Portraits - 3rd grade

Using the papers we painted using intermediate colors, Third Grade learned the proper placement of facial features by creating a portrait.  I gave them a pattern to trace for each head.  Next they made their hair and then added eyes, nose and mouth.  As you can see, each students used their own creativity to do the rest!

Ace Summer School - Recycled Flowers

Our last project was making flowers out of recycled old library books.  I gave the kids old library books and a choice of flower stencils to trace.  We used recycled wire the electricians (my husband) cuts off after installing a ballast.  The kids did have a hard time cutting up the books!

Ace Summer School - Recycling & Louise Nevelson

Lousie Nevelson was an American sculptor (1899-1988) known for her large, monochromatic (one color) wooden wall sculptures.  Nevelson used found objects for many of her sculptures.  So, we used found objects to create our Louis Nevelson sculptures.

The kids brought in some of their own found objects and added them to the class found object box.  After they chose their objects, they went to a "glue station" to glue their found objects into their box.  (People give me all kinds of stuff and a friend gave me these small black boxes.)

The kids love using the glue guns!  We gave them instructions on what to do if they burned themselves.  Luckily, no one got a blister.  

The last step is go outside to spray paint the boxes which the kids love doing also!

ACE Summer School - Art from recycled markers!

Blow Paint & Recycled Water Colors

I had read in one of the art magazines about using old dried up markers to make watercolor paint.  So, I looked on Pinterest  for directions.  Here's what we did...I use "Mr. Sketch" markers because I find they last longer.  I have box in the art room for "Dead Markers".  It says RIP on the box.  Then I bought needle nose pliers at the dollar store and demonstrated how to pull out the tip of the marker.  Next, I demonstrated how to use that needle nose to pull off the bottom of the marker. The kids loved using the pliers and we had no accidents.  The kids showed me how to use the "circle" on the pliers to remove the bottom of the Crayola markers!  I do learn a lot from the kids!

We put all of the marker parts into plastic cups with some water added.  I let them soak overnight.  The next day I transferred the liquid watercolor to jars with lids.

Looking on Pinterest I found this blow painting artwork.  We did it on watercolor paper using the recycled water colors.  I dropped a few drops of the recycled watercolor on their paper and they blew it right away.  If the watercolor sits there it soaks into the paper.  I also found that more water made is blow better and not soak in so fast.  We also discovered that if they blew it as it was dropping on the the paper it had a different look.  Funny thing is, I showed this project to the kids on Pintrest they didn't like it but of course in the end they loved it!

ACE Summer School - Recycled Arts -Dale Chuily

Dale Chihuly

In our ACE summer school enrichment program (2nd, 3rd & 4th graders) the theme this year is careers.  I chose Recycling Careers or Green Careers.  Art lends itself to almost anything!  I have always wanted to do a unit on recycling so after I discussed "Green" careers, I began with a project I found in a School Arts magazine.  We looked at a YouTube demonstration of Dale Chihuly, a glass blowing artist.   We used permanent markers to color on plastic plates and cups (that's the part that could be from recycled materials).  Then the students took turns using a heat gun and tongs to melt and shape their sculpture.

Coloring...

Shaping...

Finished products...

Each one is different.  The kids loved it!

Bench for Ms. Scanlan's Retirement

Goodbye Ms. Scanlan....

Our principal of seven years has decided to retire at the end of this school year.  PTA asked me if we could make tiles for two benches as an appreciation gift for her.  One bench would stay at WVE and the other would go home with her.  We have 650 students and there is no way I could fit that many tiles on two benches.  So I put on my creative thinking cap and came up with finger prints shaped like a heart.  I used black under-glaze for the finger prints, a glaze pencil to write their name and then fired the tiles.  Lastly, the tiles were glazed using blues and greens.    

This is my favorite Administrative Assistant!  Her husband installs stone and tile floors.  She has watched him for years so she showed me how to attach and grout the tiles tot he benches.

Party Ready Benches!

Big Art Day 2014

March 5th 2014

This was the first year for the Texas Art Education Association to have a "Big Art Day".  " The purpose of BIG ART DAY is an art happening to raise awareness of art education and art as a creative force in our communities on a BIG statewide scale.  It is an attempt by the TAEA (Texas Art Education Association) to engage all art educators, their students and communities in a single day art event."

Each student at WVE drew and colored a self portrait on a sticky note.  Then we put them together to form, "peace, love, art".  The kids love looking for their portrait.

This photograph looks pixelated!

Clay Sombreros!

Each year our school has an appreciation party for all of the people who volunteer at our school.  Sooo...as the art teacher I contribute a gift made by our students.  Because the theme of the party was Cinco de Mayo, we made clay sombreros.  The students used their pinch pot making skills and then pinched out the brim to create the hat.  Each one was different.  Because this is not a class project, different grade levels participated.  Some classes made the hats, other classes glazed them and others wrapped them.

We made 60 sombreros in all!

Students learned how to curl the ribbon too!

Awesome Clay for Kinder - 5th Grade

Kindergarten and First Grade

Kindergarten students make an "elbow" pot.  First grade students make a "pinch pot".  Pinch pots are used as a base to make many more clay artworks.

Students use a "finger" of water to smooth the clay.  After the pots have dried and then been fired, Kinder and first grade each learn how glaze is different from paint. These are bisque artworks from first and second grade loaded into the kiln.  This year, Kinder used a special glaze that had "speckles" in it.  

First grade glazed their pots and then used "Stroke and Coat" to decorate.  I love to watch their discoveries of putting one color on top of another.  A favorite part of my job is opening the kiln after a glaze firing to see how beautiful their artwork has become.  

Clay Play Day

When students come to my class we only have 45 minutes once a week so we have to get to work.  The kids don't get to just play with the clay.  This year I let Kinder and First grade have a day to just play with the clay and these photographs are the result!  They had a blast!!!

Second Grade

  Each year, students learn another more difficult, clay skill.  This year Second grade make turtles, learning how to correctly attach one piece of clay to another....SCORE, WATER, SEAL!

Third Grade

Earlier this year, Third graders studied portraits using Eric Carl's collage technique so I decided to continue using what they learned by creating 3D portrait using clay.  After learning some techniques and then inspiring their imaginations they each created a unique bust!  I love the way they turned out!!

These were not glazed.  We used tempera paint to paint the busts.

Fourth Grade

Fourth grade made a plate.  They used stamps I made out of clay to decorate their plate.   Then we used an "underglaze" on the greenware (dried clay) and fired it.  After it was fired we used another glaze to go over that and fired it again.  They came out beautiful!

Here is our Librarian taking a "STARR test" break.  Ms. Beck loves to create using clay so she came to the art room and made a plate too!

Fifth Grade

 I have been doing this house project with Fifth graders for a few years.  When the younger students see them they want to know when they are going to make one.  Students use their previously learned skills of attaching pieces correctly added to architectural details.