Art Teachers Make Art Too!

This past Monday we gathered together as a Tri-Town for a professional development day.  I'm sure that many people have questions about what happens on such a day.

Well, what doesn't happen!

We discussed assessment measures and shared techniques for measurable goals.  We reviewed our report card standards to ensure that there is consistency across the towns.  We discussed the latest trends in art education.

And....We made art!!

Take a look at the Tri-Town art teachers exploring and creating. 

Middleton's Mrs. Smullin exploring her own version of a tunnel book. 

 It has been so wonderful to have such an experienced teacher filling in for Mrs. Winchell

Boxford's Ms. Dalton testing and trying out watercolor techniques and brushes.

Topsfield's Mrs. Lang working in mixed media.

And here's what I did...

I learned a new printmaking technique from Mrs. Lang. Its a monoprint process (makes just 1 image) that allows you to use pencil and pressure to transfer your image or drawing to your paper.

This is my finished piece - I love working with maps in my art!

I loved this technique and I can't wait to bring it to my classes at Howe Manning.

What a great day!

Gong Hey Fat Choy!

We're celebrating Chinese New Year in Kindergarten Art! 

Kindergarten artists are learning about the upcoming Chinese New Year.  Students compared and contrasted Chinese New Year to how we celebrate the New Year in our culture.  This year is the year of the monkey.  Most students also discovered that they born in the year of the Tiger...Roar!  Click on the monkey image to learn more about the Chinese zodiac signs.

Kindergartners are spreading good fortune and luck with festive coin trees.  They traced hands and then crumbled paper to add bark texture.  Hands were then painted to create trunks of gold and fortune.  

During week 2 students cut and glued their hand branches.  

Printmaking techniques (stamping different round shapes) were then used to add coins of all sizes.  

Have a prosperous and good year!

Contour Lines in Complementary Colors!

How can we use planning or drafts in art to influence our final work?

Second grade artists are building on their contour line skills to create bicycle drawings from observations.  

In the process, they discovered it all starts with a plan! 

Their challenge was to zoom in on a section of the bicycle and draw that using contour lines.  View finders were a huge help for this task.  

These budding artists honed in on their observation skills - it was so fun to watch!

Students also learned to use planning sheets as a tool to brainstorm their ideas and practice sketching first.  

These thumbnail sketches then were developed into their final drawings.  

Its visual brainstorming at its best! 

Finally, these 2nd graders had a lesson in complementary colors as they had to choose 1 pair to use for their final artwork.  It was tricky creating different values of their two colors to make sure their paintings had interest. I think they did great!

What do you think of their final work?

January Mystery Artist

Happy New Year Everyone!

The January Mystery Artist is up and ready to go.   Make sure to do your research and enter your guess:

I am a Chinese American Sculpture and Landscape Artist. 
At 21 years old, I designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Landscape is the main inspiration for my work. 
I design my art with the goal to “make people aware of their surroundings”.